THE YIDDISH CELLULOID CLOSET

Presented by Eve Sicular.Despite the taboo surrounding homosexuality, the topic was too intriguing to be left entirely out of the Yiddish picture. An exploration of lesbian & gay subtext in Yiddish cinema during its heyday, from the 1920's to the outbreak of World War II, reveals distinctly Jewish concerns of the time intertwined with a striking array of allusions to this highly-charged subject. From musical comedies such as YIDL MITN FIDL (Yidl With His Fiddle) and AMERIKANER SHADKHN (American Matchmaker) to classic dramas DER DIBUK (The Dybbuk) and DER VILNER SHTOT-KHAZN (Overture To Glory), queerness reached the screen in various guises, emerging as an alternate take on themes of conflicted identity, passing and same-sex attachments. Discussion of these and other gems of the Yiddish screen, as well as such features as RADIO DAYS, COLONEL REDL, CROSSFIRE, and GENTLEMAN'S AGREEMENT, will be accompanied by clips from selected films and period home movies. 

Le Petit Versailles, created in 1996, is a GreenThumb garden and a project of Allied Productions, Inc. a non-profit arts organization. LPV provides a green oasis for meditation and relaxation dedicated to fostering the interest of all segments of the community in the arts, broadening and enriching the general public through performances, screenings, workshops.

LPV events are made possible by Allied Productions, Inc., Green Thumb/NYC Dept. of Parks, Materials for the Arts;NYC Dept. of Cultural Affairs, NYC Dept. of Sanitation &NYC Board of Education.

Film & Exhibition support from The New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency.