Find Your Weird.

James Broughton was a pioneer of experimental film as well as poetry. The wonderful documentary Big Joy celebrates the legacy of this true revolutionary.

“Like Armistead Maupin says in the film, Broughton knew how to get to the serious through the silly. I think that’s an amazing talent that only an idealist can have.”

Queer Words.

Age of Consent tells the story of London sex club The Hoist. Director Charles Lum talks about how the it grew into a wide-ranging piece of queer social history.

“I have to say that if you’re gonna talk on and on about history it gets a little dry, so you have to add a little spice to that to grease the hard facts with a little liquid enjoyment!”

[rating=5]
Cert:18 • US: 60 min • RabbitBandini Productions • January 19, 2013

Interior. Leather Bar. This playful film is a fascinating look at queer desire, and the extent to which we are actors in our own lives.

“The narrative sets up questions around freedom of expression, individual and societal homophobia, and anxieties about depicting sex generally, so that the sex itself, when it happens, becomes an embodiment of those issues.”

[rating=5]
Cert: NR • USA: 109 min • Public Square Films • 2012

How To Survive A Plague is a first-rate, suspenseful documentary that looks at how activists from ACT UP and TAG made AIDS research possible.

“Shot through archive interviews, newsreels and camcorder footage, it’s a truly inspirational story of how a community can come together and fight for real social change. Essential Viewing.”

Pick of the Day: 27 March.

Pick of BFI London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival, 27 March. Two insightful documentaries: Orchids, My Intersex Adventure, and Revealing Mr Maugham.