Reclaim The Frame

Reclaim The Frame with us for films by filmmakers of marginalised genders, & equity in all film spaces

🌻BEAUTIFUL THING🌻 Back in London, 30 years on“It remains the thing I’m most proud of” - Hettie MacdonaldThank you to all...
01/10/2026

🌻BEAUTIFUL THING🌻 Back in London, 30 years on

“It remains the thing I’m most proud of” - Hettie Macdonald

Thank you to all who joined us at Genesis for a special 30th Anniversary screening of Beautiful Thing last night.

We were delighted to be joined by Director Hettie Macdonald who shared her memories of bringing the colourful, comedy drama from stage to screen, sharing her approach to the casting process, filming in Thamesmead and reflecting on the profound impact Beautiful Thing has had on audiences during its release in 1996.

Thank you to BFI Film Audience Network and Film4 for the support, to The Cinema Museum for the glorious 35mm print, and to Genesis Cinema for hosting the event.

Our tour of Beautiful Thing continues, with further screenings around the UK until October 28. Visit the link in our bio to find a showing near you.

🌻💙 A LOVE STORY THAT’S ENDURED FOR 30 YEARSThirty years after Jamie and Ste first found each other over one long, hot su...
30/09/2026

🌻💙 A LOVE STORY THAT’S ENDURED FOR 30 YEARS

Thirty years after Jamie and Ste first found each other over one long, hot summer, Beautiful Thing is still finding new audiences.

Two teenagers falling in love. Tentatively, awkwardly, joyfully. A first touch, a first dance, a pot of peppermint foot lotion... and the courage to be seen together.

After a brilliant September taking Beautiful Thing back to cinemas across the UK, our 30th anniversary celebration continues through October, with more chances to discover, or rediscover, Hettie Macdonald and Jonathan Harvey’s much-loved film on the big screen. 🌻

OCTOBER SCREENINGS

📽️ 2 Oct | Phoenix, Leicester
📽️ 3 & 7 Oct | Plymouth Arts Cinema, Plymouth
📽️ 17 Oct | Midlands Arts Centre, Birmingham
📽️ 19 & 20 Oct | Showroom Cinema, Sheffield
📽️ 22 Oct | Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry | 35mm + intro
📽️ 26 Oct | HOME, Manchester
📽️ 28 Oct | Queen’s Film Theatre, Belfast

And - TONIGHT:

🌻 30 Sep | Genesis Cinema, London | 35mm + Q&A with director Hettie Macdonald, hosted by our Melanie Iredale

🎟️ Find your nearest screening and book via the link in our bio.

Reclaim The Frame’s 30th anniversary celebration of Beautiful Thing forms part of the Film Audience Network’s Rip It Up season, with support from the BFI, awarding National Lottery funding, and from Film4.

🌻 COMPETITION TIME🌻🌻 As part of the BFI’s Rip it Up Season, Hettie Macdonald’s Beautiful Thing will be screening on 35mm...
24/09/2026

🌻 COMPETITION TIME🌻

🌻 As part of the BFI’s Rip it Up Season, Hettie Macdonald’s Beautiful Thing will be screening on 35mm at the Genesis Cinema on Wednesday 30th September, hosted by Reclaim the Frame.

To celebrate the 30th Anniversary screening, we’re giving away four prize bundles featuring:

🎟️2 tickets to the Screening in London
👜A Reclaim the Frame Tote Bag
⭐️A Reclaim the Frame Sticker
🍬A Body Shop Peppermint Bundle
🎞️Four exclusive film frames from the film

Why a Body Shop Peppermint Bundle? You’ll have to enter and see the film to find out!

Directed by Hettie Macdonald, Beautiful Thing is a tender story of first love, belonging and growing up, Beautiful Thing follows neighbours Jamie and Ste as their friendship deepens into romance over the course of one long, hot summer.

To enter:

🌻 Follow Reclaim The Frame and Genesis Cinema
🌻 Like this post
🌻 Tag a loved one or friend you’d like to bring along to the screening

Competition closes on Monday 28th September at 9:00am. We will select the winners at random on the same day.

Good luck!

