RAISING HELL: A film by for and about the children of lesbian and gay parents
A cross section of young people talk about their experiences of being brought up in a ‘non traditional’ family 50 years since the word homosexual entered the public psyche and consciousness; Through interviews with the children of Lesbian and Gay Parents along side interviews with Jeff Weeks, Susan Golombok and Gil Butler this film aims to tell the story and the history of the modern family.
A half hour documentary that profiles the experiences of the children of Lesbian and Gay parents in the UK aged 12 to 35, exploring themes of School, Gender, Sexuality, Prejudice and what the word Family means. Set alongside an examination of the rich social and political history of Lesbian and Gay parents from the late 1960s to the present day. Through researching, making and screening this film Ed Webb-Ingall hopes to at once normalise and elaborate on the unshared and unheard experiences of the children of Lesbian and Gay parents. He made this film half an hour long with the intention to have half hour screenings, followed by half hour conversations in classrooms, social centres and the like. It is made it with kids at the heart, the voice and presence of the parents is there by situating the kids in a social and political context, but no parents are physically in the film, he was keen to create a safe space where kids can be seen to be speaking freely and openly about their experiences without having to be poster kids for their “perfect families”. He didn’t want this film to perpetuate the myth of the perfect family, or the perfect childhood, but instead show kids who, whatever they felt about their families, didn’t want to change or hide them, but be proud of who and what they have made them.
Through the process of making this film he was keen not just to understand and document the personal and political history of kids with LGBT parents, but also to give himself a lesson in the film making theory and techniques of the queer film makers of the 70s, 80s and 90s – partly as this was when decisions were being made that would have a direct effect on the kids but also because he was keen to situate the film in their lineage, to document the specific political and social changes that affected the future of the kids in the film – drawing on the techniques and textures of queer film makers he hoped, not to become retro, nostalgic and backwards looking, but to embed the film in a wider queer history, to give the film a chance to span across these times and be part of them. A lot to achieve in his first film and in thirty minutes I am sure you agree, but evidence out last year states Lesbians do make better parents than conventional ones…
Long Haired Men
A documentary that takes something visual, long hair and uses it as a way to explore ideas around masculinity, gender expectations, roles, sexuality, beauty, stereotypes. A beautiful and playful homage to Les Blank’s film Gap toothed women
WOOLF
Music Video
Band Practice
