Celebrating Black Queer Films

Tom Grieve, Contributing Writer

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Celebrating Black Queer Films

26 July 2020

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This Sunday, Leeds Queer Film Festival hosts a evening of films that centre queer black lives. Scheduled as an precursor to Leeds Pride, the online event features a selection of three short films, leading up to Janelle Monaé’s mid-length Dirty Computer — part music video, part narrative dystopian fiction, the film jumps off from Monaé’s album of the same name.

The pay as you feel event takes the form of an online watch party via Metastream, and while Dirty Computer is definitely the main event, the shorts sound every bit as intriguing.

Inkanyezi Yobusuke (Night Star) is billed as a “sweet (and sometimes cheesy AF)” Zulu tale of dreams and desires. Exploring blackness and gender non-conformity from gal-dem Magazine is a documentary following Travis Alabanza returning to their hometown of Bristol to talk to writer and historian Edson Burton, co-founder of Kiki – Bristol’s first visible community for QTIPOC. While Nikolai Ursin’s 1966 Behind Every Good Man provides a glimpse into the life of an African-American trans woman.

Where to go near Celebrating Black Queer Films

Manchester
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Maki & Ramen

Japanese sushi and ramen restaurant on High Street, Northern Quarter, founded by Teddy Lee. House-made noodles, eight-hour broths, plus sushi, donburi and vegan options.

Restaurant Orme
Manchester
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Restaurant Örme

A hidden gem in the suburbs of Greater Manchester, serving high-level British small plates to a soundtrack of indie rock and roll.

The Abbey
Manchester
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The Abbey

Historic Hulme pub with a very good live gig space, brought to you by the very capable team behind YES, Gorilla, Now Wave and Manchester Psych Fest.

Manchester
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Pigeon Beer Wanderer

Pigeon Beer Wanderer brings wine-level ceremony to Manchester’s new “Beermuda Triangle”, courtesy of Joshua Lightfoot and his crack team of booze experts.

Image courtesy of Unitom.
Castlefield
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UNITOM Projects

The exhibition arm of Manchester indie bookshop UNITOM is a dedicated space for contemporary visual culture in the St John’s neighbourhood.

City Centre
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Portfolio

Portfolio is a Champagne boutique on Manchester’s Bridge Street, offering a set menu of fine-dining small bites.

Manchester
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Bridge 5 Mill

Bridge 5 Mill is a sustainable event space and community hub on Beswick Street in Ancoats, hosting independent cultural projects and ethical supper clubs.

1853 gallery 1
Manchester
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1853 Studios

1853 Studios and Gallery is a Creative Studios and community of creative professionals occupying the 3rd floors of Osborne Mill, Oldham.

Deansgate
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Podium

Podium delivers high-end, seasonal dishes, largely geared around produce and ideas from the British Isles, but with a few deft twists and turns.

Tai Wu
Manchester
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Tai Wu

Long-standing, trend-swerving Chinese restaurant on Manchester’s Upper Brook Street, with a reputation for authentic dim sum and traditional Cantonese cuisine.

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