Rainbow Cult Brings Interactive Queer Film Series to Denver
Andrew Scahill and Electra DuPri are uplifting and supporting the queer community through their new film series, Rainbow Cult. It is specially designed to give participants more than an average movie-watching experience—There will be singalongs, costumes, prop making, competitions, drag shows, giveaways, and what the duo hopes is a seamless reintegration into the community that many became distant from during the pandemic.
The idea for this queer cult classic film series has been budding in the University of Colorado Denver Assistant Professor of Film’s mind for over three years. Naturally, he’s been hosting outdoor movies in his backyard for quite some time, but COVID intensified his need for these movie nights. He explained his difficulty getting back to normal following the pandemic and expressed his desire to create a space that inspires people to leave the house and jump back into the social sphere. Scahill and fellow cult classic fanatic, drag queen, and co-host, DuPri started working with Sie FilmCenter’s Artistic Director, Keith Garcia, to bring this vision to life in May of this year.
“There is something magical and cathartic about laughing together that we all really need right now. I wanted to make it special, not like you’re just going to watch a movie,” he says. “After COVID, I had a hard time reintegrating and with the way movies are changing—I could watch something at home the same day it comes out—and TV and film are becoming the same thing, (so) I asked myself, ‘What does it take to get people out to a movie theater?’ It has to be a one-of-a-kind experience.”
That’s the kind of experience he and Dupri set out to create with Rainbow Cult. They describe it as a mix of film and theater. For a glimpse into what this looks like, during last month’s inaugural screening the entire evening was themed per the 1987 classic, Troop Beverly Hills. Participants designed gay survival merit badges that said things like, “My First Time in Heels” or “I Survived Christmas with my Family,” which was followed by competition and prizes for the winners. To set the mood further, DuPri gave a drag performance complete with a puppet, and once the lights had set, girl scout cookies were handed out to enjoy during the movie.
A triumphant first showing in August, with nearly 100 tickets sold, was followed by a sold-out September showing. The featured film was Drop Dead Gorgeous, and so was the audience because costumes like prom dresses and pageant outfits were encouraged. To add a bit of extra pizzazz, sash-making was the evening’s first event and the entire audience was given tiaras.
Looking forward to October, a Dead Celebrity Ball for the showing of Death Becomes Her may be in the tarot reading, perfect for the spooky season. So far, the series is booked with Sie FilmCenter until January 2023, and the cinephile duo intends to continue it for the foreseeable future.
Currently, Rainbow Cult’s proceeds are being allotted to a scholarship program for CampSeen, a summer camp organized by Youth Seen, which is a charity supporting and empowering queer youth and their families. Scahill says he and DuPri are passionate about helping as many queer youths as possible attend a “summer camp experience where they feel accepted and their gender and sexuality are validated.” During the lifetime of the series, they would like to donate to various organizations.
“We’re there to have fun and we’re there to raise money for queer youth,” he says. “It’s about movies for queer people but it’s also about queer culture. The way queer people have used movies over the decades is something really powerful and really unique to our community.”
Featured Photo Courtesy of Rainbow Cult, Logo Designed by Andrew Dimpfl
