A tender story of first love, belonging and growing up, Beautiful Thing follows neighbours Jamie and Ste as their friendship deepens into romance over the course of one long, hot summer. Alongside them are Jamie’s mum Sandra and friend Leah, two women with humour, struggles and stories of their own. Directed by Hettie Macdonald (Normal People) and adapted for the screen by Jonathan Harvey from his acclaimed play, Beautiful Thing transforms the familiar landscape of a council housing estate into a world alive with warmth, wit and bold primary colours, casting everyday life in a new light. With introduction by Owen Atkinson from Donkeyskin Presents. Donkeyskin Presents screen overlooked queer films in a way that pays attention to the social and political contexts that shape queer lives. The film club is named in homage to the unusual queer sensibility of the films of Jacques Demy, which often blend documentary and fiction elements. Owen Atkinson is a writer, programmer and postgraduate researcher at the University of Leeds, where he is working on the post-war film and visual arts of the United States, and also runs the Anti-Fascism Film Club. Presented by Reclaim The Frame. Part of BFI Film Audience Network’s Rip It Up season. Supported by BFI Film Audience Network, awarding National Lottery funding, and Film4.

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