It Used to be Witches Under the Spell of Queer Cinema

<p>Playfully blending personal memoir, criticism and candid new interviews with filmmakers from across the LGBTQ+ spectrum, Ryan Gilbey’s engaging and dynamic <i>It Used to be Witches</i> is a non-chronological treasure-hunt through queer cinema past and present. Andrew Haigh (<i>All of Us Strangers</i>), Cheryl Dunye (<i>The Watermelon Woman</i>), Isabel Sandoval (<i>Lingua Franca</i>) and Bruce LaBruce (<i>No Skin Off My Ass</i>) are among the directors who reveal how queer artists use film to express their most personal truths—and to challenge, defy and outrage a world that would rather they didn’t exist.<br><br>That world might look rainbow-coloured from some angles, with the likes of <i>Brokeback Mountain</i>, <i>Call Me By Your Name</i>, <i>Moonlight </i>and <i>Portrait of a Lady on Fire</i> winning awards and acclaim. But as queer and trans people find themselves increasingly under attack, <i>It Used to Be Witches</i> asks whether cinema can be an effective weapon of resistance and change, and celebrates an outlaw spirit which refuses to die.</p>