Seventh Row

A place to think deeply about movies

LGBTQ+ Film - podcast episodes

Discover all of our podcast episodes on LGBTQ+ films and filmmakers.

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Ep. 93: The films of Agnieszka Holland

On this podcast episode, we celebrate the work of great Polish filmmaker Agnieszka Holland, focusing on Europa Europa, Washington Square, and Charlatan.

This episode is a Seventh Row members exclusive, as are all episodes older than six months. Click here to become a member.

Left to right: Marco Hofschneider in Europa, Europa; Jennifer Jason Leigh and Albert Finney in Washington Square; Ivan Trojan and Juraj Loj in Charlatan. All three films are explored in this Agnieszka Holland podcast.

This episode features Editor-in-Chief Alex Heeney, Executive Editor Orla Smith, and Fiona Underhill, Editor-in-Chief of JumpCut Online.

Want to listen to the episode?

Click here to become a Seventh Row member and get access to this episode, as well as all other podcast episodes older than six months.

On this Agnieszka Holland podcast episode

  • Why Agnieszka Holland is a great director (3:06)
  • Charlatan (19:22)
  • Europa, Europa (38:50)
  • Washington Square (53:46)
  • Themes in Holland’s work (1:10:04)
  • Sex in Holland’s films (1:16:20)

Charlatan (2020)

A biopic of Jan Mikolásek, who becomes a rich man by diagnosing people’s urine and selling herbal remedies. His practice helps him survive the Nazi occupation and later the totalitarian Czech state. Late in his life, he’s arrested for being a ‘charlatan’ and must stand trial for murder, only to learn he’s being framed. The court case serves as a device to have him look back on his life story: how he became who he is today, learned his trade, and the relationships he had along the way.

Europa, Europa (1990)

Based on the true story of Solomon Perel, it’s the story of a German wish boy, Solek (Marco Hofschneider) who survived the Holocaust by pretending to be a Nazi German. After Cristallnacht, Solek and his family move to Poland, but when they discover the Germans are invading, Solek and his brother leave to escape to Russia. They’re separated, and Solek ends up in a Russian orphanage for several years. When it’s bombed by the Germans, he escapes and when is faced with the Germans who are asking who is Jewish, he makes a snap decision to pretend to be a gentile and finds himself working as a Russian-German translator for the Nazis, and finally, in a school for the Hitler Youth.

Europa, Europa is streaming on the Criterion Channel in Canada and the US

Washington Square (1997)

Based on the novella by Henry James, Washington Square is the story of Catherine (Jennifer Jason Leigh), an heiress who falls in love with a charming but poor man, Morris (Ben Chaplin). Her father (Albert Finney) disapproves and believes Morris is only after her fortune so he threatens to disinherit her should she marry against his will. He also separates them for a year, and through this and his suspicions, manages to kill off any love there was between them. Maggie Smith also stars as her aunt Lavinia.

Washington Square is available on VOD and streaming on Hoopla in Canada and the US

Agnieszka Holland podcast episode notes

  • Sign up for our Lockdown Film School session with Agnieszka Holland
  • Read Alex’s interview with Holland, about her 2017 film Spoor
  • Read Alex’s review of Charlatan after hearing us discuss the film on the podcast
  • View our other Lockdown Film School sessions, including Patricia Rozema, Mike Leigh, Amma Asante, and Alice Winocour
  • Episode 55: Comparing Adaptations of The Secret Garden
  • Episode 88: The 2021 Oscar Best International Feature category

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Ep. 91: AIDS on screen, featuring It’s a Sin

On this episode of the podcast, we have a wide-ranging conversation about the history of AIDS on screen, inspired by the recent TV miniseries, It’s a Sin.

This episode is a Seventh Row members exclusive, as are all episodes older than six months. Click here to become a member.

Films and TV series featured on the podcast: It's a Sin (top left), Philadelphia (top right), Hold the man (bottom left), and BPM (bottom right)
Films and TV series featured on the podcast: It’s a Sin (top left), Philadelphia (top right), Hold the man (bottom left), and BPM (bottom right)

On this episode, Editor-in-Chief Alex Heeney and Executive Editor Orla Smith welcome a new guest, Dr. Emily Garside. Dr. Garside did her PhD on theatrical representations of the AIDS crisis, with a focus on Angels in America and Rent.

Want to listen to the episode?

