The documentary ‘Closet2Pride’ highlights the LGBTQ history of Shreveport. (Courtesy image from film)

Need an excuse for a road trip? Try Shreveport next month for the premiere of this documentary about the history if its queer community.

The organization People Acting for Change and Equality (PACE) and its OUTnorthLa Film Festival announced the premiere of Closet2Pride: A Memoir of Shreveport, a documentary about the lives of LGBTQ+ individuals in Shreveport, Louisiana. The film will screen on March 2 at the Robinson Film Center in downtown Shreveport.  A reception will be held prior to the viewing and also feature a Q&A with the filmmakers Robert Darrow and David Hylan after.

PACE oversees the OUTnorthLa Film Festival which is also held at the Robinson Film Center. That is scheduled for Sept. 6.

The filmmakers of Closet2Pride are familiar to and with the Louisiana community as longtime LGBTQ+ activists and nonprofit leaders. Darrow is the Managing and Artistic Director of the Shreveport Little Theatre and helped to establish northwest Louisiana’s HIV resource center, The Philadelphia Center. Hylan recently retired as the Executive Director of the Betty and Leonard Phillips Deaf Action Center and was also a founding member of PACE.

About the film (from PACE):

Closet2Pride provides a historical background to the struggles and successes of the LGBTQ+ community, featuring heartfelt interviews, archival footage, and personal stories. The film examines the difficulties of coming out and living openly and authentically in a conservative and religious environment, and the discrimination, violence, and social stigma this community faces. It also celebrates the ways in which the LGBTQ+ community has united to fight for their rights, from earlier activists to present-day movements. It is a powerful reminder of the ongoing struggle for acceptance and equality. The film celebrates the strength and courage of the LGBTQ+ community and highlights the challenges they still face.

Tickets for the film go on sale Feb. 21 and can be purchased through the Robinson Film Center website or box office.