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.
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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
Following on from the success of our summer Queerious programme, we’re thrilled to present Queeriosities From the Archive, touring UK cinemas this November.
We invite you to get curious as we rediscover tantalising tales from the archives. With this curated programme of short films we say goodbye to what is expected of us when it comes to intimacy, partnership and sensuality. Whether forgotten or rarely screened, we explore a multitude of desires and depictions of sexuality reflective of their times, and of an always existing community. A continuation of our previous touring programme ‘Queerious’ which explored desire on screen from the 80s to the present day, this selection digs deep in to archives across the UK and beyond, bringing stories of sexual awakenings and realisations, love and lust through a feminist lens from the 1930s to now. Freed from the restrictions of mainstream filmmaking, this collection of hidden gems from the archives is a celebration of desires which invites us to question, learn and enjoy our sexual selves.Â
The Programme:
ROSEBUD Dir. Cheryl Farthing (UK, 1991)
WAITING WOMAN Dir. Nikki McKay (UK, 1991)
MISS NORAH BLANEY Dir. Unknown (UK, 1932)
8MM LESBIAN LOVE FILM Dir. George Corzine (USA, 1992)
WITHOUT VERTIGO AN INNOCENT DESIRE TO FLY Dir.Nikki McKay (UK, 1993)
SEX CHANGE Dir. Unknown (UK, 1980)
IN THE PINK BLUES Dir. Nikki McKay (UK, 1993)
MAN Dir. Maja Borg (Sweden/Scotland, 2016)
APARTMENTS Dir. Megan McMurchy (Australia, 1977)
Screenings (More TBA):
Rio Cinema, London – Sunday 13 November, 15:45
Showroom Cinema, Sheffield – Tuesday 22 November, 18:30
Depot, Lewes – Tuesday 22 November, 20:30
Exeter Phoenix – Wednesday 23 November, 18:00
Phoenix Art Space, Brighton – Wednesday 23 November, 20:00
Story House, Chester – Wednesday 30 November, 18:30
Genesis, London – Wednesday 30 November, 18:45
Glasgow Film Theatre – Wednesday 30 November, 20:40
Art Work by Javie Huxley (@Javhux)
Queeriosities From The Archive is supported by the BFI Film Audience Network with National Lottery funding as part of Changing Times, Curious, a UK-wide Screen Heritage programme led by Film Hub North.
We’re on the hunt for a UK based, female or non-binary critic/curator/creative to join us at the UK premiere of The Blue Inmates dir. Zeina Daccache on 19 October, and produce a written response to the documentary, digging into its themes of prison reform, drama therapy and de-stigmatising mental health.Â
UK PREMIERE 19 October
The Blue Inmates by Zeina Daccache (Lebanon, 2021) Barbican, London – 19 October, 6:20 PM
If you can’t make the screening, we are able to offer you a screening link
Please see our EVENTS page for more information about THE BLUE INMATES
Your article will be a reflexive and creative response to the film, that will take the form of an opinion piece incorporating a short review.
This is a paid opportunity. The fee for the article is £150
To apply, please email a short proposal to mail@birds-eye-view.co.uk by Monday 17 October, 18:00
Proposal (max 1 A4 page – attached as a PDF – not in the body of the email) including what you would like to do, how it engages with the brief, examples of past writing (links preferred) together with the lived experience (if any) 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.
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.
We don’t want to sanctify the work, but need to be mindful we are supporting The Blue Inmates as part of our Reclaim The Frame x International project.
Content note:  The Blue Inmates depicts the poor treatment of prisoners in Lebanon with mental health conditions. The prisoners live in a deprived environment without adequate support and health care. Some language used in the film to describe ill mental health is reflective of attitudes in Lebanese law and the country’s penal system. This language and content may be upsetting and offensive to some viewers.
Updated: May 10, 2023
Happy BFI London Film Festival 2022!
We can’t wait to dive into this year’s incredible programme serving us a host of new titles by talented women and non -binary filmmakers. Screenings are taking place in cinemas across the UK 5 – 16 October, and available on BFI Player 14-23 October. Also, discover their line-up of FREE events, talks and screenings.
Here’s just a few of the brilliant titles we recommend:
The African Desperate directed by Martine Syms (2022, USA, 99′)
If one day and film could summarise the experience of othering in white-led art institutions then it would be in Martine Syms’ The African Desperate. Perfectly depicting the world of thesis defense and installations dryly capturing the ‘you can’t be serious’ rhetorics of the art scene.
All The Beauty and The Bloodshed directed by Laura Poitras (2022, USA, 116′)
Oscar winning director, Laura Poitras, turns her attention to Nan Goldin in an unconventional documentary portrait of the renowned artist-activist as she takes on the Sackler Family, the American business Dynasty that sparked America’s Opiod epidemic.
The Blue Caftan directed by Maryam Touzani (2022, France/Morocco/Belgium, 122′)
Maryam Touzani’s entrancing drama, The Blue Caftan, delicately explores different kinds of love as a closeted Moroccan tailor and devoted husband becomes deeply attracted to his new apprentice.
Blue Jean directed by Georgia Oakley (2022, UK, 97′)
Tackling the profound impact of Section 28, writer-director Georgia Oakley’s suspenseful debut feature skilfully captures the silencing and paranoia of a closeted school teacher in Thatcher’s Britain.
Last Flight Home directed by Ondi Timoner (2022, USA, 106′)
The latest venture of renowned non-fiction filmmaker, Ondi Timoner, is by far her most personal and profound, as she turns her camera on her father’s final days following his decision to end his own life, in what is an ode to family, dignity, the importance of goodbyes and what a good death can be.
Nanny directed by Nikyatu Jusu (2022, USA, 92′)
Nikyatu Jusu pulls audiences in through compelling storytelling and stunning visuals, drawing parallels between microaggressions, folklore and fear in film.
Nezouh directed by Soudade Kaadan (2022, UK/Syria/France 104′)
Taking us to Damascus as we’ve never seen it before, displaced Syrian writer-director Soudade Kaadan and cinematographers Hélène Louvart & Burak Kanbir filter the embattled city through a magical realist lens, and the imagination of teenage protagonist Zeina as she dreams of freedom.
Pretty Red Dress directed by Dionne Edwards (2022, UK, 110′)
Simply the best movie about a cross-dressing ex-con: as an aspiring actress and performer auditions to land the lead role in a Tina Turner musical, her recently released partner discovers a different type of freedom in writer-director Dionne Edward’s thought provoking, feel good debut feature.
To get £10 off Gala and special event tickets, scroll to the promotional box at bottom of the BFI LFF website, and use our promo code BEV10 before selecting your tickets.
Our Director Melanie will also be joining a special LFF industry panel, ‘Sold Out! Moving your audience from their sofa to the big screen’, dedicated to building, expanding and renewing audiences for cinemas.
See you there to #ReclaimTheFrame!
