This film, based on a powerful poem by Beirut-based spoken word artist Lisa Luxx, is about the word “lesbian”, and the decades of toxic connotations that have made it feel like a hostile piece of language: so much so that today, many queer women hesitate before using it. Featuring a cast of real queer women, it uses intricate body painting to bring to life what those layers of toxicity feel like. In an era of headline-hitting attacks on lesbians in public, it is a call to arms to take the word back.
I was awarded this commission as part of a competitive Live Pitch at the Edinburgh International Television Festival in 2019.
Poem written and performed by Lisa Luxx Producer / Director: Rosemary Baker DOP: Ryan Eddleston Make-up artist: Claudia Lucia Spoto Commissioning Editor for Channel 4: Shaminder Nahal Special thanks to Boom TV, Nia Thomas, Dave Skinner, Peter Bowden, Thom Phipps, Catherine Bray, Angharad Williams
SCREENINGS AND PRIZES
Reelout Queer Film Festival 2021 - Official Selection European Short Film Festival 2020 - Official Selection Independent Shorts Awards 2020 - Platinum Award Winner Lesflicks Xmas Film Festival 2020 - Official Selection FUSE Festival 2020 - Official Selection London Super Shorts Film Festival - Official Selection