Subscribe to watch - 14-day free trial, then £6.99 a month
Layla
A British-Palestinian drag performer catches the eye of a strait-laced white man in Amrou Al-Kadhi’s stunning, semi-autobiographical debut.
Director: Amrou Al-Kadhi
Overview
The question of how love alters our identity lies at the heart of this debut from one of London’s best-loved drag queens. Amrou Al-Kadhi’s first feature considers the relationship between Palestinian-British drag performer Layla and their white, straightlaced new love interest, Max. Set against the backdrop of Feathers (a larger-than-life fictional queer space threatened by – the very real – spectre of gentrification), the pair meet when Layla performs an outrageous act at a drab corporate event. Thrown together by fate – and ready-meals – their curiosity gives way to full-blown attraction. But Layla wears a dress made of karate belts and Max lives in a stylish minimalist apartment – their enjoyment of each other is increasingly complicated by urgent questions of difference, forcing both to confront the bittersweet nature of attraction.
Layla was made with the support of the BFI, awarding National Lottery funding.
strong sex, sex references, nudity, language, drug misuseRelated
Layla - Exclusive Q&A Layla - Exclusive Q&A
Short interview 2025 27 mins
Writer, director and performer Amrou Al-Kadhi talks to Rico Johnson-Sinclair about their debut feature.
Who We Love Who We Love
Drama 2021 94 mins Director: Graham Cantwell
Bullied for her sexuality, Dublin schoolgirl Lily turns to her gay best friend for support in this vibrant coming-out, coming-of-age drama.
Sebastian Sebastian
Drama 2024 110 mins Director: Mikko Mäkelä
A young London-based writer begins a double life as a sex worker to research his debut novel, in this gripping psychological drama.
Punch-Drunk Love Punch-Drunk Love
Drama 2002 95 mins Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Adam Sandler is a beleaguered businessman who finds romance with a mysterious woman, in Paul Thomas Anderson’s award-winning offbeat comedy.
An Elephant Sitting Still An Elephant Sitting Still
Drama 2018 234 mins Director: Hu Bo
The troubled lives of four desperate people unfold over the course of a single day, in this melancholy masterpiece about the human condition.
Memoir of a Snail Memoir of a Snail
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2024 95 mins Director: Adam Elliot
Nick Cave and Sarah Snook voice an Oscar-nominated stop-motion classic of divided twins, told with adult candour and uncanny warmth.
Santosh Santosh
Drama 2023 128 mins Director: Sandhya Suri
A housewife-turned-cop is sucked into a high-profile case that has polarised the local community in this taut, north India-set thriller.
Wilding Wilding
Documentary 2024 75 mins Director: David Allen
A dying landscape is healed against all odds, going on to thrive in astonishing ways, in this hopeful story of ecological regeneration.
All We Imagine as Light All We Imagine as Light
Romance 2024 118 mins Director: Payal Kapadia
Payal Kapadia’s Cannes Grand Prix-winning portrait of three women is a transcendent tale of love and sisterhood.
Silent Roar Silent Roar
Drama 2023 90 mins Director: Johnny Barrington
On the Isle of Lewis, a passionate surfer and his sweetheart have dreams of escaping in this charming comedy with echoes of Bill Forsyth.
Vermiglio Vermiglio
Drama 2024 120 mins Director: Maura Delpero
Unfolding against the stunning backdrop of a remote Italian mountain village, Maura Delpero’s film is a hauntingly beautiful period tale of family life gradually torn apart.
Memoir of a Snail Memoir of a Snail
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2024 95 mins Director: Adam Elliot
Nick Cave and Sarah Snook voice an Oscar-nominated stop-motion classic of divided twins, told with adult candour and uncanny warmth.
Santosh Santosh
Drama 2023 128 mins Director: Sandhya Suri
A housewife-turned-cop is sucked into a high-profile case that has polarised the local community in this taut, north India-set thriller.
Who We Love Who We Love
Drama 2021 94 mins Director: Graham Cantwell
Bullied for her sexuality, Dublin schoolgirl Lily turns to her gay best friend for support in this vibrant coming-out, coming-of-age drama.
Sebastian Sebastian
Drama 2024 110 mins Director: Mikko Mäkelä
A young London-based writer begins a double life as a sex worker to research his debut novel, in this gripping psychological drama.
Punch-Drunk Love Punch-Drunk Love
Drama 2002 95 mins Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Adam Sandler is a beleaguered businessman who finds romance with a mysterious woman, in Paul Thomas Anderson’s award-winning offbeat comedy.
An Elephant Sitting Still An Elephant Sitting Still
Drama 2018 234 mins Director: Hu Bo
The troubled lives of four desperate people unfold over the course of a single day, in this melancholy masterpiece about the human condition.
The Outcasts The Outcasts
Fantasy 1982 106 mins Director: Robert Wynne-Simmons
Haunting Irish folk-horror, from the writer of The Blood on Satan’s Claw, about an introverted farm girl suspected of witchcraft.
Memoir of a Snail Memoir of a Snail
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2024 95 mins Director: Adam Elliot
Nick Cave and Sarah Snook voice an Oscar-nominated stop-motion classic of divided twins, told with adult candour and uncanny warmth.