Lino Brocka’s Uncut, Queer Classic MACHO DANCER, Restored in 4K, to Premiere at Frameline June 18 at Roxie Theatre

The famously heavily censored 1988 film by Lino Brocka, MACHO DANCER, required him to personally smuggle his print out of the country so that its uncut version could be saved and seen by audiences around the world.  The film is a seminal work of Filipino queer cinema that set the stage for a long line of soapy male stripper dramas by filmmakers like Mel Chionglo (whose films, including *Midnight Dancers*, *Burlesk King*, and *Twilight Dancers*, were festival hits).

 

Though this is the first time that Macho Dancer will screen at Frameline in a gorgeous, brand new 4K restoration from Kani Releasing and Carlotta Films, the film has a long history with San Francisco, having its 1989 North American premiere run at the Strand, which launched the iconic Strand Releasing distributor company.

 

The 136-minute film stars Allan Paule, Daniel Fernando, William Lorenzo, and Jaclyn Jose.  In the film, a small-town hustler (Allan Paule) moves to big city Manila to earn a living performing in male strip shows, only to be thrust into the shadowy underworld of sexual exploitation that lies just beneath the glitz and glitter (and soap suds).

 

For tickets, please go to Frameline.org