Sorry for the FOMO but here’s what gal-dem members are up to this month
Try out our membership with a 30 day free trial, and get involved in our events, giveaways and more.
gal-dem staff
06 Mar 2023
Nathanael L-V-Awotwi
We’re already somehow in the third month of the year because time is a confusing and all consuming concept. One thing we promised to do in 2023 for our community of continued supporters was fill your cultural calendar with more opportunities to connect with each other, have fun, absorb exciting and thought-provoking projects and provide opportunities for us all mutually learn and grow together.
Enter gal-dem’s new Culture Club, which sees members gain access to screenings, talks and more. Keep your eyes peeled for sign up opportunities so you don’t have the feeling of getting major FOMO and we hope to see you soon at our next outings.
“Enter gal-dem’s new Culture Club, which sees members gain access to screenings, talks and more”
To celebrate the arrival of award-winning sitcom Abbott Elementary S2 on Disney+ in the UK, we hosted a preview screening with Vamp and invited creators to experience the magic of the show together. There were mini burgers, champagne, belly laughs and cute school picture day photo ops (also a Dami and Ikenna sighting for Love Island fans). The show has gained a big following for being a wholesome sitcom with joy, romance, friendship but also for how it highlights the struggles teachers are under in America.
Afterwards we learned about creator Quinta Brunson’s journey from social to Buzzfeed content creation to television, sitting down with bestselling author and comedy scriptwriter Bolu Babalola to unpack her and Quinta’s journey into working in TV, and how to use social to power your journey through the industry.
From building a community online of fellow POC creatives, to using language that taps into the digital zeitgeist like in her shortlisted short story Netflix and Chill, to pitching and producing Cecile Emeke’s Ackee and Saltfish for BBC, to getting her own pilot greenlit (stream Big Age if you haven’t already) – it was a pleasure picking Bolu’s brain.
“It was such a positive and wholesome night — great vibes all round and loved the Q&A with Bolu!”
A gal-dem member
In February, our members also got the chance to attend an exclusive screening with a cast panel of Netflix’s tense new thriller The Strays, starring Ashley Madekwe as a woman with hidden secrets.
This coming month, our members will delving deeper into the world of film, celebrating the release of new British rom-com Rye Lane. Directed by Raine Allen-Miller, Rye Lane follows two strangers, Yas (West End star Vivian Oparah) and Dom (Industry’s David Jonsson), who connect over their bad break-ups over the course of one day spent in Peckham and Brixton. gal-dem members have been invited to the film’s premiere on 8 March, and the following week, they will have access to more tickets for the preview screenings before the film’s nationwide release.
Also in March, gal-dem’s members will have six weeks of free access to the BFI Player, home to the best of global cinema. This generous offer from the BFI is linked to their new filmmaking competition hosted by Michaela Coel, which closes on 22 March, to provide some inspiration for aspiring filmmakers from our community.
We’re also doing a members’ giveaway competition for the critically acclaimed play, For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When the Hue Gets Too Heavy, as it transfers to the West End this March for a limited six week run.
Our next members’ event, also on 7 March is an evening celebrating connection and conversation with communication app Anyone. We’ll be exploring the practice of community for change making, esteem building, support and rest, with a panel talk of amazing community organisers including Diet Paratha’s Anita Chhiba, Jasmine Douglas from Babes on Waves, Misery’s Mayamana Arefin, and gal-dem’s own Head of People, Rose Eskafi.
There’ll also be live performances, free gifts and a mini market place with brands we love. You can come along by signing up to a free trial of our gal-dem membership and sign up to the event here – there’s limited spaces left!
Membership is crucial to everything we do at gal-dem. To celebrate three years of gal-dem’s membership, we’re currently offering 30 day free trials across our Sugar, Spice and Nice tiers, which start from £4.99 per month. Alongside coming along to our culture events and joining a community that cares about helping gal-dem grow, you’ll be directly supporting our mission to platform perspectives of people of colour from marginalised genders.
Don’t miss out! There’s still a chance for you to join our community and help gal-dem grow. Become a gal-dem member today, and sign up to be featured in our members’ spotlight here.
Season 2 of Abbott Elementary is now available to stream on Disney+.
The contribution of our members is crucial. Their support enables us to be proudly independent, challenge the whitewashed media landscape and most importantly, platform the work of marginalised communities. To continue this mission, we need to grow gal-dem to 6,000 members – and we can only do this with your support.
As a member you will enjoy exclusive access to our gal-dem Discord channel and Culture Club, live chats with our editors, skill shares, discounts, events, newsletters and more! Support our community and become a member today from as little as £4.99 a month.
Britain’s policing was built on racism. Abolition is unavoidable
How Pakistan’s Khwaja Sira and transgender communities are fearing and fighting for their futures
Their anti-rape performance went viral globally. Now what?
Nadia Whittome: ‘Jeremy Hunt’s Spring Budget is a slap in the face for Britain’s workers’
