🎬EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW : Francesca McBride - Subverting Shakespeare, Non-Binary Identity, and Micro-Budget Filmmaking with the Director of Lady Macbeth Was Never a Girl

# 🎬 INTERVIEW: Subverting Shakespeare, Non-Binary Identity, and Micro-Budget Filmmaking with the Director of *Lady Macbeth Was Never a Girl*
*In an exclusive interview with QueerFilmHub, we sit down with the writer-director behind the acclaimed short film **Lady Macbeth Was Never a Girl**. We delve into how classical literature can be reframed to explore non-binary coming-of-age journeys, navigating the challenges of micro-budget production, gaining support from industry icons like Sir Ian McKellen, and upcoming projects on the horizon.*
---
### 1. Deconstructing the Classic
**QueerFilmHub: *Lady Macbeth Was Never a Girl* takes inspiration from one of the most iconic archetypes in literature. What sparked the idea to reframe this character, and how do you approach subverting traditional narratives to explore complex queer perspectives?**
**Director:** I have always been enthralled by and felt an affinity to Shakespeare. Perhaps it’s how inherently queer his work is? I mean, you only have to look at the romantic tension between Antonio and Bassanio in *The Merchant of Venice*, or the cross-dressing in *Twelfth Night* and *As You Like It*, to see that his work can, and does, exist in a more fluid space. Or perhaps it’s because I find his text to be a vehicle of discovery. His encompassing of human life has definitely helped me understand my own experience, open up questions about myself, and find language for my feelings — and I’m sure that is the case for many others too.
So Shakespeare was a definite. The follow-up question is: why *Macbeth*? Personally, I’ve always found the line *“unsex me here”* deeply fascinating as a plea. *Macbeth* is so often taught through the lens of gender — Lady Macbeth extols Macbeth to *“be so much more the man”* — and I remember classroom discussions fixating on Macbeth’s masculinity and Lady Macbeth’s rejection of 'womanhood'. I think as a text it felt like a really natural background to explore the boundary between femininity and non-binary-ness.
In terms of subverting traditional narratives, I think it’s about recognising the value of your perspective on these classical texts. The reason these works have persisted for so long is because they are ambiguous enough to leave space for multiple interpretations and, as a queer person, my personal reading of these texts will always and inherently be through that lens. I believe that is a valuable thing to share. You don’t have to re-invent the wheel or ‘queer’ something to make it relatable to queer audiences — you just have to be willing to share your own unique, authentic interpretation of it.
---
### 2. Micro-Budget Filmmaking & Industry Praise
**QueerFilmHub: From award nominations at BIFA-qualifying festivals and audience awards, to high praise from Sir Ian McKellen, the response has been incredible. How did you navigate the challenges of micro-budget filmmaking, and what has this industry recognition meant for you as a debut director?**
**Director:** Firstly, I am so, so grateful for the industry support this short has received — from Ian’s kind words to festival recognition, reviews, and lovely audience feedback! It has really been a gift to see our work resonate and connect with so many people! I know there are little pieces of me folded into this quiet exploration, and the soft, observational style feels stylistically very close to me too, so it’s been a real compliment to see people recognise something of themselves in it as well. As a debut writer-director, the recognition has also given me a huge amount of confidence — not necessarily that I have all the answers, but that there is value in trusting my instincts and following the stories that feel important to me.
Micro-budget filmmaking is really tough! One of the strangest things is that the budget can’t really be a fixed thing; instead, it becomes a living conversation, especially if crowdfunded like our film is! Throughout pre-production, production, and post, you’re constantly reassessing what’s possible, what’s changed, and where you might need to find a creative solution.
I was incredibly lucky to be surrounded by a brilliant and super-committed team who helped me navigate these financial decisions by creatively problem-solving. Everyone was incredibly generous with their time, ideas, and energy. We were also fortunate to receive support from external companies and individuals — our location generously offered us an emerging artist rate, as did our props hire company, and our costumes were provided free of charge. Those kinds of gestures can make such a huge difference to a small production.
The financial challenge doesn’t necessarily end when the film is completed. Festival submissions and attendance can be a significant cost, and we’re actually still fundraising to cover those expenses. Seeing the film connect with audiences has made all of that hard work feel incredibly worthwhile.
> 💡 **Support the Project:** If you are interested in supporting us to share the film more widely, you can check out our [GoFundMe Campaign Here](https://www.gofundme.com/f/lady-macbeth-was-never-a-girl-short-film).
---
### 3. Visual Storytelling & Power Dynamics
**QueerFilmHub: The film explores rich themes of identity, gender, and power. How did you work with your cast and visual palette to translate these intense, nuanced dynamics onto the screen?**
**Director:** For me, this film isn’t about knowing who you are. It’s about the moments you begin to suspect you might not be who everyone says. It's a film about the quiet, formative shifts that happen not through drama, but through noticing — a line in a play, a pair of joggers, a space that doesn’t quite feel wrong. It’s a story for anyone who felt miscast before they even had words to say so.
