Studio Voltaire and Wandsworth LGBTQ+ Forum unveil Rainbow Plaque dedicated to My Beautiful Laundrette film
Studio Voltaire and Lambeth Council have partnered with Wandsworth LGBTQ+ Forum to unveil a Rainbow Plaque on Friday 10th September dedicated to the iconic film, My Beautiful Laundrette released in 1985. The plaque will be installed into the footway in Wilcox Road, Vauxhall, the location of Powders laundrette featured in the cult classic.
Starring award-winning actor Daniel Day-Lewis and Gordon Warnecke, and directed by Stephen Frears with an Oscar-nominated original screenplay by renowned writer Hanif Kureishi, My Beautiful Laundrette broke major ground in its bold exploration of race and sexuality in Thatcher-era London. The iconic British cinema classic was filmed across Wandsworth, Battersea and Vauxhall in 1984 with the set design and the site found on Wilcox Road in SW8.
Following a successful crowdfunding campaign – which included a special screening of the film at Clapham Picturehouse followed by a Q&A with the film’s cast and crew, £2500 was raised to realise the project, the design and production of the plaque, as well as the official unveiling event. It will be the first of the Rainbow plaques to incorporate the official Pride colours. The My Beautiful Laundrette plaque has been generously supported by individuals through its crowdfunding campaign and the installation is supported by Lambeth Council.
This is a brilliant project and I’m delighted that the council has been able to throw its full support behind it. Celebrating our diversity, alongside our community partners, is a top priority for us. I’m proud to have been involved in this project and proud too that Lambeth Council has supported this community-led campaign from the beginning. The outcome is a very fitting tribute to this bold and ground-breaking film that serves to celebrate and preserve Lambeth and London’s LGBTQ+ cultural history
Cllr Claire Holland, Leader of Lambeth Council
We are really pleased to be working with Wandsworth LGBTQ+ Forum and Lambeth Council to realise another Rainbow Plaque in our local community. It is important to commemorate and celebrate such key moments in LGBTQIA+ history and the significance of the film, My Beautiful Laundrette, continues to live on through this project. We are extremely grateful to all who have supported the project and look forward to unveiling it to the people of Lambeth and beyond
Joe Scotland, Director, Studio Voltaire
