Legacy

BLOODSISTERS: LEATHER, DYKES, AND SADOMASOCHISM

Dir. Michelle Handelman, USA, 1995, 69 mins

25th Anniversary

The leatherdykes are coming, the leatherdykes are coming! Resurfacing 25 years after its initial premiere (and its New York Premiere at NewFest!), this “first documentary on the subject” (The New York Times) remains as relevant, and enticing, as ever. With salacious delight, intimate access, and wide-reaching research, director Michelle Handelman’s enduring 1995 gem documents the queer outlaws of the San Francisco leather scene. Legendary trans pioneers of the scene like Patrick Califia and Tala Brandeis lead us through the S/M community, from benevolent daddys and greedy pain sluts to performance artist kinksters and reverent bootblacks. With its explicitly educational show-don't-tell segments, and its ties of S/M and queerness to political activation, this is the hottest history lesson you’ll have all year. Captured in the DIY video style of the moment and accompanied by a raucous queercore score, this illuminating piece of queer history is a dangerous, exciting, and ever-topical watch.