BFI marks 50th anniversary of landmark in LGBT rights with major film and TV programme




Most of us have relatives who will remember when homosexuality was a criminal offence. Fifty years is really no time at all, and yet LGBTI rights have come a long way since the Sexual Offences Act of 1967.

Over the coming months, the British Film Institute will commemerate the 50th anniversary, and they have quite the lineup.   

You can find out more on the BFI website


BFI Announces Full Programme to Mark 50th Anniversary of the Sexual Offences Act


The BFI today announces its full programme marking the 50th anniversary of the Sexual Offences Act 1967 from June onwards. This includes a major two month film and TV season GROSS INDECENCY and a one month JOE ORTON season at BFI Southbank, a new online BFI Player collection LGBT BRITAIN ON FILM, a UK-wide touring programme of archive film kicking off at Pride in London, an international touring programme of classic LGBT shorts from directors including Derek Jarman, Isaac Julien and Terence Davies and a new BFI release of Stephen Frears’ and Hanif Kureishi’s groundbreaking Oscar nominated My Beautiful Laundrette (1985) on Blu-ray for the first time.

Though the ’67 Act, which saw the partial decriminalisation of male homosexuality in England and Wales, didn’t put a stop to persecution, it was a step forward in a climate of fear and ignorance. The films and television programmes presented reveal Britain’s pioneering yet problematic relationship with on-screen homosexuality.



BFI Southbank will host a major two month film and television season from 1 July – 31 August; GROSS INDECENCY will span two decades from the late 50s, around the time of the Wolfenden Report, to the late 70s. Sheffield Doc/Fest will offer a sneak preview of the season with a Drag Double-bill capturing the UK drag scene of the late 60s, from the northern drag circuit to London’s legendary Royal Vauxhall Tavern. Also taking place at BFI Southbank in August will be a season dedicated to the masterful JOE ORTON, a playwright and author whose work was imbued with themes of sex, death and homoeroticism, and whose life was cut brutally short when he was murdered in 1967. As part of the BFI’s ongoing Britain on Film project, there will be a new online collection of films available to view on BFI Player from 1 June; LGBT BRITAIN ON FILM will comprise more than 50 films, shorts and features, fiction and documentary, looking at LGBT life in the UK.

The BFI will also partner with the Independent Cinema Office (ICO) to present a feature length compilation of material drawn from the BFI National Archive in partnership with the Media Archive for Central England (MACE). The curated programme will launch on Tuesday 27 June as part of thePride in London Festival before touring cinemas and community groups nationally. The BFI will also take part in the PRIDE parade on the Saturday 8 July with a BFI Pride Bus. Hanif Kureishi and Stephen Frears’ groundbreaking Oscar®-nominated drama My Beautiful Laundrette (1985) will be presented on Blu-ray in the UK for the first time, released by the BFI on 21 August. Internationally, the BFI will partner with the British Council to present a touring programme of classic British LGBT features and shorts including films by Derek Jarman, Terrence Davies, Isaac Julien, Bill Douglas, Ron Peck and John Maybury.


GROSS INDECENCY – TWO MONTH SEASON AT BFI SOUTHBANK (JULY – AUGUST)

British cinema boasts a long history of carefully coded queers, but taboo-busting gathered steam from the late 1950s. The two-month season GROSS INDECENCY: QUEER LIVES BEFORE AND AFTER THE ’67 ACT spans two decades, bracketed by the 1957 Wolfenden Report and the onset of AIDS. A highlight of the season will be a screening of Daisy Asquith’s Queerama (2017), the World Premiere of which will open this year’s Sheffield Doc/Fest. Created from historical footage held by the BFI National Archive, Asquith’s film tells the story of gay life in Britain since the end of the First World War, taking us into the relationships, desires, fears and expressions of gay men and women throughout the 20th Century, against a soundtrack that includes John Grant, Goldfrapp and Hercules & Love Affair. Also included in the season will be special previews of BBC documentary The People’s History of LGBT+ (2017) and new drama The Man in the Orange Shirt (BBC, 2017).

