Made with young lesbians aged between 16 and 23 from Newcastle, Liverpool and London, this warm and engaging film explores the ups and downs of being lesbian in a predominately heterosexual and homophobic society geared to wedding bells and boys. The young women interviewed speak openly about their experiences of coming out to friends and parents and how in many cases they were told it was only a ‘phase’ they would grow out of. ‘If you can go out with boys at 14 and that’s OK, why can’t you go out with someone of your own sex without it being a crush’ asks one of the young women.
Selected by filmmaker Ed Webb-Ingall as part of his current installation at Focal Point Gallery, the screening will follow with a discussion between Webb-Ingall, researcher Flora Dunster and members of the Cinenova work group. Cinenova is an artist-run charity dedicated to preserving and distributing the work of feminist film and video makers.
Presented as part of the the public programme for ‘Get Out and Push!’ at Focal Point Gallery.
Image: archival scan of original advertisement for Veronica 4 Rose by Melanie Chait, 1982. Courtesty of the Cinenova archive