Nightstand
2015, 27 minutes
Nightstand traverses a young man's pursuit of intimacy, danger and value as he confronts the solitary frenzy of London's nocturnal anonymity.
Written by actor and drag performer, Amrou Al-Kadhi, Nightstand explores a prevalent - but clandestine and under-represented – aspect of homosexual life: the romantic and private relationships between married 'heterosexual' men and those who identify as gay. Based on the writer’s real life experiences, the story speaks with raw honesty as it penetrates the destructive and damaging nature of these covert relationships. In asking how and why they happen, Nightstand opens the floor for questions about societal repression, heteronormative constructions both surrounding and within the gay community, and the sexual politics of identity. A whirlwind of performativity, the film voices the unanimous human desire for intimacy and protection. This emotional heart is brought to life by the thriving, yet fractured and alienating setting of the night-time metropolis. Imagined with real footage of London’s gay culture, the story will be told with both a celebratory and testing frankness. We have been fortunate to have received considerable support from the LGBT community with support from venues such as Heaven and the Shadow Lounge as well as from Sir Ian McKellen and Stephen Fry. With an aim for distribution at the major film festivals in the UK and worldwide, Nightstand promises to bring various overlooked facets of this culture to the screen.
