A recent dip in female-led theatrical releases in the UK - back to 2018 levels of 26% reminds us that our work is far from over; that we cannot be complacent.
Below you can read about the research we conduct into gender representation in film and the wider industry, tracking the release landscape to present an accurate picture of investment in films by filmmakers of marginalised genders.
Here you can also find out about news and opportunities at Reclaim The Frame, along with curated film recommendations, filmmaker interviews, and creative responses.
Updated: May 10, 2023
We would like to invite a written response to our QUEERIOUS season –
a curated programme which explores a multitude of desires on screen in ways we all too rarely see in cinema.
Through stories of sexual (re)awakenings and queer love through a feminist lens, Queerious aims to help us to question, learn and enjoy our sexual selves. Each film is a collaboratively made DIY discovery in its own way, freed from the restrictions of mainstream filmmaking and ‘queerious’ in its making.
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Queerious encompasses 4 x FEATURES and 3 x SHORT FILMS:
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THE GOLD DIGGERS by Sally Potter (UK 1983, 89’, cert U)
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Sally Potter’s ground-breaking debut feature explores themes of power in relation to capitalism and sexuality from a feminist and collaborative perspective. The film was written and produced by Lindsay Cooper, Rose English and Sally Potter, and made with an all-women crew, all of whom were on equal pay. Featuring ‘swinging sixties’ icon Julie Christie and Colette Laffont as two star crossed lovers, this musical and comic adventure tells of their inter-connected quests to understand the nature of money and the feminine ideal in a story that simultaneously subverts and sends up the Hollywood narrative.
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+ short film: ARE YOU STILL WATCHING? by Sissy Screens: Tali Polichtuk & Kitty Chrystal (Australia 2021, 6’)
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Forced into near-isolation during Melbourne’s COVID-19 lockdown, 20-year old Jamie keeps themselves entertained bingeing on queer film and TV. What begins as mere escapism turns sensual when they start having sexual delusions involving their favourite queer characters. Fantasy and reality merge as they recount their erotic encounters to their physician and receive an unusual diagnosis. Are You Still Watching? captures lockdown boredom and being perpetually horny and the emancipatory power of the queer imagination, told through vibrant animation.
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I’VE HEARD THE MERMAIDS SINGING by Patricia Rozema (Canada, 1987)
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Opening with a video-recorded confession from Polly, a secretary, this comedy tells of her voyeuristic fascination for her new boss, the ambitious Gabrielle, owner of an art gallery. The two women are like night and day – the new temp is absent-minded and innocent beyond her years with spiky orange hair and the curator bourgeois, polished and with a gift for gab – yet a strong connection builds through their shared love of art, curiosity and appetite for love. Directed by Patricia Rozema (Mouthpiece, 2018), a significant player in the Toronto New Wave, I’ve Heard the Mermaids Singing is a playful, humorous and complex look at the many different kinds of desire and admiration between women.
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+ short film WAVELENGTHS by Pratibha Parmar (UK 1997, 15’)
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An exploration of the time honoured quest for love and human intimacy in the polished world of computers and the Internet. Set in gay bars, dreams, and cyberspace, this perceptive and highly visual film from Pratibha Parmar (Nina’s Heavenly Delights, My Name is Andrea) contemplates one woman’s search for emotionally safer sex. Mona’s girlfriend has left Mona with a broken heart, an empty goldfish tank, and—in her altered state—the ability to pick up other people’s conversations. Stuck in the post relationship blues, Mona just can’t seem to move on…that is until she discovers “cybersex”.
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PASSION by Maja Borg (Sweden/Spain 2021, 92’, uncertified 18+)
Trailer: https://vimeo.com/570405265
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A film about longing, healing and belonging. Adopting rituals and play from queer BDSM practice and their own Christian heritage, artist and filmmaker Maja Borg (Future My Love, 2012) seeks to reclaim intimacy in the wake of a destructive relationship. In Borg’s quest to re-establish boundaries in sex and love, Passion pushes the boundaries of documentary form, creating a textured, theatrical and intensely personal exploration of ritualistic practices, shot in both 16mm and digital, as a means of “reclaiming of myself.” Through stories of LGBTQI+ kink communities from across Berlin, Stockholm and Barcelona, Passion portrays the humanity at the heart of the practice.
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+ short film ISHTAR by Mia Georgis (UK 2021, 4’)
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Ishtar, the gender fluid Mesopotamian deity of love, sexuality, and justice, hosts a sumptuous and ritualistic dinner at which five gender non-conforming siblings of colour feast together in an English country garden. Exploring the coloniality of gender, Ishtar’s guests hold the history of their ancestors and their present day selves.
