GAMeC in collaboration with Lab 80 film and the The Department of Foreign Languages, Literatures and Cultures of the University of Bergamo, presents A Practice of Freedom, the Film Program dedicated to the themes of Pedagogy of Hope, GAMeC’s interdisciplinary initiative that explores education as a practice of freedom and transformation.

Throughout 2026, on a monthly basis, the film series will bring together great classics, auteur cinema, and artists’ videos, offering new opportunities for discussion and in-depth exploration.

Inspired by the thought of Brazilian educator Paulo Freire and American activist and writer bell hooks, A Practice of Freedom will explore alternative narratives and critical perspectives on three main themes: the marginalization of certain subjectivities and social groups, capable of challenging traditional paradigms and imagining a culture of resistance; pedagogical experimentation within artistic and creative practices, aimed at building shared knowledge capable of producing effects on social reality; and the exploration of issues related to new technologies and the implications of algorithmic thinking, envisioning a more conscious, ethical, and responsible use of them.

On Wednesday 27 May at 9:00 pm, at the Sala dell’Orologio in Palazzo della Libertà in Bergamo, Paris is Burning (USA, 1990, 78′) will be screened — the celebrated documentary by Jennie Livingston that explores the vibrant Black and Latino drag ball scene in Harlem in the early 1980s.

The result of six years of research and filming, the film weaves together spectacular footage of the competitions with intimate interviews with legendary figures of the era, including Willi Ninja, Pepper LaBeija, and Venus Xtravaganza. Through their testimonies, the director brings these communities to life, delving into the structure of the “houses” — true chosen families.

The competition sequences, in which the participants face off in fashion walks and vogueing to claim their trophies, are not merely moments of spectacle; they represent a creative and political response to a hostile social climate. By exploring the everyday lives of the performers, the documentary sheds light on the harsh challenges faced by the LGBTQIA+ community, constantly threatened by racism, poverty, homophobia, and the AIDS crisis. Paris is Burning thus endures as a landmark testament to resistance, in which violent forms of marginalisation are transformed into defiant assertions of identity and into the forging of new families and kindred communities.

The screening will be shown in the original language, with Italian subtitles.