PinkNews Awards 2020: Nominees revealed for Film Award
The PinkNews Awards 2020 took place December 2-4 in association with Amazon.
Film is a powerful art form. It allows us to see our own lives reflected back to us on screen, while also giving people the chance to delve into the experiences of others.
In short, film has the capacity to contribute to our sense of identity while also stamping out discrimination by showing the real, lived experience of LGBT+ people.
The five nominees for the Film Award at the PinkNews Awards 2020 made meaningful contributions to queer life, while also representing LGBT+ lives in all of their depth and glory to straight and cisgender audiences.
The winner will be revealed at the PinkNews Awards, which will take place virtually from December 2-4. The nominees are listed below.
The public vote is now closed.
Dating Amber.
Dating Amber follows gay teenagers Eddie (Fionn O’Shea) and Amber (Lola Petticrew) as they embark on a fake relationship in an effort to survive their school years in 1990s rural Ireland.
The film, directed by David Freyne, captures the experience of growing up gay in a hostile environment. Anchored by its two central performances – as well as a star turn from Sharon Horgan as Eddie’s mother – Dating Amber is a powerful coming-of-age story that deserves to be widely watched.
Just make sure to bring some tissues – it’s a tearjerker.
Stage Mother.
Stage Mother tells the story of a conservative church choir director who finds herself the owner of a San Francisco drag bar after her gay son dies.
Maybelline Metcalf (played by Jacki Weaver) is a religious woman who rejected her son when he came out as gay – and their relationship never recovered. But as the bar’s new owner, Maybelline must confront her prejudices head on and learn about the LGBT+ community and the world of drag.
This comedy-drama, directed by Thom Fitzgerald and starring Lucy Liu and Andrew Grenier, expertly examines the devastating impact religion can have on queer people’s lives.
The Half of It.
The Half of It was released during the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic – and it proved to be exactly what many queer people needed.
In this heartwrenching coming-of-age film, friendless student Ellie Chu (Leah Lewis) is paid by footballer Paul Munsky (Daniel Diemer) to write love letters to Aster Florres (Alexxis Lemire), a girl who goes to their school. But there is a twist – Ellie is secretly in love with Aster.
The Half of It, written and directed by Alice Wu, is a powerful story that deals deftly with the difficulties that come with accepting and understanding queer identities when growing up.
The Boys in the Band.
This Netflix film adaptation of Mart Crowley’s seminal 1968 play follows a group of gay men over the course of one night as they gather for a birthday party.
Exploring themes of self-loathing, discrimination and violence, The Boys in the Band was considered groundbreaking when it first debuted off-Broadway.
This new adaptation, directed by Joe Mantello, proves that the story is still relevant today. Featuring an all-gay cast, The Boys in the Band boasts a career-defining performance from Jim Parsons.
The film is a powerful meditation on the self-loathing that many LGBT+ people still face today as they come to terms with their identities.
Portrait of a Lady on Fire.
This French period drama tells the story of a forbidden love affair between a member of the aristocracy and the female artist hired to paint her portrait.
Directed by Céline Sciamma, Portrait of a Lady on Fire went on to win the Queer Palm at Cannes Film Festival, and received widespread critical acclaim. It is a powerful representation of queer love in a time when same-sex desire was not just frowned upon, but was actively suppressed.
Portrait of a Lady on Fire is a beautiful film brought tied together by central performance from Noémie Merlant and Adèle Haenel.
The winner will be announced at the PinkNews Awards 2020, taking place virtually December 2-4. The public vote is now closed.
