Welcome to the Club

Natasha Lyonne in Jamie Babbit’s But I’m a Cheerleader (1999)

Not long ago, I was watching the 90’s teen comedy But I’m a Cheerleader (again) and thought about how much I wished all my friends (okay, two of them) would hurry up and watch it, and how tired they must be of my persistence in recommending it. I’ve always loved film, but I think I might like recommending and talking about it even more.

I come from a varied background. I’m a theatre graduate (sorry), I trained as a journalist and worked in live television for a bit (see: enjoys pain), I had a brief stint as a make-up artist (luckily before online beauty gurus blew up so I was allowed to be delusional and think I was good at it), and I’m really good at talking about cars even though I can’t drive. More on that another time. The point is, the one constant in my life has been film, and I have no idea why I’ve tried to do everything else except something that involves one of the things I’m most passionate about.

So, here we are. The birth of Bad Gal Film Club.

My mission is a simple one: to build a community of film lovers who have an interest in women-centric cinema. This isn’t limited to films only directed by women (there’s not enough of them… ha), but BGFC is primarily focused on stories that amplify women’s voices, both on and off screen.

We’re doing this by commissioning thoughtful journalism (pitch here) and hosting curated screenings and special events across the UK. And that’s just the start.

When I launched the Instagram page for this project, I was surprised at the amount of people (particularly women) who messaged me to say they were excited about it. I’m not sure why it was a surprise - women account for 50% of moviegoers - but the reaction made me confident there was a space for BGFC to exist. I was also slightly overwhelmed by the amount of pitches to write for the blog too (I’m being fancy and calling it the Journal), and I’m really excited to share the work of some incredibly talented writers in the months to come.

Despite the name, which is admittedly a bit tongue-in-cheek (and is inspired by this iconic line said by Angelina Jolie in a 2011 interview FYI), this is a community for everyone. Our screenings and events are open to all, and I welcome anyone interested in celebrating women-centric cinema to be a part of the club.

Oh, and if you’ve got a film to recommend, email me. I promise I’ll check it out right away.

xo Mia