It’s vital that we are able to see LGBTQIA+ storytelling onscreen and find queer joy by connecting with the community at events
BY NIC CROSARA, IMAGE BY CARL SUKONIK
Depending on when you grew up, it’s highly likely that you rarely saw people who looked, loved or lived like you. It was certainly my experience, and it’s one that many a DIVA writer and reader have expressed since our magazine’s origin.
But where are we now? While there’s a wealth of LGBTQIA+ representation onscreen, it’s not the only thing that has been on the rise. Unfortunately, we’ve also seen the anti-LGBTQIA+ hostility and legislation increase. This year in the UK, we saw a devastating rollback of trans+ rights with the April Supreme Court Ruling. And in the US, same-sex marriage is under attack. And while they try to censor LGBTQIA+ stories through book bans and budget cuts, we will not be silenced easily.
This is why I’m delighted to see that SCENE LGBTQIA+ Film and TV Festival is returning to Manchester this year (15-21 August). During these trying times, events such as SCENE are more vital than ever. Storytelling has always been a powerful way to change the world. Audiences can come together and find strength in the stories that are shared on the screen. They can learn from the experiences of others and connect with other attendees.
“Our tagline is ‘queer stories onscreen’, which is really simple, but I think that being able to see queer people’s stories, both happy and sad – dramatic, hilarious and heartfelt – is really important. Being able to walk through queer people’s shoes at the moment is really important for everybody in the LGBTQIA+ community and outside of the community,” Gary Williams, Lead Programmer for SCENE Festival, tells me.
This year’s programme has lots of offerings for LGBTQIA+ women and non-binary people. From the opening film Lesbian Space Princess, which is a must-see animated Australian queer odyssey in space, to screenings of classics such as Cheryl Dunye’s much-loved film The Watermelon Woman. DIVAs won’t want to miss out on a screening of Regan Latimer’s exciting new documentary Bulletproof: A Lesbian’s Guide To Surviving The Plot followed by a lesbian themed TV quiz (Psst… it’s hosted by DIVA’s very own Ella Gauci).
Speaking with Gary, I’m eager to find out his recommendations for what people searching for queer joy should check out during this year’s festivities.
“Oh, there’s plenty! On our opening night, we’re marking our queer comedy strand Queer as Jokes, which kicks off with a Channel Four-sponsored queer comedy event at Aviva Studios “An Altogether Different Comedy Night”, with lots of great queer comedians on the line-up for that. We’ve also got an In Conversation with Jonathan Harvey, who’s best known for creating Gimme Gimme Gimme, Beautiful Thing and many other comedy works. We’ve also got lots of new queer films screening across the week, including a lesbian comedy musical called Queer Queens Of Drama, then also we’ve got a Victoria Wood-a-thon, as Victoria Wood is so beloved by the queer community. Something for everyone!”
“There’s also another strand called Night Lives, which is all about finding queer communities on the dance floor. [And from Studio 54, we have a “queerer, wilder re-edit of the 1998 cult film” 54 as well as a screening of] Party Monster with Randy Barbato and Fenton Bailey from World of Wonder. We’ve got What It Feels Like For A Girl too, which is literally a story of finding your chosen family on the dance floor.”
If festival goers are looking to extend their visit, a range of exclusive hotel offers, rewards, and packages will be available from participating city centre hotels throughout the duration of the festival. Perks include Up to 30% off your stay, fabulous drag breakfasts and brunches, limited-edition Pride cocktails, freebies and surprises. More details can be found at https://www.scenefestival.com/scene-and-stay.
To find out what else attendees have to look forward to and to buy your tickets, go to scenefestival.com. Tickets start at just £2.50, with many events free of charge. Profits from ticket sales, along with booking fees from ticketing partner Skiddle, will be donated to Manchester Pride Charity.
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