Rebellious 16-year-old mermaid Ariel is fascinated with life on land. On one of her visits to the surface, which are forbidden by her controlling father, King Triton, she falls for a human prince. Determined to be with her new love, Ariel makes a dangerous deal with the sea witch Ursula to become human for three days
Join any Pride march and you are likely to see a glorious display of papier-mâché unicorn heads trailing sequins, drag queens wearing mermaid tails and more fairy wings than you can shake a trident at. But these are not just accessories: they are queer symbols with historic roots.
To celebrate the launch of Queer as Folklore by Sacha Coward, we’re screening a series of well loved films with queer themes that are often overlooked.
Screenings will take place in the iconic Tunnel Shaft, and will begin with a short introduction by Sacha Coward.
What Sacha has to say:
I can picture myself at seven years old, sitting down in front of the small television in my parents’ cigarette-stained living room on a Saturday morning, remote in hand. I was watching, rewinding and rewatching a particular section of my well-worn VHS tape of Disney’s The Little Mermaid.Although this was my favourite Disney film, starring Ariel as the titular mermaid, the particular scene that enthralled seven-year-old me featured Ursula, the large and vivacious cecaelia.