I’m a bit crap at going to the cinema. Not because I dislike it, but more because I like to be doing stuff, and generally I get looked at funny if I try and do emails, or set up my laptop in the cinema.
But, sometimes something catches my eye, and I find a way to sit still for a couple of hours. It’s happened twice in the last couple of weeks, which is downright unheard of. For our anniversary, the husband and I watched Le Mans 66 (I can be a bit of a petrol head for a non driver). And then there was Barbara.
I’m a bit of a Streisand fan. Hello Dolly is one of my favourite ever films. One of the first that really pulled me into musicals. And though I had seen Funny Girl before, the opportunity to watch it again, at the Everyman in Manchester, and with a post film drag performance meant I found myself in the cinema twice in two weeks.
For two very different experiences.
Whereas Le Mans 66 was in the big screen at the mulitplex, the Everyman is a very different experience. Plus sofas, food brought to your seat, glasses of wine, or a beer. The cinemas are much smaller, more intimate, and you can visit the bar before/after. And obviously the loos are nicer (not really that that’s hard to do).
Also, Funny Girl was being shown courtesy of Birds Eye View – BEV aims to reframe women in film. Films are written by, directed by, and centre women and their stories (including cis-women, trans-women and femme/feminine-identifying genderqueer and non-binary).
It’s also a completely free network, and you can sign up to events across the country. I admit, it’s well over 12 months since I signed up, and this is the first I’ve been to (due to my diary being stupidly full), but it won’t be the last. Not only because what they do changes what films I’ll be able to see, but also because along with the film there’s often a little something something extra.
Sometimes it’s a panel discussion or a talk, or even a Q&A with the writer, or director. In this case, it was a second opportunity to watch Vivienne Lynsey in action. Having seen her MC the Manchester Burlesque Festival event at The Lowry, I knew it was going to be a fabulous performance, and it was. A fabulous end to a fabulous film.
To find our more about Birds Eye View, their upcoming Reframing Streisand events across the country, and other upcoming screenings, visit their website and have a nosey. It’s well worth it.
