The Warhol and the Center for the Arts in Society at Carnegie Mellon University are pleased to welcome New York based filmmaker, writer, producer and activist Tom Kalin to introduce and discuss his 1992 feature Swoon in celebration of the film’s twenty-year anniversary. The film, along with Todd Haynes’ Poison and Gregg Araki’s The Living End, heralded what came to be known as the New Queer Cinema. It is the third cinematic retelling of the famous Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb child murder case of 1924 in which the two lovers kidnapped and killed a 14-year old boy just to see if they could commit the perfect crime. Kalin focuses on the portrayal of gay sexuality and has done a significant work in changing the public opinion of AIDS, while simultaneously expanding the definition of activist video.
Special thanks to Suzie Silver, Associate Professor of Art, School of Art, Carnegie Mellon University.