Click here to become a Seventh Row member and get access to this episode, as well as all other podcast episodes older than six months.

On this episode

  • Why this episode (5:14)
  • A history of AIDS on stage and screen (9:14)
  • It’s a Sin (Russell T. Davies, 2021) (19:24)
  • The Series Structure of It’s a Sin (29:51)
  • Jill and the role of women in AIDS narratives (32:25)
  • The characters’ lack of education about HIV (35:25)
  • Philadelphia (Jonathan Demme, 1993) (39:25)
  • The questionable history of which films about AIDS get Oscar nominations (56:53)
  • Normal Heart (Larry Kramer play, 1985; Ryan Murphy film, 2014) (58:58)
  • How to Survive a Plague (David France, 2012) (1:12:25)
  • BPM (Beats Per Minute) (Robin Campillo, 2017)
  • Holding the Man (Neil Armfield, 2015)
  • Looking (Michael Lannan and Andrew Haigh, 2014-2016)
  • Cucumber and Banana (Russel T. Davies, 2015)
  • Paris 05:59: Théo & Hugo (Olivier Ducastel and Jacques Martineau, 2016)

It’s a Sin

It’s a Sin is a five part TV series about a group of gay men living through the AIDS crisis in London, between 1981 to 1991. Created and written by Russel T. Davies, the series stars Olly Alexander, Omari Douglas, and Callum Scott Howells.

It’s a Sin is streaming on Prime in Canada, on HBO Max in the US, and Channel 4 in the UK.

Episode notes

  • Read Alex’s essay on looking for home in the work of Andrew Haigh
  • Read Elena Lazic’s interview with BPM director Robin Campillo
  • Read Larry Kramer’s 1994 explanation for why he hated Philadephia, in the LA Times.
  • Order Emily’s upcoming book, Love That Journey For Me: The Queer Revolution of Schitt’s Creek, available in June
  • Read Emily’s guide to HIV/AIDS narratives to read & watch after It’s A Sin on The Queer Review
  • Watch our Lockdown Film School session with Agnieszka Holland

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Ep. 90: Jeanne Dielman and Les Rendez-vous d’Anna: A Chantal Akerman mother’s day

On this Seventh Row Podcast episode, we celebrate Mother’s Day with the queen of on-screen mothers, Chantal Akerman, and her films Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles and Les Rendez-vous d’Anna.

Left: Delphine Seyrig in Jeanne Dielman; Right: Aurore Clément in Les Rendez-vous d’Anna.

This Chantal Akerman podcast episode features Editor-in-Chief Alex Heeney, Executive Editor Orla Smith, Associate Editor Brett Pardy, and Contributing Editor Lindsay Pugh.

On this podcast episode on Chantal Akerman’s mothers

  • Chantal Akerman’s legacy (4:20)
  • Jeanne Dielman (17:52)
  • What to make of Jeanne Dielman‘s ending (34:31)
  • Les Rendez-vous d’Anna (41:03)
  • Mothers in the two films (55:25)
  • Jewish identity in Akerman’s films (1:00:52)
  • Akerman’s aesthetic (1:09:24)
  • Conclusion (1:13:36)

Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975) – on the podcast

Akerman’s breakthrough feature, Jeanne Dielman, follows a single mother’s household labour routine, showing chores and food preparation in real-time, set over the course of three days.

Jeanne Dielman is available on VOD, DVD/Blu-ray, and is streaming on The Criterion Channel in Canada and the US

Les Rendez-vous d’Anna (1978) – on the podcast

Anna (Aurore Clément) is a filmmaker, travelling through West Germany, Belgium, and France to screen her new film. Along the way she meets various connections from her past, including her mother, most of whom talk at her, rather than with her.

