Time to end the wait
After months of work, we are excited to release the newest Nowadays passion project, Waiting List, into the world.
Written and directed by Phoebe Brooks, Waiting List is a narrative about Jenny, a young trans woman bravely taking the first steps in seeking gender affirming healthcare, only to be swallowed up by the system and the future that she could have had, ripped out from underneath her.
Our film is highlighting the very real problem trans people are facing every day in the U.K. According to a recent BBC report, the average waiting time for an initial consultation for gender affirming medicine is around 3 - 7 years. The reality of this is tens of thousands of people are being denied the opportunity to live their lives authentically and as a result of this, too many trans lives are lost because they’ve been waiting so long for care.
Jenny, played by Mary Malone, is a real talent - as you will witness in the film, she has a fantastic ability to convey very intense emotions with incredible subtlety, and we were grateful to be able to cast her as our lead. You’ll be seeing a lot more of Mary in the future - we’ve heard through the grapevine she’s been cast in the end-of-year Doctor Who special. We can’t wait to see more from her!
Mary was supported by accomplished actress, Lucy Russell, who played Dr Hardy. Lucy will be a familiar face to some, having recently starred in ITV’s mini series, A Spy Among Friends, and Disney’s Andor. Lucy brought a complex humanity to bear in the form of a medical professional who is outwardly helpful but represents a dehumanising system. A special thank you to Tom Payne for casting.
The whole film was shot over a single weekend. Our team was composed of a collection of industry professionals, as well as work colleagues, friends, and family all invested in bringing this film to life. We jumped around various locations in North and East London - from a doctors office, to a queer club, even to the directors own bedroom (a bit of set direction, and throwing up a temporary wallpaper and it was basically unrecognisable!).
Long time friends of Nowadays - DoP Charles Mori and gaffer Stephen Allwright - worked hard to make every frame rich and beautiful, and their expertise on set was greatly appreciated. Matt Valentine was our maestro - giving us the music and sound mix for the film, Karol at CHEAT finished it off with an beautiful grade, and the whole shoot was meticulously planned and pulled off by producer, Jenny Garrett. A special mention to Dalston Superstore, the thriving east London queer club that has been looking after the LGBTQ+ community since 2008. They gave us their space to use free of charge for this film, which was used during the dance club scenes.
Waiting List was made in collaboration with the charity, Gendered Intelligence - a trans-led UK charity that supports young trans, non-binary, and gender-diverse people, specialising in supporting people under the age of 21. Since 2008, they have worked tirelessly across different sectors, educating, training, and raising awareness to increase understandings of gender diversity and improve the lives of trans people.
Recently, they were one of the charities to take the NHS to court over these extremely long waiting lists that trans people face when seeking gendered affirming healthcare. While the judge has ruled in favour of the NHS, they aren’t giving up and are looking to appeal.
Thank you for watching our film. To help spread awareness, we’d love to encourage you to share and learn more about the issues trans people are facing in the UK.