FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Autry National Center to Present 5th Anniversary
Screening of Landmark Film Brokeback Mountain
Saturday, December 11th, 2010
SCREENING AT 11: 30 AM
As part of the successful series Out West at the Autry, the movie presentation
will be followed by a staged reading of excerpts of the book Beyond
Brokeback: The Impact of a Film as well as music inspired by the film
STAGED READING AT 3:00 PM
LOS ANGELES, CA – On Saturday, December 11th, 2010 the Autry National Center will
present, in association with Focus Features, a 5th anniversary screening of the award-winning
landmark film Brokeback Mountain followed by a staged reading of messages, essays, poetry,
and music inspired by the film. The event is part of the acclaimed program Out West at the
Autry, a series of public events focusing on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT)
history and culture in the West with gallery talks, film screenings, lectures, performances and
other cultural events.
“Brokeback Mountain helped to bring wide attention to important conversations about LGBT
issues in modern Western communities,” said Autry President and CEO Dan Finley. “This
powerful film resonates deeply with the Autry’s own strong connection to the history of
Western films as well as our mission to share and explore the inspiring stories of all the
peoples of the American West.”
Independent curator and Out West at the Autry creator Gregory Hinton adapted for the stage
selections of the 2007 book Beyond Brokeback: The Impact of a Film, which comprises
compelling writing contributed to the website The Ultimate Brokeback Forum. Excerpts of
poignant and humorous messages, essays, and poetry— by writers young and old, male and
female, gay and straight—will be read after the Brokeback Mountain screening.
Accompanying the reading is the Brokeback-inspired song Meet Me on the Mountain written
by composer Shawn Kirchner. Jeffrey Richardson, the Autry’s associate curator of Film and
Popular Culture will present the film and introduce the reading by himself reading a passage
from Beyond Brokeback. Six additional readers include Autry staffers and friends and
supporters of Out West at the Autry from its inception.
Brokeback Mountain was produced and released by Focus Features in December 2005.
Hinton worked with James Schamus, CEO of Focus Features to create this 5th anniversary
commemoration—the only Brokeback Mountain anniversary screening of its kind.
“2010 has been a tough year for members of the gay, lesbian and transgender community
with an epidemic of teen suicides, bullying, and disappointing setbacks in such highly charged
issues as Don’t Ask Don’t Tell and equality marriage,” said Hinton. “After five years,
Brokeback Mountain remains our most eloquent and cathartic outlet. I applaud Focus
Features and the Autry for the hospitality they have demonstrated by screening the film and
the wisdom the museum has shown by its ongoing support for Out West at the Autry.”
Inspired by the success of the program at the Autry, other institutions throughout the West will
be working with Hinton to present Out West events. Details about future Out West programs
at the Autry, as well as other institutions, will be announced on December 11th before the
screening of Brokeback Mountain.
Out West at the Autry connects to the success of the Autry's recent installation of the iconic
shirts worn by stars Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal in the film, as well as the permanent
inclusion of the International Gay Rodeo Association's (IGRA) archives into the Autry Library.
(Both facilitated by Gregory Hinton.)
This event is free with admission to the Autry and is expected to sell out. Advance
reservations are recommended. For more information the public may call 323-667-2000, x252
or visit TheAutry.org.
About Out West at the Autry
Out West at the Autry is a series of public programs that explores the contributions of the
lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community to Western American history by bringing
together scholars, authors, artists, politicians, musicians, and others for gallery discussions,
performances and screenings. Conceived by independent curator Gregory Hinton in 2009,
Out West at the Autry was inspired by the Autry’s installation of the iconic shirts worn by
Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal in the film Brokeback Mountain, on loan from collector
Tom Gregory, as well as the permanent inclusion of the International Gay Rodeo Association
(IGRA) archives into the Autry Library (both facilitated by Hinton). Beginning in 2011, the Autry
will present four public Out West at Autry events and the series will travel to other western
institutions.
Out West at the Autry is made possible through the generous support of Tom Gregory, HBO,
the Gill Foundation, and the Small Change Foundation, in association with the Gay and
Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), and the
Courage Campaign.
Autry National Center
The Autry National Center, formed in 2003 by the merger of the Autry Museum of Western
Heritage with the Southwest Museum of the American Indian and the Women of the West
Museum, is an intercultural history center dedicated to exploring and sharing the stories,
experiences, and perceptions of the diverse peoples of the American West. Located in Griffith
Park, the Autry’s collection of over 500,000 pieces of art and artifacts, which includes the
collection of the Southwest Museum of the American Indian, is one of the largest and most
significant in the United States. The Autry Institute includes two research libraries: the Braun
Research Library and the Autry Library. Exhibitions, public programs, K–12 educational
services, and publications are designed to examine critical issues of society, offering insights
into solutions and the contemporary human condition through the Western historical
experience.
Weekday hours of operation for the Autry in Griffith Park location are Tuesday through Friday,
10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The Autry Store’s weekday hours are Tuesday through Friday, 10:00
a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and the Golden Spur Cafe is open Tuesday through Sunday, 9:00 a.m. to
4:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday hours for the museum and the Autry Store are 11:00 a.m. to
5:00 p.m. The museum, the Autry Store, and the cafe are closed on Mondays. The libraries
are open to researchers by appointment.
Museum admission is $9 for adults, $5 for students and seniors 60+, $3 for children 3–12, and
free for Autry members, veterans, and children 2 and under. Admission is free on the second
Tuesday of every month.
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