🥀 ROTTEN lands in Bristol for its UK PREMIEREFrom its world premiere in competition at Tallinn Black Nights to Flying Br...
23/09/2026

🥀 ROTTEN lands in Bristol for its UK PREMIERE

From its world premiere in competition at Tallinn Black Nights to Flying Broom in Ankara, we’re delighted that Aslı Bildirici’s striking debut fiction short ROTTEN now reaches UK audiences for the first time at Encounters Film Festival, with Aslı joining us in Bristol.

ROTTEN / ÇÜRÜK
Written & directed by
Netherlands / Türkiye | 2025 | 13 mins
Produced by Madhiha Duynhouwer / Clove Film

At her father’s Turkish supermarket in Amsterdam, Zehra finds herself caught between frustrated creative ambitions, family expectations and the increasingly hostile political rhetoric playing constantly on the radio. When she clashes with outspoken customer Pelin, only to discover that she too is Turkish, questions of identity, belonging and political division come sharply to the surface.

Aslı drew on her own experience of the 2023 Turkish elections in Amsterdam. As she puts it, ROTTEN was born from “this feeling of separation and the hatred that politics can instil in us.”

And it’s a beautiful film to look at: a richly saturated palette of reds, blues, greens and oranges fills the Turkish supermarket.

📍 ROTTEN at Encounters Film Festival
Fri 25 Sep, 2pm
Sat 26 Sep, 2.30pm
Watershed Bristol

Aslı will be there in person, so come and discover the film, meet its filmmaker and give ROTTEN a very warm UK welcome.

This project is supported by the British Council’s Connections Through Culture 2026 Grant Programme, bringing together Reclaim The Frame and our friends and sisters at Uçan Süpürge Uluslararası Kadın Filmleri Festivali to create routes for films and filmmakers between Türkiye and the UK.

⭐️ Last week we were delighted to welcome 12 participants onto The Back in the Frame - a 6-month programme aimed at supp...
22/09/2026

⭐️ Last week we were delighted to welcome 12 participants onto The Back in the Frame - a 6-month programme aimed at supporting experienced filmmakers returning to the industry, produced in collaboration with Sony Pictures Entertainment.

⭐️We kicked off the first Lab at Sony Pictures UK before Day 2 took us to the media law firm Lee & Thompson where the cohort engaged with a range of speakers from BBC FILM, BBC StoryWorks, BFI NETWORK, Cinemamas , Lee & Thompson, Raising Films , Rentrak Movies and Screen International and more.

⭐️ The cohort spent two days meeting one another and engaging with discussions about their re-entry to their chosen field whilst we came together as a group to discuss what participants wanted out of the program.

⭐️ The Back in the Frame Program would not be possible without the incredible support of Sony Pictures UK who have made this possible through their Production Creative Diversity Fund . We also appreciate the in kind support of Lee & Thompson for providing space and resources to support the first Lab.

⭐️ A huge thank you to our speakers from the Lab: Ameenah Ayub Allen, Charles Gant, Fi Tudur, Kristin Irving, Line Langebek, Louise Ortega, Nathan Gilligan, Navine Mabro and Valeria Bullo for such generous engagement with our cohort.

⭐️ We really look forward to sharing with you how our cohort progresses over the next 6 months.

⭐️ Take a look at the press release in our bio to learn more about this year’s participants in the programme.

Three years (so far) of conversations, questions, learning and unlearning 🩵💛Today we published Beyond the Binary: What D...
08/09/2026

Three years (so far) of conversations, questions, learning and unlearning 🩵💛

Today we published Beyond the Binary: What Does Trans Allyship Look Like?

An ongoing project with Reclaim the Frame, the BFI inclusion team and Women and Hollywood Beyond the Binary explores how the film industry can better support and champion trans and non-binary filmmakers, professionals and audiences.

Since 2023, we’ve brought together funders, festivals, exhibitors, awards bodies, creatives and trans-led organisations for conversations across the international sector, including with partners at Le Collectif 50/50, Independent Cinema Office (ICO), Trans+ on Screen and at the Marché du Film - Festival de Cannes in Cannes.

Now we’re sharing what we’ve learned so far.

💬 Move beyond the ‘language barrier’
Fear of getting it wrong can become a barrier to action. Listen, learn and unlearn, be open to correction. Allyship requires participation, not perfection.

🌱Move from scarcity to abundance
Trans inclusion and gender equity don’t need to be competing causes. Expanding inclusion can strengthen existing commitments.

