We’re so proud to be introducing the gal-dem Chosen Family documentary series, produced in partnership with Levi’s and Queer Britain.
Over several weeks we followed artist Travis Alabanza, performance artist Chloe Filani, artist Joy Miessi and writer and DJ Aisha Mirza on personal journeys that underscored the importance of relearning and engaging with queer history and the power that can be found in historical precedent.
In making these films we saw them forging links with activists and creatives from previous generations and contextualising some of the incredible work that’s currently happening within a lineage that has been buried by deep prejudice.
Archiving isn’t passive. When institutions decide what gets kept and what is seen as important, immense political and cultural forces are at play. The act of archiving, however, doesn’t always fit into a homogeneous form – there are a multitude of resources that exist some of which we were able to draw on.
These films only scratch the surface. In donating them to Queer Britain we want to help kick start the disruption of the cultural dominance of whitewashed queer history, expand the portrayal of black and brown queer people in Britain’s archives and honour those communities that have always existed in this country.
We hope you enjoy them.
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