UCLA Film & TV Archive to Honor Late Erotica Pioneer Pat Rocco

UCLA Film & TV Archive to Honor Late Erotica Pioneer Pat Rocco

LOS ANGELES — The late Pat Rocco, a pioneering gay adult filmmaker, will be honored with a memorial tribute and screening presented by the UCLA Film & Television Archive, Outfest and the ONE Archives.

The event, free to the public, will be held at the Billy Wilder Theater at 7:30 p.m. Friday.

“Los Angeles and its LGBTQ community lost one of their great chroniclers with the passing in November of filmmaker and activist Pat Rocco,” said the UCLA Archive.

The Brooklyn-born Rocco fell in love with Los Angeles when he relocated with his parents in the mid-1940s. As an adult, his career behind the camera blossomed when he answered an ad in the Free Press looking for a photographer of nude males. These early photo shoots quickly led to short 8mm and 16mm films that often featured his performers acting out stories he penned himself. The themes ranged from bucolic romance to pie-throwing slapstick burlesque.

The openly gay filmmaker did not hide his films. He famously debuted a selection of them at the Park Theatre in Los Angeles in 1968, the city’s first-ever public exhibition of “overtly gay films with male nudity,” notes the UCLA Archive. “More than titillating erotica, they exhibited a personal vision that celebrated a romantic, joyful positive image of men in love.”

Rocco’s films, which critic and author Jim Kepner then described as “exhilarating, fresh, ideal, basic and agonizingly beautiful,” were a success and enabled him to continue exploring his passions, including using his cameras to capture the birth of the gay civil rights movement in the city.

A UCLA rep described Rocco as “a one-of-a-kind storyteller and entertainer. We are proud to join with these institutions to remember and celebrate Rocco’s inspiring life and career with a selection of films, clips and remembrances.”

Click here for additional details, read the UCLA Film & Television Archive blog for vintage clips and remembrances and follow their Twitter handle.

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

Jade Greene Makes Her Reality Kings Debut

Jade Greene has made her Reality Kings debut alongside multi-XMAs winner Mick Blue in "Ski Boat Skeet."

Vicki Chase Stars in Dorcel's 'M.I.L.F.S. Vol. 2'

Vicki Chase headlines the latest feature from Dorcel, titled “M.I.L.F.S. Vol. 2.”

Anastasia Doll Headlines 'All Girl Sex Addict' From Harmony

Anastasia Doll stars in the latest title from Harmony Films, “All Girl Sex Addict.”

Blake Blossom, Madison Wilde Topline 'The Art of Kissing 4' From Sweetheart Video

Blake Blossom and Madison Wilde headline the fourth volume of “The Art of Kissing” from Mile High Media studio imprint Sweetheart Video.

Chloe Amour Toplines Latest From Tushy

Chloe Amour stars with Dante Colle in the latest release from Vixen Media Group (VMG) studio imprint Tushy.

Jade Venus Fronts 'Trans Cheerleaders 2' From GenderX

Jade Venus stars with Evie Christian and Sage Roux in the second volume of GenderX Films' "Trans Cheerleaders," directed by Jim Powers.

Leilani Li Stars in Latest From Transfixed

Leilani Li stars with Avery Jane and reigning XMAs Trans Performer of the Year Ariel Demure in the latest release from Transfixed, titled "Bolstered and Pampered."

Ember Snow, Teal Conrad Topline 'Lesbian Neighbor Affairs 3'

Ember Snow and Teal Conrad headline “Lesbian Neighbor Affairs 3” from Girlfriends Films.

Chloe Amour Fronts Latest From New Sensations

Chloe Amour stars with Milan Ponjevic in the latest release from New Sensations, titled "He’s in Charge."

Octavia Red Stars in Latest From Deeper

Octavia Red stars with Manuel Ferrera in the latest release from Vixen Media Group studio imprint Deeper, titled “She Done Him Wrong.”

Show More