No Money for Butter Club visits BFI Flare
Shine A Light group the No Money For Butter Club visited the BFI Flare festival last weekend to see their film Leg, Arm, Head by Scout Stuart. The film is the first Shine A Light film to be accepted to a UK festival.
Here’s an insight to their visit:
“No Money for Butter goes up to Town.”
So here we were, and it was unexpected, outwardly small, unceremoniously tucked under a London bridge, but for us, the venue of another hugely fun “premier” – the British Film Institute.
Neither of us, barring Sue’s request some years previously to her U.S. based, Oscar winning stepbrother to back the Institute’s fight for independence, had any connection with BFI and it was courtesy of Derby Quad’s Shine a Light project that we had come to see Scout Stuart’s film, “ Leg, Arm, Head.” at the Flare Festival, the annual, this year thirtieth, LGBT festival.
So it was that Sue and I, “No Money for Butter Club” reps settled in our seats to enjoy our first LGBT film festival.
Scout’s film, an esoteric, original, delicate enquiry into a means of coming to terms with one’s own true identity, had been selected to be shown within the theme of “ What Others Think”. Focussed entirely on a young ballerina, and without dialogue, “Leg, Arm, Head.” Is a fascinating, visually evocative “ coming of age” tale, sitting well beside the questioning, reflective, sometimes poignant, sometimes humorous, character of its five fellow shorts.
And with what eyes did we watch all six?
Firstly, with older eyes that had seen the progression of the LG community from, the illegal pariahs of the 50s and 60s, to our legal equality today.
Secondly, with very amateur, but certainly, since all the opportunities given by S.A.L., more knowledgeable eyes re. the processes of film making, particularly shorts.
And lastly, from the stance of art – we both love the visual beauty of colour and form.
And an hour and a half later, films watched, we, savouring Arabic food, washed down with macchiato from the throbbing street food market outside the BFI, talked – and these were our thoughts.
we liked the BFI building’s interior, surprised at all its rooms and screens, and loving its vibrancy, colour and comfort
we loved the opportunity to be amongst so many interested, interesting LGBT people, a rare treat for any rural county dweller
we were impressed by the very quality of the films made by these young people, setting out on their careers
we pondered on the necessity of remembering the past to ensure the future keeps going forward for LGBT equality and equity.
we wondered if the “kudos” gained from being a community of outsiders needs to be
re-lived by each generation, through story and film
we recalled a thought that Chris Bevan, director of a wonderful documentary for S.A.L. had voiced – that humour with a message is a very powerful tool
And most of all, we smiled together at the opportunity we’d been given to relish this event, by Derby Quad and the Shine a Light project – thank you very much.
Jen and Sue