Since the late 1970s, Su Friedrich has skillfully mixed experimental, narrative, and documentary forms with provocative feminist and lesbian themes to create a significant body of original hybrid films. A groundbreaking member of the avant-garde film community and a pivotal force in the establishment of Queer Cinema, Friedrich has created an oeuvre that is marked by her unabashed—often autobiographically based—investigations of intimate subjects. Her films explore the world of lesbian adolescence and sexuality, women’s adulthood and health, and familial and societal relationships. This midcareer retrospective—on the occasion of the DVD release of a five-volume, 13-title Friedrich film collection—includes such classic works as Sink or Swim and The Ties That Bind, along with the East Coast premiere of her newest film, Seeing Red.
Organized by Sally Berger, Assistant Curator, Department of Film and Media.
Special thanks to Vanessa Domico, Outcast Films; and Canyon Cinema.