More Films for Freedom
Building on the success of Five Films For Freedom, the annual digital programme run by the British Council and BFI, More Films For Freedom brings you three new commissioned short films exploring LGBTIQ+ stories. The films were made by British, Syrian, Palestinian and South African filmmakers.
We're making them available online, when many celebrations have been postponed this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as a way of linking and celebrating LGBTIQ+ communities everywhere.
This year’s pilot programme supports creative collaborations exploring LGBTIQ+ themes. The three selected projects showcase a breadth of distinctive filmmaking voices and explore diverse themes including sexuality and conflict, intergenerational gay culture, migration and family ties.
More about the films:
Nowhere, UK with Palestinian collaboration (20 mins)
Director: Christopher Manning
Producer: Gary Paton
Co-Producers: Laura Samara Hawa and BaherAgbariya
‘You are stronger than you think, trust me.’
Written and directed by award-winning Christopher Manning, this short drama tells the story of a young Palestinian woman who crosses the Israeli border to find her long-lost brother.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yijikvcf3SQ&feature=youtu.be
The Men Who Speak Gayle, UK with African collaboration (10 mins)
Director: Andrew Brukman
Writer: Nathan Kennedy
Producers: Thembisa Cochrane and Georgie Paget
‘Welcome to The Greatest Diva Show and Gayle Language Comedy.’
Young drag performer Nathan is one of the last people to speak Gayle – a secret language the gay community were forced to invent during Apartheid.
http://youtu.be/APuZTQkK7xU
Let My Body Speak, UK with Syrian collaboration (10 mins)
Director: Madonna Adib
Producer: Noe Mendelle
‘When I left Syria, my body became my only land.’
Our bodies store memories. The body does not forget. A childhood in Damascus, OCD, the revolution, falling in love with a woman. My body remembers.
Our partners:
BFI Flare 2020
BFI Network