Following a sell-out Pride 2022 date, writer and performer Alexis Gregory’s critically acclaimed Riot Act returns to the fabulous West End cabaret venue Crazy Coqs for a special performance to mark World AIDS Day on Thursday, December 1st 2022. The hard-hitting, poignant, but outrageously funny verbatim solo-show was created from Gregory’s own interviews with a Stonewall survivor (Michael-Anthony... Continue Reading →
It’s A Sin: Dr Emily Garside’s guide to the HIV/AIDS narratives to read & watch next
Dr Emily Garside's guide to which HIV/AIDS narratives to read and watch next after Russell T Davies' acclaimed series It's A Sin. There is a vast array of work to choose from. Since the beginning of the AIDS pandemic those affected began telling their stories, both as an act of memorial, remembering those the government... Continue Reading →
BFI Flare 2021 Film Review: AIDS DIVA The Legend of Connie Norman ★★★1/2
With an overview of the ACT UP story having been told in compelling and detailed documentaries such as Jim Hubbard's United in Anger: A History of ACT UP and David France's How to Survive a Plague, it's pleasing to now see significant members being focused on individually, such as trans trailblazer Connie Norman, a broadcaster,... Continue Reading →
Exclusive Interview: pop star Mila Jam on her Fierce collaboration with Ultra Naté & Angelica Ross “it’s about empowerment & claiming your fierceness”
Today sees the release of electro pop anthem Fierce, a collaboration between singer-songwriter and DJ Ultra Naté, Pose actress Angelica Ross, and New York pop star and "artivist" Mila Jam. The dance track is a rallying cry, empowering listeners to be Legendary, Necessary and Extraordinary. Aiming to "enlighten, educate, and celebrate the trans community through... Continue Reading →
NewFest 2020 Film Review: Keith Haring: Street Art Boy ★★★★
Despite its relatively short running time of just 53 minutes, or perhaps because of it, director Ben Anthony's made-for-television documentary Keith Haring: Street Art Boy, which premiered at NewFest, manages to cover a lot of ground. In fact a parallel emerges of a prolific artist with an intense creative drive, and the film's style which,... Continue Reading →
Exclusive Interview: historian, activist & Instagram creator Blair Imani “being a Black queer Muslim woman in America today means being strategic about how I show up & when I show up”
Historian, activist, and public speaker Blair Imani is fast approaching an audience of 300,000 Instagram followers whom she educates on topics that centre women and girls, Black communities and LGBTQ+ folks through her regular bite-sized Learn O’Clock and Smarter in Seconds Reels features, while offering more in-depth lessons on Patreon. In 2017, Blair came out... Continue Reading →
Outfest Film Review: Nelly Queen: The Life and Times of José Sarria ★★★1/2
“They always forget the ones who were first,” someone says in voiceover in Joe Castel’s remarkable documentary, Nelly Queen: The Life and Times of José Sarria. After watching this essential record of an important life in the LGBTQ+ community, I doubt anyone will forget him. Sarria’s list of accomplishments include establishing the Imperial Court System,... Continue Reading →
Support the Frameline 2020 Fund
Since 1977 San Francisco's Frameline Film Festival has presented LGBTQ+ cinema to a ravenous audience each year. Ravenous? Yes, I meant it. The huge crowds packed into such iconic venues as the palatial Castro Theatre love cinema so much, they'll loudly cheer on what speaks to them. Conversely, you haven't lived until 1400 people hiss... Continue Reading →
Exhibition: Tom of Finland – Love and Liberation (House of Illustration, London) ★★★★
Tom of Finland (aka Touko Laaksonen) gets his first solo public exhibition in the UK with Love and Liberation at the House of Illustration. Featuring iconic images as well as previously unseen drawings from Tom of Finland Foundation’s collection, the exhibition forms part of the ongoing #TOMs100 celebration of his birth. Forty works on paper... Continue Reading →
34th BFI Flare: London LGBTIQ+ Film Festival Highlights
The British Film Institute’s annual LGBTIQ+ film festival Flare is back this month with an exciting lineup of more than 50 feature films, including a few The Queer Review favourites. From March 18th-29th the festival will fill the BFI Southbank with queer cinema, discussions, parties and more. Things kick off with the Opening Night world... Continue Reading →