Part one of the season in July looks at the lead-up to the Act, notable for the cinematic milestone Victim (Basil Dearden, 1961), which will be re-released by Park Circus on Friday 12 July and screen on extended run during the season. Victim denounced the poisonous, institutionalised homophobia gay men of all classes faced, and cleverly packaged the politics within an accessible crime-thriller. The film, and Dirk Bogarde’s courageous appearance in it, helped propel public discourse towards the 1967 Act and beyond – changing lives in the process. This period also saw major progress on the small screen. Britain’s earliest surviving gay TV drama South (Play of the Week, Granada Television, 1959), starred Peter Wyngarde as Lt Jan Wicziewsky, who visits a southern plantation as the American Civil War looms; Peter Wyndgarde will take part in a Q&Afollowing a screening of the drama on Monday 3 July. The season will be launched with a screening of On Trial: Oscar Wilde (Granada Television, 1960), the gripping recreation of one of the most infamous trials in British legal and queer history. The screening will be followed by a stimulating discussion with experts who will explore the significance of Wilde as a queer historical icon and discuss the role of TV and film in shaping public moral attitudes towards homosexuality in the UK. Other highlights of part one will be two provocative BBC documentaries broadcast just weeks before the legislation was passed (Consenting Adults 1. The Men and Consenting Adults 2. The Women), British cinema’s first film to hint at a lesbian relationship The World Ten Times Over (Wolf Rilla, 1963) and a story of ‘Romeo and Romeo in the south London suburbs’ The Leather Boys(Sidney J Furie, 1964).

Part two in August will focus on television and film made after the Act, showing that it was a double-edged sword in its effect on real lives and on depictions of the LGBT community. Queer London was reimagined to misanthropic, even exploitative effect on foreign soundstages for The Killing of Sister George (Robert Aldrich, 1968) and Staircase (Stanley Donen, 1969); a world away from the tender bisexual love triangle of Sunday Bloody Sunday (John Schlesinger, 1971). We hope to welcome star of Sunday Bloody Sunday Glenda Jackson to take part in a Q&A following a screening of the film in August. TV mined the drag renaissance for anarchic performances and we’ll screen some of the best in a special drag double-bill of the riotous What’s a Girl Like You… (LWT, 1969) and Black Cap Drag (Dick Benner, 1969); the screenings will be followed by an after-party in BFI Southbank hosted by alternative queer East End night-spot The Glory. Audiences will also be able to see television’s first gay kiss between Ian McKellen and James Laurenson in the BBC’s broadcast of the Prospect Theatre Company production of Christopher Marlowe’s Edward II (BBC, 1970),Two Gentlemen Sharing (Ted Kotcheff, 1969) featuring a rare black gay character, and I Want What I Want (John Dexter, 1972), which saw cinema highlight trans issues. In 1975, Quentin Crisp put queerness on our cultural radar and the season will feature a screening of the newly remasteredThe Naked Civil Servant (Thames TV, 1975) starring the late John Hurt, as well as a screening of documentary World in Action: Quentin Crisp. Completing this survey, as the tragedies and triumphs of the 80s beckoned, will be Britain’s first explicitly gay feature film Nighthawks (Ron Peck, Paul Hallam, 1978).




JOE ORTON SEASON (AUGUST)

Original, controversial and obscenely witty, these are just some of the descriptions used to reference the work of playwright Joe Orton. Like all great geniuses, Orton was ahead of his time, as the initial failure of the theatre production of Loot attests (the 1970 film version will screen here), but as the austerity of the 50’s gave way to the sexual revolution of the 60’s, his work caught the spirit of the age. Ruthlessly exposing the hypocrisies of the establishment his delight in causing offence is palpable in every play, but always harnessed to a razor sharp wit and purpose. Across the TV plays and films presented in this season it is possible to chart his ever growing mastery of both stage and screen as he sets out his overriding themes of sex, death and homoeroticism from their first incarnations in The Ruffian on the Stair (ITV, 1973) to his perfectly formed last great masterpiece What the Butler Saw (BBC, 1985). 50 years since Orton’s bizarre murder that so strangely mirrored the world of his plays, he deserves reassessment as a most singular talent.

