The Confessions of Curt McDowell
By Charlotte Stace
The CCCB welcomes a screening of a selection of American filmmaker Curt McDowell’s best cinema.
McDowell was a groundbreaking queer filmmaker whose provocative and multi-sexual films remain unparalleled. Based in San Francisco, his career spanned from the late 1960s until his untimely death in 1987 from AIDS-related illness. Drawing on his obsessions with sex, pop music, comedy and the interplay between beauty and grotesque, his films range from the infamous cult classic Thundercrack! (1975) to a wide array of intimate and outrageous shorts.
Since 2014, the Academy Film Archive in Los Angeles has been restoring McDowell's works, showcasing their humor and radical spirit. The CCCB’s program features restored films such as Confessions (1971), Wieners & Buns Musical (1972) and Beaver Fever (1974), highlighting McDowell's eclectic and fearless artistry. From sensitive portraiture to voyeuristic erotica, his films remain a testament to his unique vision and legacy in queer cinema.