Art and Pep
Businesses (includes multi-office access): $595 |
A story at the heart of our history.
Falling in love was easy
Fighting for love was everything
Synopsis

Art Johnston and Pepe Peña are civil rights leaders whose life and love is a force behind LGBTQ+ equality in the heart of the country. Their iconic gay bar, Sidetrack, has helped fuel movements and create community for decades in Chicago's queer enclave. But, behind the business and their historic activism exists a love unlike any other. The documentary film ART AND PEP tells the inspiring story of the long struggle for equality and their fight to love freely.
America’s popular telling of queer progress largely comes from the coasts - Stonewall, the Cooper Do-Nuts Riot and Harvey Milk’s legacy. ART AND PEP is a story of equality born in the heartland. The first state to decriminalize homosexuality, Illinois was on the front lines of the AIDS epidemic, anti-discrimination laws and marriage equality. But long before government officials would utter the words “HIV,” it was gay bars that transformed into community centers and became ground zero in the fight. While Art and Pep never set out to be activists, for them inaction was never an option.
The battles they faced. The camaraderie they formed. The generation they galvanized. And the clout they created. Their story is at the heart of LGBTQ+ history.
Credits:
Director: Mercedes Kane
Executive Producer: Kevin Hauswirth
Producer: Nate Freyman
Cinematographer: Sanghoon Lee
Editor: C.J. Arellano
88 minutes | DVD release 2023 | SDH Subtitles in English
About Sidetrack
Art and Pep's iconic gay bar, Sidetrack, has helped fuel movements and create community for decades in Chicago’s queer enclave. What most people don’t know is that behind the business and their historic activism exists a love unlike any other. America’s popular telling of queer progress largely comes from the coasts – Stonewall, the Cooper Do-Nuts Riot and Harvey Milk’s legacy. ART AND PEP is a story of equality born in the heartland. The first state to decriminalize homosexuality, Illinois was on the front lines of the AIDS epidemic, anti-discrimination laws and marriage equality. But long before government officials would utter the words “HIV,” it was gay bars that transformed into community centers and became ground zero in the fight. While Art and Pep never set out to be activists, for them inaction was never an option.

Director Biography
Festivals and Press
RogerEbert.com: Review: “The Result is a Real Charmer.”
Chicago International Film Festival: Audience Award, Best Documentary
Centre Film Festival: Gratitude Award
Stamped Film Festival: Best Documentary
World Premiere: Outfest LA 2022
Deadline: Outfest 2022 Line-up announcement
The Queer Review: Outfest LA 2022 Review – Art and Pep
USA Today Pride Month Issue: Sidetrack Spreads the Love (p. 23)
Television Business International: Espresso Picks up LGBTQ* Doc Art and Pep