LG Tags: Film, History, Unity
In an effort to help you know what to expect from each festival event and to decide which events you’ll most enjoy, we’ve created a Level Ground tagging system.
Pride
(2014, Directed by Matthew Warchus, 120 min., rated-R for some adult humor and language)
What do Welsh coal miners and gay British activists have in common? More than you might expect.
Pride is a narrative film about the true story of a group of lesbian and gay activists who supported the coal miners’ strike in 1980s Britain. With a top-notch cast led by familiar faces like Bill Nighy and Dominic West, this independent film has won a variety of accolades and garnered significant critical acclaim since it premiered at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival where it won the Queer Palm award. Pride went on to be nominated for a Golden Globe for best musical or comedy and to be named the top movie of the Year by the British Independent Film Awards.
Although this film is grounded in a historical reality, it offers a transcendent story about the power of generosity and the shared, hard-won joy of breaking down barriers within communities. Music, laughter and dancing are in abundant supply. And while there is no shortage of joy in this brilliant story, there is also depth, reflection and tremendous insight into both the horror and hope of the human condition.
What does community transformation look like? How can anger be turned into friendship? What motivates someone to help people different from themselves? These are the tough questions Pride dives into with a disco beat and a clever grin.
Level Ground is honored to screen Pride because of its profound illustration of the kinds of friendships that form when people from deeply different perspectives find ways to dialogue and work together toward shared ends. (A.C.N.)