UNCLE ROY, August 31

UNCLE ROY
Monday, August 31, 2026 • 7:00 PM
FACETS Film Forum • 1517 W. Fullerton Ave., Chicago

A moving and deeply personal documentary, UNCLE ROY follows the extraordinary life of Roy Blakey—world-traveling ice skater, renowned photographer, collector, and pioneer of gay male photography—as seen through the eyes of his niece, filmmaker Keri Pickett. As Roy faces the challenges of dementia in his nineties, Pickett embarks on a race against time to preserve both his remarkable archives and the legacy of a man whose life intersected with queer history, art, and performance. 

From touring the world with Holiday on Ice to creating groundbreaking male nude photography and documenting generations of performers, Roy's story is one of creativity, resilience, and self-discovery. The film is both an intimate family portrait and a celebration of a queer artist whose work helped shape LGBTQ+ visual culture. 

Built from nine decades of photographs, films, letters, and memorabilia, UNCLE ROY is a heartfelt exploration of memory, legacy, chosen family, and the importance of preserving queer history before it disappears. 

"A powerful look at one man's work capturing the gay liberation movement of the 1970s and 1980s." 

BOOKENDS

Monday, September 28, 2026 • 7:00 PM
FACETS FILM FORUM • 1517 W. Fullerton Ave., Chicago

United States | 99 min
Director: Mike Doyle

After a painful breakup, aspiring novelist Nate leaves New York City and moves into a retirement community with his grandparents. What begins as a temporary refuge quickly becomes a complicated journey through family, aging, responsibility, and unexpected love. As his Holocaust-surviving grandfather begins showing signs of dementia and his grandmother struggles to face the truth, Nate finds himself caught between the life he left behind and the family that needs him now. An unexpected romance with the community's handsome doctor further complicates his plans.

Starring F. Murray Abraham, Caroline Aaron, Noam Ash, and Charlie Barnett, BOOKENDS is a warm, funny, and deeply moving intergenerational story about love, memory, family, and second chances. The film premiered at the 2026 Santa Barbara International Film Festival, where it received the ADL Stand Up Award.

Critics have praised the film for balancing humor and emotion with honesty and grace. Reviewer Mark McPherson called it "a heartfelt story of family and romance that is more honest than schmaltzy," while festival audiences have celebrated its rich performances and moving portrayal of family caregiving.

Written by and starring Noam Ash and directed by Mike Doyle, BOOKENDS offers a refreshing queer love story that is equally concerned with family bonds, aging, and the unexpected connections that help us move forward.

Funny, tender, and life-affirming, BOOKENDS reminds us that every ending can also be a new beginning.

IOWA VET: DOGS, CATS, CORN, & MURDER

Murders. Mormons. A modern family. And one extraordinary 

Midwestern life.

IOWA VET: DOGS, CATS, CORN, & MURDER follows Dr. Alan Younkin, who grew up on an Iowa farm that has been in his family since 1863 and went on to become a veterinarian, husband, father, and eventually the unexpected center of a story filled with remarkable twists.

After graduating as valedictorian from the Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Alan built a successful animal hospital with his wife, Dr. Sybil Younkin, and raised four children. But after Sybil’s death, his life took an entirely new direction. Alan moved to New York, met filmmaker Michael Schelp, and the two fell in love and married.

And that’s only part of the story.

Along the way, IOWA VET ventures into murder cases, questions of faith, the dramatic transformation of veterinary medicine, and even the claim by some believers that Zarahemla — the ancient city described in the Book of Mormon — was located on Alan’s family farm.

Funny, surprising, affectionate, and deeply personal, IOWA VET is ultimately about how much one life can change — and how much life can still surprise us.

The film had its world premiere at Cinema Village in New York City in June 2026.

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