Queer Cinema and Surrealism: Overlapping Desires at Tate Modern

In his 2010 essay for Afterall, Fiontán Moran explores the often-ignored link between Surrealism and queer cinema, centering on the 'Invocations and Evocations: Queer and Surreal' program held at Tate Modern from March 26 to 29, 2010. Curated by Stuart Comer alongside James Boaden, Ed Halter, Jonathan D. Katz, and Juan A. Suárez, the event featured films dating from the 1940s to 1981, including notable works by Willard Maas, Ron Rice, and Kenneth Anger. While Susan Sontag had previously connected Jack Smith's 'Flaming Creatures' (1964) to Surrealism, Moran argues this relationship has been insufficiently examined. He discusses themes of desire and gender fluidity while critiquing the Surrealist movement's biases. The program concluded with Bidgood's 'Pink Narcissus' (1971), framed by Katz as a metaphor for the 1969 Stonewall riots. Moran also points out the lack of female filmmakers and post-1981 pieces, particularly in relation to AIDS, though he commends the effort to elevate queer cinema.