Ep 68: Punk doc Poly Styrene + lesbian romance Sweetheart from the Glasgow Film Festival

Girls On Film

Our feminist picks of this year’s Glasgow Film Festival. Anna delves into personal punk rock doc Poly Styrene: I Am A Cliché and witty coming-of-age Sweetheart with cast and crew. First, Celeste Bell reveals what it was like to make a film about her mother, the punk icon and X-Ray Spex frontwoman, Poly Styrene. Weaving archive footage with Celeste’s narration, the documentary unpicks Styrene’s eccentric and multi-layered life, and explores the effect fame had on life at home. Celeste shares the challenges of piecing together such a personal film and how the process changed her relationship with her late mother. Next, writer-director Marley Morrison and actor Ella-Rae Smith join Anna to discuss crushes and caravan parks in Sweetheart. Marley pinpoints where the film draws on personal experiences and explains the importance of creating an uplifting lesbian love story. From Friday night discos to the magic of no phone signal, Ella reminisces about the fun they had behind the scenes. Marley and Ella also discuss the build-up to the intimate scene, having lots of women on the crew and working with Jo Hartley. Keep listening for even more GFF21 watching recommendations. Other mentions: This Is England; Dead Man’s Shoes; Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging; Lady Bird; Séance; The Lost Girls. This episode is in partnership with Glasgow Film Festival and was part of the 2021 Industry Programme. You can watch Poly Styrene: I Am A Cliché from 5 March here: www.modernfilms.com/polystyrene/watch Become a patron of Girls on Film on Patreon here: www.patreon.com/girlsonfilmpodcast Follow us on socials: www.instagram.com/girlsonfilm_podcast/ www.facebook.com/girlsonfilmpodcast www.twitter.com/GirlsOnFilm_Pod www.twitter.com/annasmithjourno Watch Girls On Film on the BFI’s YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLX…L89QKZsN5Tgr3vn7z Girls On Film is an HLA production. Executive producer: Hedda Archbold. Audio Producer: Tom Whalley. Principal Partner: Peter Brewer. Assistant Producer and Social Media Manager: Heather Dempsey. Assistant Producer: Elliana Jay.