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FIRE by Deepa Mehta (India/Canada 1996, 108’, cert 15, fully subtitled)
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Sita and Radha are two young women abandoned by their husbands, who find intimacy and passion in each other in this erotic romantic drama. The first of Deepa Mehta’s celebrated ‘Elements’ trilogy, Fire was the first mainstream Bollywood film to explicitly depict homosexual relations in a culture adamantly denying such a love could ever exist and was banned in India as a result. Fire is loosely based on “Lihaaf” (“The Quilt”) written by Ismat Chughta who famously refused to apologise when her short story found itself the subject of an obscenity trial in India following its publication in 1942.
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QUEERIOUS commissioned article will be from: an early career (of any age) UK based film writer / curator / critic / poet. Applicants will deliver the finished work to Birds’ Eye View by the deadline below.
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Your article will be between 1100-1400 words and a reflexive and creative response to all four feature films and the accompanying three shorts, by way of programme notes for the season as a whole.
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We’re looking for fresh perspectives on the film through a feminist and queer lens and invite those with this lived experience to explore how they may answer the brief.
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We don’t want to sanctify the work, but need to be mindful that this activity is supporting these important, rarely seen films.
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Now in its 18th year, BIRDS’ EYE VIEW continues to spotlight, celebrate and create impact for films by women and non-binary people while building a community for those who make, show, release and watch them.
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Reclaim the Frame brings a wider perspective of the world by championing cinema by women & non-binary filmmakers. Run by Birds’ Eye View, a charity with a mission to advocate for equity, diversity, and inclusion in film by fostering a community for those who make, show, release and watch them.
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Find out more about the project HERE.
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Details:
Writer Fee: £250
To apply
Please send the following to Birds’ Eye View – mail@birds-eye-view.co.uk with the subject heading: BIRDS EYE VIEW, RECLAIM THE FRAME X FILM FEELS CURIOUS
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Proposal (max 1 A4 page) including what you would like to do, how it engages with the brief, examples of past writing together with the lived experience you bring to your work, how you intend to create and deliver your idea along with a link to your portfolio/cv, website and social media handles.
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Deadline for Proposal (max 1 A4 page) Mon 20 June (10am)
Successful applicant notified Tue 21 June
Date for the article to be delivered Wed 29 June (10am)
Date for publication Fri 01 July
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Notes to Applicants:
Engaging creative and representative individuals is a vital part of the RECLAIM THE FRAME project. We welcome and encourage applications from individuals from all backgrounds, including under-represented groups.
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Queerious is part of Film Feels Curious, a UK-wide cinema season, supported by the National Lottery and BFI Film Audience Network. Explore all films and events at FILMFEELS #FilmFeelsCurious.
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Reclaim The Frame is funded by the BFI, awarding funds from The National Lottery.
ARTISTIC RESPONSE to THE DROVER’S WIFE: THE LEGEND OF MOLLY JOHNSON
By Ayomide Abolaji
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Blood talks. A siren Song calling for its likeness Will you answer it?
♥ They took away what was yours by chains, chords, collars It’s time to sever
♥ Connection to this Arid land. Let the mountains House you and keep you.
♥ She is a dark horse no other, strong and tender Much to uncover
♥ Ancestral stories make-up the lining of her uterus she births
♥ Her babes. Labour pains, water breaks, blood seeps and leaks You must protect them.
♥ Guard them and guide them These kids are your legacy You are fierce mother
♥ Your mother’s crimson red hair, another’s mother’s skin glistens jewel black
♥ Mary Mary quite contrary, Your lamb’s fleece may be white as fresh snow
♥ But they will never forget your blackness: tar brush paints you dangerous
♥ Fight for her life, yes Fight for her children she will Gun cocked, ready, aim
♥ Fire and moonlight Stardust and fresh brown earth is Their inheritance
♥ They swore your existence criminal You vowed your existence blessing
♥ Take his calloused hand His kindness buries the stench of the enemy
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Your son hugs a stranger better than a father Yes, it’s in the genes.
♥ Does their lineage Boast of fortunes With happy endings guaranteed?
♥ What was their happy Ending? Possession of a body not their own?
♥ Pillaging and conquering Sowing seeds of savagery All on their own
♥ Will you scream for them Who say, defeated, there was Always violence?
♥ Are we the weaker sex? Because our bodies tend to be softer?
♥ As if our softness does not flow like water and nourish the growth of their strong roots
♥ As if they do not lap greedily at our wombs
♥ As if our downy flesh was not forged from the sinew of Gaia’s core
♥ They forget that our softness makes us malleable
♥ Malleable enough to morph love into armour
♥ Which historically they have used without discernment
♥ Tribe
♥ How much longer must we wade in the waters of the outback?