The season will include an extended run of Stephen Frears’ Prick Up Your Ears (1987), re-released on Friday 4 August by Park Circus and starring Gary Oldman, Alfred Molina and Vanessa Redgrave. Based on the life of Orton and his relationship with Kenneth Halliwell (his lover who ended up killing Orton), the screenplay was written by Alan Bennett and won acclaim on its initial release, including the prize for Best Artistic Contribution at Cannes in 1987. Other titles screening in the season will include Funeral Games (ITV, 1968), Entertaining Mr Sloane (Douglas Hickox, 1970) and anArena documentary Genius Like Us A Portrait of Joe Orton (BBC, 1982).





LGBT BRITAIN ON FILM

LGBT life is explored in an online collection of over 50 newly digitised archive film and television titles taken from the BFI National Archive and other regional archive partners. LGBT Britain on Film will be made accessible to audiences in the UK via the BFI Player, with many titles free to view. These newly digitised titles from 1909 through to the mid-1980s, span film and television drama, documentary, current affairs and amateur footage. The collection includes Miss Norah Blaney (1932), where the pioneering lesbian music hall star performs ‘Masculine Women and Feminine Men’, andDavid is Homosexual (1978), a new BFI National Archive acquisition. This Super8 educational film made by the Lewisham branch of the Campaign for Homosexual Equality (CHE) follows David and the support he receives in coming out as well as featuring rare footage of the 1976 Gay Pride march in London.

ITV’s leading current affairs TV slot, This Week, broadcast two groundbreaking LGBT documentaries; This Week: Homosexuals (1964) and This Week: Lesbians (1965). This was the first time that the topic of homosexuality was directly addressed on British television, including interviews with gay men and women about their experience of social ostracism, miserable marriages and homophobia, as well as some tales of contentment. Although presented through a conservative lens, these documentaries marked a broadcast watershed moment in representation, and a major step for visibility.

LGBT Britain on Film also includes material from the Yorkshire Film Archive (YFA); We Who Have Friends (1969), looking at contemporary views on homosexuality and gay life in Leeds and London in the wake of the Sexual Offences Act, plus from Media Archive for Central England (MACE); What Am I? (1980), a very rare regional television documentary about the life of a trans woman and Gay Black Group (1983), exploring the formation of the landmark group in gay black history, featuring interviews with members about their experience, including filmmaker Isaac Julien. All of these archive offerings will be available to view on the BFI Player from June alongside contemporary queer hits such as Weekend (Andrew Haigh, 2011) and classic LGBT shorts and features including the work of Derek Jarman, Terence Davies and more. 

The Independent Cinema Office (ICO) will tour a special feature length compilation of archival material from LGBT Britain on Film to cinemas and community groups nationally, in partnership with MACE, launching with a special screening at Pride in London Festival on Tuesday 27 June.

MY BEAUTIFUL LAUNDRETTE

Presented on Blu-ray in the UK for the first time, Hanif Kureishi’s and Stephen Frears’ Oscar®-nominated, My Beautiful Laundrette (1985) will be released by BFI as a Dual Format Edition on Monday 21 August. Their first film collaboration, Kureishi and Frears’s cross-cultural gay love story starring Gordon Warnecke and Daniel Day-Lewis was a cultural landmark of Thatcher-era film representing South Asian British experience on screen.



