This film is currently unavailable
Homosexuals
Current affairs series This Week offers a non-judgmental report on homosexuality
Director: James Butler
Overview
This episode of acclaimed current affairs series This Week was the first British nonfiction programme about homosexuality, following reports on other ‘taboo’ subjects, such as abortion, suicide and drug addiction. This edition focuses on the problems encountered by gay men in British society, making comparisons with Holland, where homosexuality was not illegal and gay men could live freely without fear of arrest and imprisonment.
Bryan Magee, the presenter of This Week, interviewed over 200 gay men, getting in contact with many through the Albany Trust, before he chose several to take part in the programme. The gay men were brave in facing the camera, although they remain anonymous, enabling them to talk frankly and honestly about their experiences and sexual matters. Many of the interviews found their way into Magee’s book One in Twenty (1966). It was translated into eight languages and continued to sell well into the 1970s. This ground-breaking programme undoubtedly contributed to the campaign to change the law and decriminalise homosexuality, which finally happened in 1967.
Related
Lesbians Lesbians
Current affairs 1965 26 mins Director: John Phillips
What is lesbianism? What causes it? ITV's This Week attempts to demystify lesbian sexuality.
David Is Homosexual David Is Homosexual
Amateur film 1978 38 mins Location: Lewisham
A lonely gay man discovers friends, love and activism in this rediscovered educational film made by the Campaign for Homosexual Equality
Heaven (Gay Life) Heaven (Gay Life)
Factual TV 1980 25 mins
The LGBT current affairs series visits the new Heaven nightclub, contrasting it with other parts of London’s gay scene.
The Pass The Pass
Drama 2016 86 mins Director: Ben A. Williams
Russell Tovey stars as a Premier League footballer who shares a fumbled pass (of the sexual kind) with a teammate (Arinzé Kene), changing everything - both on and off the pitch.
The Handmaiden The Handmaiden
Crime 2016 146 mins Director: Park Chan-wook
Park Chan-wook (Oldboy, Stoker) channels Sarah Waters’ novel Fingersmith, to create a sumptuous twisty psychological thriller full of erotic intrigue.
Tom of Finland Tom of Finland
Biopic 2017 116 mins Director: Dome Karukoski
The story of a gay icon is brought to life in Dome Karukoski’s handsome biopic of Touko Laaksonen, the artist whose homoerotic drawings gave visual expression to a growing gay culture.
Beach Rats Beach Rats
Drama 2017 98 mins Director: Eliza Hittman
Gripping account of repressed sexual desire in a hyper-masculine environment, with British newcomer Harris Dickinson as a virulently macho Brooklyn teen.
Boys on Film 17: Love Is the Drug Boys on Film 17: Love Is the Drug
Romance 2017 142 mins Director: Nicholas Colia, David Ullgren, Andre D Chambers, Brendon McDonall, Lorelei Pepi, Eyal Resh, Martin Edralin, Marco Leão, André Santos and Anthony Schatteman
An intoxicating and entrancing selection of gay short films from around the globe.
The Ornithologist The Ornithologist
Drama 2016 118 mins Director: João Pedro Rodrigues
A lone scientist in Portugal’s Douro region embarks on an unexpected transcendental journey. Beautiful, erotic and baffling.
Steel Steel
Factual TV 1964 15 mins Director: James Butler
The big question of 1964: whether or not to nationalise the steel industry?
Coloured Voting - Hidden Issue Coloured Voting - Hidden Issue
Factual TV 1964 14 mins Director: James Butler
Current affairs programme from Birmingham investigating the possible impact that immigration and racial prejudice may have on the upcoming election.
Timestalker Timestalker
Comedy 2024 89 mins Director: Alice Lowe
Alice Lowe's time-jumping fantasy rom-com is a colourful, darkly funny treat.
South: Sir Ernest Shackleton's Glorious Epic of the Antarctic South: Sir Ernest Shackleton's Glorious Epic of the Antarctic
Documentary 1919 81 mins Silent Director: Frank Hurley
An extraordinary story of survival in the wastes of Antarctica.
Night Courier (Mandoob) Night Courier (Mandoob)
Comedy 2023 112 mins Director: Ali Kalthami
A desperate delivery driver gets caught up in the dark underworld of Riyadh in Ali Kalthami’s gripping, pitch-black satire.
The Ballymurphy Precedent The Ballymurphy Precedent
Documentary 2018 108 mins Director: Callum Macrae
John Pilger's film on the conflict in Northern Ireland is a skilful mix of investigative journalism, documentary storytelling and reflections on contemporary history.
Utopia Utopia
Documentary 2013 111 mins Director: John Pilger and Alan Lowery
John Pilger's portrayal of the oldest continuous human culture is also an investigation into a suppressed colonial past, and rapacious present.
The Coming War on China The Coming War on China
Documentary 2016 113 mins Director: John Pilger
John Pilger’s prescient 60th film for ITV is both a warning and an inspiring story of resistance.