“The Star Of Bethnal Green combines the magic of Christmas with the powerful and hopeful story of an older trans woman”
BY DIVA STAFF. IMAGE FROM THE STAR OF BETHNAL GREEN.
Following the release of their winter-themed EP, Only Son Of The Falling Snow, British folk-rock band, Bear’s Den, have today unveiled a powerful video for lead track, The Star Of Bethnal Green (yep, just like the legendary London venue).
The song itself is about someone at Christmas watching a singer in a bar and feeling completely overwhelmed by both the performer and the performance, as if their entire life, identity, and purpose is revealed to them with each note of the song.
The video was written and directed by award-winning trans director, actor and activist, Jake Graf, who puts a unique spin on the story of the ghost of Christmas past, using this as an opportunity to highlight the current pandemic of violence against trans people around the world.
A long-time fan of the band, Jake met Bear’s Den after a sold out London show last year and when it came to making a video for The Star Of Bethnal Green, it felt only natural for the band to approach Jake to work on this special project.
Speaking of the collaboration, Bear’s Den share: “After meeting Jake and his amazing wife Hannah after our show last year, we watched some of his work and were overwhelmed by how gifted he was and at how well he articulated the journey of a young transgender woman – particularly in his film Listen.
“We’d talked to him at the time about how it would be great to find something to collaborate on and were delighted when we approached him to make this video and he said yes!”
Speaking about the concept behind the video, Jake shares: “As a trans man who grew up without any positive representations to aspire to, I know how important it is that we start seeing more trans visibility in the mainstream media.
“We have seen more and more allies to the community standing up and being counted but as our tiny trans community continues to be attacked and vilified, we truly need all the support that we can get. In the last few years, trans murders have hit an all time high, with trans women in particular being targeted.
The Star Of Bethnal Green combines the magic of Christmas with the powerful and hopeful story of an older trans woman being guided towards living as her authentic self. Crucially, older LGBTQI people are so often overlooked in cinema and the media that it felt like an important choice to depict such a rarely seen character.
Unlike many previous trans themed projects, this one was trans led both across the creative side and by Jordan Revell [who plays the central ghost character, Angel].
“Working with the amazing Toma Productions, with their strong track record of creating positive trans content, was an absolute joy and their whole team understood the importance of the film’s authentic and unflinching approach,” added Revell.
“We sincerely hope that the video will help open hearts and minds and make a life a little easier for trans people this holiday season.”
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