Showing as part of the GAZE festival, And Then Came Lola is a blast of a film, some much-needed fresh air on a somewhat stifling (for women anyway) programme. This is what happens when, after years of some great lesbian films but mostly awful lesbian films, the viewers get involved. Ellen Seidler and Megan Siler were obviously watching films and thinking “Jesus, I could do better than that!” They were right, they can. And Then Came Lola is a fast-paced, slick comedy that will give your funny bone a good workout.

It tells the story of Lola (Ashleigh Sumner, right), a photographer who thinks she’s cool but is just flaky. Fate takes a hand when her girlfriend (Jill Bennett) calls her up and begs for her help. She is given three chances to get to her lady on time. During the three sprints across San Francisco, she learns more and more about herself, realising that what she though was light and cool, is actually selfish and cold.

Determined to become a better person, she rushes to the side of her girl, desperately trying to keep her out of the clutches of her gorgeous ex, who has a hankering to reacquaint.

The storyline is helped by the fact that the women are hot. Look, it’s important ok? Ashleigh Sumner is a cute as anything, Jill Bennett is a babe and her real-life girlfriend, Cathy DeBuono, skates on the edge of drop-dead gorgeous and weird-looking. So head to the pictures to see something warm, sexy and entertaining. It’s what we all cry out for, for the other 51 weeks of the year.

I’ve seen most of the films on the GAZE programme and, for me, this and Prayers for Bobby are the standouts. Having said that, Stonewall Uprising and of course, Stand Up: My Best Friend look like must-sees too.

• And Then Came Lola is showing in The Lighthouse Cinema on Saturday 31st July at 8.30pm, tickets are a tenner

• Prayers for Bobby is on in The Lighthouse on Sunday 1st August at 4.30pm and tickets are free

• Stonewall Rising is on in The Lighthouse on Monday 2nd August at 6.30pm and tickets are a tenner

• Stand Up: My Best Friend is on in The Lighthouse on Monday 2nd August at 8.30pm and tickets are a tenner

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