Sub Rosa Rising AKA Open City 72
Curated by researcher Jon Davies, the four programs in this series highlight a vibrant chapter of San Francisco’s history, at the crossroads of experimental cinema, the sexual revolution, and queer counterculture. Whether through avant-garde works, educational films, or independent pornography, sexuality emerged in this specific context as a fertile ground for exploration and openness — in life as in creation — breaking down norms and asserting a freedom that has influenced countless artists.
Preceded by Take Off by Gunvor Nelson
Presented by guest programmer Jon Davies
A dance, a documentary, a metaphysical striptease.
Preserved in our collections
The rarely screened, early-1970s sex documentary Sub Rosa Rising AKA Open City 72 by psychedelic filmmaker Jerry Abrams takes us to the pioneering strip clubs, sex theatres and porn bookstores of San Francisco, all while chatting with the era’s sex liberation pioneers. Chock-full of amazing archival footage, including of Rev. Ted McIlvenna’s gospel of sex education, sex worker liberation movement founder Margo St. James and a picnic organized by the Sexual Freedom League. As the film demonstrates, San Francisco is the best place in the world to explore your sexuality and try out new things. (Jon Davies)
