PARIAH (2011) + RAFIKI (2018) at Paramount Summer Classic Film Series

The 51st Annual Paramount Summer Classic Film Series
Pariah
+
Rafiki
Double Feature
The Paramount Theatre
Wednesday, June 18, 2025

Doors: 6pm
Pariah: 7pm
Rafiki: 8:45pm

Double Feature: This ticket gets you into both films, but you are also welcome to attend just one. The second film will screen after a brief intermission.

Pariah
2011, 86min/color, DCP
Directed by: Dee Rees
Cast: Adepero Oduye, Pernell Walker, and Charles Parnell

Spike Lee was so taken with writer/director Dee Rees’ short film PARIAH that he became an executive producer on this feature-length version, a captivating modern classic about a young teenager struggling to survive her parents’ failing marriage and searching for the freedom to express her own sexual identity.

Rafiki
2018, 83min/color, DCP
Directed by: Wanuri Kahiu
Cast: Samantha Mugatsia, Sheila Munyiva, Patricia Amira, and Dennis Musyoka

Bursting with the colorful street style & music of Nairobi’s vibrant youth culture, RAFIKI is a tender love story between two young women in a country that still criminalizes homosexuality. Kena and Ziki have long been told that "good Kenyan girls become good Kenyan wives" - but they yearn for something more. When love blossoms between them, Kena and Ziki must choose between happiness and safety. Initially banned in Kenya for its positive portrayal of queer romance, RAFIKI won a landmark supreme court case chipping away at Kenyan anti-LGBT legislation. Featuring remarkable performances by newcomers Samantha Mugatsia and Sheila Munyiva, RAFIKI is a hip tale of first love "reminiscent of the early work of Spike Lee" (Screen Daily) that’s "impossible not to celebrate" (Variety)!

You may also like the following events from Paramount Theatre:

• This Saturday, 14th June, 03:30 pm, TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES (1990) in 35mm at Paramount Summer Classic Film Series in Austin
• This Saturday, 14th June, 07:00 pm, SPACEBALLS (1987) + CADDYSHACK (1980) at Paramount Summer Classic Film Series in Austin
• This Sunday, 15th June, 01:00 pm, HIGHLANDER + THE UNTOUCHABLES presented by Robert Rodriguez at Paramount Summer Classic Film Series in Austin

Also check out other Entertainment events in Austin, Arts events in Austin, Theatre events in Austin.