‘The Life House Project’ premiѐres at the BFI

Surrey’s Centre of Excellence on Ageing (CEA) has worked with the London Bubble’s Older Adults’ Programme to produce a beautiful animated short film which shares the perspectives of LGBTQ+ older adults living in housing and social care.

Audience at BFI premiere of The Light House project, August 2025

The film, ‘The Life House Project’, was premiѐred at the British Film Institute (BFI) on Friday 8 August and was followed by a Q&A about the project. The film was devised by members of the older LGBTQ+ community from scratch. The characters, storylines and scripts reflected the housing and social care needs of the ageing LGBTQ+ community.

Supported by the Higher Education Innovation Funding (HEIF) Arts and Humanities Impact Acceleration Account (IAA) Impact Generation fund, the animation is currently being trialled in housing and care settings as part of ongoing EDI staff training to promote more LGBTQ+ inclusive practices.

GSA and London Bubble staff involved with Light House BFI premiere, August 2025

Dr Georgia Bowers, CEA Fellow and Lead Researcher for The Life House Project, said:

“The Life House Project demonstrates how theatre, story-telling and animation can drive real change, amplifying the voices of older LGBTQ+ individuals and advocating for more LGBTQ+ inclusive housing and social care.

"In partnership with London Bubble Theatre, and our lead animator Izzy Barszcz, these stories come alive, and premiѐring at the British Film Institute, shines a much-needed light on older LGBTQ+ voices and their needs as they grow older."

Panel at Light House project BFI premiere, August 2025

Marie Vickers, Artistic Director of London Bubble, added:

“Our work is all about engaging people who face barriers to the arts. The Life House Project is an excellent example of how powerful that can be; not only are the stories and characters beautiful, but the people who have participated in the projects have also reported an increased sense of inclusion, well-being and pride.

"It was a pleasure to apply our co-creation process to this project in order to develop meaningful, well-rounded characters and a script for the animation. I enjoyed seeing how committed the group were to making the project the best it could be, in order to make housing and care services more inclusive for the LGBTQ+ community.

"Older people are often isolated and invisible in society, but here they have had an opportunity to connect with others, express themselves and make art, which, thanks to the BFI, we now have an opportunity to share their very important voices with more people!”

You can access the film here.