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Rainbow Film Festival, Shrewsbury - December 2007

Even the train to Shrewsbury felt like a parallel world. Ayo is usually the one who forcefully befriends strangers wherever we go. Yet, undeterred by his all round larger than lifeness, a group of students on their way back to University in Aberystwyth (Ayo’s new favourite word) struck up conversation and entertained us with coin tricks, tales of Computer Engineering socials and girlfriends obsessed with international wrestling.

Our reception at Shrewsbury itself was no less gracious. Peter and Geoff, partners for over 20 years, fed us with hearty and warming homemade, locally-sourced produce in their amazing home. Seriously, there is something in the air over there that just seems to make everything sooo lurvely, and I would have been quite happy to camp out in their luscious bathroom for the rest of the trip.

But our audience were waiting and proved no less amenable. In fact, it seemed more natural to do the post screening Q & A sitting in their midst rather than up at the front. We abandoned the traditional format, and instead the people around me shared their own experiences and opinions on the perceptions of same gender relationships over the last few decades. And they had many new questions aswell, one of which was when would I do a sequel?  I told them I might consider one in ten years -  ‘Rag Tag: The Musical’ perhaps.

When we left the amazing Market Hall Cinema with Lawrence Coke and a few of our guests from London, some audience members followed and continued our discussions at the Golden Cross hotel. Little Peter, twenty-three years of age, born and bred a gay Shropshire lad – had never spent a day in town without having some type of abuse flung at him. It seemed alien not to even feel at home in your own ‘home’ town, not to feel welcome as yourself in your own skin. Geoff and big Peter had spent years campaigning for equality and tolerance in London, before moving to Shrewsbury, where they had found sections of the community and local council growing sympathetic over time. Sue and Sal hadn’t lived in Shropshire as long, but they too had made some progress and both couples combined their energies to create the festival, a peaceful place where gay and straight communities could come together and enjoy rare cinema..

I left Shrewsbury early the next day just as the sky shifted from bruised to bloody. I was all too aware how this most idyllic of towns remained dangerous for people who happened to love someone of the same gender. It was great to end the Rag Tag year introspectively since I had begun to view the issues Rag and Tag endured purely in relation to how much drama and entertainment they created for the audience.  Talking with people whose lives reflect similar drama with much less entertaining effect, reminded  me of  the main reasons I made the film in the first place. And if, as I have been told, seeing Rag Tag has made even just one person in the world feel less alone and freakish, then it was worth every drop of blood, sweat and tears we shed getting it done. Every last one.

Adaora x