Comedy Group Major Labia are Launching Their First Short Film, Witches

Major Labia is such a great group name. What’s the story there?
Siobhán: Major Labia is a group of performers. We came together initially to have discussions about being a woman in the industry and quickly that progressed into performance - comedy specifically. The name came about through wanting to find something that was quite light and funny, but there’s also a pun there on Labia Majora, which seemed fitting because we’re looking at those things we’re not supposed to speak about. It’s crazy the amount of people who have asked us which part the labia is, so it’s somewhat educational too. 

You’re  in the process of making your first film, titled Witches…
Siobhán: We all met through The Television Workshop, which is where we trained, so we had a background in film and television - and that’s always been an aim for us. We’ve always wanted to explore many different mediums, and now seemed the right time for us to make our first short film, especially since we’re backed by BFI. 

The film centres around three ‘overlooked, under-laid women’. Can you tell us more?
Siobhán: Yes! So, that quote is part of our log line, which we’ve used to describe the film in a couple of words. But the story itself came from a place of wanting to explore feminism and how it’s been co-opted by capitalism and sold back to us devoid of its liberation. So, this film explores women who are taught by society to police each other, which is something we look at through the story of witches - told in a very light way.
Gemma: It’s a really interesting topic around women vetting other women, because that’s all within the context of a society led by men. I think we become distracted telling each other what we can and can’t do, and we’re being distracted away from the bigger issues of our rights. 

It’s nice to see a film discussing women and sex. Hopefully we’re moving into an era where female pleasure and experience is central on screen…
Gemma: That’s definitely something we wanted to explore. We really did want to discuss what pleasure means and what it means to embrace pleasure. It seems ridiculous that there’s still so much shame attached to that for women. 
Siobhán: I would love it if our film helped people feel more liberated. And though I do think we are getting there in the media in general, I also think that the amount of heterosexual sex scenes where orgasm is from penetration alone must be in the ninetieth percentile. Until we have real depictions of pleasure on screen, then we’re just talking about a liberation we haven’t yet achieved. 

How has this process been different so far to making theatre? 
Siobhán: One of the biggest differences is just the amount of people involved! It’s been really exciting to collaborate with so many people. 
Gemma: I also think that, creatively, you are just different. This narrative started off as a live sketch and we’d re-written it and tweaked it, through which we realised you have to work differently for a camera lens. Then, of course, the energy is totally different too. With live theatre you have a lot of energy to feed off, but the great thing about film is that you can send it even further. It lives for eternity, which is really different to theatre. 

You did a bit of work over lockdown with filmmaker Georgianna Scurfield. How was that?
Narisha: It was brilliant. We love working with local talent. It’s really satisfying and I enjoyed it from start to finish. I feel really proud to be from Nottingham and to champion our creatives. We all met in Nottingham, we all trained in Nottingham and that stands for a lot. I always say that if you cut me I’d bleed Nottingham. 
Siobhán: The revolutionary nature of the city really ties into what we’re doing too. Whether that’s the Luddites or Robin Hood, this city has a lot of things that we’re happy to carry forward with our comedy.

As for Witches, you put out a call for women and non-binary people to work on the movie in off-screen roles. Is this important to you? 
Siobhán: Very much so. Major Labia really aims to tell underrepresented stories, so we think it’s also really important to work with women and non-binary people. There are often less of those folks in those roles, so that’s why we want to prioritise them. The opportunities for women and non-binary people are still fewer, so we really wanted to collaborate with those people.

Amazing! Do you have any last comments or thoughts? 
Siobhán: One of the reasons we’re really honoured to make this film is because this film was written by four of us, including our friend and collaborator Phoebe Frances Brown, who we sadly lost last year. I think we all feel a real honour and privilege in being able to bring this film to life. It wouldn’t exist without Phoebe’s creativity, dedication and passion. To be making a film written by Phoebe, that’s a very special thing for us - to carry on their legacy in our work. 

@major_labia