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
BIRDS EYE VIEW, RECLAIM THE FRAME X FILM FEELS CURIOUS
Thank you to those of you that took the time to respond to our commissioned 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.
COMMISSIONED RESPONSE TO QUEERIOUS
By Kit Bithell
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As a writer and artist, every piece I make is a process of discovery, something that begins as a gentle thought in my head and slowly grows into a fully formed work; this, in a way, is similar to the experience of queerness. Sexuality and gender are often processes of discovery with no clear endpoint, constantly moving and changing within ourselves and as the world around us changes. The Queerious selection emulates this relationship between discovery, film and queerness. Historically, film has not served queer (or feminist) representations well, and what queer film was made has faced backlash or repression.
Queerious brings queer feminist pieces to the forefront that engage with our identities as both personal and political. The films in this selection span from the 80s to modern day, reflecting the evolution of queer theory and feminism over that period. They occasionally contradict and disagree with each other, they show queerness in its expansiveness and welcome us to sit in it, to find ourselves and our queerness, to feel what we are and are not.
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I’VE HEARD THE MERMAIDS SINGING by Patricia Rozema (Canada 1987, 81′, cert 15)
“Love is a pretty strong word for another woman when you aren’t talking about your mother…”
Do you remember your first queer crush? Something confusing and new? Awkward and giddy? In I’ve Heard The Mermaids Singing, scatter-brained secretary and amateur photographer Polly arrives at her new job to find unexpected feelings developing for her boss, a successful but dissatisfied art curator. Polly’s relationship with her sexuality is unclear and varies throughout the film. Her thoughts leave room for many interpretations, but for me, they resonate with the feelings of first discovering queer desire – unsure of what you want and feel. Polly voyeuristically watches the Curator’s interactions with her girlfriend, younger butch lesbian, Mary, with curiosity, more than jealousy, as if she is discovering something new. Sheila McCarthy’s performance as Polly wraps us up in affection as she is strange and naive but also unendingly earnest. Dreams run through the Queerious selection, and this film is no different as we see Polly’s eccentric daydreams imagining scaling skyscrapers, intellectualising in recency dress and conducting orchestras. The film explores the women’s desires on several levels; their desire for each other, for success, and for validation, and how this interacts with class and sexual politics.
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+ short film WAVELENGTHS by Pratibha Parmar (UK 1997, 15′)
From the discoveries of I’ve Heard The Mermaids Singing, to a rediscovery in Wavelengths. At the turn of the millennium, Mona is broken-hearted is convinced to try cyber sex. Complementing Rozema’s work, this short is filled with delicious dream sequences and hazy imaginations, balancing a tone that is comedic and yet sexy. Taking us back to the 90s with an iconic soundtrack, bulky TVs, and Internet café’s Wavelengths captures a historic change in how it was possible to have sex.
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THE GOLD DIGGERS by Sally Potter (UK 1983, 89′, cert U)
“I search for the secrets of transformations.”
In Sally Porter’s avant-guard dreamscape Ruby, a debutant who was abandoned by her mother and Celeste, her saviour and an office worker, attempt to interrogate and escape the men in power over them. Questioning and ridiculing the ruling class, Celeste and Ruby pull apart the trappings of capitalism, class, and patriarchy at debutante balls, theatrical performances and office backrooms. Characters are wound in dizzying cycles of time and space as they are chased through their past and present, through stark, abandoned, snowy mountain ranges and harsh, concrete lines of the city that emulate the aesthetics of German expressionism. Queerness may be unspoken in this film but queer imagery saturates this story. Similar to other films in this selection, The Gold Diggers captures glimpses of gender deviance and butch and femme identity, as queerness is presented as a rebellion against capitalism and patriarchy. An interesting insight into 80’s feminist thought on capitalism, patriarchy and queerness that goes against the trend in some 80s lesbian feminist circles of excluding butch identity or masculine gender presentation.
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+ short film ARE YOU STILL WATCHING? By Sissy Screens: Tali Polichtuk & Kitty Chrystal (Australia 2021, 6′)
One of my favourite shorts in the selection, Are You Still Watching? is a vibrant, techno celebration of the wonders of queer imagination in the digital world. Jamie is passing their time in lockdown binging queer media when they start having vivid hallucinations of sexual encounters with queer icons from Sarah Paulson’s Nurse Ratched to Cate Blanchette’s Carol. Sarcastic, erotic and anarchic, this short explores the delights of imagining sex with others, with yourself and sometimes even sex with a goddess-shaped loaf of bread.
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FIRE by Deepa Mehta (India/Canada 1996, 108′, cert 15, fully subtitled)
“I desire her warmth, I desire her compassion, I desire her body. I desire to live again.”
