“Representation is healing”
IMAGES FROM LOW RIDER
Campbell X’s long-awaited second feature takes us on a powerful ride across South Africa. When her mother passes away, London-based millennial Quinn (Emma McDonald) travels all the way to Cape Town in search of her father. What she initially imagined would be a straightforward trip instead turns into a wild goose chase for her estranged parent, involving sexy club nights, cosy campfires and unexpected company from a charming stranger, Harley (Thishiwe Ziqubu).
To coincide with the film’s screening at the BFI Flare, DIVA chatted to Emma McDonald and Thishiwe Ziqubu about Low Rider.
What parts of Low Rider’s story attracted or inspired you to the project?
EMMA: Quinn is a character in a restless moment of her life – searching, messy and trying to understand where she belongs. That journey felt very human to me. Campbell’s passion for the project was also incredibly infectious. He had such a clear sense of the world of the film and the journey Quinn was on that it was hard not to want to take that leap of faith and be a part of it.
THISHIWE: What attracted me to the project was the story and characters. I fell in love with the complexity of Harley, his gentleness in a harsh environment, his hope and his healing journey. I also loved Quinn’s journey and loved how the characters travel together in an odyssey, just partly about their romantic interactions and more wholly about coming into themselves, healing and learning from each other. As a queer person myself, I also loved how the story portrays queerness.
Why is it so important to champion LGBTQIA+ stories in 2026?
EMMA: Queer lives and experiences have not been given the same space on screen, and storytelling can play a powerful role in widening that lens. When films centre LGBTQIA+ characters and perspectives, especially when they are being made by people from within the community, they open up the landscape of whose stories we get to see and connect with. What I love about projects like this is that they are deeply human stories about identity, belonging and connection. We are simply seeing those experiences through perspectives that haven’t always had the chance to be centred.
THISHIWE: It is important to champion queer stories in this climate where the world seems to be regressing in its views and visibility is being killed off on screens. Trans bodies need to be seen and celebrated in a world so violently against them. Relationships between queer individuals need to be explored in a layered, multidimensional manner as Low Rider does so effortlessly. Representation is healing.
What was it like working with Campbell X on this project?
EMMA: Campbell is incredibly passionate about the work he makes and very generous with actors. He listens and cares deeply, and creates an environment on and off set where you feel supported and held while still being encouraged to explore and take risks. It is a very nurturing and collaborative way of working.
THISHIWE: Working with Campbell X was a joy and an honour. He is a brilliant director who speaks to the heart of the craft and understands his story and characters so well, but is also so open to allowing you, the performer, to explore and expand on the character and the journey yourself. Campbell created a space where my spirituality could be part of the process, and that is just priceless. It was also very emotional for me personally as a trans man playing a trans man for the first time. I learnt so much from Campbell and Harley; I was healed by them. Coming into this shoot so quickly after coming out as trans, I had a somewhat toxic understanding of what masculinity was, and Campbell and Harley taught me about a nurturing, soft masculinity that enriched not only my performance but also my personal lived experience.
Often, queer stories focus on the Global North. Why is it so important to centre stories in countries like South Africa?
EMMA: In Low Rider, the Western Cape becomes part of the storytelling. Setting the story there allows us to see how questions of identity, diaspora and belonging play out within a very particular cultural landscape. Queer lives do not exist in isolation from history or place, and films like this invite audiences to experience those intersections in a way that feels grounded and real.
THISHIWE: Stories like these coming out of SA are important because they’ve just rarely been done before. We have ways to go before audiences fully see transness and queerness in a way that affords it respect and understanding, and showing these stories on our land does exactly that. It says we exist, simply and in full complex ways and that gives dignity to the community. I have received feedback from trans people on social media from SA who are moved just by seeing the stills and looking forward to the film because they already feel seen in ways they never have before. It’s the kind of stuff that reminds you we’re in the business of changing lives! It also serves to correct misconceptions that transness is a Western import and cannot be inherently us.
What do you hope audiences take away from Low Rider?
EMMA: My favourite part of the experience was building Quinn and Harley’s relationship with Thishiwe, working closely with our cinematographer Robo Wilson and visiting some breathtaking locations. It has been four years since we filmed it, but the intensity, the wild chaos and the deep joy of that time have stayed with me.
There was a real spirit of collaboration and adventure in the process, and I hope audiences feel that sense of journey when they watch the film. It invites you to step into the unknown with these characters, and perhaps discover something about yourself along the way.
THISHIWE: I hope audiences see a slice of themselves in the story and see a reflection of their own humanity. I hope they find that their own healing journeys are inspired by those of Quinn and Harley.
The 40th BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival takes place 18 – 29 March at BFI Southbank. Low Rider premieres at BFI Flare on 21 March. You can find out more about BFI Flare here: whatson.bfi.org.uk/flare
Aged 16-25? Get £6 tickets for the 40th BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival 18-29 March at BFI Southbank with a free BFI 25 and Under account. https://whatson.bfi.org.uk/flare/Online/article/flare-25-and-under
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