Awards Ceremony and Closing Film: Postcards from London

The world premiere of Postcards from London took place on the closing night of the London LGBT Film Festival on 31 March. Fresh from the studio, this film (starring Harris Dickinson, who plays Hilary Swank’s son and Donald Sutherland’s grandson in the Danny Boyle series Trust), provides the festive, sexy end note of this year’s TLVFest.

Jim is as handsome as a Greek statue come to life. An innocent young man raised in an Essex backwater, he decides to leave home for the bright lights of London’s Soho district, where, like many other boys before him, he believes he will win fame for his photogenic good looks. However, he is robbed on his very first evening. His life’s dream is shattered overnight as he is left homeless and penniless on the streets. He then comes across a successful group of young male escorts called the Raconteurs, who use their extensive knowledge of art history to attract wealthy men. Jim soon becomes a highly-successful member of the group. His new life could be his downfall, but might also prove advantageous, should he only be wise enough to seize the opportunity at hand.
This new film by director and scriptwriter Steve McLean has in a unique cinematic voice, with bright neon lights reminiscent of 1950s gangster films, and endless visual and oral references to the finest pieces of homoerotic art, in particular those by Italian master Caravaggio. Postcards from London is a light, relaxed art history lesson; yet it is highly entertaining, with excellent performances by some of the most handsome and talented young actors currently working in London.