The first Indian film depicting a lesbian relationship, Fire faced tremendous resistance upon release. Rahda’s husband chooses a life of celibacy after Rahda is unable to have children. Rahda’s new sister-in-law, Sita, finds married life is less than she hoped when her husband is more interested in his mistress. As they grow closer, the women begin to question the societal rules that prescribe devotion to these men and find new life in a passionate relationship with each other. Class commentary backgrounds the plot as we see a slice of the functioning of this family’s household. Although the women’s sex life is at the forefront, this film allows thought-provoking reflections on the place of sex in relation to family duty, religion and tradition for all the characters. An erotic drama, this film balances moments of comedy, sex, and strife as an ode to the great amount of bravery following queer desires and happiness can take.
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PASSION by Maja Borg (Sweden/Spain 2021, 92′, uncertified 18+)
“I would like to talk to you about longing…”
An experimental documentary exploring the relationship between BDSM and religion, Passion provides an intensely intimate look into BDSM practitioners’ feelings about their relationships with others, themselves and sex. Borg allows us a window into her personal journey after a relationship breakdown as she both affirms her Christian faith and explores BDSM. Sensual and confessional, this piece layers audio of interviews and poetic monologues over black and white visuals of BDSM practice and religious ceremonies. Camera usage is particularly conscious with a mix of staged and unstaged scenes intercut with moments of blackness where Borg invites you to be absorbed by words. Borg does not shy away from the complexities of BDSM practice and religion for queer people but explores with curiosity our sometimes difficult relationships with our desires, where they come from and their boundaries. This is more than just a look at sex practices but an exploration of the feelings of yearning, joy, and guilt they come with. A surprisingly emotive film Passion, shows a visceral look into sex as discovery and worship; of ourselves, of others, of queerness.
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+ short film ISHTAR by Mia Georgis (UK 2021, 4′)
Continuing the exploration of the relationship with religion and queerness in Passion, Mia Georgis’ short, Ishtar. A cast of entirely trans and gender non-conforming performers gather for a glorious and messy feast in this heady and dreamlike experimental short. Intoxicating visuals, design and sound form the backbone of this film as we see these queer people revel in decadence. Backgrounded by a grand English garden, Ishtar evokes feelings of reclamation and taking up space; it encompasses taking power in our present and forcing acknowledgement of the repression of queer representation in history, making for a beautiful final film in the Queerious season.
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The experience of queerness often feels so indescribable – for many, it is more than simply being LGBTQ+; it is a way of thinking and interacting with others, it is a way the world treats you, and you treat it. These films allow space to explore the sensations and experiences of queerness throughout history, particularly giving voice to people of marginalised genders. The use of dreams and fantasies encourage queer awakenings and discoveries, and explorations of our histories centre queerness and feminism as a form of rebellion. Seeing ourselves on screen when we are so rarely represented can come loaded with baggage; we can feel apprehension as much as excitement. This season shows a range of experiences that encourage whatever feelings you bring to them – be it apprehension or excitement – but ultimately shows that the future belongs to the curious.
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KIT BITHELL
A recent Film Production Graduate, Kit has a consistent love for storytelling and creates poetry, articles, screenplays, and art about queerness, disability, and relationships. Kit specialises in their academic work on theories of gendered gaze and queer film and recently wrote their dissertation on lesbian representation in contemporary period dramas. Kit works as a Relationships and Sex Educator in their spare time, encouraging critical engagement with gender, sexuality and media through an intersectional feminist lens.
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Social media
Instagram: @kit.laurie
Twitter: @KitBithell
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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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See HERE for where our QUEERIOUS selection is playing
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Reclaim The Frame is funded by the BFI, awarding funds from The National Lottery.
Updated: May 10, 2023
It is with great pleasure that we present the full Queerious programme and reveal the commissioned artwork for the season by illustrator Javie Huxley.
Queerious invites you to get curious and explore a multitude of desires on screen in ways all too rarely seen in cinema. Through stories of sexual awakenings and re-awakenings, and queer love through a feminist lens, this curated season 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.
We will be touring Queerious to cinemas across the UK including:
Meanwhile, audiences can explore more films online through our Queerious selection available now on BFI Player.
2-8 July 2022:
I’VE HEARD THE MERMAIDS SINGING by Patricia Rozema (Canada 1987, 81’)
Aspiring photographer Polly develops a fascination for her new boss through their shared love of art. A playful comedy offering a humorous and complex look at desire between women.
+ short film WAVELENGTHS by Pratibha Parmar (UK 1997, 15’)
Left with a broken heart and an empty goldfish tank, Mona searches for love and human intimacy via gay bars and cyberspace.
Writer-director Patricia Rozema will be in conversation at the Rio, London screening on 2 July, with support from the High Commission of Canada in the UK.
