New Queer ’90s: Gregg Araki

Neon, nihilism, and no-to-low budget — it’s Araki in the 1990s! 

This class will take a deep dive into the work of director Gregg Araki from 1992-97, from his breakout film, THE LIVING END, through the entirety of his Teen Apocalypse trilogy. Against the backdrop of the AIDS crisis & activism and broader ‘90s politics, these films are an exuberant, technicolor explosion of queer pleasure, pain, and apathy — a coming-of-age collection of teen alienation, sex, drugs, and violence. 

Along the way, we’ll trace Araki’s own coming-of-age as a filmmaker, and use the frame of his early work as a window into the origins and impacts of the New Queer Cinema movement of the 1990s.

Films:

8/7: THE LIVING END (1992, 84 min)

8/14: TOTALLY F***ED UP (1993, 88 min)

8/21: THE DOOM GENERATION (1995, 85 min)

8/28: NOWHERE (1997, 82 min)

This class will be taught by Max Swanson, a filmmaker/performer, writer, educator, and organizer based in Portland, OR. They currently also teach at NW Doc and PSU, and work as a freelance story consultant. 

Each class will begin with a short lecture, followed by a screening of the film, after which an instructor-led discussion will take place. 

Class will be held at the Movie Madness Miniplex at 4320 SE Belmont Street.

Enrollment is limited to 18 students.