First Take 40 … And Queer!

First Take are celebrating 40 years of working with the queer community at Everyman Cinema on Tuesday 10 November, with a night of short and micro-short films. It's presented by Homotopia, the UK's longest-running LGBTQIA+ arts and culture festival, which has been championing courageous artists since 2004.

The screening is part of Homotopia's 2026 programme, We Come Together, led by Executive Director Jayne Compton in her first year at the helm. The festival runs from 17 October to 1 December across Liverpool, and this evening marks four decades of First Take's work with the queer community and LGBTQIA+ filmmakers in the Liverpool City Region.

Much of what you'll see comes from REEL Queer, a five-year project running from 2023 to 2028 that works with people from the LGBTQIA+ community living in the Liverpool City Region. Among the films on the bill are Apocalyptic Parties, Butterfly Effect, Witches, Vampires and Pied Flycatchers, and others from the project. First Take is an award-winning not-for-profit filmmaking and digital arts organisation that specialises in working with oppressed communities to produce radical, authentic and untold stories.

The night is funded by Community Fund and Culture Liverpool. It runs from 5:45 pm to 8:00 pm at Everyman Cinema, The Metquarter, 35 Victoria St, Whitechapel, L1 6DA. Entry is free, though you'll need to book in advance.