Popular posts from this blog

Should I Propose at Christmas? (Spoiler Alert: Probably Not)

Image
There’s something relentlessly optimistic about the festive season: the gathering of family and friends, the gift-giving and peace-and-good-will-to-all-men shtick. It’s probably the proximity to New Year, too, and all those resolutions and promises for a fresh start. SO many Christmas films have proposals in them, too.  And what greater gift could there be than an engagement over the festive period? Well… It’s easy to get carried away in the spirit of things but Christmas engagements aren’t always a great idea.  And if you have to ask should I propose at Christmas , then the answer is probably no. According to a survey by event company Chili Sauce , men seem to like proposing on Christmas Eve  (woman aren’t quite so keen). Guess you lucky lesbians are off the hook… Only you know whether or not it’s the right time to propose to your partner but here’s why we think you should be careful. 1.   Don’t propose just because it’s Chris...
Read more

Who Walks Down the Aisle at a Gay Wedding?

Image
Wedding traditions remain an important component of many gay and most straight wedding ceremonies. So who walks down the aisle at a gay wedding?   The short answer?  Whoever you want. What you choose to do and celebrate within your own wedding should be entirely up to you and your partner. Tradition shouldn’t be seen as something that must be adhered to or – in the case of LGBTQ ceremonies – adapted mindlessly.  One of the best things about planning a gay wedding is that there are plenty of opportunities  to customise both the ceremony and reception to reflect your own individual personalities.  The important thing is not to let family or friends who are fixated on what’s traditional to unduly influence what it is that you want to do on your big day.  Some people just don’t have the imagination for anything other than a cookie-cutter ceremony. You might hear people saying things like: You CAN’T see each other befor...
Read more

Wedding Fair or Wedding Fayre: Which is it?

Image
Fair or fayre? We got busted by a simple Google search.  And we owe you an apology. After writing hundreds of posts promoting wedding open days , showcases and exhibitions , we assumed that we had wedding terminology down-pat. It turns out that we didn’t. All’s Fair or Fayre in Love (and Wedding Planning) According to The Cambridge Dictionary, Fayre is: “an old-fashioned spelling of fair , used to talk about a traditional public event where goods are bought and sold and where there is entertainment: a country fayre” Uh-oh. We went back through some of our posts to double check what we've been using and... How to Survive a Wedding Fayre  Hadley Park is Hosting a Wedding Fayre And these weren't the only ones.  In fact, every single wedding event we’ve advertised (aside from those specifically marketed as open days) has been described as a fayre. Okay , we thought, let’s get a second opinion. ...
Read more

Gay Wedding Hashtags

Image
Creating a wedding hashtag for a ceremony and reception isn’t every couple’s cup of tea but is it really so ridiculous when most of us use social media to document and organise our lives anyway.  Gay wedding hashtags are one example of how same-sex couples are creating new traditions.  Planning a wedding when you’re LGBTQ often means navigating heterosexual customs and gender-based norms.  This is one way that couples (gay or otherwise) can embrace modernity and add a bit of fun to their ceremony and reception. Customising a hashtag for friends and family to follow across social media platforms is bound to raise an eyebrow with some guests who may feel that it’s a bit soulless, tacky or narcissistic BUT hashtags are so helpful in curating photographs taken throughout the day.   It’s great for the happy couple to search back through, too, and see a different side of the celebrations: a guest’s eye-view.    Another reason that it’s popul...
Read more

How To Make Small Talk At Weddings

Image
*This post was updated July 30th 2015* The service  was delightful. The brides looked divine. The grooms were as handsome as you’ve ever seen them. You made small talk with the mother-in-law, buried your face in the order of service when everyone was  hugging , and mouthed hello to someone you vaguely remember from the hag do.  Now, you’re standing in the car park and everyone’s hanging around before the reception, but you don’t have anyone to talk to. Or maybe, you are with people you know. Maybe you’re laughing all the way to the reception until – ARE YOU KIDDING ME!? – You read the place settings only to realise that you’re sitting on a table with people you don’t know. Suddenly, you can’t kick your shoes off under the table; you can’t bury your face in the salmon starter, and you can’t do that party trick with a glass of water, a penny and the tablecloth. Well, you could... Oh, but THANK THE STARS , at least there’s wine. Being polite shoul...
Read more

Should You Invite a Homophobic Relative to Your Gay Wedding?

