“This flick is all I have to say about being 17, the United States Navy, American Christmas and the 4th of July,” said Kenneth Anger about his first short film from 1947. The underground filmmaker, who recently died at the age of 96, had already experimented a lot with his parents’ 16mm camera in his teens.

The bizarre, disturbing dream images of violence, rape and homoerotic sadomasochism were still causing controversy ten years after their first public screening. A theater operator’s conviction for showing this “obscene” film was eventually overturned by the Supreme Court of California, which declared Fireworks to be art.

Kenneth Anger was at the forefront of queer cinema and became a source of inspiration for music video makers; his debut became a classic—both as an experiment and as a gay cult film.