On his 38th birthday in December 1984, budding photographer Patric McCoy made a commitment to himself that he would carry his 35mm camera with him wherever he went, take at least one shot a day, and stop whatever he was doing if anyone asked him to take their picture and oblige. Four decades on, the... Continue Reading →
Theatre Review: Patience (2ST UPTOWN, New York) ★★★1/2
For five years running, Daniel (Justiin Davis) has been the world's reigning solitaire champion. Yes, the solo card game, otherwise known as patience. He's been described as "the Venus Williams of solitaire", as he points out himself, and at only 25, his skills have already made him internationally famous and wealthy. He's just moved into... Continue Reading →
Exclusive Interview: Ailey director Jamila Wignot “I wanted the film to feel like an epic saga in the way that his dance works do”
Emmy-winning director Jamila Wignot's Ailey, a compelling and moving portrait of a towering figure in modern dance, Alvin Ailey, world premiered at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, where it was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize. "Unlike many documentaries about artists, Ailey gives us a substantial insight into his creative process", writes James Kleinmann in his five... Continue Reading →
Exclusive Interview: activist Marc Thompson on Black and Gay, Back in the Day “It’s about showing us in our richness & our diversity being joyful”
When it comes to Black History Month and LGBTQ History Month in the UK, Black British queer lives "fall through the cracks of both of those", according to social justice activist and sexual health campaigner Marc Thompson who recently launched an empowering new archive on Instagram, Black and Gay, Back in the Day which celebrates... Continue Reading →
BFI Flare 2021 Review: The Obituary of Tunde Johnson ★★★★1/2
Tunde Johnson is a normal 17 year old boy. He’s Black; he’s gay; he loves his parents; and he’s been sleeping with the hottest guy in school, even though he’s dating Tunde’s best friend. Oh, and, no matter what he does, every night Tunde is murdered by the Los Angeles Police Department. And then he... Continue Reading →
Exclusive Interview: It’s A Sin star Omari Douglas “there’s something really important about seeing a proudly gay Black man in a period context”
Following our interviews with It's A Sin's writer and executive producer Russell T Davies and cast members, Lydia West and Nathaniel Curtis, The Queer Review's editor James Kleinmann had an exclusive conversation with actor Omari Douglas who portrays Roscoe Babatunde in the acclaimed 1980s London set drama which follows five young friends as the AIDS... Continue Reading →
Sundance 2021 Film Review: Ailey ★★★★★
UPDATE: Ailey opens in New York on July 23rd, Los Angeles on July 30th and expands to theaters nationwide on August 6th via NEON. Emmy-winning director Jamila Wignot's feature documentary Ailey, which just had its world premiere at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, is a captivating and deeply moving portrait of the celebrated dancer and... Continue Reading →
Exclusive Interview: Timothy Ware-Hill & Arnon Manor on their powerful Netflix animated short film Cops and Robbers “Black Lives Matter can’t just be a saying it has to be an act”
The gut-wrenchingly powerful, deeply moving and ultimately hopeful animated short film, Cops and Robbers, directed by Arnon Manor and Timothy Ware-Hill, was written and performed by Ware-Hill in response to the murder of Ahmaud Arbery earlier this year. Ware-Hill had initially filmed himself reciting his own impactful poem and posted the video to social media... Continue Reading →
Exclusive Interview: filmmaker Vivian Kleiman & curator Ashley Clark on Race, Sex & Cinema: The World of Marlon Riggs
This month, the Criterion Channel is celebrating the groundbreaking work and enduring legacy of the late queer Black filmmaker, activist, poet and educator Marlon Riggs. Race, Sex & Cinema: The World of Marlon Riggs features a complete retrospective of his still searingly urgent, provocative, nuanced, and beautifully crafted video work exploring Black identity and representation,... Continue Reading →
Exclusive Interview: HBO’s I May Destroy You star Paapa Essiedu on his groundbreaking queer character “me & Michaela Coel wanted to create someone that felt real & truthful”
I May Destroy You, a co-production between HBO and the BBC, is fast becoming one of the most talked about television series of the year on both sides of the Atlantic. Centring authentic Black voices and exploring frank and nuanced questions around sexual consent and exploitation it is compelling and essential viewing. Written and created... Continue Reading →