Projects in genres: LGBTQIA+

Synopsis

Throw away all common sense and tap into your madness as you follow Dr. Nelly Ben Hayoun-Stépanian - a London-based artist and educator of Armenian and Algerian descent - on a fascinating journey to build a new civilization on the moon. Along with her doppelgängers, Myriam and Lucia, Nelly challenges us to defy power structures and reject planetary exploitation by letting go of the constraints of borders, gender, and religion to embrace what diversity could be in the vast landscape of our imaginations. Prior to their mission, Nelly and her parallel version of self speak with a wide-ranging collection of experts. There’s an LGBTQ+ rights activist, an astronomer, a political scientist, an archaeologist who also makes wine, a theoretical physicist, an environmental designer, a horror filmmaker, and a mathematical economist. They are all crucial to their quest to uncover the key to a queer, eco-feminist future devoid of generational trauma, colonization, and imperialism. However, as the analog space mission takes unexpected turns, the future remains as uncertain as the condition of Schrödinger’s Cat. Featuring the music of Pussy Riot and Colin Self. Official Selection SXSW Film Festival 2024 - World premiere Official Selection Munich Film Festival 2024 - European premiere

Synopsis

THE CALLERS tells the stories of people who have called England’s oldest LGBTQ+ phone helpline for over 50 years, seeking guidance on everything from where to find the nearest leather bar to how to come out, navigate an open relationship, impress a new lover or mend a broken heart.

Synopsis

In a future drained of colour where energy credits are the new currency, a zero credit balance leaves one man with no option but to physically power his ailing husband’s hospital treatment. But as his energy fades, so does the possibility of a future together.

Synopsis

Somewhat of a "horse whisperer", Irish-born Hugh MacDermott, a troubled yet determined young man, embarks on a solo journey across Argentina with his horse, Pancho. Struggling with his sexuality and the loss of his brother, he is spurred on through pure grit and determination to succeed, inspired by a string of strange coincidences linking to a beloved childhood book, 'Tschiffely’s Ride'. A journey of self-discovery, grief, endurance and personal growth, Hugh faces unforeseen hardships of all kinds, both mentally and physically, his quest a metaphor for life. With little money and speaking little Spanish, he sleeps on the side of the road, going for days at a time not speaking to a soul aside from his horse. His story unfolds as he battles his way through “The Long Quiet”. Along the way, Hugh encounters a series of characters who shape his life as adopted father figures, and we witness the magical bond between man and horse, and the transformation from boy to man. Guided by the founder of the Long Riders’ Guild, his epic two-year journey emphasises the spiritual outcomes of equestrian travel, his achievement an extreme rarity, with only a handful of long riders in every generation.

Synopsis

Isaac weaves through various friends at a Bonfire Night, wondering whether he should send pictures to the man on his phone.

Synopsis

A dance film that explores the tragic love story of Echo and Narcissus in a contemporary setting. It explores voyeurism and unrequited love in the context of a broken form of communication. Narcissus, unable to see beyond themself and Echo unable to speak to them in her own voice.

Synopsis

In the aftermath of sexual assault, a woman retreats into the garden of her mind. Searching for answers and struggling to do 'the right thing', she realises that she must regain her voice and find new paths to healing, before she and her garden are destroyed completely.

Synopsis

In near future rural Somerset, recently 're-educated' Anna wants to be a happily married woman but the arrival of a troupe of travelling players on the farm tests her beliefs to the limit.

Synopsis

This emotionally charged journey, filmed over seven years, follows the extraordinary story of Rudrani Chettri and her friends from baby blessings, red light districts and dazzling Hindu festivals to the glamorous world of photoshoots, designers, hair and make-up, lights and electrifying action. We discover the transgender trans - Hijra community of Delhi as they set about creating India’s first ever trans modelling agency and an extravagant, paradigm-shifting, catwalk event. Far from a bleak story of suffering and discrimination, this film explores the world of India’s ‘third gender’ (Hijra) in a positive way, full of laughter, drama, excitement, and pathos. We discover a complex world where traditional Hindu values clash with modern human rights. We immerse ourselves in unfamiliar places but find identifiable stories of love and loss, hope and poverty, beauty, glamour, and catwalk glory. Official selection BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival 2024 - UK premiere

Synopsis

After the death of her husband, Winifred Tyler, an elderly vicar’s wife, unearths a book of erotic fiction she wrote in her youth. A bittersweet, comedy-drama about discovering a life not lived, once the person with whom you were inseparable has gone. Official Selection BFI Flare LGBTQIA+ Film Festival 2024 Official Selection Iris Prize Festival 2024 - Nomination - Best British Short Official Selection Flickerfest International Short Film Festival 2025

Synopsis

Combing anonymous documentary testimony with imagined creative scenes to tell the stories of those who have called the oldest queer support line in the UK, seeking guidance on everything from where to find the nearest leather club to how to come out, start a family or mend a broken heart. The film is a love letter to queer memory and possibility, LGBTQ+ community and care, and the power of collective imagination. Official Selection Frameline San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival 2024

Synopsis

A speculative narrative that takes place in a future of the past, in a present ruptured now. An intimate exploration of grief and resistance across diasporic distance in shifting landscapes of loss, from the streets to the bed; in sites of displacement, nuclear contamination, and military occupation from Scotland to Puerto Rico; from the bottom of the ocean to the planet Uranus. Official Selection Berlin International Film Festival 2024 - Forum Expanded - World premiere