LGBT+ History Month ‘Behind the Lens’ — A North West Film Archive Call Out
by Una Phillips and Siân Williams
This month’s LGBT History Month is titled ‘Behind the Lens’ with a focus on LGBTQ+ creatives who were/are involved in TV and film and this also includes amateur filmmakers and queer home movies. The emphasis this year is for people to examine how LGBTQ+ lives are presented in audio visual media versus the real-life experience of LGBTQ+ people past and present.
There are significant gaps in the aspects of queer lives represented in the archive. At the North West Film Archive based at Manchester Central Library there are fewer than twenty titles that have been formally catalogued as being LGBT. Most of the footage that is represented is of Pride parades (formerly Mardi Gras), protest footage or local health services. In the little that does exist, it is notable that the subject matter is often Manchester-centric, often urban and recorded in public settings.
Callout for LGBTQ+ archive footage
The North West Film Archive (NWFA) is calling out for more LGBTQ+ audio visual content to be donated to the archive. Regional film archives are home to many personal documents of family life donated over the years. From the amateur cinema clubs of the mid 20th century to home movies on Super 8 and early video formats — family celebrations, holidays, and key moments of our private lives have been captured and preserved. NWFA are working to address the notable absence of these sorts of recordings in representing LGBTQ+ lives.
What is not in the archive?
- Personal films, weddings, holidays, domestic footage.
- Not just Pride footage (NWFA stills wants it!) but the focus is on that one day/weekend a year, queer lives do not just come out to play and be recorded for history on one day a year.
- More representation of lesbians, transgender, gender non-conforming people, working class and POC perspectives.
Storage and care of your collections
We have a vault suite specifically designed for the long-term storage and preservation of moving image material, with highly experienced archive staff.
All material deposited at the Archive is stored at the correct temperature and humidity for its preservation, copyright is retained by the original holder, and we do not release material to third parties without prior agreement. We can also offer the donor a digital file copy once acquired, free of charge, and all material will be catalogued and indexed to internationally recognised standards.
What’s in the archive already?
PhD researcher and filmmaker Siân A. Williams has been working with NWFA Curator, Una Phillips, to examine what is already within the archive and how to contextualise the absences of certain material. This work is being undertaken at Manchester Metropolitan University’s SODA (School of Digital Arts) department both through this call-out, and through PhD research to remix and reorientate other collections within the archive.
Siân co-redirected the Scottish BAFTA nominated and Iris Prize winning feature documentary Rebel Dykes (2021) and is further developing their community archive and creative practice in this NWCDTP funded research.
Examples from the North West Film Archive (NWFA Film Reference numbers with links to catalogue records where available):
NWFA 4540 — Culture Club — A student documentary about Manchester’s Gay Village.
NWFA 4585 — North-West Meets Mid-West — A student documentary about line dancing (featuring Manchester Prairie Dogs, a gay line dancing club which is still going).
NWFA 9279 — [Manchester Mardi Gras 1995]
NWFA 7738/7739 — Mardi Gras 1995 and 1996.
NWFA 4732 — Mardi Gras (1999).
NWFA 6526 — [Manchester Tickled Pink] by Paul Berry available on BFI Player here.
NWFA 7420 — The Life of Brydie. A student documentary about trans woman Brydie Shale.
NWFA 5630 — Wish You Were Queer. A promotional video about safe sex.
NWFA 9167 — The Manchester Gay Rights Rally. Scenes from the Clause 28 rally in Manchester in February 1988.
NWFA 9280/9281 — [Clause 28 Thirty Years On]. Canal street and Central Library.
The Paul Berry collection
The Paul Berry collection is an interesting example of personal home movies that provide a glimpse into queer domestic lives. Paul Berry was an Oscar nominated animator that sadly died at a young age in 2001. He started his career as a stop motion animator at Cosgrove Hall, animating Wind in the Willows and broke into Hollywood working on Tim Burton films such as The Nightmare Before Christmas. His partner Graham donated his super 8 home movies to NWFA so that these vital records could be preserved and seen. The subject matter of his films includes trips on rural holidays, playful experiments with stop motion, the joyous celebrations of backyard parties and yes, footage of a Mardi Gras parade.
This LGBT History month we want to promote the idea that there are many more aspects of LGBT lives held on film, videotape, and hard drives out there across the North West. There is a vital need to act quickly so material is not lost, the condition of the tapes deteriorates or playback equipment for the material becomes obsolete. We want to work in trusted collaboration with any future donators to the archive and develop creative ideas to make these films accessible. Let us make sure that the lived experiences of LGBT people are represented for many years to come.
If you would like to find out more, please contact NWFA here.
Written by:
Una Phillips | Curator | North West Film Archive | Manchester Metropolitan University
Siân A. Williams | PhD RESEARCHER | FILM DIRECTOR | Manchester Metropolitan University
Email: sian.williams6@stu.mmu.ac.uk
