Doors 7:30p
Program 8:00p

UnionDocs
352 Onderdonk Ave
Ridgewood, NY

Join us for a vibrant evening celebrating LGBTQ artistry with a screening of “The Last Year of Darkness,” directed by Ben Mullinkosson. This immersive documentary (95 min) captures the pulsating nightlife of Chengdu, China, showcasing the euphoric beats of electronic music and the stories of the city’s charismatic nonconformists. It’s a love letter to a legendary club that serves as a queer haven amid the city’s transformation.

Following the film, experience “Ancestor Now” by Kennie Zhou, a powerful performance series that highlights the body as an archive of queer history. In this iteration, the performer will embody Yihao, a pioneering figure featured in the documentary, who has been vital in creating safe spaces for the Chinese queer community. This performance aims to honor and preserve the spirit of iconic queer individuals across different eras.

Be sure to come down!

Program

The Last Year of Darkness by Ben Mullinkosson

95 mins, 2023, China, USA

Attuned to the energy of nightlife in the Sichuan capital, Benjamin Mullinkosson’s immersive documentary pulsates to the euphoric beats of electronic music. A love letter to the city’s charismatic nonconformists and the fabled club that provides a queer haven amid an ever-changing urban landscape.

Ancestor Now by Kennie Zhou

Duration Varies

Ancestor Now is a performance series that centers around the idea that the body is an archive. Queer history is one subject that is typically hard to find documentation for. This project aims to preserve iconic queer folks in different time periods through performances, aiming to embody and thereby preserve their character and spirit. For this iteration, the performer will embody pioneer performer Yihao (who appeared in The Last Year of Darkness) who has created many spaces for Chinese queer folks.

Bios

The Last Year of Darkness is Ben Mullinkosson’s second feature-length documentary and 6th year coming back to Chengdu. He speaks Chinese. His first feature DON’T BE A DICK ABOUT IT won the 2018 Audience Award at IDFA and is being distributed by Oscilloscope. He now works directing commercials and music videos. His works include the Cannes Silver Lion Advertising Award, Vimeo Staff Picks, and NYT Op-Docs, and some of his films have millions of views. His previous short films have gotten into 50+ festivals around the world including Tribeca (GNARLY IN PINK) and Slamdance (WHAT I HATE ABOUT MYSELF).

Kennie Zhou is a New York-based performance artist by night and film producer and director by day. Guided by an intuitive sense of ethereal imageries and non-linear narratives, Kennie’s work is anchored in East Asian performance traditions and queer theories. From iconic venues like The Judson and UCCA to underground venues like Oil, All, and Trans Pecos, Kennie’s performances have been discussed by the New York Times, CNBC, and A Journal of Performance. Kennie’s film projects have been showcased at BFI Flare, E-Flux, Outfest, and Newfest, and they have produced work for clients such as Apple, Vogue, iQiyi, Reelshort, and Warner Music.