Queering Blackpool, which charts the rise of the northern resort’s drag and LGBTQ+ scene, to come to the big screen next month

A new film Queering Blackpool, which charts the rise of the northern resort’s drag and LGBTQ+ scene, is to come to the big screen next month.

The film, which has taken university lecturer Helen Eadon-Sinkinson years to research and more than a year to film, features candid interviews with the bold pioneers who built it to the new generation carrying the glittering torch, including Basil Newby, the man who established the original Funny Girls and other venues, drag star DJ Zoe, Indiana Aphrodite Isherwood and Shirley Knot, among others. The film also contains rare footage and show-stopping performances.

She said: “It’s a celebration of the scene, the people who were bold enough and dared to start things, and how the torch had been passed to the new generation.

“The film is also a celebration of Blackpool’s history and its working-class culture – all the things that have made Blackpool a totally unique place, as well as a queer sanctuary.

“It is such a vibrant scene, and their stories are incredible – funny and at times very moving.”

The 90-minute film will be shown at Blackpool’s Backlot Cinema on Friday, 6 June, which just so happens to be coincides the start of Blackpool Pride weekend.

All pictures by Alex Blackburn