The Celluloid Closet

Screening as part of the Enzian's 2026 Reel Pride series!

30th Anniversary! 4K Restoration!

Includes extended talkback about queer representation in early Hollywood with film critics Stephen J. Miller and David Almeida, and playwright/performer Logan Donahoo!

What "That's Entertainment" did for movie musicals, The Celluloid Closet does for Hollywood homosexuality, as this exuberant, eye-opening movie serves up a dazzling hundred-year history of the role of gay men and lesbians have had on the silver screen. 

Lily Tomlin narrates as Oscar(r)-winning moviemaker Rob Epstein (The Times of Harvey Milk and Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt) and Jeffrey Friedman assemble fabulous footage from 120 films showing the changing face of cinema sexuality, from cruel stereotypes to covert love to the activist triumphs of the 1990s. Tom Hanks, Susan Sarandon, Whoopi Goldberg, Tony Curtis, Harvey Fierstein and Gore Vidal are just a few of the many actors, writers and commentators who provide funny and insightful anecdotes.

About the Speakers:

David Almeida holds a B.A. in Cinema Studies from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He served as film critic for Watermark for 5 years. Currently, he works as an actor and puppeteer at Universal Studios, and has spent more than 30 years performing, improvising, and writing for tourist attractions, theme parks, dinner theaters, and Fringe theatre festivals throughout Central Florida.

Logan Donahoo (He / They) is a former Program Coordinator for the LGBT+ Community Center of Central Florida and an award-winning writer, director and performer, having worked on over a dozen productions at the Orlando Fringe and on the Fringe festival circuit, including his most well known shows: "Slut Like Me" and "Field Guide To The Gays."

Stephen J. Miller is a nationally produced playwright and organizational learning expert who was a film critic for 14 years – over 4 years independently and for nearly 10 years with Watermark. In that time, he wrote just under 1,400 reviews and contributed as a member to several national critic associations and aggregators. For four years, he was also the features editor for the official annual Pride guide, interviewing dozens of LGBTQIA+ celebrities and leaders. He’s obsessed with his cat, his dog, his reading list, and his vinyl record collection.

_{1995, 107 minutes, USA, Directed by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman, Rated R}