Inside the Oscars Race: with Two Nominated Queer Filmmakers

Graeme Smith speaks with two filmmakers whose work has been part of this year’s Academy Awards conversation, each telling a very different story about queer lives and history.

First we cross to New York to meet Matt Nadel, the documentary filmmaker behind Cashing Out, an Oscar shortlisted short documentary produced by The New Yorker. The film uncovers a little known and unsettling chapter of queer history during the AIDS crisis, when investors began buying life insurance policies from dying gay men, turning tragedy into a financial market. It is a powerful and complex story about capitalism, mortality and a moment in LGBTQ history that is often overlooked.

Then we head to the BOYS! BOYS! BOYS! Gallery Café to meet Lee Knight. His short film A Friend of Dorothy earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Live Action Short. The film stars two beloved queer icons, Miriam Margolyes and Stephen Fry, and Lee joins us in front of a live audience to talk about the remarkable journey from writing the script to finding himself in the Oscars race. Brought to you by BOYS! BOYS! BOYS! boysboysboys.org @boysfineart @boysgallerycafelondon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.