With a recorded intro from director Elizabeth Purchell.

Long before Hollywood films like CALL ME BY YOUR NAME and LOVE, SIMON became common fare at the multiplex, the only place gay men could see their lives and lusts depicted on screen with any degree of honesty was at their local all-male adult cinema. From coming-out stories to romances, horror to camp comedy, the hundreds of features churned out by the gay adult film industry throughout the 60s/70s/80s were a driving force behind the spread of gay culture and constitute a largely forgotten cinematic document of the era. These films were often shot in actual queer spaces, starred the people who frequented them, and were then screened in porn cinemas that doubled as safe communal spaces for members of the community.

This incredible film exists as part of a larger multimedia project that also encompasses an acclaimed podcast and Instagram feed, Elizabeth Purchell’s ASK ANY BUDDY compiles fragments from over 125 feature films to create a kaleidoscopic, dreamlike snapshot of the era. An official selection of nearly two-dozen international film festivals including BFI Flare and Outfest, ASK ANY BUDDY is a funny, sexy portrait of urban gay life in the years following the Stonewall Riots – or at least how it looked in the movies.

As an addition to the film, Pink Palace presents an illustrated talk on the history of gay, lesbian and queer film programming at the Rio since the 70’s and a cheeky look at the history of porn cinemas that thrived in Soho and East London until the arrival of VHS.

Pink Palace is a super low fi highly relaxed weekly queer film club that takes place in the basement bar, its a safe space so come along and catch some queer film and pop culture history, each week the film is introduced by curator Andrew Woodyatt, feel free to stay and chat afterwards, participation is encouraged!

Screening as part of our Return to the Tatler Season, celebrating the history of the Rio as it turns 50.

Between 1970 and 1975 the Rio (then the Dalston Tatler Cinema Club) was one of London's highest grossing adult cinemas, in this period the cinema screened an incredible range of weird, exploitation, trashy, grind house, hard core and experimental cinema titles, it also provided a full burlesque striptease experience and there are many stories from that era to be told.

As part of our celebration and investigation into that chapter of the Rio's story we will be providing an immersive experience, people attending this screening will be issued a souvenir Tatler cinema club membership card and supporting materials!