Shakedown

“Shakedown” was a series of parties founded by and for African American women in Los Angeles that featured strip shows for the city’s lesbian underground scene. Inspired by transwoman Mahogany who, as the mother of the scene, presided over queer strip shows and balls in the 1980s, butch Ronnie Ron created, produced, and presented these new shows. Showing the protagonists backstage and in interviews, this intimate chronicle reveals that Shakedown was more than just a strip club. As one of the few spaces for the lesbian subculture, Shakedown brought together and galvanized a queer community of color. Director Weinraub, well-known as the one-time CEO of the high fashion streetwear clothing brand Hood By Air, participated in the scene, shooting 400 hours of footage which she has edited into a swirling, intoxicating mass of raw female pleasure that has been critically hailed as a new form of documentary. This screening is co-presented by B.BLYSS!

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