The University of Westminster recently hosted its third Loudest Whispers LGBTQ+ Short Film Festival on Regent Campus, where they spotlighted short films created by LGBTQ+ artists and allies that celebrate the voices of the LGBTQ+ communities. This third annual festival includes new, experimental and inspirational shorts from British and international filmmakers, including six produced by Westminster students.
The festival was co-curated by Peter Herbert of The Arts Project and Film BA Honours student Grace Stuttard. It was co-organised by Professor Pippa Catterall as part of her Quintin Hogg Trust grant, titled Facing the Public, to develop arts and community engagement opportunities for Westminster students.
Pippa said: “It was fantastic to see the high quality of work produced by our students. To hear the commendations voiced by some of the professional filmmakers who attended was really special. The highlight of this event for me was the comment from a BBC filmmaker in the audience. Her observation about the amazing quality and ambition of the films from our Westminster students was what really made it for me.”
Peter Herbert added: “Our annual Loudest Whispers LGBTQ+ Shorts Film Festival provides an opportunity for student filmmakers at Westminster to present film work for a wide range of public viewers. This year presented nine films and the high quality of film work reflected how advanced filmmaking has become for students. Editing, music, acting and scripts reflect the experiences of our young filmmakers and the festival provided an opportunity for a student to co-curate selection and manage the film event. This year, Grace Stuttard co-curated the festival, and we are delighted with the passion, integrity and commitment Grace brought to the festival.”
Grace added: “It was an absolutely lovely and enjoyable experience collaborating with Peter and Pippa to help put this festival together. I gained a lot of new skills and was able to broaden my knowledge of curating and events-organising further which was great. I think we ended up with a very nice variety of work from different students and filmmakers of different backgrounds which made for a really exciting screening. It’s always important as well to keep shining a spotlight on LGBTQ+ voices and it was an honour to help amplify them.”
The Loudest Whispers festival directly contributes to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 4: Quality Education and 10: Reduced Inequalities. Since 2019, the University of Westminster has used the SDGs holistically to frame strategic decisions to help students and colleagues fulfil their potential and contribute to a more sustainable, equitable and healthier society.
Find out more about Film and Television courses at the University of Westminster.