🔎 Rethink the binary
Inclusion goes beyond language and representation. Binary structures and assumptions shape who gets included.

👂Hold difficult conversations
We didn’t always agree. We didn’t need to. Listen. Question. Learn. Continue.

The paper also shares case studies from BIFA, Chicken & Egg Films and Reclaim the Frame, alongside guidance on language and terminology, resources and further reading.

We’re hugely grateful to everyone who has brought their experiences, questions, expertise and trust to this work. The learning doesn’t end with this paper, and neither do the conversations.

✨When the most marginalised are included, everyone benefits✨

📖 Read Beyond the Binary: What Does Trans Allyship Look Like? via the link in our bio.

🌻💙 Hettie Macdonald on Beautiful Thing, 30 years on On 30 September, we’re welcoming director Hettie Macdonald to Genesi...
03/09/2026

🌻💙 Hettie Macdonald on Beautiful Thing, 30 years on

On 30 September, we’re welcoming director Hettie Macdonald to Genesis Cinema for a rare screening of Beautiful Thing on 35mm, followed by a Q&A, hosted by Reclaim The Frame.

Hettie’s relationship with Beautiful Thing goes right back to the beginning. She directed Jonathan Harvey’s original play at the Bush Theatre in 1993 and its subsequent West End productions, before directing Jonathan’s screen adaptation for Channel 4 Films (now Film4).

Together, they opened the story out from stage to screen, with Hettie bringing a distinctive visual approach to Thamesmead: bold colour, sunlight and warmth, making the estate’s lake, walkways and architecture part of Jamie and Ste’s story.

Beautiful Thing became Hettie’s feature debut. She went on to direct Doctor Who, Howards End and Normal People, before returning to cinema with The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry.

Thirty years on, we can’t wait to hear Hettie reflect on making Beautiful Thing, the choices behind it and its extraordinary life since.

🎞️ BEAUTIFUL THING on 35mm + Q&A with Hettie Macdonald
📅 Wednesday 30 September, 6.15pm
📍 Genesis Cinema, London
🎤 Hettie Macdonald in conversation with Melanie Iredale, Reclaim The Frame

🎟️ Tickets via Genesis Cinema, link in bio.

For full listings of Beautiful Thing screenings across the UK over Sep-Oct, go to Reclaim The Frame’s website / bio.

Reclaim The Frame’s 30th anniversary celebration of Beautiful Thing forms part of the Film Audience Network’s Rip It Up season, with support from the BFI awarding National Lottery funding, and from Film4.

✨MEET THE FIRST BACK IN THE FRAME COHORT!✨We’re excited to introduce the 12 filmmakers selected for Back in the Frame, o...
02/09/2026

✨MEET THE FIRST BACK IN THE FRAME COHORT!✨

We’re excited to introduce the 12 filmmakers selected for Back in the Frame, our new six-month return-to-work programme for experienced directors and producers, delivered with support from Sony Pictures Entertainment.

✨ Alexandra Genova | Director
✨ Beryl Richards | Director / Writer / Exec. Producer
✨ Catriona MacInnes | Writer / Director / Actor
✨ Chiara A. Bellati | Exec.Producer / Director
✨ Isabelle Stead | Writer / Director / Producer
✨Jason Barker | Writer / Director
✨ Laura Rees | Producer
✨ Philippa Tsang | Producer
✨ Poonam Brah | Writer / Director
✨ Shreepali Patel | Director / Producer
✨ Stephanie Bamberg | Producer / Director
✨ Zillah Bowes | Writer / Director

Between them, they bring decades of experience across fiction, documentary, television, development, production and writing, including BAFTA and BIFA winners and Sundance and Berlinale alumni, with work screening at Venice, Berlinale, Sundance, Toronto, BFI London Film Festival and Edinburgh International Film Festival.

Their experience spans major independent features and documentaries, high-end television, continuing drama, factual and natural history, and international production and development, with credits across BBC, Channel 4, Film4, BFI, StudioCanal, National Geographic, Discovery and Netflix.

