For a chance to win one of 3 copies of the DVD, see the bottom of the article for competition details!
The winner of Screen Nation's Independent Spirit Film Production Award, STUD LIFE is the debut feature written and directed by multi-award winning filmmaker Campbell X. The film received its UK premiere at the BFI London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival.
The winner of Screen Nation's Independent Spirit Film Production Award, STUD LIFE is the debut feature written and directed by multi-award winning filmmaker Campbell X. The film received its UK premiere at the BFI London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival.
STUD LIFE is a rare look at a slice of British urban life, which pays homage to Spike Lee’s She’s Gotta Have It and the self-documenting style of Steven Soderbergh’s Sex, Lies and Videotape and tells a tale of a multi-cultural LGBT London.
It is down to earth, funny and genuinely reflective of London urban butch and lesbian life. It portrays a part of the London scene that can often be invisible with respect and sensitivity, humour and grit. It's not all roses but lesbians are resilient and overcome adversity every day. The happy ending shows how far lesbians have come as fictionalised portrayals - we no longer have to end a film with a dramatic death or loss and Stud Life offers us a triumphant, beautiful, brave, yet 'everyman' hero.
STUD LIFE is available from
Peccadillo Pictures now on VOD and DVD on 8th July and can be
ordered from Amazon and iTunes. RRP £12.99
Set in East London, STUD LIFE is a sexy, young and cool gay romance revealing a unique a slice of British urban life and also boasts a memorable sound track combining Jamaican dancehall and underground British hip hop, rap and pop.
Producer, Stella Nwimo comments: “This is a heart-warming feel good urban romance, showing the lives and loves of people not often seen in British cinema.”
View the trailer:
What director Campbell X has to say...
We caught up with Campbell to get the low down. Campbell said that the core of the film is a story about strong female characters. This means women of all sexual orientations, genders and ethnicities.
"Stud Life is one which as at it's center a Masculine of Center woman, a stud, a butch lesbian. There has been a trend recently in mainstream movies and LGBT movies to use feminine presented lesbian characters as the main protagonists. This assumes all viewers have the same idea of what is "attractive" "desireable" or "marketable" in a woman is a particular kind of femininity.
"Stud Life shows that you can have someone who is dark-skinned, African descent and masculine and get pulses raising from people of all genders and sexual orientations."
"There are very few films made in the UK period, and even less films made with an LGBT story. So people who were available at the time of shooting were very supportive to be in the movie. I always use real LGBT people in my films as it is my way of making sure that we and future generations know that we were here - out and proud, particularly for Queer People of Color.
"In the polyamorous wedding Julie McNamara who has the transman lover is a playwright and the transman is played by performance artist Lazlo Pearlman. Also in this wedding scene is Stella Duffy who is an amazing writer. David McAlmont is one of our finest musicians is also present in this wedding. Nikki Lucas who is a DJ in one of the club scenes runs Liberte and Habibi. Mzz Kimberley is a transwoman who is in the first wedding scene, she is an amazing performer."
"DJ Misty B is a regular DJ in the legendary gay club Heaven is the other DJ in the club. Kathleen Bryson who plays the drunken Leila, is a filmmaker and writer. Del La Grace Volcano who has documented queer life since the 1980's, is also in some of the wedding scenes, and he also shot the wedding photos that we see."
Finally, the portrayal of a real London, the London underneath the polish and glamour was key to the film, the story and the purpose of Campbell.
"Stud Life was inspired by London. Every time I see films about London I crave to see the crazy multicultural and diverse images that feast my eyes every day. Inner city London is not a drab place for me. It is vibrant and full of colour and noise. "
Campbell is currently developing another feature film - a road trip that goes horribly wrong. Watch this space...
Competition - win one of 3 copies
TO win a copy, all you have to do is email mail@planet-london.com with the answer to the following question:
What nights does Stud Life extra DJ Nikki Lucas run?
Closing date: Sunday 7 July, 11.59pm
Feature by: Katie
