It exploded like a bombshell on British TV in early 1999, then swept across the Atlantic on a tidal wave of press clippings. It's become a household word in gay America, even though no television network in the US has dared to air it, and perhaps, never will.

Screened at last year's SFILGFF and now back for an encore presentation, Queer as Folk stands the true test of cult video: With each viewing, it only gets better. The up-front sexu­ality is still startling. Stuart is as seductive and infuriating, Vince as cuddly and befuddled, and young Nathan as breathtakingly reckless and beautiful as ever. Manchester's Canal Street with its booming discos becomes the street of dreams of every gay man's youth — the giddy, glittering heart of the world.

By popular demand, the creator and cast reassembled for a follow-up finale (Queer as Folk 2, also in this year's Festival program), but this is where it all started, with Nathan han­kering after Stuart and Stuart hankering (in his own fashion) after Vince, and viewers who'd never before seen anything like it holding their breaths in wondrous anticipa­ tion of how it would all play out.