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Before the Last Curtain Falls

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Belgian choreographer Alain Platel asked a number of older drag queens and trans cabaret artists to perform onstage one last time in his piece Gardenia, which became a global success.
The film intercuts shots from Gardenia with interviews in which these performers talk about the choices they made, going against the grain of conventions in order to become themselves. The contrast between their outrageous performances and their vulnerability offers unsettling but multifaceted insight into these remarkable individuals.


Press

  • Video Librarian
    Before the Last Curtain celebrates art, offers a meditation on the fears of aging, and examines personal challenges faced by members of the LGBT community. Highly recommended.
  • IndieWire
    Before the Last Curtain Falls is an endearing recollection of life as an outsider, a sincere exploration of queer identity, and a stunning celebration of the communion we achieve in art.
  • CineKatz
    A great piece of filmmaking.
  • Nowness
    Wallner’s timely documentary about the art performance (whose triumphant run took in over 200 performances in 25 countries over two years) explores gender-reassignment surgery and the experience of being part of the post-war LGBT generation.

Festival Participation

  • Docville / Fonk (Leuven, Belgium)
  • DokFest Münich (Germany)
  • Reykjavik International Film Festival (RIFF) (Iceland)
  • Vancouver International Film Festival (Canada)
  • PinkPanorama (Luzern, Switzerland)
  • Kassel Documentary Film & Video Festival (Germany)
  • IDFA (Amsterdam, The Netherlands)
  • Queer Lisboa | Lisbon Gay and Lesbian Film Festival (Portugal)
  • Lesbisch Schwule Filmtage Hamburg | International Queer Film Festival (Germany)

Additional Materials

Distribution Company

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