Marlon Riggs, with assistance from other gay Black men, especially poet Essex Hemphill, celebrates Black men loving Black men as a revolutionary act. The film intercuts footage of Hemphill reciting his poetry, Riggs telling the story of his growing up, scenes of men in social intercourse and dance, and various comic riffs, including a visit to the "Institute of Snap!thology," where men take lessons in how to snap their fingers: the sling snap, the point snap, the diva snap.

Our main feature for a themed Marlon T. Riggs night at the Brattle: Tongues Untied is an experimental doc combining personal narratives, poetry, performance, and Riggs' own commentary to create a powerful and multifaceted portrayal of Black gay life. Combined with 3 of Marlon's short films that speak to the resilience of what it means to be Black and Gay during the late 80's and early 90's, which still ring true today. This is very much a holy grail program for me as a programmer, Marlon's films touched and inspired me as a filmmaker when I first saw them in the early 90s as a young Queer activist. This grouping of films is a must see for anyone interested in Gay history.