Gay... so what?

A richly intelligent compilation of international reportage broadcast in November 2007 for La Nuit Gay on French TV's Canal Plus channel. This is an enlightened and fascinating portrait of lesbian, gay and transgender lives as they are lived now, unlike anything you might see on British television.

The films offer a personal insight into different scenes: in a tattooed model who is also a former Mr Leather, Germany is depressed by the paucity of gay culture. In Paris there's a view of life for a rightwing gay activist as Sarkozy comes to power and a paean to a much-loved lesbian rock club. A trans couple in Madrid look to the outside world like a model of heteronormativity and we take a trip into the lesbian underground in Havana. Not forgetting a fascinating excursion around Beijing with filmmaker Cui Zi'en and a transvestite guide to Madrid Gay Pride.

Brian Robinson