Join us for a special Queer Film Club screening at QUEERCIRCLE featuring an exciting mix of drama, comedy, documentary, and experimental films by eight up-and-coming LGBTQ+ filmmakers!
Date: Saturday 7 September
Time: 3-6pm
Location: QUEERCIRCLE, 3 Soames Walk, Building 4, London SE10 0BN
Tickets: Pay what you can (free tickets are sold out)
This event is a showcase of diverse voices and creative storytelling, offering a unique opportunity to experience a glimpse of the next wave of queer cinema in the UK and beyond.
Each film presents a distinct perspective, capturing the richness and complexity of LGBTQ+ lives through powerful narratives. Come and meet us at QUEERCIRCLE, whether you’re a film enthusiast or just looking to support emerging talent!
Meet the filmmakers
Justice Khor
Justice Khor (he/him) is a queer Malaysian documentary filmmaker and LGBTQ+ activist.
He is passionate about using factual filmmaking as a means of advocacy and entertainment.
When not immersed in the world of film, Justice actively contributes to the management of a Malaysian grassroots queer organisation named PLUHO (People Like Us Hang Out!), where he serves as the Vice President.
Short film: Qeluar (Out)
Expelled from Malaysia, the first person to receive asylum in the UK on the grounds of LGBTQ+ identity recounts a journey marked by ousting, disownment, and a quest for acceptance.
Céline Ribard
Céline is a French film director based in London, UK. She’s drawn to stories around intimacy, queer and surreal experiences.
With a degree in fashion and design, her first entry into film was through the costume department. A flair for problem-solving led her to the production office before she found her voice in directing. The experience as a designer and her passion for analogue photography bring a unique visual language to her storytelling.
Her CNC (french public fund) commissioned short-form series UNIVERSELLES was released in May 2024 on the RTBF (Belgium TV) streaming platform.
She’s a Directors UK and BAFTA Connect member and is currently in development with her first feature, COMATOSE.
Aside from her directing work, Céline created WxIF an independent magazine that celebrates female-led projects in film and TV. She worked on multiple editions of the 16 Days 16 Films film festival, campaigning to end all forms of gender-based violence.
Her film and TV credits in the production office include A24, Pathé, BFI, BBC and Netflix projects.
Short film: Stagger
During a heated argument with her younger lover over a sudden departure, Olive falls into the memories that originally drew them together.
David J. Amado
David J. Amado (he/him) is a Jamaican-American filmmaker-choreographer, a Portuguese Ministry of Culture Grant Recipient, and a graduate of Columbia University in the City of New York (B.A. in Music).
His films Velveteen and True Colors have been presented in film festivals such as the Berlin Lift-Off Festival, Afropolitan (Brussels) and Mostra Ousmane Sembene de Cinema (Brazil).
Most recently, both films were broadcast on the television station RTP África, which brought the films directly into the homes of people in Portugal, Angola, Mozambique, Guiné-Bissau, São Tome and Cape Verde.
Currently, David is in the process of developing his first feature-length film through a screenwriting residency with Netflix Portugal and The Portuguese Film Academy.
Short film: Velveteen
The desire to be seen and accepted as we truly are is one of our deepest human desires and is the central theme of the dance film Velveteen.
Inspired by the book The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams, Velveteen chronicles one queer Black man’s journey from self-hatred and repression towards self-discovery and acceptance.
With dance and poetry, we follow our protagonist as he navigates ancestral trauma, racism and homophobia in order to heal himself, find community and live an authentic life unburdened by the expectations of others.
Jamie Lock
Jaime Lock (they/them) is a transmasculine director, screenwriter and poet from St Mary’s, Isles of Scilly. Their poems are published in fourteen poems, Under the Radar, Impossible Archetype, Signal House Edition and the anthologies HE/SHE/THEY/US (Macmillan, 2024), Cornish Modern Poetries (Broken Sleep Books, 2022) among others.
Their first collaborative pamphlet with poets JP Seabright and George Violet Parker, Not Your Orlando, was published this year by Punk Dust.
