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 →

June 11, 2023 0

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 →

January 21, 2023 0

Out and About! Archiving LGBTQ+ history at London’s Bishopsgate Institute

From now until Monday, March 21st, London's Bishopsgate Institute takes over The Curve at Barbican Centre, with Out and About!, an archive installation of objects, ephemera, and media highlighting 40 moments and stories in London’s LGBTQ+ history. Bishopsgate Institute has been collecting the lived experiences of everyday people for over a century, and their unique... Continue Reading →

March 4, 2022 0

BFI Flare 2021 Film Review: My First Summer ★★★★ 1/2

There is something quintessentially Australian about finding privacy in a wide expanse of nature, and My First Summer, part of the 35th BFI Flare: London LGBTIQ+ Film Festival, uses the depths of Australian forests as a furtive playground for big emotions. A teenage girl, Grace (Maiah Stewardson), witnesses a reclusive writer, Veronica Fox (Edwina Wren),... Continue Reading →

March 3, 2021 0

35th BFI Flare London LGBTIQ+ Film Festival unveils full lineup available digitally UK-wide

Tickets are now on sale at bfi.org.uk/flare for the 35th edition of BFI Flare: London LGBTIQ+ Film Festival which runs March 17th - 28th 2021. With 26 features and 38 free shorts from 23 countries, the UK’s longest running queer film event will deliver virtual premieres via BFI Player to audiences nationwide, making it the... Continue Reading →

March 2, 2021 10

64th BFI London Film Festival LGBTQ+ highlights

The 64th BFI London Film Festival (LFF) runs from October 7th-18th, and like many other festivals, Covid-19 restrictions mean that it's taking a different form this year. Given current circumstances the 2020 programme offers a reduced number of feature films, just 58, plus collections of short films and experimenta, but with an expanded reach across... Continue Reading →

September 20, 2020 0

Fringe! Queer Film & Arts Fest London – Nov 12 – 17th 2019 – Festival Highlights

Now in its ninth year Fringe! Queer Film & Arts Fest has established itself as a hugely anticipated fixture on any discerning queer filmgoer's calendar. Organised and run single-handedly by volunteers, it continues to offer a refreshing, daring and exciting alternative to some of the arguably more bland offerings of queer cinema elsewhere. Taking up... Continue Reading →

October 29, 2019 0