From the late 80s through to the late 90s, East London based artist-filmmaker Annette Kennerley created a unique and deeply personal body of 16 mm films that explored the ebb and flow of lesbian relationships, her encounter with sexual politics and experiences of motherhood: poetic, joyous, intimate, witty and sexy.
Annette was also an early enquirer into trans lives, relationships and identities. Concurrent with her filmmaking, Annette co-founded with Zach I. Nataf the London Transgender Film Festival (1997–2000). Her late 90s films mix interviews with herself, friends, acquaintances and her young son Jack’s own playful experiments with gender fluidity. (Selina Robertson)
UK 1993 | Director: Annette Kennerley | b/w | DCP | 6 min | english OV | Cinenova
A sexy dyke film made the day after two women met at the Clit Club.
| Acronyms | |
|---|---|
| amer. | American English |
| b/w | Black and white |
| OV | Original version |
| SUB | Subtitles |
| +SUB | electronic live subtitling (below the image) |
| INT | Intertitles |
| Countries | |
|---|---|
| AT | Austria |
| FRG | Federal Republic of Germany (historic) |
| BLR | Belarus |
| DE | Germany |
| CAN | Canada |
| GDR | German Democratic Republic (historic) |
| EGY | Egypt |
| FR | France |
| GB | Great Britain |
| URY | Uruguay |
| BRA | Brasil |
| SWE | Sweden |
| UKR | Ukraine |
| PL | Poland |
| IDN | Indonesia |
| PRT | Portugal |
| HRV | Croatia |
| ECU | Ecuador |
| HUN | Hungary |
| AUS | Australia |
| IT | Italy |
| MEX | Mexico |
| IND | India |
UK 1994 | Director: Annette Kennerley | Colour | DCP | 4 min | english OV | Cinenova
A lesbian mother and her son describe what they have in common… parties, dressing up and shopping.
| Acronyms | |
|---|---|
| amer. | American English |
| b/w | Black and white |
| OV | Original version |
| SUB | Subtitles |
| +SUB | electronic live subtitling (below the image) |
| INT | Intertitles |
| Countries | |
|---|---|
| AT | Austria |
| FRG | Federal Republic of Germany (historic) |
| BLR | Belarus |
| DE | Germany |
| CAN | Canada |
| GDR | German Democratic Republic (historic) |
| EGY | Egypt |
| FR | France |
| GB | Great Britain |
| URY | Uruguay |
| BRA | Brasil |
| SWE | Sweden |
| UKR | Ukraine |
| PL | Poland |
| IDN | Indonesia |
| PRT | Portugal |
| HRV | Croatia |
| ECU | Ecuador |
| HUN | Hungary |
| AUS | Australia |
| IT | Italy |
| MEX | Mexico |
| IND | India |
UK 1998 | Director, Screenplay, Camera: Annette Kennerley | Colour | DCP | 13 min | english OV | Cinenova
Normal behaviour will resume after the break—but what’s normal when you split up with someone?
| Acronyms | |
|---|---|
| amer. | American English |
| b/w | Black and white |
| OV | Original version |
| SUB | Subtitles |
| +SUB | electronic live subtitling (below the image) |
| INT | Intertitles |
| Countries | |
|---|---|
| AT | Austria |
| FRG | Federal Republic of Germany (historic) |
| BLR | Belarus |
| DE | Germany |
| CAN | Canada |
| GDR | German Democratic Republic (historic) |
| EGY | Egypt |
| FR | France |
| GB | Great Britain |
| URY | Uruguay |
| BRA | Brasil |
| SWE | Sweden |
| UKR | Ukraine |
| PL | Poland |
| IDN | Indonesia |
| PRT | Portugal |
| HRV | Croatia |
| ECU | Ecuador |
| HUN | Hungary |
| AUS | Australia |
| IT | Italy |
| MEX | Mexico |
| IND | India |
UK 1997 | Director: Annette Kennerley | Colour | DCP | 22 min | english OV | Cinenova
A slice of San Francisco trans life, summer ’93. In their backyard, Matt and Jo talk about their daddy/boy relationship, tattoos and tomato plants.
| Acronyms | |
|---|---|
| amer. | American English |
| b/w | Black and white |
| OV | Original version |
| SUB | Subtitles |
| +SUB | electronic live subtitling (below the image) |
| INT | Intertitles |
| Countries | |
|---|---|
| AT | Austria |
| FRG | Federal Republic of Germany (historic) |
| BLR | Belarus |
| DE | Germany |
| CAN | Canada |
| GDR | German Democratic Republic (historic) |
| EGY | Egypt |
| FR | France |
| GB | Great Britain |
| URY | Uruguay |
| BRA | Brasil |
| SWE | Sweden |
| UKR | Ukraine |
| PL | Poland |
| IDN | Indonesia |
| PRT | Portugal |
| HRV | Croatia |
| ECU | Ecuador |
| HUN | Hungary |
| AUS | Australia |
| IT | Italy |
| MEX | Mexico |
| IND | India |
UK 1997 | Regie: Annette Kennerley | Colour | DCP | 20 min | english OV | Cinenova
Kelby’s gender was decided for him at birth - he later put right that mistake. An intimate documentary with Kelby shot in Sydney, Australia in 1996.
| Acronyms | |
|---|---|
| amer. | American English |
| b/w | Black and white |
| OV | Original version |
| SUB | Subtitles |
| +SUB | electronic live subtitling (below the image) |
| INT | Intertitles |
| Countries | |
|---|---|
| AT | Austria |
| FRG | Federal Republic of Germany (historic) |
| BLR | Belarus |
| DE | Germany |
| CAN | Canada |
| GDR | German Democratic Republic (historic) |
| EGY | Egypt |
| FR | France |
| GB | Great Britain |
| URY | Uruguay |
| BRA | Brasil |
| SWE | Sweden |
| UKR | Ukraine |
| PL | Poland |
| IDN | Indonesia |
| PRT | Portugal |
| HRV | Croatia |
| ECU | Ecuador |
| HUN | Hungary |
| AUS | Australia |
| IT | Italy |
| MEX | Mexico |
| IND | India |
Followed by a conversation with Annette Kennerley and Selina Robertson (Club des Femmes).
From the late 80s through to the late 90s, East London based artist-filmmaker Annette Kennerley created a unique and deeply personal body of 16mm films that explore the dynamics of queer relationships, transgender lives and experiences of motherhood. They are emotionally frank, poetic, witty and sexy. Shooting intimate straight-to-camera interviews with transgender people, Annette made several documentaries and co-directed the International Transgender Film Festival at the Lux Cinema, London in the late 90s. She has a degree in Fine Art (film & video) from Saint Martin's School of Art, London and was a member of the London Filmmakers' Coop. Her work has been screened at cinemas and film festivals nationally and internationally.
Selina Robertson is a film curator and writer whose research focuses on feminist and queer filmmaking and exhibition. She has worked as a film programmer in film exhibition for over 20 years at the BFI, The Film Council and the Independent Cinema Office. In 2003-2005 she co-programmed the London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival. In 2007 she co-founded queer feminist curating collective Club des Femmes with Sarah Wood. Club des Femmes partners with cinemas, film festivals, cinematheques, galleries, museums and academic institutions in the UK and Europe. Their most recent project Sun Sex and Socialism: The Cinema of Stephanie Rothman brought the new restorations of Rothman’s films to UK audiences in July-August 2025. She is an associate lecturer at Birkbeck, University of London.