To tell that story, it was important to me that we sat in a contemplative mood. The film is intimate and character-led, with a camera that observes the action rather than pushing it. The dialogue is quiet, naturalistic, and sparse, punctuated by moments of internal reflection. The aspect ratio references the 1990s setting, and the colour grade is nostalgically muted.
I was interested in juxtaposing static shots representing conformity with dynamic shots representing freedom, and I hope this changing camera vocabulary allows the audience to experience Jessica’s shift alongside her, before Jessica necessarily understands it. Mirrors literally reflect Jessica’s potential back to her, and we end with a gorgeous original song (composed by Peter McMahon) that subtly hints at a non-binary future through the combined female and male voices, without being overly prescriptive.
The acting and visual palette support the idea that the film isn’t a declaration — it’s a feeling, a tension, a search for language.
---
### 4. Broader Vision & Future Projects
**QueerFilmHub: While *Lady Macbeth Was Never a Girl* is making a splash on the festival circuit, we’d love to highlight your wider creative body of work. Could you tell us more about your other projects — past, present, or in development?**
**Director:** As an actor, I have an existing body of work across theatre (*Single White Female* UK & Ireland Tour), TV (*Generation Z* and *Boarders*), and film (the RTS Award-winning short *Sub Rosa*), but *Lady Macbeth Was Never a Girl* marks my writer-director debut!
The short is also the first of a trilogy, and I am currently seeking funding for the second instalment: ***To Hold This Shape***. This coming-of-age short continues the exploration of modern resonances of Shakespeare in the context of adolescence as a time of gender discovery and questioning. The film follows quiet 17-year-old Alex, who upon being cast as Oberon in her all-girls school’s production of *A Midsummer Night’s Dream*, discovers an unexpected freedom in embodying masculinity, forcing her to question where the role ends and she begins — and ultimately whether she needs an answer at all. I’m currently attached as writer-director, and I welcome expressions of interest from potential producers and/or funders.
Alongside BAFTA-Breakthrough Producer Alderney Middleton, I’m also in the financing stage for a standalone womxn-crewed drama, ***In Absentia***. The short film follows a guarded 16-year-old boarding-school student, Lucy, who is unexpectedly visited by her emotionally absent mother, forcing a confrontation between them about love, absence, and whether showing up, on limited terms, is ever enough. Key talent attached includes Lisa Faulkner in the role of Ms. Dalton, and myself as the writer and in the role of Lucy. We are also in negotiation with an exciting female director to helm the project.
Also coming up this autumn, as *Lady Macbeth Was Never a Girl* finishes on the festival circuit, is a theatre tour of **left eddy stories**’ (my production company) debut play, ***Beneath the Camouflage Tree***. It’s a small-scale tour, principally to venues along the south coast of England. If you are interested in programming the show, please don’t hesitate to contact us at `lefteddy@outlook.com`.
As a creative, I’m drawn to stories that resist easy answers, creating intimate, character-driven narratives that centre ambiguity, transformation, and the experiences that often exist beyond familiar cultural frameworks. I find my work tends to concentrate on the tensions between public expectation and private reality, exploring themes of gender, adolescence, consent, and connection. Nuance is particularly important to me, and I love to zoom into the subtle moments that shape identity through a cinematic language rooted in observation, stillness, and character.
I’m really interested in what happens before certainty — the moment a character knows something has changed but doesn’t necessarily know what it means yet. As a non-binary person, I feel my perspective often generates stories that leave or create space for contradiction and uncertainty, and I try to trust audiences to engage with stories that prioritise emotional honesty over resolution.
---
### 5. Advice for Independent Creators
**QueerFilmHub: As a writer-director pushing boundaries in independent queer cinema, what is the most important piece of advice you would give to emerging filmmakers trying to tell bold, uncompromising stories on a tight budget?**
**Director:** **Don’t wait for permission.** You don’t need someone else to validate the story before you start making it.
That being said, I do recognise the barriers to ‘just making it’ and I think it’s a great creative challenge, regardless of budget, to think about how efficiently you can communicate what you want to say. What is actually essential to the story, and what is desirable? What’s the smallest version you could make? There are so many ways of adapting without losing the emotional heart of the project — challenge yourself to see how efficiently you can use the resources that you do have access to.
A small budget doesn’t mean a small film emotionally. If you are bringing your unique perspective, that is inherently valuable and interesting. And ultimately, you don’t have to have all the answers straightaway to make something truthful and connected. Sometimes the most interesting stories are the ones that begin with a question.
---
💬 **What are your thoughts on subverting classical literature to explore modern queer identity? Let us know in the comments below!**  
☕ **Support independent queer cinema and our work on [Patronite / Patreon]!** https://patronite.pl/