PrideArts announces slate of five feature films streaming in January

In its continuing efforts to make LGBTQ-themed films more readily available to audiences, PrideArts has announced titles for five weekly engagements of LGBTQ feature films to be streamed for eight days each, from December 26, 2021, through January 31, 2022. PrideArts Films run throughout the year, and consist of features, documentaries, and short film festivals.

The first will be the 10th Anniversary remastering of the 2009 film DARE, a classic about high school kids – an aspiring actress, her misfit best friend, and a loner - who become engaged in an intimate and complicated relationship. The starry cast includes Emmy Rossum, Alan Cumming Sandra Bernhard, Rooney Mara, Ana Gasteyer, and Evanston native Zach Gilford. DARE will stream from December 26 – January 3. It will be followed by the 2021 SWEETHEART, a charming and quirky coming-of-age story set on the English coast that won two British Independent Film Awards and the Audience Award at the Glasgow Film Festival. SWEETHEART will stream from January 2 – 10, 2022.

Zach Gilford (left) and Ashley Springer (right) in DARE.

Streaming from January 9 through 17 will be KAPANA, the first ever LGBTQIA+ feature from Namibia, a  country where sodomy is still a crime and gay relationships are stigmatized. In KAPANA, the lives of two men intersect in an unlikely meeting in a bar. The Argentine film THE PEFECT DAVID (EL PEREFCTO DAVID), released this year, will stream from January 16 – 24. David obsessively works on his body to reach the idealized self of a bodybuilder. As David dedicates himself to further developing his physique, his social life begins to call out to him. The January series will conclude with CICADA,  a 2020 American film following the fact-based story of its two lead actors, whose developing relationship is challenged by a need to acknowledge past traumas. CICADA will stream from January 23 – 31, 2022.   Ticket prices for each individual film are $12.00 and entitle the patron to unlimited viewing for the entire eight days of streaming. Pride Film passes are also available. If purchased by December 30, the passes are just $30 and entitle the purchaser to view all five January films, plus the previously announced feature THE HIGHER SPIRIT (streaming December 20-27). After December 30, pass prices will be $35.00 and will entitle purchasers to view the five films streaming from December 26 through January 3. Passes may be purchased at https://www.goelevent.com/pridearts/Pass/Sale. More information and tickets are available at https://www.goelevent.com/pridearts/e/Search.

LISTING INFORMATION DARE (USA, 2009) Directed by Adam Salky Screenplay by David Brind Featuring Emmy Rossum, Alan Cumming, Zach Gilford, Sandra Bernhard. 90 Minutes Streaming December 26, 2021 – January 3, 2022 Tickets - $12.00 allows unlimited access through January 3 Tickets on sale now at https://www.goelevent.com/pridearts/e/DARE   A 10th Anniversary remastering of the classic about high school kids. An aspiring actress, her misfit best friend, and a loner - who become engaged in an intimate and complicated relationship.

Alan Cumming in DARE

SWEETHEART (UK, 2021) Written and directed by Marley Morrison 90 Minutes Streaming January 2 -10, 2022 Tickets - $12.00 allows unlimited access through January 10 Tickets on sale now at https://www.goelevent.com/pridearts/e/SWEETHEART   AJ, a sullen 17-year-old is dragged on vacation to a beachside holiday park with her close-knit family. AJ’s introverted world shifts when she falls for local lifeguard Isla, a bubbly teenager who introduces her to a world of socializing and late-night partying. Winner of the Audience Award at Glasgow Film Festival and two British Independent Film Awards, SWEETHEART is a charming and quirky coming-of-age story set on the English coast with winning performances by its lead actors, especially by Jo Hartley as AJ’s mother.

KAPANA (Namibia, 2020) Directed by Philippe Talavera Screenplay by Senga Brockerhoff 100 Minutes Streaming January 9 – 17, 2022 Tickets - $12.00 allows unlimited access through January 17 Tickets on sale now at https://www.goelevent.com/pridearts/e/KAPANA   In Namibia’s first ever LGBTQIA+ feature, George, a closeted, 20 something vendor spends  evenings at bars downing beers, stealthily on the prowl for potential hookups. After a chance meeting with Simeon, an openly gay city boy, they embark on a covert relationship. As secrets begin to unravel, they struggle to navigate their own internalized fears in a country rife with homophobia where same sex relations are still punishable by law. KAPANA is a heartwarming story of overcoming personal and societal prejudices in the pursuit of true love.

THE PERFECT DAVID (Argentina, 2021) Written and directed by Felipe Gomez Apericio 75 minutes Streaming January 16 – 24, 2022 Tickets - $12.00 allows unlimited access through January 24 Tickets on sale now at https://www.goelevent.com/pridearts/e/THEPERFECTDAVID   At sixteen, David is much like any teenager, but his boyish good looks rest upon a hulking, muscular body, the result of a weightlifting obsession driven by his mother. With countless hours spent at a grungy gym in the company of a motley clique of pumped-up gym rats, David desperately searches for what it means to be a man.

CICADA (USA, 2020) Directed by Matthew Fifer and Kieran Mulcare Screenplay by Sheldon D. Brown and Matthew Fifer 60 minutes Streaming January 23 – 31, 2022 Tickets - $12.00 allows unlimited access through January 31, 2022 Tickets on sale now at https://www.goelevent.com/pridearts/e/CICADA   A New York love story that toes the line between narrative and doc with two actors reliving parts of their own experiences. Ben has meaningless one-night stands that leave him feeling empty inside, but his life takes on new meaning when he meets Sam. They quickly grow very close to each other, each admitting personal secrets that they had never really told to anyone else before. As the two grow close, they soon realize that each must come to terms with their traumas if the relationship is to survive.

ABOUT PRIDEARTS PrideArts tells queer stories on a variety of platforms, including both live and virtual performances. Since its founding in 2010, PrideArts has had several chapters, including operating as an itinerant theater for their first six seasons, and as the developer and primary tenant in the Pride Arts Center from 2016-21. The company produces full seasons of plays and musicals, as well as events including cabaret, film, and more, and presents LGBTQ films throughout the year - features, documentaries, and short film festivals. PrideArts has earned 39 Jeff Awards and nominations, and six nominations in the most recent (2019) ALTA Awards from the Alliance of Latinx Theater Artists of Chicago. Programming has reflected the diversity of queer communities by including work made by and illuminating the experiences of women, gay men, transgender people, and BIPOC. PrideArts is supported by The MacArthur Fund for Arts & Culture at The Richard Driehaus Foundation, The Illinois Arts Council, City of Chicago’s City Arts Fund, the Elliott Fredland Charitable Trust, The Pauls Foundation, The Heath Fund, The Service Club of Chicago, the AmazonSmile Foundation, Arts and Business Foundation, Tap Root Foundation, Arts and Business Council, and Alphawood Foundation.   PrideArts is a member of the Smart Growth Program of the Chicago Community Trust. PrideArts is a member of the LGBT Chamber of Commerce of Illinois, Northalsted Business Association, Lakeview East, Uptown United, and The League of Chicago Theatre.   For more information and to donate, visit www.pridearts.org or call 1.773 857 0222.