If you haven’t heard about Out at Lunch, a documentary film following a group of gay friends through their last few days at Cambridge University then we have to say we’re a tad disappointed in you because this is quickly become one of the most talked about films to be released in 2010.

And why’s that? Well because this is a film that’s a bit different from most of the lesbian films out there, and it’s not just because it’s a documentary. It’s because this isn’t a film that make being gay everything. It makes it a part of who these women are, but just as importantly shows that’s not all there is to them.

Focused mainly on interviews, this film revolves around one event. Their last get together, and it’s rather a major one, because the girls have decided not only to have a formal meal, but to invite their parents too!

Providing a unique insight into how the girls and their parents have dealt with their sexuality, alongside the challenges they’ve faced in remaining true to themselves, this throughly entertaining and engaging film is guaranteed to get you thinking thanks to the brilliant work by Alisa Arnah and Emma Brogen, the sisters who have directed and produced the documentary.

Both taking on new roles for the first time with Out At Lunch, Alisha as director and Emma as producer, these are two women who come with a lot of experience. 

In the case of Alisha, you have a very talented lady graduated from RADA in 2005, who has appeared in a host of theatre, TV and film productions and produced two short films Until Sunday Morning and David Johnsons Appointment. And Emma? Well there’s a woman whose equally talented, being not only one of the founding members of the group featured in the film, but also a woman who managed to fit in co-producing a piece at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2006 in a break from her Zoology degree.

Still not totally convinced that Out At Lunch is worth checking out?  Well we have to say you’re really quite hard to please, but here at Queeried we’re willing to go the extra mile to convince you so we kidnapped Emma and Alisha and told them we wouldn’t let them go till they answered our probing questions… strangely they were more than willing.

You two are sisters. Had you always planned to work together on a project like Out To Lunch or was it something that just happened? Do you feel being siblings had a positive impact on how the film came together in that you have a deeper knowledge of what each other is trying to achieve?

Alisa: Em and I came from very different paths- i’m an actress and Em’s a scientist. Though I think both of us had thought about making films for a long time. I’d produced a couple of shorts and was really keen to have a go at directing. Em was trying to break out of the science mould and had done some work producing in theatre. But this project wasn’t planned: Em had the idea for the meal and immediately thought it would make a great documentary. She called me up and a, very stressful, week later we were in Cambridge with a DoP ready to shoot.

Emma: I think being sisters does help. We’ve spent our whole lives fighting and making up again, so we’ve got it down to a fine art now. Your sister is the one person you can say anything to and know it’ll be ok, and that really helps working together, especially when things get stressful! It’s quite helpful being able to communicate practically telepathically too. In meetings we know what each other is thinking so we can make decisions quickly without having to go off and talk about it together first.

You’ve spoken about wanting to make Out To Lunch about dispelling stereotypes and giving a true, honest, and most of all portraying positive view of what being a lesbian is like. Do you think that you’ve achieved this?

Emma: i don’t think it’s for us to answer that, it’s for the audience to judge. The girls in Out at Lunch are a great example of young lesbians who are happy and open in who they are and we wanted to share that. I think that a lot of the difficulties that they have faced are things that a lot of the gay community will relate to, but of course there’s no one experience of coming out.

The film acts to show the lesbian lifestyle as something very normal and ordinary. This is in stark contrast to many other mainstream LGBT movies which try to make it very obvious in an attempt to draw in the gay market. Do you think by filming it as you have the film is a lot more accessible than most films in the genre? Was this your plan?

Alisa: Another big aim for us was to engage the straight community and and to maybe help answer some of their questions. There are still so many assumptions and prejudices that are very deep routed, especially in older generations, and we hope that Out at Lunch can go some way towards dispelling these. We wanted the film to appeal to as wide an audience as possible and I think it touches on a lot of themes that anyone can relate to: friendship, growing up, wanting acceptance from your parents, being honest about who you are in life…

Knowing the girls in the group prior to the film must have helped in making it a more relaxed process. Was everyone keen to be involved or did some take more persuading than others?

Emma: Knowing the girls already helped a lot with making the filming more relaxed and keeping things informal, which helped get a much more honest response from them. The girls were hugely supportive and generous in sharing so much with us. As the film has grown a few more reservations have surfaced. I think them realising that the film is actually going to happen and get seen by a lot of people has forced them to consider how comfortable they really are with that. To me, the fact that some of them are worried about being seen as a lesbian in a gay documentary is exactly why we’re making this film.

You’ve said that many of the parents invited to the dinner didn’t feel comfortable being on camera. Do you think this had a negative impact or do you feel their silence gives off an equally powerful message.

Alisa: I think to be fair to the parents, their discomfort was really just about being on camera at all rather than about appearing in a gay film. And in the end the film isn’t about that one event, it’s about why the idea of the meal caused such anxieties, why having a meal with all your friends (who happen to be gay) and your parents is even an issue at all.

A lot of the film is made up of interviews with the girls. Emma, you particularly have known the girls for a while, did any of their responses come as a surprise?

Emma: We know each other very well so I did know a lot of it already. But filming was very intense and hearing the girls stories told in full was quite emotional.

Alisa: I think it was amazing how moving some of the stuff was even for someone who had never been through the same experiences, there were quite a few points when our DoP needed a tissue!

Will we see Out To Lunch on general release, and where and when can it be seen?
Alisa: We have big plans for Out at Lunch and will be doing everything we can to get it seen far and wide. We will definitely be not-to-be-missed launch party in February to coincide with LGBT history month where we’ll be premièring the film. The best way to keep up with film’s progress is to sign up to our newsletter on our website on www.outatlunch.com or follow us on Twitter @lifeslicefilms

What’s next after Out To Lunch? Do you plan to produce more films together? Are you considering a follow up now everyone has left Cambridge?

No, there won’t be a follow up, Out at Lunch is very much about a specific time in the girl’s lives and it’s time for us all toThis is just the start for LifeSliceFilms. We’ve got two projects planned for 2010, first of all a short comedy about lesbians and sexual healthcare (how to explain why you don’t use a condom) and then we’ll be starting on our first feature, it’s gonna be a romcom but at the moment that’s all we can say…

*And finally, if you had to convince someone to see the film in one sentence what would you say?*

Emma: Well, if the rest of our interview hasn’t convinced you, we promise it’s worth it for the comedy of prom dress rugby and some spectacularly dated archive footage.

So have we managed to turn you into a raving fan of Out At Lunch? Are you wishing you could help plug this great film wherever you go? Well great news. You can, and that’s all thanks to LibertyBodies who are now offering eco canvas bags, mugs and even some Out at Lunch pants with all profits going to help the distribution of the film.