Tiff Bell Lightbox is screening what could be considered the dreamiest double bill in queer cinema history: Italian director Federico Fellini’s Satyricon will be shown alongside queer director Derek Jarman’s Sebastiane. The screenings, programmed by artistic director Noah Cowan, are part of the ongoing Fellini: Spectacular Obsessions exhibit at TIFF Bell Lightbox.
Satyricon, released in 1969, met with critical and box office success. The film is a loose retelling of the ancient story of two students who both fall for a younger lover. The flirtatious young lover is then forced to choose between the two. Jealousy, anger, kidnapping and all kinds of madness ensue. The film is set in Roman times and is rife with the requisite feasts, orgies and corruption. Considering when the film was released, it is shockingly explicit.
Jarman’s Sebastiane came out in 1976 and was originally banned in Ontario, due to its extensive nudity and gay content. The film, also set in Roman times, recounts the martyrdom of Saint Sebastian, whose representation in art has often caught the fancy of gay men.
Both films are visually rich and delightfully sexy.
Screenings of both films begin on Friday, Aug 26 at TIFF Bell Lightbox. Tickets can be purchased separately or together as a double bill for a discount.
Why you can trust Xtra
