CONDENSATION
Queer magic realist short film | 20 minutes | 2026
Written and directed by Joshua Val Martin
Photography and Editing by Lee Baxter
Synopsis
Manchester, 2010. Jordan arrives at university determined to join the LGBT Society. But when he discovers that a cloud has always surrounded his head, he becomes convinced he must get rid of it before he can attend.
At Freshers’ Fair, he meets Mike, the society’s openly gay social secretary, and glimpses both a man and a life he wants to move towards. Caught between that possibility and his mother’s expectations, Jordan makes increasingly desperate attempts to escape the cloud.
Research and form
Condensation grew out of two years of oral-history research into Manchester’s LGBT+ history through IAP:MCR, the company Joshua is a co-director of.
One interviewee described growing up under Section 28 without knowing that the legislation existed. His image of growing up ‘in a cloud’ gave Joshua a way of dramatising the cultural silence surrounding queer lives, and its effects long after the law had been repealed.
That silence shaped both the writing and direction. Jordan’s face is withheld until late in the film; conversations become inaudible; clouds repeatedly obstruct the audience’s view; memory interrupts chronological time; fragments of oral history enter the fictional world.
From oral history to film
The film also incorporates footage created during On the Scene, Joshua’s participatory reconstruction of the party following Manchester’s 1988 anti-Section 28 demonstration. Produced for IAP:MCR at Fairfield Social Club during SCENE Festival 2025, the event placed audiences inside a live film set, connecting contemporary participants with the Section 28 history that inspired Condensation.
Production and premiere
Condensation was commissioned by IAP:MCR with support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
The film received its world premiere at HOME, Manchester, on 26 August 2026 as part of SCENE Festival.
Festival submissions are currently underway for 2026–27. Festival programming, screening and industry enquiries are welcome.
Selected credits
Producer — David Martin
Director of photography and editor — Lee Baxter
Production designer — Jez Dolan
Sound design and additional music — Ed Waring
