From NW
NC if the complaint in that email is true it's v serious
LB yes it's v serious
NC we're in gross misconduct (GM) territory
LB can't say
NC you would have a grasp of what constitutes GM
LB it's certainly v serious
NC yet it wasn't followed up with a disc iv
LB we were already...
... investigating.
NC but this came in on 7 July and I would suggest it needed an urgent iv if anyone thought it might be true
LB there was an iv
NC that gives the game away doesn't it - you were already on track to get SM out - you didn't need an iv on an allegation which
... looked on the face of it, untrue.
LB no this would need to be scrutinised before any disc action
[let me see if I can copy and paste the complaint again: "Hi Michele,
I hope that you are keeping well.
My name is [xxxxxx] and my short film Homebird was screened at the 2022 edition of the
Belfast Film Festival. I was also a key crew member on the feature film Ballywalter directed and
written by my good friends Prasanna Puwanarajah and Stacey Gregg.
I want to preface this letter with the fact that I am an openly transgender man, but my work does
not focus on this topic. Nor did the films I was representing at the festival have anything to do with
me beings trans. I also want to preface that until this interaction, I had never met Sara Morrison.
I drafted an email to you in November after having an incident with Sara Morrison during the
festival, and again on the 16th of April after Sara publically spoke at an anti-transgender rally in
Belfast city centre that was circulated online. On both occasions I opted not to send the emails,
feeling powerless and quite worried about the possibility of being exiled from the Belfast Film
Festival for speaking about my experience.
At the Belfast Film Festival in November 2022 - during the after-screening drinks of Ballywalter in
the Cineworld foyer, I was approached by Sara Morrison. I had never met Sara before, and had to
google her after the interaction, shocked that she was listed as the Audience Development and
Inclusion Officer.
Sara initiated a conversation with me by name, knowing who I was. This conversation quickly
became incredibly uncomfortable, turning into what felt like borderline targeted harassment. She
insisted on making it known to me that she was a TERF, standing for 'Trans Exclusionary Radical
Feminist' — repeating this to me multiple times, adding that I "probably hated her, hated her guts,
thought she was a cunt" etc. despite having never met her before. It clicked with me then, that it
was because I was transgenderthat she was telling me this -creating an intentionally antagonistic
conversation.
Several negative comments were made in relation to me being trans and that despite this (me
being transgender) she still enjoyed my short film Homebird and thought that young gay people
should see it. She also alluded to the fact that she had my film removed from competition by alerting
the programmers to a private screening that Homebird had for cast and crew in the QFT a year prior,
with our co-founder Outburst Arts - but I don't know if she had the power to do this or if she was
just saying this to be oddly antagonistic.
I was genuinely quite shocked that someone would approach a stranger and to their face tell them
that they didn't like trans people, and I awkwardly removed myself from the conversation with the
help of my partner and my producer, who witnessed the whole thing - equally angry and completely
baffled at what had just happened. This left me very upset and quite powerless on what should have
been a night of celebrating Ballywalter, causing me to have to excuse myself for a while before rejoining.
When my own short film was screened on the 6th of November, I had to be convinced to
attend by my partner and producer who had my back, because I was scared to be approached again
— feeling like I wasn't welcome or didn't belong at the festival.
I truly think that given the very open and vocal viewpoints that Sara holds about transgender people
(both in person and online) coupled with my experience and potentially the experiences of others — I
don't feel she is fit for the position she holds. I would hope that the Belfast Film Festival be a place to
encourage minority communities across Northern Ireland to contribute, but with an Inclusion Officer
that is loudly anti-trans, I don't feel safe sharing my work or celebrating film at my local festival
anymore. I am really saddened that Sara is someone whose purpose is to create equal opportunity
and engagement for audiences regardless of who they are, but holds contempt for people like me. I
absolutely love the Belfast Film Festival and have been honoured for my work to take part, but I feel
unwelcome.
Thank you for your time as this is quite a lengthy letter, but I hope it can be of use to hear from a
trans person that was directly affected by Sara's behaviour as an audience member, filmmaker, and
lover of film in Belfast.
All the very best,
[xxxxx] (He/Him).]