Jaime’s audio piece, On the Rock, was commissioned as part of BBC New Creatives.
They were a member of Apples and Snakes’ Writers’ Room 2021 and Down Stage Write’s Write Out Loud cohort, developing LGBTQ+ stories for the stage. Jaime’s poem, Our Islands, was put to film by Michael Eddy. They were also part of The Squint Playwriting Award 2023.
Short film: CLAN
On the Isles of Scilly at a Christening party in the local pub, 16-year-old trans teenager, Cam, feels awkward and out of place in his small island community.
When Teän (20) arrives, confident and unashamedly out in their non-binary identity, Cam finally feels seen. Their presence sparks something more sinister for Cam’s older brother, Jago, who causes a scene in the pub.
To heal, Teän and Cam escape and walk the coast path. They end up on the beach, where Teän has a plan to make their trans mark on the island.
Daisy Allen and Sasha Denny
Daisy Allen (she/they) and Sasha Denny (she/her) are two queer women from Belfast and South London.
With a sprinkle of Sasha’s Caribbean heritage, they are eager to shine a light on queer stories and to amplify voices that aren’t usually heard.
Sasha’s strong technical knowledge and extensive experience on set, paired with Daisy’s strengths in drawing and art direction makes a unique director duo with a passion for telling meaningful and compelling stories.
Since meeting as production runners at RSA Films in 2021, the duo gelled creatively and collaborated on a number of projects, all of which were self-initiated with little to no budget and no industry contacts.
Their film, Love Over Gold, made the top 8 in the Straight 8 Filmmaking Competition 2023, and premiered at Festival de Cannes before screening at BFI Southbank and The Prince Charles Cinema in London.
The film then went on to receive an Official Selection at the Berlin Commercial Awards 2023. In July 2023, they shot an editorial for Dazed Magazine, and this year, their short documentary, King of Deptford, will premiere at the Peckham Filmmakers Winter Showcase.
Short film: Room Service
Yemi and Sam have a rude awakening when mum Ada returns home unexpectedly. Room Service is a light-hearted coming out story exploring themes of queerness, masculinity and how we can build our own imaginary closet.
Rosanagh Griffiths
Rosanagh Griffiths (she/they) is a queer neurodivergent filmmaker based between London and Glasgow.
Due to access barriers, Rosanagh didn’t go to film school, but started making shorts in 2019 with a DIY approach.
Their work has always and will always centre queer stories, aiming to go beyond the stereotypical narratives often shown.
The short film, Dope Fiend, unpacks a relationship through a neurodivergent lens, with a big nod to the inherent link between queerness and neurodivergence. It’s Rosanagh’s first film ever made with public funding, with also a majority queer/ND cast and crew.
Short film: Dope Fiend
Whilst waiting for her partner, Fran attempts to check in for their therapy appointment – but when the waiting room starts becoming as chaotic as her internal monologue, things might not be quite what they seem…
Andrea Soteriou
Andrea Soteriou (she/her) is a 24-year-old videographer and photographer from Cyprus.
As a queer creative, Andrea applies herself in communities that are open and queer, shooting for gay clubs around London and other queer events. She hopes to move her work into branding later on.
After graduating university in 2023, Andrea was lucky enough to get accepted into a creative program with GUAP and Adidas where she produced and directed her first LGBTQ+ film about queer voices in football.
Short film: This is Football
In the top four divisions of England’s highest football leagues, there are currently no players who openly identify as gay.
The short film seeks to address this absence through a compelling blend of visual art and poetry, weaving together diverse narratives that explore the perceptions surrounding the lives of queer footballers and enthusiasts.
The film invites viewers to contemplate and form their own opinions, with the ultimate goal of fostering understanding and acceptance.
About Queer Film Club
Queer Film Club hold bi-monthly screenings at the London LGBTQ+ Community Centre or other venues. We’ve hosted a previous screening at the Tate Modern and in collaboration with Queer East at the ICA.
After each screening, there will be a community chat to share and unpack our thoughts about the film Filmmakers will sometimes join this discussion, while other events will be attendee-only chats.