A group of gay activists finds a common cause with a group of striking Welsh miners in the true story Pride. Set in 1984, while the UK was still under the rule of Margaret Thatcher, a young gay activist named Mark (Ben Schnetzer) decides to raise money to support striking miners in Wales, forming a group with his friends called “Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners.” LGSM sends the money they raise to a small mining community in South Wales and while some, like union organizer Dai (Paddy Considine), support group leader Hefina (Imelda Staunton), and pub historian Cliff (Bill Nighy), are supportive of the group’s efforts, some of the more homophobic town members don’t like “perverts” invading their community. Pride is a comedy-drama that is often quite hilarious, while also documenting a series of events in 1984, which ended up being the turning point of gay rights in the UK. While the film is an ensemble with no real protagonist, much of the dramatic focus is given to either Mark or Joe (George MacKay), the closeted 20 year old, who comes into his own as a member of the LGSM. Imelda Staunton practically steals the film as Hefina, as she and the other elderly women of the town become quite fascinated with gay culture. The film also has notable supporting performances by Andrew Scott (BBC’s Sherlock) and Dominic West (The Wire). Pride is set at a time when homophobia was still high and HIV/AIDS was beginning to become a major epidemic. As such, it was a defining moment when these striking miners accepted LGSM’s support, despite heavy opposition from homophobic members of the community. Pride turned out to be a funny and touching document of this very important moment in history. 8 | LIKED IT Screenings:
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Sunday, September 7, 12:30 PM – Isabel Bader Theatre