“I hope it challenged their perspective on relationships and what they think they know about polyamory”
BY ELLA GAUCI, IMAGE BY EMILY MORUS-JONES
At this year’s Iris Prize Film Festival, Emily Morus-Jones is bringing an experimental film where a group of mice (voiced by members of the UK polyamorous community whose identities are masked using puppetry) discuss their experiences of polyamory. Entitled Diomysus: More Than Monogamy, the film asks the question: are we (the audience) more open to taboo ideas if unconscious bias is eliminated?
What was the inspiration behind this film? And why do you think it’s important to showcase these themes in LGBTQIA filmmaking?
The idea for interviewing the polyamorous community originally stemmed from conversations with my poly friends and peers who often cited that one of the biggest problems about being polyamorous was that they couldn’t talk about it with their families/friends/work colleagues. This is because, at best, the people in their lives had simply never heard of it or did not understand it.
At worst, there is a lot of shame and guilt surrounding it because of the degree of misinformation out there, the people thatdo it badly, because people come from a very conservative or religious background, or work in the kind of job that would not look kindly upon that kind of thing. It’s important to understand that there is a real fear of judgement, ostracisation or even abuse which is ultimately limiting to the way you want to live your life and that just doesn’t sit right with me.
I think it’s important to showcase content about polyamory for a number of reasons. Firstly, it is a relationship structure that is used by both straight and queer people so it can be a force for unity and understanding between these two sides of society. Understand that polyamory is not in and of itself a sexual orientation, moreover, it’s an emotional orientation with people from all walks of life getting involved with it for all kinds of reasons. Secondly, the intrinsic value of polyamory as a tool for communication, overcoming trauma, building community, and sharing resources in a world that is becoming increasingly isolated, expensive, and polarised, both politically and economically, is not to be understated or dismissed.
Queer stories are rarely told. What do you hope audiences take away from your film?
Correction: Bisexual polyamorous stories are NEVER told. Especially with puppets!
I hope they enjoyed it! I hope they felt it. I hope it made them laugh. I hope it made them think. I hope it challenged their perspective on relationships and what they think they know about polyamory. I hope it made them open to considering the bisexual experience. I hope it made them open to understanding the polyamorous experience. I hope it made them do some research. I hope it made them go out and learn the difference between people doing polyamory well and people doing polyamory badly. I hope they realise that romantic pedestals are bullshit. I hope it made them love puppets. I hope it made them want to support the underground art form which is puppetry. I hope it made them see how cool puppeteers are. I hope it made them start disposing of unwanted mice in their houses humanely. Most of all, I hope it made them want to live and let live.
Why are celebrations like the Iris Prize Film Festival so important for the community and the preservation of queer film?
Celebrations like the Iris Prize Festival are essential for community and preservation of queer film. I’d like to see more representation of Lesbian and Bisexual stories. I’d like to see positive polyamory stories. I’d like to see more LGBTQIA stories from the global majority. There are so many facets to the queer experience. I feel like some of those facets are being overlooked because people’s understanding of them is limited, making it harder to raise funds to make films about these stories.
It’s for that reason that celebrations like the Iris Prize Film Festival are so important. It provides a space where queer stories can be shared which is essential in helping people both inside and outside of the queer community understand and empathise with the different journeys that we each are on. They also provide funding opportunities, networking, and opportunities to showcase and platform your work beyond the film festival.
Why is LGBTQIA representation in film so important in 2024?
One of my longstanding heroes Tony Benn said on multiple occasions:
“Every generation has to fight the same battles again and again. There’s no final victory and there’s no final defeat.”
DIVA magazine celebrates 30 years in print in 2024. If you like what we do, then get behind LGBTQIA media and keep us going for another generation. Your support is invaluable.
