Before the film, Queer Pioneers curator Renske Diks will talk to artist and illustrator Loes Faber, who made her debut as a writer this year with Ik ben mijn muze, in which she chronicled the life stories of eight female artists.
But I’m a Cheerleader
17-year-old high school student Megan Bloomfield is comfortable in her own skin. She is a cheerleader and is dating football player Jared. Kissing him isn't much to her liking though, she would rather watch the other cheerleaders. Since she is also a vegetarian and loves Melissa Etherigde, her parents and friends begin to suspect she is a lesbian. To put her back on the 'right' path, they send her to the conversion therapy camp True Directions, where she will learn to be a straight heterosexual. There, however, she meets Graham, who was also forced to participate in the camp by her parents. Something beautiful blossoms between the two, although the camp leadership does not exactly cooperate.
When director Jamie Babbit was developing the story, she knew one thing for sure: the main character had to be a cheerleader; after all, she embodies the pinnacle of the American Dream, the dream of femininity. Initially, this satirical debut film was received very lukewarmly, but as the years passed, that changed for the better.
