A short documentary about living with HIV in conservative Northern Irish society. The film tells the story of actor and performer Matthew Cavan, aka Belfast’s most-loved drag artist, Cherrie Ontop. Diagnosed HIV-positive aged 19, Matthew struggled to find acceptance in conservative Northern Irish society. Coming from a religious family, Matthew was kicked out of his church by the Minister, and having never met anybody else with HIV, felt so alone he tried to commit suicide.
In a desperate attempt to escape his everyday reality and get back on stage, Matthew created his absolutely fabulous drag alter-ego Cherrie Ontop. A decade later, Cherrie is Belfast’s most-loved drag artist, and Matthew is a spokesperson for people living with HIV in Northern Ireland. However, as a result of being so open about his HIV status, Matthew has become a frequent target for homophobic trolling, threats and abuse.
BECOMING CHERRIE allows us inside the intimate process of transformation between Matthew and Cherrie. A portrait of resilience and reinvention, Matthew and his father Terry tell the story of the difficulties of living with HIV in the age of the DUP - set against the backdrop of the abuse Matthew has received; adapted into a terrifying stage performance!
An investigation of Blackness, labour, diaspora and family heritage through archive, glitch, strobe and sound. A commitment to the Windrush generation.
Official Selection BFI London Film Festival 2019 - Experimenta Strand
An LGBT grey comedy about a hapless, borderline narcissist who blames everyone else for his problems, and who knows that he isn't where he wants to be in life, but can't be bothered to do anything about it.
Sam spends his days bored at his unfulfilling office job, where he's more interested in trying to get the attention of the guy he likes than he is about actually doing his job. He can't quite stay broken up from his ex, as he misreads his desire for casual sex as him wanting to get back together. And as his best friend becomes more successful in both her career and relationship, the two find themselves drifting. He realizes he can't just float on by in life and he's faced with losing his job and apartment and when met with the bleak prospect of moving home with his parents Sam is forced to look at what he really wants and who he really is.
A painfully honest look at trying to get your shit together, when (you think) the whole world is against you.
Following three transgender friends as they navigate some of the harsh realities of being trans in the UK, find their community, and dare to dream of a life without limitations. It's a coming of age story of friendship and hope, love and loss, strength and pride.
Following a new women's movement emerging in the USA, through the story of a Chicago divorcée.
‘Fascinating Womanhood’ encourages women to reject feminism and revert to the values of 1950s housewives. Jenny is the movement’s most dedicated follower but her devotion is causing rifts with her friends and LGBT daughter.
When Dan, a gay 20-year-old student, and his best friend Ray decide to share their joint with a couple boys in the park, Dan discovers jealousy, an emotion he’s not used to.
Max is gender non conforming trans person, who gives birth to River. Max has decided to raise River gender neutral, and the film explores what that means to them and how they go about it.
Filmed over a 22 year period, NO IFS OR BUTS delivers a portrait of Soho barbershop, Cuts, an iconic London hub for street fashion and pop innovators. Guided by freewheeling founders James Lebon and Steve Brooks, who met when one was a rockabilly and the other a New Romantic, the salon moved from early ’80s postpunk roots to become a hip-hop club and communal hub for DJs, photographers and style icons. But the film "is not just about the haircut", delivering an intimate portrait of Steve struggling with a traumatic past that threatens to derail the Cuts universe. The film traces profound and often tragic change in the hairdressers' lives within the wider context of the UK's political and cultural landscape- an anthem to the promise of youth and the friendships that endure over a lifetime.
Official Selection BFI London Film Festival 2018 - World premiere
Over the course of a night out in a queer club, Raf struggles to find his place among the crowd until he stops trying to force the narrative and just lets himself go with the music.
Official Selection Berlinale 2019 - Berlinale Shorts and Generation 14plus - European premiere
Where does the character end and the actor begin? This debut feature from UK artist-filmmaker Richard Squires, is a creative documentary that employs 'Clovis', an animated antihero (voiced by 'Kids in the Hall's' Mark McKinney) as a means to explore the particular “voice” casting of cartoon villains in the late 1960s. Through the lens of one of Hollywood’s hidden queer histories, this documentary offers a contemplation on the psycho-social relationship between villainy and hysterical male laughter; the use of voice as a signifier of ‘otherness’ and the frequently uneasy symbiosis of character and actor.
Official Selection BFI London Film Festival 2018 - Experimenta Strand - World premiere
Official Selection International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) 2019 - Bright Future - International premiere
A comedy about being weird and struggling for a connection. The film opens as Benjamin, a rising star filmmaker, is on the brink of premiering his difficult second film ’No Self' when Billie, his hard drinking publicist, introduces him to a mesmeric French musician called Noah.
Official Selection BFI London Film Festival 2018 - Laugh Strand - World premiere