Screenings:
Rio, London / Sat 2 July, 3.45pm – Followed by in-person conversation with director Patricia Rozema, moderated by Birds’ Eye View’s Melanie Iredale
GFT, Glasgow / Weds 6 July, 8.15pm – Introduced by Glasgow Film Theatre
Showroom, Sheffield / Thurs 7 July, 8.30pm – Introduced by Birds’ Eye View’s Melanie Iredale
QFT, Belfast Fri 8 July, 6.20pm
Komedia, Brighton / Sun 31 July 5.00pm Introduced by Birds’ Eye View’s Rui Jin (TBC)
11-17 July 2022:
THE GOLD DIGGERS by Sally Potter (UK 1983, 89’)
Sally Potter’s ground-breaking debut explores themes of power in relation to capitalism and sexuality. A musical comic adventure featuring Julie Christie and Colette Laffont as two star-crossed lovers on quests that subvert the Hollywood norm.
+ short film ARE YOU STILL WATCHING? by Sissy Screens: Tali Polichtuk & Kitty Chrystal (Australia 2021, 6’)
A short animation about lockdown boredom, cinema, erotic fantasies and the emancipatory power of the queer imagination.
Screenings:
Showroom, Sheffield / Wed 13 July, 6pm – followed by post-screening discussion around collective filmmaking and watching with Club Des Femmes’ So Mayer, feminist film theorist Jackie Stacey, and Birds’ Eye View’s Melanie Iredale + badge making workshop. Presented in partnership with Club Des Femmes.
GFT, Glasgow / Thu 14 July, 8.15pm – Introduced by Club Des Femmes’ Ania Ostrowska & Birds Eye View’s Xuanlin Tham. Presented in partnership with Club Des Femmes.
Komedia, Brighton / Thu 14 July, 7.30pm – Introduced by Birds Eye View’s Rui Jin
QFT, Belfast / Fri 15 July, 8.50pm. Presented in partnership with Club Des Femmes.
Rio, London /Screening on 35mm / Introduced by Club Des Femmes’ So Mayer and Birds’ Eye View’s Melanie Iredale followed by a post-screening conversation, with filmmaker Sally Potter who will join virtually. Presented in partnership with Club Des Femmes.
12-24 July 2022:
FIRE by Deepa Mehta (India/Canada 1996, 108’)
(In)famous for being the first Bollywood film to feature a lesbian relationship, Fire tells the story of Sita and Radha, two young women abandoned by their husbands, who find intimacy and passion in each other.
Screenings:
HOME, Manchester / Tue 12 July, 6pm – Presented in partnership with A City Seen / House of Spice. With a post screening discussion + vogue performances with Lucky Roy Singh, Jazzy Spice/BollyButch, Huss, Bengum Spice and Saffy Saffron Spice.
Chapter, Cardiff / Sat 16 July, 2.30pm
GFT, Glasgow / Wed 20 July, 5.30pm – Introduced by Birds’ Eye View’s Xuanlin Tham and followed by spoken word performance and workshop with Bee Asha.
Showroom, Sheffield / Wed 20 July, 8.30pm – Introduced by Birds’ Eye View’s Toni Lee
Komedia, Brighton / Thu 21 July, 6.00pm – Introduced by Birds’ Eye View’s Cristina Garcia
QFT, Belfast / Fri 22, 8.50pm
Rio, London / Sun 24 July, 3.45pm – Introduced by Birds’ Eye View’s Isra Al Kassi
28-31 July 2022:
PASSION by Maja Borg (Sweden/Spain 2021, 92’)
A film about longing, healing and belonging. Adopting rituals and play from queer BDSM practice, filmmaker Maja Borg seeks to reclaim intimacy and re-establish boundaries in sex and love as a means of reclaiming themself.
+ short film ISHTAR by Mia Georgis (UK 2021, 4’)
Exploring the coloniality of gender, Ishtar, the deity of love, hosts a feast for five gender non-conforming siblings of colour in an English country garden.
Screenings:
GFT, Glasgow / Thu 28 July, 8.30pm – Introduced by Birds’ Eye View’s Xuanlin Tham
Showroom, Sheffield / Thu 28 July, 8.45pm – Introduced by Birds’ Eye View’s Toni Lee
Komedia, Brighton / Tue 26 July, 8:50pm – Introduced by Birds’ Eye View’s Rui Jin
QFT, Belfast / Fri 29 July, 9pm
Rio, London / Sun 31 July, 3.45pm – Introduced by Birds’ Eye View’s Isra Al Kassi
About Javie Huxley:
Commissioned artist Javie Huxley is a British-Chilean illustrator based in London, and the co-chair for Save Latin Village. Following Javie’s MA in Children’s Literature & Illustration, her main focus has been on socially engaged editorial illustration for magazines such as gal-dem and shado mag. Javie strongly believes in the importance of art as advocacy, her work focuses on themes such as identity and current social issues. Javie loves to use her art to celebrate and platform marginalised voices in the UK. @javhux
About Birds Eye View:
Reclaim the Frame brings a broader 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.
To learn more, become an Advocate and join the #ReclaimTheFrame mission to receive free cinema tickets and discount codes go to Bit.ly/BEVRTF. Supported by BFI’s Audience Fund.
@birdseyeview_film & @film.feels on Instagram
@BirdEyeViewRTF & @Film_Feels on Twitter
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
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.
