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News23 - Dec - 2021

Q&A with Beautiful They writer and director Cloudy Rhodes

Beautiful They short film v2

Screen NSW spoke with Cloudy Rhodes, NSW writer and director of queer romance short film Beautiful They, ahead of its premiere at Flickerfest Film Festival 2022.

How does it feel to be part of the 2022 Flickerfest Film Festival?

It will be the first festival I can attend in real life since we made the film. Flickerfest always has such a fun atmosphere. I can’t wait to be in the cinema again watching all the films.

Can you tell us a bit about your filmmaking pathway so far and how you got started in the industry?

I think I was always drawn to film. I was a surfer when I was young and used to take a lot of photos when I traveled. The photos always had a filmic quality they almost felt like moments from a film. Coming from photography I started off shooting all my own work which really helped me find my voice. Film just flowed for me more than anything else.

You wrote and directed Beautiful TheyWhy did you want to tell this story?

Beautiful They is a personal story for me. I think I wanted to make a film about the experience of being nonbinary that felt uplifting and to almost provide refuge for young queer people. I tried to make it as tender and beautiful as possible.

Beautiful They is an uplifting queer film that delves into ideas of gender and identity. What are you hoping the audiences take away from it?

I want young queer audiences to feel uplifted and seen.

What interesting trends are you seeing in queer film making and where do you think Beautiful They fits in the mix?

I’m not really sure; for me I just made this film because it was the story I wanted to tell, and it felt important. I love that more queer films are being made and being made by queer people I think that’s what is important.

What are your plans for the film after Flickerfest?

I am really excited for Beautiful They to eventually go online and be available to young queer kids around the world. That is why I made this film.

Beautiful They is part of Best of Australian Shorts 4 – 2022 program at Flickerfest. Screening: Sun 23 Jan, 9pm. Runtime 114 minutes