The Rural Media Company’s film tackling the subject of homophobia in the countryside has been selected by the SHOUT Festival to be screened at Birmingham’s Festival of Queer Culture on Saturday 5th November.

Bleeding Poof is a dark, edgy short drama set in a not-so-idyllic community where filthy looks and cruel jibes have some very shocking results.  The drama brought together isolated young gay men and women in Herefordshire to actively challenge homophobic prejudice and bullying as part of the charity’s Sticks & Stones project.

Describing why the film had been chosen, Tom Pointon, Film Programmer for the SHOUT Festival, said: “From my own point of view I think of all the entries we've received Bleeding Poof is the most cinematic and pushes the boundaries in terms of what film can do. Instead of following a cause effect narrative the audience has to work a bit to 'get' the ideas expressed. To make something about self-hatred and repressed desires is quite a challenge and one I think the film makers pull off.”

Living in a rural, tight-knit community can exacerbate the problems for young LGB people and make it even harder for them to come out and feel confident with their sexuality, without being victimised. Gay equality organisation Stonewall estimates that more than 60,000 gay and lesbian young people are victim of homophobic abuse.

One of the participants, Emma described her own experience of coming out in the countryside as feeling trapped and alone. Although some people were supportive she came up against some seriously old fashioned attitudes and received her fair share of abuse. “It’s really important that other gay young people know that they’re not on their own,” Emma said. “I would have really liked that when I was younger.”

Jose Arroyo, Associate Professor in Film Studies at Warwick University, and one of the judges, described the film as “very arresting imagery and a non-linear narrative. He went on to say: “It would be harder to understand but images of the bleeding face will linger a lot longer than the other films.”

The winner of the SHOUT short film competition will be announced at the festival’s opening on Thursday 3 November.

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http://www.getreadytoshout.org.uk/