In honor of LGBT History Month, the Pride Film Festival encourages inclusion, discussion and celebration of the LGBTQ+ community in central Maine. The HHRC will be screening four films that made a unique impact in LGBTQ+ film history and leading an audience discussion after each one.

The festival begins on Friday, Oct. 7 with the showing of “The Boys in the Band” (1970). Noted as a milestone for its unbiased focus on the average lives of American gay men, “The Boys in the Band” features a group of friends enjoying a birthday party until the arrival of some unexpected visitors and a drinking game cause more harm than good. This film is rated R,  run time: 1 hour 59 minutes.

The film slated for Friday, Oct. 14 is “Fire” (1996).  An Indian-Canadian romantic drama that sparked a dialogue about homosexuality and freedom of speech throughout India, “Fire” was written and directed by Deepa Mehta. Heavily protested at its release in India in 1998, the movie tells the story of Sita and Radha who find safety from the cruelty of their husbands in each other’s arms. The film is not rated. Run time: 1 hour 48 minutes.

The powerful documentary “Paragraph 175” (2000) will be shown on Oct. 21. Alongside Jews, gypsies, and other “undesirable” community members, homosexuals were persecuted during the Holocaust. This film features testimony from several gay individuals, arrested for the crime of homosexuality by the Nazis during WWII in accordance with The German Criminal Code. From May 15, 1871 to March 10, 1994, Paragraph 175, also known as Section 175, stood to criminalize homosexual acts between men; the Nazi regime expanded that law, leading to the imprisonment and death of thousands. “Paragraph 175” is unrated. Run time: 1 hour 21 minutes.

To conclude the festival, the HHRC will screen “The Danish Girl” (2015) on Oct. 29. This Academy Award-winning film is based on the true story of Einar Wegener, a young artist who begins the process of transitioning to Lili Elbe after realizing that she has always identified as a woman. Set in the 1930s, “The Danish Girl” tells the story of one of the first people to undergo sex reassignment surgery. This film is rated R and has a run time of 2 hours.

The HHRC’s Pride Film Festival is free to attend, open to the public and refreshments are provided.

All films will be shown at the Michael Klahr Center, located at 46 University Drive in Augusta. For more information visit www.hhrcmaine.org/pridefilms2016 or call (207) 621-3530.