♥ How much longer will our stories be told by pale mouths?
♥ Filtered till all meaning is lost And all that is centred is the white voice?
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When will we hear ourselves? Be seen? Be held?
♥ How will we carry ourselves? Like we matter♥ Because we do
♥ Witness us. Witness her.
♥ Born warrior It is woven in her skin It careens through the marrow
♥ No more bowing No more cowering It’s between the eyes
♥ It’s in fingertips on the trigger
♥ Fight for her life Fight for her rights
♥ Fight for her children For her blood and brethren She will
♥ Misogyny tried to silence you. Racism Tried to debase you
♥ Null and void you, make You something you have never Been. So scream bloody murder
♥ Exsanguinate the old version of you Now engulfed by the truth of your DNA Family waits for you Home calls for you.
♥ So holler out your battle cry Make a mockery of the colonialism that threatened to erase you. Watch sex and kin rally around you Black woman. Mother. Daughter. Sister. Wife. You.
♥ Speak. We’re listening. Speak. We can hold this. Far and wide. We hear.
♥ From nameless woman Of a man’s tale, to the Legend: Molly Johnson.
© Ayomide Abolaji
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Ayomide Abolaji’s REVIEW of the film
THE DROVER’S WIFE: THE LEGEND OF MOLLY JOHNSON
The poem above is inspired by a visually stunning piece of cinema featuring brilliant wide shots of rolling hills and snowy peaks, along with a warm and crisp cinematography that juxtaposes with the gritty realities of its characters. The first Australian feature film with an Indigenous woman writing, directing and performing the lead role.
Based on the Henry Lawson short story of (almost) the same name, The Drover’s Wife: The Legend of Molly Johnson comes to the silver screen in its third medium. With previous success as a play and novel, the film follows the heavily pregnant mother of four, Molly Johnson, and the events that ensue in the absence of her husband when she finds an escaped Indigenous Australian convict (Rob Collins) wounded on her land.
While keeping to “the essence of the Henry Lawson short story and his underlining themes of racism, frontier violence and gender violence” (Purcell, 2022), Purcell injects the film with personal Indigenous stories that she grew up hearing and gives it a layer of verity that might have otherwise been missing.
The dialogue from Yadaka (Collins) and Molly (Purcell), in particular, carries a rhythm and fluidity attributed to seasoned storytellers — paying homage to those present in Purcell’s real life and history. Skin is not just black but “black shining skin in full moonlight”. Every word is purposeful and deliberate. Enhanced further by the silences that are almost as vast as the landscapes captured. Silences that allow the audience to reflect on what has just taken place; to sit in anticipation of what may follow such stillness; to bask in the quiet; or to do all of the above.
Unlike Lawson, by naming the drover’s wife, Purcell instantly bestows the character with an autonomy and identity outside of her husband. This act is important not only because of the feminist issues tackled in the film, but because Molly’s identity – her heritage – is integral to the film’s plot and message. A centring of marginalised and often misrepresented voices, as well as the administration of a hard pill to swallow: it is all still relevant.
Beyond the issues of misogyny, racism and colonialism, The Drover’s Wife: The Legend of Molly Johnson is a film about the fierce love of a mother. In Molly Johnson, Purcell gives us a character who is willing to go to great lengths to ensure the safety and freedom of her children. All one has to do is listen to ‘A Mother’s Scorn’, track 14 on the film’s official soundtrack, (composed by Salliana Seven Campbell) to understand. By having this theme of love threading through the film and showcasing Yadaka as a father figure, Purcell highlights an importance of family and community to Indigenous people.
The film does have some shortcomings, however. There are certain points in the film that can only be likened to being on a rollercoaster and waiting for the exhilaration of a fall that sadly never comes. Some of the characters fall into stereotypes that render them one dimensional and cliché. And as we head to the film’s conclusion the events become predictable.
Nevertheless, none of this takes away from the cultural significance of what Purcell has done. She has created a film that counteracts the erasure of Indigenous Australians and prioritises the female gaze in a male-gaze-saturated genre.The Drover’s Wife: The Legend of Molly Johnsonis an essential disruption.
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THE DROVER’S WIFE: THE LEGEND OF MOLLY JOHNSON is available on demand from today, 13 June.
