(Lynne Fernie & Aerlyn Weissman, Canada, 1992, 84 min, in English)

** Three Dollar Bill Cinema joins NWFF to present this special 30th anniversary restoration of an award-winning doc classic! **

In the 1950s, a wave of lesbian pulp literature emerged, exploring a then-taboo subject in vivid, sensationalistic detail. While these writers often took a critical, moralistic view of gay life, they provided a jumping-off point for women still discovering their suppressed sexual desires. But with society unwilling to grant them a place in public life, they channeled their passion for these novels into a vibrant underground culture full of distinctive codes, roles, and rituals. Mirroring the shadowy traditions of noir fiction, they also faced violent opposition from police and other protectors of the status quo, resulting in a dangerous, but ultimately liberating path to sexual awakening.

Mixing lively testimonials from unforgettable women at the forefront of mid-century lesbian bar culture with scripted segments that take the Hollywood melodrama in provocative (and sexually explicit) new directions, Forbidden Love: The Unashamed Stories of Lesbian Lives is an eye-opening cultural history – and one of the most memorable Canadian films of the ’90s. With a soundtrack of late ‘50s and early ‘60s hits by The Fleetwoods, Connie Francis, Jimmie Rodgers, and The Shirelles, this is a stirring, funny, and ultimately moving portrait of rebellion flourishing in the face of repression.

Synopsis and stills courtesy of Canadian International Pictures.

“Forbidden Love is the film to see—for every lesbian wannabe out for a quick fix, every heterosexual queer curious about the past, every out-of-it straight who’s read Newsweek and wants to know where lesbian chic came from.” – B. Ruby Rich (1992)