This film is part of Rentals
Peter de Rome: Grandfather of Gay Porn
The journey of a true English eccentric, from his 1960s experiments with gay erotica to a reappraisal 40 years later as an LGBT pioneer.
Director: Ethan Reid
Overview
Armed with only an 8mm movie camera Peter De Rome was an eccentric English gentleman who in the 1960s would politely ask young men to remove their clothes and perform on camera. Initially intended for his own consumption, it wasn’t long before his work gained a growing audience, although at the time it was far too subversive and corruptive for general viewing.
Ethan Reid’s charming documentary chronicles Peter’s incredible story, from his early work in the British film industry to a Hollywood sojourn at Paramount Pictures and his eventual notoriety within the Manhattan queer underground of William Burroughs and Andy Warhol. After decades languishing in obscurity, De Rome’s work was accepted into the BFI National Archives in 2007; a pivotal moment in the filmmaker’s rediscovery which becomes the focal point of Reid’s profile. Along with contributions from a range of collaborators, the film uses extensive extracts from Peter’s varied and often explicit work, from his early 8mm experiments in the 1960s to his extraordinary feature films, to create a portrait of a true original.
strong nudity, real sex
Related
Rebel Dread Rebel Dread
Documentary 2021 83 mins Director: William E. Badgley
This is the story of the iconic Don Letts, the coolest cultural polymath – narrated by the man himself.
Wilding Wilding
Documentary 2024 75 mins Director: David Allen
A dying landscape is healed against all odds, going on to thrive in astonishing ways, in this hopeful story of ecological regeneration.
Mifune : The Last Samurai Mifune : The Last Samurai
Documentary 2016 80 mins Director: Steven Okazaki
The on and off-screen character of Toshiro Mifune, Japan’s first international movie star, is explored in this illuminating documentary.
100 Years of Japanese Cinema 100 Years of Japanese Cinema
Documentary 1996 52 mins Director: Nagisa Oshima
Archive propels argument in this fascinating exploration of the social and cultural importance of Japan's film heritage.
Varda by Agnès Varda by Agnès
Biopic 2018 115 mins Director: Agnès Varda
In her final film, Agnès Varda offers a personal insight into her oeuvre, using excerpts from her work to illustrate her unique artistic visions and ideas.
Sudan, Remember Us Sudan, Remember Us
Documentary 2024 78 mins Director: Hind Meddeb
An award-winning documentary following young activists in Sudan as they oppose a military crackdown.
Carol Carol
Drama 2015 119 mins Director: Todd Haynes
Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara illuminate Todd Haynes’ intoxicating adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s beloved novel.
Tangerine Tangerine
Drama 2015 88 mins Director: Sean Baker
A big-hearted film shot on a small phone, this LA tale of two transgender working girls out for vengeance fizzes with wild energy.
Théo and Hugo Théo and Hugo
Romance 2016 97 mins Director: Olivier Ducastel and Jacques Martineau
A brief encounter at a naked sex club in Paris seems to be going well for Theo and Hugo, but a sudden realisation changes everything.
Departure Departure
Drama 2016 108 mins Director: Andrew Steggall
Andrew Steggall’s deft and delicate drama about a teenage dreamer who falls for the rough beauty of a local boy while staying in France.
The Chambermaid Lynn The Chambermaid Lynn
2014 90 mins Director: Ingo Haeb
An obsessive-compulsive hotel cleaner (Vicky Krieps) who harbours a fetishistic fascination with her hotel's guests meets an enigmatic dominatrix who changes her world.
Mapplethorpe: Look at the Pictures Mapplethorpe: Look at the Pictures
Documentary 2016 109 mins Director: Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato
An unflinching and sometimes graphic account of the life, art and legacy of the legendary photographer Robert Mapplethorpe.
Rodeo Rodeo
Drama 2022 106 mins Director: Lola Quivoron
French debut director Lola Quivoron revs up with a ferocious tale of a woman kickstarting a new life in the world of guerrilla motocross racing.
Clemency Clemency
Drama 2019 112 mins Director: Chinonye Chukwu
Alfre Woodard is quietly devastating as a weary prison warden presiding over her twelfth execution, in this Sundance-winning death row drama.
Ida Ida
Drama 2014 82 mins Director: Pawel Pawlikowski
An exquisitely shot, moving drama about a Polish nun exploring her family past, which won a BAFTA for director Pawel Pawlikowski.
Plan 75 Plan 75
Science Fiction 2022 113 mins Director: Chie Hayakawa
Faced with a rapidly ageing population, a government in near-future Japan rolls out an unsettling agenda.
Cairo Conspiracy Cairo Conspiracy
Drama 2022 126 mins Director: Tarik Saleh
A fisherman’s son is offered a place at a prestigious Islamic school in Cairo and finds himself drawn into a religious and political power struggle.
The Night of the 12th The Night of the 12th
Drama 2022 114 mins Director: Dominik Moll
A newly promoted detective is assigned to a young woman’s chilling murder in this deeply arresting crime thriller based on true events.