Twenty years after its official release, Brokeback Mountain returns to the big screen, marking the film's enduring legacy.

Adapted from Pulitzer Prize winner Annie Proulx's short story, Brokeback Mountain follows Ennis Del Mar (Heath Ledger) and Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal), two cowboys who find work as herders at a sheep farm in Wyoming. Unexpectedly, they develop an intimate relationship that soon grows beyond the remoteness of Brokeback Mountain and threatens to unsettle their entire lives. 

Despite adamant opposition from conservatives in the film industry, Brokeback Mountain was a global box office success and received major critical acclaim; three wins out of the eight Academy Award nominations include Best Directing for Ang Lee, Best Original Score for Gustavo Santaolalla, and Best Adapted Screenplay for Larry MacMurtry and Diana Ossana. 

Released in the early 2000s, Brokeback Mountain was pivotal in changing how Hollywood, and mainstream media at large, has treated same-sex love stories. This, in turn, helped initiate a cultural shift in how audiences perceive and engage with queerness.

Dr. Anamarija Horvat's introduction will explore these themes, along with other key aspects of the film's cultural and cinematic significance.

After a very emotional journey on screen, stick around afterwards for a FREE QUEER COUNTRY DISCO to lift the spirits and dance away the blues!