Walker 'Queer Takes' film festival aims at preservation
The Walker Art Center is joining a national effort to help restore and preserve films about gays and lesbians.
The Walker is working with the Heights Theater in Columbia Heights to preserve a copy of "Parting Glances." Made in 1986, it was one of the first mainstream films to deal with HIV.
Walker assistant film curator Dean Otto said film historians worry that many films of all genres are in danger of disappearing unless a special effort is made.
"There's such a focus on the opening day/weekend, and when that ends there has been very little done to address the preservation of those films after their theatrical life has run out," Otto said.
The history and preservation of gay and lesbian films is a central theme of the Walker's "Queer Takes" festival, which opened Wednesday night and runs through Sunday.
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