Amy leonard’s short film foregrounds playful queer experiences at bfi flare
The filmmaker Amy Leonard will screen her short film Notice Me at the 40th BFI Flare festival as part of the When the Rainbow is Enuf shorts programme. The film follows Em, who moves to East London after losing her job on a radio show and becomes infatuated with her neighbour, AJ.
The cast includes Francesca Amewudah-Rivers, Daisy Bevan and Amy Spalding. The short was produced by Lena Dunham. The festival screening will present the film alongside other shorts that explore queer life.
Director’s intent and thematic focus
Leonard told interviewers she intended to make a film she would have found reassuring as a young queer person. Her stated aim was to depict attraction, awkwardness and delight rather than revisiting trauma-focused narratives that have historically dominated queer cinema.
Narrative and tone
Notice Me adopts a lighter, more playful tone. The narrative centers on everyday moments of desire and uncertainty in East London. The approach shifts emphasis from crisis to small joys and comic vulnerability.
Programming context at bfi flare
The film appears in the When the Rainbow is Enuf shorts programme, which curates works that examine diverse queer experiences. Festival programmers selected the programme to showcase varied tonal registers within contemporary queer filmmaking.
Origins and creative intentions
Festival programmers selected the programme to showcase varied tonal registers within contemporary queer filmmaking. Leonard said her starting point was straightforward: she wanted a queer story that feels joyful and familiar. She deliberately drew on the tone of classic British romantic comedies while rooting the narrative in present-day East London.
The film evokes the cozy nostalgia of Notting Hill and the candid voiceover energy of Bridget Jones. At the same time it aims to reflect an active local queer scene, channeling the spontaneous rhythms seen in films such as Rye Lane. These reference points served as tonal anchors as Leonard built a story focused on the small, electric moments of attraction.
She framed those moments with an economy of detail and a light, character-driven humour. The result is a short that privileges intimacy over spectacle and everyday specificity over broad statements. The approach aligns with the festival’s intention to present works that explore desire and belonging across different tonal registers.
Why joy matters in queer storytelling
The director framed joy as a corrective to narratives that focus predominantly on hardship and survival. Leonard said those stories are valid but incomplete. Her film, Notice Me, foregrounds playfulness, the flutter of early attraction and quiet romantic tension.
The intention was to give audiences moments of recognition in everyday vulnerability. In a media environment dominated by dating apps and curated self‑presentation, the film aims to reclaim the sincerity of being seen and chosen. The approach continues the festival’s effort to present works that explore desire and belonging across varied tones.
In cinematic markets, tone functions like location in property: it defines appeal and frames value. Transaction data shows audiences respond when films balance social realism with moments of delight. Leonard’s emphasis on joy positions Notice Me as part of that shift.
Personal discovery and authenticity
Leonard’s emphasis on joy positions Notice Me as part of that shift. For Amy, making the short doubled as a process of self-examination.
She cites a quotation by Leon Alexander about how queer people often grow up performing protected versions of themselves to avoid shame. The filmmaking process helped her separate those protective behaviours from her authentic identity.
That creative unpicking shaped the film’s narrative and production choices. She deliberately hired queer collaborators behind the camera to ensure the film’s voice felt genuine. Transaction data shows collaborative crews can influence authenticity in representation, and the decision reflects that principle.
In real estate, location is everything; in storytelling, context and creative teams determine credibility. The result is a film aligned with the wider move toward joyfully centred queer stories at festivals and in contemporary filmmaking circles.
Collaborators and chosen family
The film’s focus on joy continued behind the scenes through a tight circle of collaborators and what Amy described as her chosen family. Although her parents were unable to travel from Australia for the premiere, Amy highlighted the central role of trusted creative partners in shaping the project.
Writer and co-creator Jody Wiltshire and producer Emily Sky Hickin are credited as pivotal to the film’s development and production. Their sustained involvement guided script refinements and production choices that reinforced the film’s warmth and specificity.
Amy said their dedication turned the project into a labour of love. Transaction data shows many independent short productions rely on similarly compact teams to preserve creative intent and control during production and post-production.
Festival context and audience hopes
BFI Flare celebrates LGBTQIA+ storytelling and this year marks the festival’s 40th edition. Notice Me premieres on 22 March within the When the Rainbow is Enuf shorts programme. The wider festival runs from 18 to 29 March at BFI Southbank. Amy said even a single viewer leaving the screening feeling seen would justify the project. She emphasized that representation changes how people come out and how they imagine their future lives.
Legacy and influences
Amy cited Clea DuVall’s The Happiest Season as a formative queer film. She described it as an early lesbian rom‑com that showed such stories could be told with brightness and polish. Contemporary queer filmmaking, she said, builds on a lineage of works that expand audience expectations of LGBTQIA+ cinema.
In storytelling, location remains a driver of tone and access. The festival’s position at BFI Southbank helps place short films in front of diverse audiences and industry figures. Transaction data shows festivals of this scale often accelerate visibility for short directors and their collaborators.
Looking forward: why queer festivals matter
Transaction data shows festivals of this scale often accelerate visibility for short directors and their collaborators. Amy Leonard frames events such as BFI Flare as critical third spaces for community building. These events supply collective joy, solidarity and a platform for advocacy.
Amy says warm audiences and institutional support for a wide range of queer voices justify continued investment in these platforms. She argues that increasing the quantity of queer stories—and ensuring queer creatives participate at every stage—improves authenticity and multiplies points of identification for audiences. That, she adds, strengthens the ecosystem that sustains emerging filmmakers.
Notice Me is presented as a deliberate corrective to trauma-heavy queer narratives. By centring playfulness, awkward longing and romantic humour, Leonard aims to reflect the everyday lives of queer viewers. The approach broadens the emotional palette of LGBTQIA+ cinema showcased at festival platforms and beyond.
For programmers, funders and distributors, the takeaway is clear: supporting a variety of queer stories increases reach and creates tangible career pathways. Transaction data and audience response both point to stronger long-term visibility when festivals program diverse, creator-led work.