Your Fat Friend + Jeanie Finlay Q&A

Made over 6 years, director Jeanie Finlay charts the rise of writer and activist Aubrey Gordon from anonymous blogger “Your Fat Friend” to NYTimes best selling author and beloved podcaster.

Her searingly honest writing describes what it’s like to be that fat person on the plane.. … and how the fantasies, peddled by a diet and wellness industry worth $26 billion a year are on a par with the lies that Big Tobacco told the public in the 1950s. (95% of diets fail for lasting weight loss). And how the biggest threat to fat people’s health might just be the bias that some many health care providers hold for fat people. …and about her own fractured relationship to her body.

She spent a decade campaigning for LGBTQIA rights so she knows that change is possible. Now it's time to advocate for herself. This isn’t about “body positivity” co-opted by brands to sell fat-kinis to size 16 women.Her aim? A paradigm shift in the way we see fat people and the fat on our own bodies. It has brought her an insatiable worldwide audience and threats to her life. The most meaningful personal change is when her family starts listening to her message.

YOUR FAT FRIEND, a film about fatness, family, the complexities of making change and the deep, messy feelings we hold about our bodies.

This screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Jeanie Finlay, moderated by Alabama Whirley. The film will screen with descriptive subtitles and the Q&A will be live captioned.

Alabama Whirley (she/her) is the producer of Glorified Cabaret - a fat positive and inclusive cabaret focused on showcasing the best fat performers in the UK and creating a safe, accessible and judgement free community for everybody. Alabama is also a burlesque performer herself and co-runs Liverpool Horror Club, making horror as accessible as possible throughout Liverpool.

This event is brought to you by Reclaim The Frame. Reclaim The Frame is a charity dedicated to bringing ever greater audiences to films by people from marginalised genders to offer a wider perspective of the world. This project seeks to empower audiences to make a positive intervention in the distribution and exhibition space.

Reclaim The Frame events create a space to discuss what's under the surface of each story. If you want to be an Advocate for the work we do, join the RTF mailing list.

Seat Access in the Screen

All screens are accessible to customers with limited mobility, including wheelchair users. If you wish to book a wheelchair space, please mention this if you book over the phone or in person. Alternatively, you can contact us at [email protected] and we can ensure that space is kept free for you.

All seats have immovable arm rests, and chairs are fixed together. The distance of the aisles between seats – from the front of one row of seats to the back of another – is approximately 1.1m. The distance of the aisles between seats – from the front of one row of seats to the back of another – is approximately 50cm wide. The seat base and back are approx 46cm wide; 69cm wide including arm rests. Aisles are located next to seats 1 and 18.

For more information on accessibility at FACT, see our access page.