Relaxed Screening: We Are Pat

“At ten years old, I didn’t know why I was fixated on a bizarre 90s sketch comedy character. I just knew something about Pat felt familiar, unnerving, and oddly comforting. Years later, I realized the punchline wasn’t about me—it was me.”

Nonbinary filmmaker Rowan Haber revisits the Saturday Night Live sketch “It’s Pat”—their first glimpse of androgynous possibility— and examines its complicated legacy in this laugh-out-loud documentary. How has the sketch aged? How has our culture shifted? Can a problematic character be redeemed and reimagined? We Are Pat explores these questions and more, tracing the evolution of gender representation in comedy and media from the cultural anxieties of the 90s to the double-edged sword of trans visibility in the present day.

The film invites a stacked cast of trans and nonbinary comedians, including Murray Hill, James Tom, Ally Beardsley, Sabrina Wu, and Roz Hernandez, to rewrite and reimagine the original Pat sketches, reclaiming the character as a site of radical trans joy.

–

This relaxed screening will include the following accommodations:

• Doors remain open to the lobby/foyer
• House lights remain on but slightly dimmed
• Film audio is slightly reduced
• No trailers or ads play before the film
• Reduced capacity to increase seating selection and distancing
• Audience noise and movement is permitted during the show
• Audience may enter and exit the theatre as needed
• A chill-out space outside the theatre
• Sound reduction headphones may be provided upon request, dependent on availability
• Extra staff and volunteers on-site to answer questions
• Complimentary ticket for a companion

Learn more about accessibility at VQFF. If you have questions or would like to make an accessibility request, please contact boxoffice@outonscreen.com.

This film is only screening in person!

Enjoy a repeat, regular screening of this program on Sunday, Sept 14 at 5:30PM.