December 23 & 29 | In Oakley’s powerful and pointed feature film debut, it is 1988 London, and Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative government is poised to pass Section 28, which will prohibit the “promotion of homosexuality” and criminalize “teaching in any maintained school of the acceptability of homosexuality.” Under this oppression, middle school gym teacher Jean (Rosy McEwen, in a fearless turn that won her a British Film Academy award for Best Lead Performance) is forced to hide her identity as a lesbian. As pressure mounts from all sides, the arrival of a new student catalyzes a crisis that will challenge Jean to her core. 

Awards & Nominations

Winner - Breakthrough Performance (tie - Rosy McEwen, Kerrie Hayes), Belfast Film Festival 
Winner - Best Lead Performance (Rosy McEwen), Best Supporting Performance (Kerrie Hayes), Best Debut Screenwriter, Best Casting, British Film Independent Film Awards
Winner - Giornate Degli Autori's People Choice Award, Venice Film Festival
Winner - Best Actress (Rosy McEwen), Thessaloniki Film Festival

Be Kind, Rewind Series: Join us as we review the best and biggest films from 2023––from favorite titles that graced the Film Center’s screens, to movies that thrilled audiences across the country. As the days left on 2023’s calendar slip past, BE KIND, REWIND invites you to consider how these films reveal not just the movies of the year, but 2023 itself. View full series.

The Film Center is ADA accessible. This presentation will be projected without open captions. The theater is hearing-loop equipped. For accessibility requests, please email filmcenter@saic.edu