Friday 28 February 2025
Kim Carnie Out Loud
Hebden Bridge Picture House
Saturday 15 March, 7pm, followed by a Q&A with Kim Carnie
From the age of 16, singer Kim Carnie spent six years in a secret same-sex relationship.
It was a time of highs and lows - the excitement and joy of being in love for the first time juxtaposed with the stress of trying to ensure that nobody would find out, as they feared how people would react.
Years later, in this documentary, Kim reflects on that time and the impact it had on her whilst going to meet other members of the LGBTQ+ community who also hid their sexuality for various reasons, LGBTQ+ activists and those closest to her.
In a poignant meeting, Kim and her mother, Frances, recall the night that Kim told her that she had been in a relationship with a woman for six years and the relief that Kim felt at finally sharing her secret with her mother and her step-father, neither of whom could have been any more supportive.
In Glasgow, the city that is now Kim's home, she meets with Blair, whose mother couldn't accept that he was gay so he pretended not to be, until he was old enough to leave home. She also meets Eyve, a Zimbabwean, brought up in a country where she could never be openly gay, but who is now embracing life in her new home, Glasgow.
Above: Out Loud trailer
The Say it Loud club in London helps LGBTQ+ refugees and asylum seekers from around the world to seek asylum in the UK. Started by the remarkable Ugandan, Aloysius, who was himself tortured for being gay, it has transformed the lives of many.
Travelling to the US, Kim visits the Stonewall Inn, where she learns about the history of this pivotal place and the events that occurred there.
In New Orleans, she hears how the city became one of the most welcoming places in the country for those in the LGBTQ+ community, including Rusty who came out in his 50s. Although she and Rusty seem to have little in common, Kim realises that she and Rusty have many experiences in common and immediately bond.
Finishing her stateside trip in Dallas, Kim, goes to her first ever, since she came out, Pride Parade. She was invited there by the incredible Liz, who has gone from believing that it was wrong to be gay to setting up an organisation that helps and supports people whose families have abandoned them because of their sexuality, including Wade whose parents didn't attend the happiest day of his life - the day he married husband Marty. Liz, though, did attend and is now considered family by Wade and Marty.
In Kym and Fi, Kim meets a couple who have been together for over 40 years and who she immediately connects with. Not knowing many lesbian couples older than herself, she is both moved and entertained by their stories and feels that they offer an amazing glimpse of what life could be like for her and her partner, Ailis. Kim and Ailis have been together for three years and this film sees them openly discuss the shame that they both felt at various times in their life, the homophobic incident which left them not wanting to leave their home for days but also the sheer joy they have in their relationship and being open to the world about it.
Inspired by the people that she meets and some of the stories that she hears, Kim writes songs, providing a powerful conclusion to the film, as she plays the songs publicly for the first time to family, friends and some of the incredible people who appear in the film.
Kim reflects on the internal homophobia that she felt for years, which has now been replaced by a deep sense of pride in her sexuality and in being in the LGBTQ+ community. She is now the happiest that she has ever been, mostly due to Ailis but also because of Kim's own acceptance of her sexuality.
Hilarious at times, heartbreaking at others and with some incredible new songs from Kim, Kim Carnie Out Loud is both an exploration of the challenges faced by people because of their sexuality and a joyous celebration of being gay.
The film has has won 25 awards at festivals in the UK, the US and Europe, including awards for best documentary film, best LGBTQ+ film and for best original song in a film.