Bubbling with radical feminism and a generous dose of cheek, Sally! captures the charisma and passion of the late lesbian activist Sally Miller Gearhart through political struggles and personal heartache. It’s a wild ride. Director Deborah Craig, along with co-directors Jörg Fockele and Ondine Rarey, deliver a lively and warm documentary through which Gearhart refuses... Continue Reading →
Exclusive Interview: Georgia Oakley & Rosy McEwen on 1980s-set lesbian drama Blue Jean “what happens in the film is still so relevant”
Writer-director Georgia Oakley’s impressive directorial debut Blue Jean is a compelling character study set in northern England in 1988, as Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative government is about to pass the notorious Section 28 of the local Government Act which stigmatized the nation's gay and lesbian population, stoking homophobia—both societal and internal—at the height of the HIV/AIDS... Continue Reading →
Exclusive Interview: Images on which to build, 1970s-1990s curator Ariel Goldberg “it’s about coming together to insist on preserving & activating trans & queer histories”
As we face an onslaught of regressive legislative attacks on LGBTQIA+ life, focused on trans rights, along with reproductive, and voting rights, book bans and restrictions on school curriculums, it can be empowering to look back at the organizing and methods of grassroots trans and queer resistance in previous decades. That was part of the... Continue Reading →
Mardi Gras Film Festival 2023 Review: Gateways Grind ★★★1/2
The Gateways Club, or the Gates as it was known, was the centre of lesbian London for decades. A watering hole in the heart of Chelsea, it one of the only exclusively lesbian venues in London, frequented by a mix of women of all classes, including the likes of author Patricia Highsmith. Running from the... Continue Reading →
Mardi Gras Film Festival 2023 Review: In Her Words – 20th Century Lesbian Fiction ★★★
Chronicling key figures in lesbian fiction from the 1920s to the 90s, Lisa Marie Evans and Marianne K. Martin's In Her Words: 20th Century Lesbian Fiction is an exhaustive walk through individual author's lives and works using a range of new and archival interviews. Without preamble, we are thrown into a discussion of Radclyffe Hall’s... Continue Reading →
The Queer Review 2022 – LGBTQ+ highlights of the year
As 2022 draws to a close, we ask some friends of The Queer Review, including prominent creators, performers, artists, and activists to share the LGBTQ+ culture or events that have sustained, stimulated, moved, inspired or brought them joy this year. We hope that you enjoy reading this eclectic selection of theatre, film, TV series, books,... Continue Reading →
TV Review: A League of Their Own ★★★★
There might be no crying in baseball, but I'm sure that I wasn't alone in shedding a few happy tears while watching Will Graham and Abbi Jacobson's lovingly-crafted new series A League of Their Own on Prime Video. The adaptation of Penny Marshall's 1992 movie is a home run, capturing much of the feel-good spirit... Continue Reading →
Pioneers of Queer Cinema continues with free screenings of restored classics The Living End & Paris Is Burning Feb 26 & 27 in LA
The landmark Pioneers of Queer Cinema retrospective, with free in-person screenings presented by The UCLA Film & Television Archive, IndieCollect, and Outfest, continues in Los Angeles this weekend. The Living End (1992) directed by Gregg Araki. Courtesy of the UCLA Film & Television Archive, IndieCollect and Outfest. Saturday, February 26th at 7:30pm sees a triple... Continue Reading →
Exclusive Interview: activist Chris Drake recalls Greenham Common Women’s Peace Camp in Mothers of the Revolution “finding my voice there changed my life”
Forty years ago, in the midst of the Cold War, the newly formed campaign group Women for Life on Earth, marched 120 miles from Cardiff, Wales to Berkshire, England to protest Margaret Thatcher's agreement to allow US nuclear cruise missiles to be stored at the Royal Air Force base at Greenham Common. As Mothers of the... Continue Reading →
Exclusive Interview: Oscar-nominated filmmaker Arthur Dong on his Criterion Channel retrospective “it’s up to us to find a way to survive & to resist”
In 1984, trailblazing independent filmmaker Arthur Dong received an Oscar nomination for Sewing Woman, a touching documentary short about the life of a Chinese immigrant worker in San Francisco, his mother Zem Ping Dong. This recognition marked the director as an emerging artist to watch, while the film itself exemplified what would become hallmarks of... Continue Reading →
