Hedwig and the Angry Inch - Canterbury Film Society

To Film Enthusiasts city-wide.

This screening is part of our dazzling six-film Queer Film Festival running during Pride Week in collaboration with Christchurch Heroes. This four-day mini-festival is open to the public, ie non-CFS members, with free entry to all Christchurch Art Gallery screenings (koha/donations always appreciated) on a first-to-arrive basis. Limited free (or one cent) tickets must be booked in advance to the Alice (alice.co.nz) and Lumière (lumierecinemas.co.nz) cinema screenings (8pm 7 March and 4pm 9 March); small fee may apply.

This screening is director John Cameron's ‘Hedwig and the Angry Inch’.

It tells the story of an East German boy named Hansel who grows up gay, falls in love with a U.S. master sergeant, and wants to go to America with him. The master sergeant explains that, as Hansel, that will be impossible, but if the lad undergoes a sex-change operation, they can get married and then the passport will be no problem ("To walk away, you gotta leave something behind."). Hansel becomes Hedwig (John Cameron Mitchell) in a botched operation that leaves a little too much behind (thus the title) and soon finds herself abandoned in a Kansas trailer park.

John Cameron Mitchell electrifies the movie, with a performance that isn't a satire of glam-rock performers so much as an authentic glam-rock performance. The movie may have had a limited budget, but the screen is usually filled with something sensational, including a trailer home that transforms itself in an instant into a stage. Strange, how the movie seems to be loud, flashy and superficial, and yet gives a deeper dimension to its characters. - Roger Ebert

A USA production, 2001, 92 minutes.

The Canterbury Film Society meets every Monday night at 7:30pm in the 178-seat Phillip Carter Auditorium at the Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū, with breaks for public holidays and the International Film Festival. We’ve made joining easy and there are membership prices to suit every pocket: choose one of our 12-month memberships or a Flexi-Pass that gives access to any three films of choice, may be shared amongst friends and has no expiry date. New members are warmly welcome and asked to come earlier than 7:30pm to speak to our membership team. (Downloading a membership form from our website and filling it in before you come is helpful.) Doors open at 7 pm for socialising and for sales of food ($2) and drink ($2–$5). Please assist us by bringing in no outside food or drink. Thank you! (For special screenings at other times, door open half an hour early.)

VENUE: During this time of changing COVID-19 levels please visit the CFS website prior to attending each screening to check for any special instructions relating to level two or higher.

For more information about our 2021 programme and membership options, or to request text or email reminders about our weekly or special events, go to our website – link above.

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Kā mihi
Canterbury Film Society Team
021-405-039