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Lee & Wanda

A touching portrait of two lesbian entertainers, still together after 58 years. They look back at a lifetime of performing around the world - before reflecting on illness and grief.

Longer synopsis:
A touching personal portrait of two older lesbian entertainers in later life, still together after 58 years as a couple. Lee and Wanda performed as a singer and dancer double act from the 1960s onwards, setting up a famous LGBTQ+ night club in London’s Soho in the 1980’s and touring the rest of the world for decades. This film explores their colourful life together, combining recent interviews with older home movies and photos of their performances. We see the challenges facing two women performers in a misogynistic and often exploitative world of male entertainers and theatrical agents in Britain. We also see a world of glamour and fun that was central to their act. One of the couple died during filming, so the film also marks how the surviving partner is planning her future. 'Lee & Wanda' provides a rare glimpse of two gay women in an entertainment world which is now mainly forgotten.

World Premiere: Inside Out Toronto LGBT Film Festival (29 May 2019)

  • Rob Eagle
    Director
  • Norman Powell
    Director
  • Norman Powell
    Producer
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short
  • Runtime:
    16 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    February 6, 2019
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Inside Out Toronto LGBT Film Festival
    Toronto
    Canada
    May 29, 2019
    World Premiere
Director Biography - Rob Eagle, Norman Powell

Rob Eagle is a director/producer of documentary films, audio documentaries and virtual reality. His photos and films have appeared across international media, including the New York Times, the Guardian, Al Jazeera and the BBC. He was the in-house film-maker at University College London 2009-2017, producing short films with academics and scientists for the media. He is currently working on his first feature-length documentary on the history of British leather fetish culture and is working on a PhD in virtual reality documentary at the University of the West of England, Bristol.

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Director Statement

Background:
Co-director and producer Norman Powell has known Lee and Wanda for 15 years through his partner who has known them for over 30 years. This led to the access and intimacy with them in their home. We started filming in May 2017, paused when Lee passed away in December 2017 and then filmed the final sequence in October 2018.