Making Up
2023 / United Kingdom / 15 Minutes / Ryan Paige
Film Synopsis
Making Up is set in the late 1980s, framed within the gritty drag scene of London’s east end. The short film stars BIFA award-winning Dave Johns, Jessica Ellerby and Carey Thring and follows Ted who is diagnosed with a hereditary illness. Ted must therefore reconcile with estranged daughter, Cassandra. However, being a celebrated drag queen, paired with the bitter feelings Cassandra harbours over their past, presents a larger obstacle for Ted to overcome. Making Up explores how much, and how little, has changed in terms of attitudes towards the LGBTQIA+ community since that era, and the resulting friction that impacts those of that community.