Les Rendez-vous d’Anna is available on DVD and is streaming on The Criterion Channel in Canada and the US

Episode notes – Chantal Akerman’s mothers podcast

  • Read Alex’s review of Chantal Akerman’s 2015 film, No Home Movie
  • Visit Lindsay’s website Woman in Revolt
  • Preview or purchase our ebook Tour of memories: The creative process behind Joanna Hogg’s The Souvenir
  • Preview or purchase our ebook Road to nowhere: Kelly Reichardt’s broken American dreams.
  • Preview or purchase our ebook Peterloo in process: A Mike Leigh collaboration
  • Listen to our episode featuring The Assistant and Promising Young Woman (content warning: discussion of sexual violence)
  • Listen to our episode featuring Spinster
  • Listen to our episode featuring Meek’s Cutoff
  • Listen to our episode on the films of Anne Émond
  • Read our newest feature, our editors picks for the fifty most exciting emerging actors working today
  • Read Orla’s interview with Nadia, Butterfly cinematographer Stéphanie Anne Weber Biron

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Ep. 66: Francis Lee’s God’s Own Country and Ammonite

In this episode of the podcast, we discuss Francis Lee’s first two feature films, God’s Own Country and Ammonite, two films that are somewhat the antithesis of each other, to uncover how they explore class, sex, intimacy, and labour.

We loved Francis Lee’s debut film, God’s Own Country, so much so that we wrote about a book about it.

Listen to the episode on your podcatcher
Left: Alec Secăreanu and Josh O'Connor in God's Own Country; Right: Francis Lee directing Kate Winslet in Ammonite. We discuss the films God's Own Country and Ammonite on this episode of the Seventh Row Podcast.
Left: Alec Secăreanu and Josh O’Connor in God’s Own Country; Right: Francis Lee directing Kate Winslet in Ammonite. We discuss Francis Lee’s films God’s Own Country and Ammonite on this episode of the Seventh Row Podcast.

This episode features Editor-in-Chief Alex Heeney, Executive Editor Orla Smith, Associate Editor Brett Pardy, and special guest Lena Wilson.

Listen to the podcast on the films Ammonite and God’s Own Country

God’s Own Country (2017)

A beautiful romance that bypasses a coming-out narrative, God’s Own Country is the story of an emotionally closed off young man, Johnny (an exquisite Josh O’Connor), learning to love himself and a lover, Romanian farm worker Georghe (Alec Secăreanu) and his life in the harsh English countryside.

Ammonite (2020)

In Ammonite, writer-director Francis Lee transports us back to 1800s Lyme, where pioneering paleontologist Mary Anning (Kate Winslet) spent her life finding, cleaning, and selling fossils. It’s hard, physical labour, where she’s constantly getting covered in mud, but as a working class woman, she was without the luxury of a change of clothes — something we’re made constantly aware of.

When a bumbling, posh paleontology hobbyist (James McArdle) pays her to spend time with his wife, Charlotte (Saoirse Ronan), who is mourning a lost child, the two women slowly open each other up through mucking about in the mud and looking at fossils. Mary is always working, never looking up from what she’s doing both out of necessity and pride, so it’s through this work that they form an intellectual connection which turns into something more. Their intense physical connection leads to both actors undergoing a gradual physical transformation into calmer, warmer, more vibrant versions of themselves.

Show notes for the podcast on the films God’s Own Country and Ammonite

  • Purchase our God’s Own Country ebook, featuring interviews with Francis Lee, stars Josh O’Connor & Alec Secareanu, and cinematographer Joshua James Richards.
  • Follow Lena on Tiktok @neilsmom
  • Read Lena’s essay on Isabelle Adjani in Possession
  • Read Lena’s essay on Rachel Morrison’s deeply empathetic cinematography
  • Read Alex’s review of Ammonite from TIFF
  • Read Alex’s essay on sex in the Saoirse Ronan starring On Chesil Beach

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Ep. 57: Misbehaviour and British revolution ensemble films

On this week’s podcast we contextualize Philippa Lowthorpe’s new film Misbehaviour as part of a trend of British social activism films starring amazing ensemble casts. We discuss complicating history to move beyond just feel good films, why these films are particularly popular in Britain, and many of our favourite actors.

This episode is a Seventh Row members exclusive, as are all episodes older than six months. Click here to become a member.

This episode features Editor-in-Chief Alex Heeney, Executive Editor Orla Smith, and special guest Fiona Underhill.

Want to listen to the episode?

Click here to become a Seventh Row member and get access to this episode, as well as all other podcast episodes older than six months.

Misbehaviour (Philippa Lowthorpe, 2020)

Based on true events, Misbehaviour follows activists Sally (Keira Knightley) and Jo (Jessie Buckley) plan to disrupt the broadcast of the world’s most watched TV event, the 1970 Miss World Competition. But the 1970 event makes waves for another reason, the crowning of the first Black winner, Jennifer Hosten (Gugu Mbatha-Raw). Misbehaviour also co-stars Lesley Manville, Greg Kinnear, Keeley Hawes, and Rhys Ifans

Misbehaviour is available on VOD in the UK and will be available in Canad and the US starting on September 25.

