Films & Events

Screening in partnership with Harriet Hancock Center and SC Pride in honor of the 20th anniversary of the film.

Ang Lee’s Brokeback Mountain (2005) remains one of the most groundbreaking films of the 21st century. Adapted from Annie Proulx’s short story, the film follows the decades-long relationship between Ennis Del Mar (Heath Ledger) and Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal), two cowboys whose bond defies the boundaries of time, place, and social expectation. With unforgettable performances by Ledger, Gyllenhaal, Anne Hathaway, and Michelle Williams, the film captures both the beauty and the tragedy of a love that could not fully exist in its time.

Upon release, Brokeback Mountain became a critical and cultural milestone, praised for its sensitivity, emotional depth, and stunning cinematography. It won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, grossed more than $178 million worldwide, and swept major awards season categories—earning three Academy Awards (Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Original Score), four Golden Globes, and four BAFTAs. Though it controversially lost the Oscar for Best Picture, the film has since been recognized as a turning point for LGBTQ+ representation in cinema.

In 2018, it was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant,” and continues to be ranked among the greatest films of the century.

This special anniversary screening invites us to revisit a landmark story of love and loss—one that continues to resonate powerfully two decades later.

2005. 134 min.