Films series Sapphopalooza and Rated Q celebrate queerness through cinema
Carabiners jingle against jeans as the line shuffles forward, peppered with Doc Martens and bandanas as moviegoers make their way into the Music Box Theatre. The smell of buttered popcorn wafts throughout the lobby and lounge, where people mingle in conversation before the show begins. As the midnight screening nears, they flock to find their seats, searching through classic red folding chairs unique to historic auditoriums like the Music Box. Whispers are quiet with anticipation as the lights begin to dim. As the red curtains are drawn back, the stage erupts into color and music blares from speakers. The eager audience lets out a chorus of cheers, for Janelle Monáe is soon to appear on screen.
Janelle Monáe: Dirty Computer is one of the many sapphic films that appeared at the Music Box this month. It was screened with the likes of Carol and Bend It Like Beckham for the film festival Sapphopalooza. Returning for a second year, Sapphopalooza is a monthlong film series programmed by Elizabeth Arnott, the head of marketing and publicity at Music Box Films. With screenings continuing through May 31, she considers Sapphopalooza to be a pre-game for Pride Month in June.
“It’s a celebration of lesbian cinema,” Arnott said. “Whether it’s subtext or explicit, I just wanted to celebrate women loving women on screen.”
They were inspired by Film Forum’s SAPPH-O-RAMA in New York, a revived series from the 2000s that specialized in independent films featuring lesbians. Some pitching and programming later, she found similar success in Chicago with the first year of Sapphopalooza in 2025.
Many of the film screenings are paired with a co-presenter or community organization, with the goal of providing attendees with information on other programs of similar vibe and values. This year, some partnerships include Gerber/Hart Library and Archives, Chicago Film Society and The Chicago Reader.
These resources are beneficial to both the queer community and individuals new to the city. For Shay Dawson, who moved to Chicago only a few weeks ago, Sapphopalooza is one of the first activities she has experienced since living here.
“Getting to see people connecting over both being queer or [other shared] identity, but also the shared love of film, is really cool,” Dawson said.
The theater has worked up regular audience members for their screenings, like DePaul sophomore Harper Lahde. Despite not going as much as she would like, Lahde enjoys the atmosphere of Music Box and the role that community plays.
“It depends what the show is, but it’s not uncommon for people to be dressed up,” Lahde said. While recounting previous shows she has been to, she mentions Nosferatu as a memorable night full of vampire outfits and creative makeup.
“Whenever you take the train to the Music Box, you can always tell who is also going there with you. The train car slowly starts filling up with people in assorted makeup and decor. Everyone gets off on Southport.”
Most often, these extravagant aesthetics accompany a Rated Q film, which gives the community a monthly fix on queer and camp movies. Created by Ramona Slick four years ago, the recurring, curated screenings have gathered a following of members who enjoy immersing themselves in the world of the film.
“I really love combining my love of cult films and bringing together the queer community to be able to celebrate the cinema that makes us feel at home [and] makes us feel weird,” Slick said. Through movies, she has curated a space where individuality and flamboyancy is admired — where you can be as weird as you wish.
The Music Box is more than a costume party, though. They also foster community with games and event partnerships before screenings. Lahde fondly remembers arriving to a show early and stumbling upon a free drag bingo night, with participants who eagerly welcomed her into the game. Drag plays a big role in Rated Q too, as each movie is preceded by a themed performance.
Slick joins in through a finishing act of the drag performance and by introducing the film.
“I grew up in a super small town, so cinema was really my gateway to knowing the world was bigger and that my people are out there,” Slick said. “I did it in the spirit of what I would have wanted when I was younger.”
Places like the Music Box are so special to the queer community because they haven’t always been available, and still aren’t for many people. Especially in the current political climate, spaces that openly accept and celebrate identity are increasingly hard to find.
“Our spaces naturally in this day and age are under threat, and particularly in Chicago we’ve lost a lot of spaces that are very meaningful lately,” Slick said, mentioning their start at Berlin nightclub, which closed in 2023 after 40 years of business.
At Janelle Monáe: Dirty Computer, identity is celebrated through the lens of a sci-fi dystopia. Symbolisms run deep through both the visuals and music, leaving much to discuss for the crowd after the show. The audience piles out of the theatre, huddling under the neon Music Box sign before they depart. Laughter, discussion of favorite movie lines and the exchange of phone numbers take place over this stretch of Southport — a visual representation of the community the theatre fosters.
“It’s a very welcoming community. People all around Chicago go,” Lahde said. “We’re all there to see some movie that we all love, and that’s kind of what connects us.”
Sapphopalooza will continue through May 31, including upcoming screenings of Go Fish and Virgin Witch. If you miss the festival, Rated Q will be screening monthly throughout the year with drag performances to match. Follow both @sapphopalooza and @ratedq.musicboxtheatre on Instagram to stay updated for future films.
Header Image by Erin Kindred
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