Love, Patrick: Nothing is Impossible

Overview

A documentary that charts the meteoric rise of Patrick Kelly, an openly gay African-American fashion designer who took the 1980s industry by storm. The film follows his journey from the segregated South to Paris, where he made history as the first American admitted into the prestigious Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture. Infused with his queer, camp aesthetic, Kelly's joyful collections used vibrant buttons and boldly weaponized racist stereotypes to celebrate Black beauty. The film highlights how his intersectional identity as a gay Black man shaped his radical vision, captivating icons from Grace Jones to Madonna. However, the film also confronts the devastating toll of the AIDS crisis, documenting Kelly's tragic death from complications of the disease in 1990 at just 35. Through rare archives, it delivers an intimate portrait of a queer pioneer who shattered barriers of race, sexuality, and fashion.