GoggleWorks and Reading Pride Celebration Partner for 2nd Annual Event
GoggleWorks Center for the Arts (GoggleWorks) and Reading Pride Celebration (RPC) announced Friday the film lineup for the return of its acclaimed Pride Film Series. Highlighting a collection of international LGBTQ+ films, this year’s selection of films includes: Firebird, Kiki, The Garden Left Behind and, Academy Award Winner for Best Picture: Moonlight.
Leaders said the joint venture celebrates the strengths of both keystone organizations while allowing viewers to immerse themselves in transformative tales of self-actualization. The four films will be presented in the intimate Albert & Eunice Boscov Theater at GoggleWorks, complete with snacks and refreshments available. In celebration of Pride Month the films will be screened every Friday in June at 7 PM.
Information ticket purchases at www.GoggleWorks.org
Firebird (2021)
June 3, 7pm
At the height of the Cold War, a troubled soldier forms a forbidden love triangle with a fighter pilot and his female comrade amid the dangerous surroundings of a Soviet air force base.
Kiki (2016)
June 10, 7pm
Kiki compassionately captures a scene on the social margins, offering — and demanding — respect and empathy for people to whom it’s too often denied.
The Garden Left Behind (2019)
June 17, 7pm
A young Mexican trans woman and her grandmother navigate life as undocumented immigrants in New York City.
Moonlight (2016)
June 24, 7pm
A young African-American man grapples with his identity and sexuality while experiencing the everyday struggles of childhood, adolescence, and burgeoning adulthood.
“So many of us can remember vividly the first film we saw in which we saw ourselves, and felt transformed by that interaction with art. For many folks in the queer community, representation – good, honest, accurate representation – is much harder to find. This year, in our partnership with Reading Pride, it is our hope that we’ve chosen four films that let all the members of our community know: we see you, you matter, and you are welcome here,” said Lady Strongman, GoggleWorks’ Theatre Manager.
The Pride Month Series was one of two such programs launched during the pandemic as a month-long drive- or walk-in movie series. Other series saw GoggleWorks partner with Centro Hispano during Hispanic Heritage month. The art center said the program model was designed to advance inclusivity in film by partnering with area community groups to curate and promote the series to movie lovers who were less familiar with GoggleWorks and its mission.
“Working with the arts community to both tell and show our stories is an important step in creating a welcoming and inclusive community for our LGBTQ+ siblings in Berks County and beyond. The arts community has always been welcoming of the LGBTQ+ community and this second installment of the series continues to show that acceptance,” said Enrique Castro, President of RPC.
GoggleWorks has continued to explore new film partnerships in recent months, under the direction of its new Theatre Manager Lady Strongman including a criminal justice series in partnership with Building Justice in Berks and a LGBT + PlaywRIGHTing Series with the LGBT Center of Reading.
