By Isabelle Truscott
As this LGBTQ+ History Month is themed ‘Behind the Lens’ we’ve asked our members to share which films made them feel most seen.
TV and film are powerful tools, not only for highlighting the LGBTQ+ stories which may be glossed over in wider society, but for letting queer people feel as though theirexperiences aren’t just their own.
For Saraya Haddad, the 2014 film Pride “makes me cry every time”.
Pride follows the story of LGBTQ+ activists in London, led by Mark Ashton, supporting the Welsh mining village of Onllwyn in 1984 during the Miners’ Strike.
Ali Saiedi shared a few of the films and TV shows which were impactful.
“Queer as Folk was on TV really late when I was a teenager and I used to stay up in my bedroom and watch it and I related to that so much, especially the first episode and that it was filmed in Manchester.
“And Boys Don’t Cry with Hilary Swank.
“Honourable mention, Brokeback Mountain.”
Sharing the liberation to be found in TV and film, Michael Butler said: “The Naked Civil Servant, told me that we are seen, but often at just a sideways glance and a quick look away.
“The Rocky Horror Picture Show showed me we could do a full on in your face performance and there was nothing anybody could do about it!
“Derek Jarman’s Jubilee showed me the dark side. John Waters’ films took me on a tour of it.”
For LGBTQ+ Journalism Network founder Sophie Perry, films which are important to her include Carol and Imagine Me & You.
She explained: “Imagine Me & You, in particular, holds a special place in my heart because it was the first time I saw a romantic comedy where the main characters were queer women. Also, spoiler alert, it had a happy ending, which is something I was wasn’t used to seeing in the 2010s when it seemed every lesbian or bisexual character was being killed off.”
“Queer films and television shows gave younger-me – and many other LGBTQ+ people – an opportunity to explore and understand my identity, even when I was still questioning myself and watching such things under the cover of night,” she said, ” Celebrating those ‘Behind The Lens’ this LGBT+ History Month is a fantastic chance to look back at the films which made us, and the people who made them happen.
“The LGBTQ+ community still has so many stories to tell and I can’t wait to see them on screen.”
Whether directors, cinematographers, screen writers, producers, animators, costume designers, special effects, make up artists, lighting directors, musicians, choreographers and beyond, LGBTQ+ people have been and remain integral to the TV and film industries.
Having members of the community behind the camera, not just in front of it, means that our stories can be told in the most authentic and real ways possible.
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