Suffragette (Sarah Gavron, 2015)

Suffragette focuses on Maud (Carey Mulligan), a laundry worker who becomes an activist in the 1912 suffragette movement. Jailed after a protest, she is further radicalized. Her involvement infuriates her husband (Ben Whishaw) and leads to escalating demonstrations. Suffragette co-stars Helena Bonham Carter, Natalie Press, Romola Garai, Ann-Marie Duff, Amanda Lawrence, and Meryl Streep.

Suffragette is available on VOD and is streaming on Netflix in the US and Stan in Australia

Pride (Matthew Warchus, 2014)

In 1984, during Britain’s coal mining strike, gay activist Mark Ashton (Ben Schnetzer) seeks to create solidarity with the miners against their mutual enemy Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. A group of gay and lesbian activists collect money and decide to donate it personally to miners in the small Welsh village of Onllwyn. Despite a chilly initial reception, the two groups soon form an inspiring alliance. Pride co-stars Dominic West, Andrew Scott, George MacKay, Imelda Staunton, Bill Nighy, and Paddy Considine

Pride is available on VOD and is streaming on Prime in the US and Australia

Show notes for Misbehaviour and British revolution ensemble films

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Ep. 44: Shirley and portraits of female artists

Josephine Decker’s new film Shirley is the latest in the recent trend of films re-examining the lives of women artists, in the process questioning our ideas of history and truth. Join us for a wild ride exploring the connections between Shirley, Portrait of a Lady on Fire, The Souvenir, Wild Nights With Emily, and many more.

This episode is a Seventh Row members exclusive, as are all episodes older than six months. Click here to become a member.

This episode features Editor-in-Chief Alex Heeney, Executive Editor Orla Smith, and special guest Fiona Underhill (@FionaUnderhill).

Want to listen to the episode?

Click here to become a Seventh Row member and get access to this episode, as well as all other podcast episodes older than six months.

Notes on Shirley

  • Read about why we chose Odessa Young as one of TIFF 2018’s most exciting actors to watch
  • Read our interview with the director of Looking for Grace, which starred Odessa Young
  • Read our interview with some of the cast of Assassination Nation, which also starred Odessa Young
  • Listen to our podcast on The Invisible Man, which is another film starring Elisabeth Moss as a
  • Read Fiona’s interview with Shirley composer Tamar-kali on Jump Cut Online.

Related podcast episodes to listen to

  • Listen to our podcast on Vita & Virginia
  • Listen to our podcast on The Souvenir
  • Listen to our podcast on Portrait of a Lady on Fire
  • Listen to our podcast on The True History of the Kelly Gang
  • Listen to our podcast on Little Women adaptations

Notes on other films

  • Read our interview with cinematographer Ashley Connor who shot Madeline’s Madeline
  • Read our interview with Anne Émond on Nelly
  • Read our Special Issue on A Quiet Passion
  • Buy our book on The Souvenir
  • Buy our book on Portrait of a Lady on Fire
  • Listen to the Roger Deakins podcast

Related Lockdown Film School sessions

  • Watch our Lockdown Film School session on cinematography with Ashley Connor
  • Sign up for this week’s Lockdown Film School, featuring director Anne Émond

Where to watch the films

Film TitleWhere to stream
ShirleyVOD on June 6
The Souvenir🇨🇦 Crave+ 🇺🇸Prime Video, Kanopy 🇬🇧 Mubi
Portrait of a Lady on Fire🇨🇦 Rent on iTunes, etc. 🇺🇸Hulu 🇬🇧 Mubi
Wild Nights with Emily🇨🇦 Crave+ 🇨🇦🇺🇸 Kanopy
A Quiet Passion🇨🇦🇺🇸 Hoopla 🇺🇸Prime Video, Kanopy
Nelly🇨🇦🇺🇸 Rent on iTunes, etc.
Madeline’s Madeline🇨🇦🇺🇸Prime Video, 🇺🇸Kanopy
Vita & Virginia🇨🇦 Crave+, Hoopla
The True History of the Kelly Gang🇺🇸 Rent on iTunes, etc.
Little Women (2019)🇨🇦🇺🇸 Rent on iTunes, etc.