“I wanted to make something I felt I needed growing up”
IMAGE FROM NOTICE ME
In Amy Leonard’s new short, Notice Me, Em moves to East London after getting fired from her radio show. She instantly develops a crush on AJ, her hot neighbour. Starring Francesca Amewudah-Rivers, Daisy Bevan and even I Kissed A Girl’s Amy Spalding, Notice Me was produced by Lena Dunham.
DIVA spoke to director Amy ahead of its screening as part of the When the Rainbow is Enuf shorts programme at this year’s BFI Flare.
Why was it important for you to tell this story?
I wanted to tell a queer story that felt joyful. So many of us, myself included, have moved through the hardest parts of coming out. Those experiences will always live in us and have shaped who we are, but they are no longer the whole story. We’re now living these big, bold, beautifully joyous queer lives, and I rarely see that softness and playfulness reflected on screen.
Queer stories are so often framed through struggle, but I wanted to explore the lightness, the butterflies you get in your tummy, the awkward, heart-racing moments that feel universal and deeply specific at the same time.
I think in the age of social media and dating apps, the idea of hopeless romanticism has been replaced by nonchalance and a bizarre facade – like everyone is performing detachment. In reality, we’re all just dying to be seen, to be chosen, to be undone by someone else’s presence.
Was there a specific moment or reference point which inspired your film?
I want the film to feel like a classic British rom-com, with the familiar nostalgia of Notting Hill combined with the outspoken comedic narration of Bridget Jones, brought into the present day and grounded in East London and its specific queer scene, similar to Rye Lane.
I love rom-coms, and these references became tonal anchors for me, films that balance humour, vulnerability and romance while still feeling grounded in a real community.
Did making this film change how you understand your own queerness?
There’s a beautiful quote that I think about a lot by Leon Alexander: “Queer people don’t grow up as ourselves, we grow up playing a version of ourselves that sacrifices authenticity to minimise humiliation and prejudice. The massive task of our adult lives is to unpick which parts of ourselves are truly us and which parts we’ve created to protect us.”
I think making this film was part of unpicking which parts of myself are truly, authentically me, and which parts I created to protect myself. I wanted to make something I felt I needed growing up, and in doing so, I discovered how deeply I want to give back to queer audiences.
BFI Flare is a celebration of LGBTQIA+ storytelling. What do you hope LGBTQIA+ audiences at BFI Flare take away after watching your film?
Honestly, if one person walks out of that cinema feeling seen, then I will have done my job. I’m desperate to make people feel seen because it’s something I didn’t have growing up, and I truly believe representation is changing how people come out and exist in the world now. I’d love for audiences to see the fun, sexy, natural world of queer connection and to recognise themselves in it.
BFI is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. What LGBTQIA+ film from the last four decades has changed your life and why?
I think Clea DuVall’s The Happiest Season was the first lesbian rom-com I watched. I saw it in the cinema three times! It was the first film about lesbians that felt light, fun, and glossy. I’m also a sucker for a Christmas film… sue me!!
Why is it so vital that we continue to support and celebrate spaces like BFI Flare for the next 40 years?
Third spaces like BFI Flare and other queer festivals are essential for building community. With the bleak state of the world, we need spaces where we can hold onto each other, lift each other up, and advocate for people within our community. Flare has a famously warm audience, and I can’t wait to support the other talented filmmakers within our strand and across the festival. I’m a big believer that the more queer stories we have, the better.
BFI Flare has been running since 1986. What do you think queer audiences in 1986 would make of your film?
I hope they would feel excited about what the future could hold. I’d love for them to see that it has become more acceptable to be queer, and that there are now joyous, funny films celebrating our lived experiences.
Why do you think LGBTQIA+ filmmaking is so important in 2026?
It’s really important to me that we continue championing LGBTQIA+ filmmaking because we still have such a long way to go in terms of representation.
It’s also really important that when we make queer stories, we employ queer people behind the camera and throughout the creative process, ensuring the stories feel authentic and genuinely resonate with people in our community.
What queer cinematic ancestor would you want sitting next to you at your BFI Flare screening and why?
There are so many incredible queer directors I could name that I would love to have sitting next to me – Jamie Babbit, Cheryl Dunye, the list could go on forever.
But honestly, if I could have anyone sitting next to me at the screening, it would be my parents. They’re in Australia and won’t be able to make the premiere, but they’ve always been my biggest champions. They’ve encouraged me to do whatever I set my mind to and have always supported and advocated for my queer films.
I will, however, have my chosen family right there next to me – my brilliant partner in crime, co-creator and writer of the film, Jody Wiltshire and our powerhouse producer Emily Sky Hickin. Both have relentlessly given everything to this project – it seriously has been a labour of love so it will be really special to soak it all in with them by my side.
The 40th BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival takes place 18 – 29 March at BFI Southbank. Notice Me premieres at BFI Flare on 22 March as part of the (When the Rainbow is Enuf) shorts programme. You can find out more about BFI Flare here: whatson.bfi.org.uk/flare
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