Over the next six months they’ll take part in Labs, industry sessions, mentoring, coaching, peer learning and networking, joined by contributors from BBC Film, BFI, Comscore, Film4, Fourth Culture Films, HanWay Films, Lee & Thompson, Quinzaine des Cinéastes, Raising Films, ReelTime Media, The Small HR Company and TripleC/DANC, with more to come.
We can’t wait to get this brilliant group together.

Welcome to Back in the Frame!!

Meet the cohort and read their full bios via the link in our bio.

Sony Pictures Entertainment’s support for Back in the Frame comes through the Sony Pictures Television International Production Creative Diversity Fund. Thank you Sony Pictures UK !

🌻 BEAUTIFUL THING: BACK ON 35MM! 🎞️Thirty years after its original release, we’re thrilled to be working with BFI , Film...
27/08/2026

🌻 BEAUTIFUL THING: BACK ON 35MM! 🎞️

Thirty years after its original release, we’re thrilled to be working with BFI , Film4 and The Cinema Museum to bring Beautiful Thing back to the big screen, including the rare chance to see it projected from original 35mm prints that haven’t been seen in cinemas for around 15 years.

And yes, we got a little excited when the prints got checked at the TCM archive. 👀 Swipe to join us in unboxing them, and take a closer look at Beautiful Thing on celluloid. 🎞️🌻

A tender story of first love, belonging and growing up, Beautiful Thing follows 16-year-old neighbours Jamie and Ste as their friendship deepens into romance over the course of one long, hot summer.

Catch Beautiful Thing on 35mm:

📽️ 2 Sep – Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow

introduction from Reclaim The Frame’s Eilidh Akilade

📽️4, 6, 9 + 10 Sep – Pictureville Cinema, National Science and Media Museum, Bradford

📽️ 6 Sep – Hyde Park Picture House, Leeds

📽️ 30 Sep – Genesis Cinema, London

Q&A with director Hettie Macdonald, hosted by Reclaim The Frame’s Melanie Iredale

📽️ 22 Oct – Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry

introduction from Reclaim The Frame’s Daljinder Johal

🌻 Tickets + full Beautiful Thing at 30 listings via the link in bio.

Our 30th anniversary celebration forms part of BFI Film Audience Network’s Rip It Up season, with support from the BFI and Film4.

🌻 30 YEARS OF BEAUTIFUL THING: THE POSTER DROP 🌻We’re excited to unveil the artwork for our Beautiful Thing at 30 campai...
19/08/2026

🌻 30 YEARS OF BEAUTIFUL THING: THE POSTER DROP 🌻

We’re excited to unveil the artwork for our Beautiful Thing at 30 campaign, created by the brilliant Ewa Ferdynus.

First released in 1996, Hettie Macdonald’s Beautiful Thing has always seen its world in colour. Macdonald and her creative team deliberately pushed against a grey, downtrodden vision of its South East London housing estate, filling this working-class love story with bold primary colours, warmth and life.

Leah’s sunflowers, that bold colour palette, the music of Mama Cass and the spirit of Jonathan Harvey’s original play all fed into Ewa’s vibrant new design, celebrating a film that still feels full of joy, humour and possibility thirty years on. 🌻

We’re bringing Beautiful Thing back to cinemas across the UK this September and October, in partnership with BFI Film Audience Network and Film4.

🌻 Starting this September:

📍 Glasgow Film Theatre – 2 Sep – 35mm + introduction
📍 Hebden Bridge Picture House – 2 Sep
📍 Pictureville Cinema, National Science and Media Museum, Bradford – 4, 6, 9 + 10 Sep – 35mm
📍 Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff – 5 Sep
📍 Hyde Park Picture House, Leeds – 6 Sep – 35mm
📍 The Garden Cinema, London – 9 Sep
📍 Filmhouse, Edinburgh – 14 Sep
📍 Genesis Cinema, London – 30 Sep – 35mm + Q&A with director Hettie Macdonald

With more screenings to come across September and October at Midlands Arts Centre Birmingham, Phoenix Leicester, Plymouth Arts Cinema, Queen’s Film Theatre Belfast, Showroom Cinema Sheffield, Tyneside Cinema Newcastle and Warwick Arts Centre Coventry.

Our anniversary celebration forms part of BFI Film Audience Network’s Rip It Up season, with support from the BFI and Film4.

🌻 Full listings + tickets via the link in bio.

Artwork: Ewa Ferdynus

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