Image
It doesn’t matter whether you’re planning a straight, gay or bi wedding – families can make things difficult .  LGBTQ couples have the additional headache of deciding whether or not to invite relatives that don’t support same-sex marriage .  It’s hurtful and it adds additional pressure and stress onto what is already a difficult time of planning.  When you’re curating your guest list the question is: should you invite a homophobic relative to your gay wedding?   No – that’s our gut reaction.   If someone can’t give you 100% love and support on your wedding day, then they shouldn’t be there.  For some couples, it’s as straightforward as that.   But it isn’t always that simple, is it? It rarely is when family are involved.  Only you can decide whether or not that person (or those people) deserves to be a guest at your wedding.  You hold the power.  You’re the inviter-in-chief.  But before you make a...
Read more

Guest Who? A Wedding Guest Book with Personality

Image
The Guest book is hardly the highlight of the wedding reception. There's the pressure of writing something thoughtful, something touching, lightly humorous or insightful in the space of a couple of minutes and all  without the luxury of a first draft.  Unless you're some kind of ad hoc Shakespeare , then it's hardly ideal. There's the risk, too, of scribbling some insipid message that's as generic as the  verse  in the Hallmark card you've already deposited in the  wedding  postbox.  But o f course, you don't want to write something too personal. Those penning later entries can't help but flick through previous pages to see what's already been said. Nobody wants what they've written to become a template for what not to write.  That's why we thought we'd share with you something that could spice up your guest book:  the wedding guessing game and guest book – Guest who? (Scroll to the bottom of the page fo...
Read more

Wedding Venue Spotlight: Ashridge House (Wedding Fayre April 8th 2017)

Image
Where: Ashridge House, Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire What: Hotel Capacity: Up to 170 guests for a formal meal with up to 400 in an informal evening reception. Contact:   PWD page                 Ashridge House Website                 Twitter                 Facebook Wedding Fayres: April 8th, 2017 11am to 4pm with a fashion show at 12.30pm and 2.30pm. What we love: If you love history, character and charm, then this could be the venue for you. With a history spanning over 730 years, Ashridge House is placed in an idyllic 190-acre  estate .  This is a venue with more than one gorgeous ceremony space: there's a stunning sweeping staircase in the main hall and a terrace overlooking the beautiful gardens.  You’ll be well looked after, too, with Ashridge House’s experienced wedding coordinators.  There ar...
Read more

Paris: The City of Love as an LGBTQ Honeymoon Destination

Image
What’s the most romantic city in the world? Most people will say Paris even if they’ve never been there. They’ll say it even if they’re single or if they despise romance because it’s an opinion transformed into fact by its re-telling.   Whether or not you think that Paris is THE city of love, it’s believed to be true by the countless couples who add their padlocks to the railings on the Pont Des Arts. And isn’t French known as the language of love? The cuisine is often the first port-of-call for those looking for a romantic meal and what of the cosy cobblestone streets of Montmartre? Paris is a city made for handholding, for sunset cruises, for champagne and croissants by the river and for proposals and for love. Of course, we couldn’t possibly comment on the reputation of the French as exception lovers; we’ll leave that one to your imaginations (or experience). There’s no doubt that Paris is a popular honeymoon destination but how safe and how suitable is it ...
Read more

Wedding Favours: 5 LGBTQ Charities to Donate to

Image
The average wedding costs around £27,000 . Couples could be forgiven for thinking that an invitation is favour enough without adding a small gift on top.  Wedding planning is stressful and shopping around for trinkets and tokens to add to place settings can seem an unwelcome drain both on time and budget.  But favours are still popular.  They do make a cute addition to the tables at the wedding breakfast, too, when they’re chosen to complement the reception's overall aesthetic or theme. One of the biggest trends in recent years has been serving retro sweets and chocolates as wedding favours. Sweetie carts and jars where you fill your own bags are a regular feature at receptions and are popular both with younger and older guests.  It’s easy enough to find out which sugary treats are fan favourites; you can read the results of a recent survey on the nation’s favourite candies and chocolates here. But is there still a place for the traditional...
Read more