Here Come The Girls [DVD] [2009]

Nine up-and-coming and established female filmmakers bring you a refreshing variety of shorts that look at all aspects of lesbian life and love, from contemporary scenarios of mistaken identity and bedroom hang-ups to period pieces concerning secret rendezvous and forbidden relationships.

Sobering issues such as racial stereotypes and domestic violence are also touched upon, as are tales of wistful romance and teenage friendships boiling over into sexual desire. The collection features work from acclaimed writers/filmmakers Guinevere Turner (The L Word, Itty Bitty Titty Committee, American Psycho) and Roberta Munroe (How Not To Make A Short Film), actresses Nathalie Toriel (Finn's Girl) and Lucy Liemann (Moving Wallpaper, Reggie Perrin) and British performance artists Bird La Bird, Dyke Marilyn and Split Britches.

Wicked Desire - Dir. Angela Cheng (USA) 13mins Starring Emma Angeline, Julia Weldon The Crabb family in Texas are thrown a curve-ball when they discover that daughter Jessica is moonlighting under a secret identity at school. Through the eyes of younger sister Bee, we witness the attempts of the family to make Jessica 'normal'.

Below the Belt - Dir. Laurie Colbert, Dominique Cardona (Canada) 13mins Starring Nathalie Toriel, Cara Pifko, Tanja Jacobs Seventeen year old girls Jill and Oona explore their sexuality in between bouts of boxing and playfighting. Yet when Oona invites Jill back to her house, the sparring spills over into something much more intense.

Congratulations Daisy Graham - Dir. Cassandra Nicolaou (Canada) 15mins Starring Barbara Gordon, Brenda Bazinet Seventy-year-old Daisy Graham is having a hard day. No one in her small town wants to let her forget about the big ceremony tomorrow, a ceremony at the local high school in her honour. But Daisy has more important things to think about than some ceremony - she's dug out her rifle, now all she needs is a box of bullets.

Dani and Alice Dir. Roberta Munroe (USA) 11mins Starring Yolonda Ross, Lisa Branch Dani and Alice are coming to the end of a tumultuous relationship. As they prepare to leave their favourite girl bar, the ramifications of Alice's actions earlier in the night are brought up in a heated conversation behind the wheel of Dani's car, with tragic end results.

A Soft Place Dir. Suzanne Guacci (USA) 10mins Starring Margaret Donlin, Meredith Riordan Two women conspire in a laundromat after finding themselves in a sticky situation. A bedroom tryst brought them together, but hubby's stained duvet threatens to tear them apart!

Private Life - Dir. Abbe Robinson (UK) 15mins Starring Lucy Liemann, Jana Carpenter Ruth Ackroyd leaves the monotony of her work at her father's textile mill on a Friday evening and secretly takes the train to Manchester. There, she meets a man on the platform, but all is not what it seems...

Fem - Dir. Inge 'Campbell' Blackman (UK) 10mins With Dyke Marilyn, Bird LaBird, Lois Weaver, Josephine Wilson, Killpussy Portraying femininity from ancient mythology and popular cinematic culture, Fem subverts images of empowered women to experimental and lyrical effect, with a butch narration from Peggy Shaw of UK Lesbian Feminist Theatre Company 'Split Britches'.

Happy Birthday - Dir. Roberta Munroe (USA) 15mins Starring Lisa Branch, Julie Goldman A hilarious role-reversal tale of two couples, two birthdays and two sex toys! Abigail wants a dildo. Hannah wants a baby. Jack and Madeleine are happy with things just the way they are.

Late Dir. Guinevere Turner (USA) 7mins Starring Suthi Picotte Maggie has missed a date with a girl she really liked and will not return her best friend's phone calls. By looking around her apartment and listening to her phone messages, we learn why.