SYNOPSIS
It was the Studio 54 of the Prairies, a venue that owner John Reid vowed would be a safe place for ‘gay people and their friends.’ Flashback is the story of a defiant disco dance culture of sweat and sex and drugs and fashion. Located in a conservative northern Canadian city often hostile to queer people, Flashback became a sensation on the international club circuit despite police raids, threats of violence and the scourge of AIDS. Flashback is a ghost. But it comes alive again in the memories of the people who were there and the legends they left behind.
THE FILM
More than 30 interviews tell the Flashback story in a compelling and inclusive way, in tribute to a place where young people could just be themselves.
A soundtrack with two new disco recordings, 3D graphics, and archival photographs and footage takes us back inside the famous venue and blends with re-enactments shot with today’s club kids in Edmonton’s last remaining gay bar.
All this is framed by the rediscovery, restoration and resurrection of the club's iconic neon sign. The blue glow of the old Flashback sign now shines from a wall of the Neon Sign Museum in Edmonton, and its journey to restored glory is documented in the film.
Flashback (2024) is a TELUS original feature documentary film shot in Edmonton, Alberta.
Follow the film @flashbackdocumentary on Instagram and Facebook.
Check out the 12” single of the film’s soundtrack, reproduction Flashback signs and other merchandise for sale on the production's website flashbackdocumentary.ca.