Gay Culture

Artists Space : Race d’Ep! (translating, literally, to Breed of Faggots,
previously released in English as The Homosexual Century) was made by
the “father of queer theory,” Guy Hocquenghem, in collaboration with
radical queer filmmaker and provocateur Lionel Soukaz. Race d’Ep traces
the history of modern homosexuality through the twentieth century, from
early sexology and the nudes of Baron von Gloeden to gay liberation and
cruising on the streets of Paris. Influenced by the groundbreaking work
of Michel Foucault on the history of sexuality and reflecting the
revolutionary queer activism of its day, Race d’Ep is a shocking frank,
sex-filled experimental documentary about gay culture’s emergence from
the shadows.




Race d’Ep caused scandal when it was released in France. The film was
censored and classified as a pornographic film under the “X Law.” Roland
Barthes, Gilles Deleuze, Felix Guattari, Marguerite Duras, Simone de
Beauvoir, Patrice Chéreau, and Cahiers du Cinéma, among others, signed a
petition in defense of the film and opposing its persecution and
censorship by the government. Michel Foucault wrote a letter to the
Ministry of Culture on behalf of Race d’Ep, stating that “this
documentary is based on historical research whose seriousness and
interest I had the chance to prove,” going on to observe, “it seems
strange for a film about homosexuality to be penalized when it tries to
remember the persecutions of which the Nazi regime has been responsible.



With English Subtitles Here OR Here 

15 extra (cut) minutes Here OR Here




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