Hi, we are James and Lexi, the filmmakers of Out Laws.

Out Laws is an intimate and celebratory film born from a deeper political necessity: to confront the toxic legacy of colonialism on queer lives, and to reclaim a history that’s been systematically silenced.

** UPDATE 20 Jan 2026 **

Thanks to our supporters and GoFundMe contributors, we have finished Out Laws. From here, we need to pay to license the essential archive and music for beyond film festivals - so we can make Out Laws a tool for grassroots organisations everywhere. We thank you for your support!

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Clearing the film for wider distribution will drive impact campaign activities that will ensure our feature documentary contributes to the movement to decriminalise homosexuality. We want to tackle the lies that create homophobia and transphobia. We want this film to be seen in an as many places a possible, safely and with healthy discussion.

At its core, this is a film about resistance—and about joy. It follows a once-in-a-lifetime gathering of LGBTQIA+ activists from across criminalising Commonwealth countries, each challenging laws imposed under British rule that still punish queer identity today. This is a history that is not widely taught, nor fully acknowledged—and yet it continues to shape the lives of millions.

We created Out Laws to centre these stories and the people writing a new chapter—one of liberation, community, and transformation. We didn’t approach it as outsiders. We lived with our participants, marched with them at Pride, and built a shared space of trust and celebration. That collective experience, captured on screen, is what makes this film both powerful and profoundly human.

We’ve made this film independently, financing it through our social enterprise while juggling paid work. It’s been a labour of love—and of belief: that this story matters, and that it deserves to be seen. Our resourceful, often guerrilla-style filmmaking allowed us to stay close to our subjects and responsive to their needs, while experimenting visually to bring texture and depth to the storytelling.

The history behind Out Laws is urgent—but it is also long. These unjust laws are not accidents of time. They were planted, exported, and defended. This film offers not just a portrait of activism today, but a reckoning with the past that continues to dictate the terms of queer lives globally. At the same time, it offers something rare: a narrative of queer internationalism that is uplifting, dynamic, and alive with pride.

Our guiding principle has always been our participants’ trust. Success, for us, is their pride in this film—knowing they are seen and heard with dignity, power, and joy. But our hope is broader: that Out Laws can reach audiences unfamiliar with this history, move them, and start long-overdue conversations about justice and repair.

We believe this is a story that demands attention now. It is political, cinematic, and—crucially—timely. We’re proud to have made it, and we’re ready for the world to see it.