Palm Springs Cultural Center to mark Pride Month with home movie event

The LGBTQ+ History and Archives of the Desert, in collaboration with Deserted Films and the Palm Springs Cultural Center, will celebrate Pride Month by hosting a home movie event, where footage focused on the lives of LGBTQ+ people will be screened for public viewing at the cultural center, officials said.

“Home Movie Out of the Closet: LBGTQ+, Hollywood, Palm Springs, and You” will be held from 3-9 p.m. June 1 at the Palm Springs Cultural Center, 2300 E. Baristo Road.

The public can submit their home videos for free from 3-5:30 p.m. that day at the cultural center. A panel of home movie preservation experts can assess them and provide recommendations for storage and digitization.

The screening will proceed from 6:30-8:30 p.m., and will feature collections provided by the Archives, Deserted Films and the UCLA Library Film and Television Archive.

Organizers said the screening will be family-friendly, and will include never-before-seen LGBTQ+ footage, videos from Pat Rocco — an activist, photographer and filmmaker whose work is currently on display at UCLA — and other home videos of Hollywood stars at home, work and play.

A reception will follow at 9 p.m.

Attendance for the screening and reception will require a ticket purchase, which can be made here. Proceeds will benefit the Archives of the Desert, Deserted Films and the Palm Springs Cultural Center.

“These films are a glimpse into the lives of LGBTQ+ people with their friends, families, on vacation and in their homes. It is important to show that their lives are part of the bigger story of society,” Archives co-founder David Gray said in a statement.