| Director: | Theo Rollason |
|---|---|
| Production: | Lightborn Films (Ahmad Ahmadzadeh), Blue Moon Films (Ben Fowlie), Matter Out of Place (Sebastien Rabas), March 13th (Michael Sherman) |
| Running Time: | 97’ |
| Language: | English |
| Country: | United Kingdom |
| Main Cast: | Derek Jarman |
| Screenplay: | Theo Rollason |
| Cinematographer: | Seamus McGarvey |
| Editor: | Nicole Hálová, Theo Rollason |
| Music: | Simon Fisher Turner |
| Sound: | Siim Skepast |
Cinema
Queer Edward II
Venice Open – Out of Competition
synopsis
Spring 1991: queer life is under renewed attack in Britain, and filmmaker Derek Jarman is adapting Christopher Marlowe’s Edward II into a radical protest film. Drawing on never-before-seen footage shot by Seamus McGarvey on Jarman’s set, Queer Edward II is about the refusal to separate art from life, politics from pleasure.
Director’s Statement
When I was first approached to look through unseen rushes shot on the set of Edward II – which had been sitting in a cupboard for over thirty years – I hoped there might be enough material for a short. Instead, I was astonished to find a comprehensive record of Jarman’s idiosyncratic filmmaking practice, capturing everything from rehearsals to intimate conversations to production office dramas. What really struck me, however, was the set’s embrace of the 1990s political climate, particularly regarding gay rights.
That Derek Jarman was a political artist is immediately apparent from the films themselves. Less clear to me was his active involvement with the movement: his decision to become the first public figure in the UK to disclose his HIV status, and his association with OutRage! in particular. As a queer filmmaker born just after Jarman’s death, I saw a clear opportunity to use the Edward II set as a springboard to discuss what I wish I’d known: just how high the stakes were for the community at this historical moment, and Jarman’s centrality to the struggle that followed.
My perspective is shaped by a belief that queer history is too often depoliticised and reduced to respectable narratives of progress, rather than the messy, confrontational movements that made that progress possible. With anti-trans rhetoric and attacks on queer rights again intensifying, I hope the film can function not simply as a snapshot of a historical moment, but as a reminder of what collective resistance can look like – and what role art has to play.
PRODUCTION/DISTRIBUTION
PRODUCTION 1:
Lightborn Films - Ahmad Ahmadzadeh
22-24 St Pancras Way
NW1 0NT London, United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)2073 912650
E-mail: ahmad@aimimage.com
Web: www.derekjarmandoc.com
PRODUCTION 2:
Blue Moon Films - Ben Fowlie
49 Hewitt
N22 6QH London, United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)7754 029396
E-mail: benfowlie@gmail.com
PRODUCTION 3:
Matter Out of Place - Sebastien Rabas
14c Fremont Street
E9 7NQ London, United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)7754 947673
E-mail: sebastien@matteroutofplace.com
Web: www.matteroutofplace.com
PRODUCTION 4:
March 13th - Michael Sherman
Los Angeles
90027 Los Angeles, United States of America
Tel: +1 310 926 3962
E-mail: ms@march13teenth.com
Web: www.march13teenth.com
PRODUCTION 5:
John Gore Studios - John Gore, Francis Hopkinson, Jonathan Lack, Jamie Anderson
141 Wardour Street
W1 0UT London, United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)2074 371779
E-mail: studios@johngore.com
Web: www.johngorestudios.com
WORLD SALES:
After Hours - Julia Nelson, Christine D’Souza, Satinder Chhokar
Tel: +1 617 584 5366
E-mail: sales@afterhoursfilms.com
Cinephil – Suzanne Nodale, Shoshi Korman
Tel: +33 6 81 70 18 90
E-mail: info@cinephil.com
PRESS OFFICE:
Hannah Farr - Critical PR
Tel: +44 (0)7535 720230
E-mail: hannah@critical-pr.com
