Roxanne, a short film created by writer and director Paul Frankl saw its UK premiere last night in the basement bar of upscale hotel, The London Edition.
Shot in 35mm and on location in Soho, the film follows the relationship of transgender sex worker (played cool and even by Miss Cairo) and motherless 12 year-old Lily (spectacularly portrayed by Thea Lamb). It’s an ‘unlikely friendship’ kinda flick – not too dissimilar in theme to, say, About a Boy except the ‘boy’ in Roxanne is a girl and the ‘Hugh Grant’ character is Miss Cairo.
Produced with funds raised via Kickstarter and financial support from Absolut, Roxanne is an enjoyable and compelling piece of cinema and a wonderful tease for what Frankl promises to be developed into a feature length film. I found the choice of protagonist – a transgender sex worker who is not racked in despair … or dying of drug addiction … or being solely identified by her work … or her gender – to be refreshing.
Time and place proved ideal for the screening: during the the early evening hours of London Pride and in the swish Ian Schager designed bar of The Edition, with special Pride themed Absolut cocktails served just a few minutes walk from the streets where Roxanne had been filmed.
The London Edition is located at 10 Berners Street, W1T 3N. For details visit editionhotels.com.
Find out more about Roxanne at paulfrankl.com.
