Lily Slydel

The Bower

Seb takes his friend Terri to witness a triumphant celebration of queerness, Derek Jarman’s camp and playful canonisation in his garden at Prospect Cottage.

Saintmaking

This year marks the 30th anniversary of film-maker Derek Jarman’s canonisation by an activist group of gay male 'nuns' known as the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. At the time in 1991, Derek Jarman was the most prominent person in the UK living openly with HIV. He was outspoken, radical and unapologetically queer.

Skin

Set in the undisclosed future where advanced technology means less privacy, we meet Nathan rapt with grief on the morning his Chief Happiness Officer is dispatched to help him.

My Sweet Prince

Alcopops, VHS tapes, cigarettes, boys, MSN Messenger, Placebo - this is 2003. Set on the Isle of Wight, fragments of the director's own teenage video diaries collide with the fictional story of 15-year-old Tommy in this short film about a boy's search for connection in the advent of the internet age. Infatuated with his best friend's boyfriend and unable to truly reveal himself to anyone, Tommy feels an overwhelming sense of isolation on the small chalk island he calls home. Desperate to be seen, he logs on to family computer, clicks connect and opens MSN.

Run(a)way Arab

A queer Arab boy, Nazeem, looks up to his Muslim mother with awe. Later in life, it is only through being a drag queen that he holds on to their lost and fraught connection.