Popcorn, posters and pride: Queer Cinema Club comes to The Triplex

For many LGBTQ+ people, film has always been more than entertainment — it’s been a mirror, a map and a lifeline. That’s exactly the spirit behind Queer Cinema Club, a brand-new initiative launching this month at the Triplex Cinema in Great Barrington with a screening of the 1999 cult classic “But I’m a Cheerleader.”

The Club is the brainchild of West Stockbridge resident Champika Fernando, a longtime film lover, queer community organizer and former software engineer, who’s looking to carve out space for LGBTQ+ folks to come together through the magic of cinema.

“I moved to the Berkshires five years ago with my partner,” Fernando shared. “I was really surprised by how vibrant the queer community is here, but the ways people gather are so different from the city.”

Fernando hails from Toronto, where they attended queer film clubs that mixed movies with drag performances, director Q&As and poster art with party vibes. That’s the kind of multi-sensory, fully alive experience Fernando is hoping to bring to the Berkshires.

On Aug. 20, the Triplex will screen “But I’m a Cheerleader,” the candy-colored satirical comedy directed by Jamie Babbit that follows a perky high school cheerleader (Natasha Lyonne) sent to a conversion camp, only to discover her queerness — and her first love. It’s a film with a dedicated following, and a fitting first feature to kick off a club that’s about self-acceptance, humor, and community connection.

“There’s something about sitting in a theater and laughing, or crying, or just feeling together,” said Fernando. “I think that matters, especially in rural areas, where queer folks can feel isolated.”

The event will open an hour before showtime for an informal pre-show cocktail hour that encourages people to linger and connect. Down the line, Fernando hopes to collaborate with local queer artists to create original movie posters, host performances tied to film themes, and even partner with Queer Soup Night, another community-based initiative known for its food, warmth, and mutual aid fundraising based in Western Massachusetts.

“I’d love to do something where we have a queer soup night followed by a screening,” said Fernando. “Or invite local folks to share what their ‘coming-out movie’ was and build programming around that.”

While “Cheerleader” is a crowd-pleasing start, Fernando’s vision also includes lesser-known international films, underrepresented voices, and stories that reflect the full range of the queer experience. Their years spent working with Scratch — an MIT-originated platform where kids learn to code and tell stories through animation — and with the Queer Women of Color Media Arts Project — where they once made their own documentary — have deeply shaped their storytelling values.

“There’s such a narrow slice of queer film that gets recognized,” said Fernando. “I want to expand that. I want people to see themselves in ways they haven’t before.”

The Triplex, a community-run nonprofit, was eager to support the idea. General Manager Ben Elliott welcomed Fernando’s proposal, and the two have been co-developing the program for several months with a shared belief that the space should reflect and serve the people who use it.

Though the first event is being hosted in Great Barrington, there are hopes to expand the club to other local venues, from Millerton to Rhinebeck and beyond.

“The hope is to do something monthly or every other month,” said Fernando. “And maybe host at other indie theaters in the area — depending on where people are coming from.”

More than a screening, Queer Cinema Club is an invitation. To gather. To remember the first time a film made you feel seen. To watch something weird, or sad, or celebratory — together.

“Community is everything,” Fernando shared. “Especially in rural places, you can really feel the absence of it. I just want to help create one more space where queer people feel like they belong.”

Queer Cinema Club’s first screening of “But I’m a Cheerleader” will take place Wednesday, Aug. 20 at the Triplex Cinema in Great Barrington. Doors open at 7 p.m. for a pre-show gathering. Screening begins at 8 p.m. Tickets and more info at triplexcinema.com.