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Bibliography Gbogbo, M. (2022) ‘The Drover’s Wife: The Legend of Molly Johnson is a compelling story weaving in present and historical truths’, ABC News Australia, 12 May. Available at: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-05-03/the-drovers-wife-the-legend-of-molly-johnson-leah- purcell/101032364 (Accessed: 8 May 2022)
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About Ayomide Abolaji
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Ayomide Abolaji is a talented writer/poet, model and co-curator of Vague Culture Club, where her obsession for K-dramas (amongst other media and literature) is given space to flourish. As well as being a crew member at VAGUE, she is a member of the Manchester-based writing charity/collective, Young Identity. She has performed at various events including One Mic Stand at MIF (2019); Deranged Poetesses – an annual event ran by Apples and Snakes’ Stockton division (2019); opened for Benjamin Zephaniah (2019); and Manchester Central Library’s celebration of International Woman’s Day (2020). Gifted with a beautiful voice it is not unusual for Ayomide to accompany her poetry with some singing.
♥ Ayomide’s poetry often delves into topics such as race, the visibility of black people, spirituality, mental health, sexuality, and feminism. She currently works as a production assistant for Inside Job Productions where her main role is to help facilitate the practical film courses they run in two prisons across London.
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Follow Ayomide on Instagram @ayomid_night
and on TikTok @ayomidknight
Updated: May 11, 2023
Video Essay Commission Opportunity with Reclaim The Frame
Deadline for pitch: Tuesday 7th June
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Birds’ Eye View is highlighting/supporting Ninja Thyberg’s debut feature, PLEASURE through their RECLAIM THE FRAME initiative.
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We would like to invite a creative individual artist / filmmaker / curator / critic or collective to apply for a commission to create a 7-10 minute video essay on the film.
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Synopsis
Bella Cherry – née Linnéa (Sophia Kappel), a fresh-faced 19-year-old from a small Swedish town, determined to be the next adult-film star, takes us on an immersive journey of safewords, coercion, kindness, brutality, and bondage – beneath the halogen lit sets of L.A’s porn industry. A natural networker, self-promoter and performer, Bella Cherry’s (social media) stock soon rises, resulting in betrayal and broken friendships – a sacrifice she is willing to make to be taken on by the top agency in town.
Pleasure is a provocative and unflinching female insider’s view of the porn industry. The gaze is non-judgemental revealing the inner workings of a business that is dominated by men and where ruthless ambition, a command of social media and the ability to handle extreme scenes is the path to success. By turns unsettling, moving and mundane, the film’s great strength is its authenticity and how it humanises an industry that constructs a false reality of sex. Pleasure rarely comes into it.
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Please find the trailer HERE. The full film will be shared with the selected artist on commission.
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About Birds Eye View
Birds Eye View is a UK-wide charity with a mission to bring a broader perspective of the world through cinema.
We support films by women & non-binary people, with the aim of building a community for those who make, show, release and watch them. We do this by bringing ever greater audiences to films by marginalised creatives, developing safe and accessible spaces for conversation, promoting a de-patriarchal and de-colonised lens on the world, and advocating for social justice in all film spaces.
Reclaim the Frame brings audiences together and builds community for films by women and non-binary filmmakers in cinemas across the UK.
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Details
Artist Fee: £800 (this to include editing, mix, captioning and delivery of an mp4 online file)
Birds’ Eye View will provide access to materials and facilitate conversations with distributors as needed.
The video essay should act as a primer to the film PLEASURE, the piece should centre on the film’s themes and the style of the filmmaker. However it can also explore the individual interests in relation to the film of the essayist too.
You will need to evidence how the work will achieve maximum reach and impact.
Applicants can be working in any field but they must have some experience in video creation and be able to edit and deliver the finished work to Birds’ Eye View by the deadline below.
Individuals and collectives may apply.
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For previous examples of our commissions see here, bear in mind that these examples discuss multiple films but this video essay will pertain to PLEASURE only.
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Applicants should look to avoid replicating any previous work done on Ninja Thyberg.
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Timeline
Deadline for applications: 10am on Tuesday 7th June
Successful applicant will be notified by: 10am on Wednesday 8th June
Date for the final video essay to be delivered will be no later than 10am Thursday 16th June
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To apply
To apply please send the following to Birds’ Eye View – mail@birds-eye-view.co.uk with the subject heading Pleasure, Ninja Thyberg, Video Essay Commission.
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Proposal (max 1 A4 page) including what you would like to do, how it engages with the brief, how you intend to create and deliver your idea along with a link to your portfolio/cv.
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Notes to Applicants:
Engaging creative and representative individuals is a vital part of the RECLAIM THE FRAME project. We welcome and encourage applications from individuals from all backgrounds, including under-represented groups.
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We don’t want to sanctify the work, but need to be mindful that this activity is supporting the release of the film.
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Content Guidence: This film contains scenes with strong drug use and some violent sex scenes, references and depictions of rape and sexual violence. It also contains flickering or flashing lights that may affect those with photosensitive epilepsy.
