Do Not Fade: A Trans Reimagining of Quentin Crisp

Aim

A short film reimagining Quentin Crisp as the trans woman he never got to be.

The Idea: Reclaiming a Missing Chapter

Quentin Crisp was a pioneer who spent a lifetime being punished for refusing to perform a gender that wasn't his. In the 1930s when it was sinful for women to wear make-up he wore lipstick, eye shadow, and had long henna'ed hair. At the age of 65 he published his groundbreaking autobiography, The Naked Civil Servant that went on to be made into a film starring John Hurt making both Crisp and Hurt famous. In his final posthumous autobiography, he wrote: "At the age of ninety, it has finally been explained to me that I'm not really homosexual. I'm transgender. I accept that now." That sentence is the heart of our film, Do Not Fade.

Co-written by Adrian Goycoolea and Juliet Jacques — whose acclaimed collection Variations imagines trans lives written out of history — and inspired by the aesthetics of Sally Potter's Orlando, we imagine a world where Quentin is transformed into Orlyn Crisp: a figure who moves through time and gender to find herself alive today as a young trans woman.

A Personal Connection

Hi, I'm Adrian Goycoolea. As Quentin's great-nephew, this project is deeply personal to me. I grew up in New Jersey, having arrived from Brazil at six years old. Bullied for being weird and foreign, it was my parents' old vinyl recording of An Evening with Quentin Crisp that gave me comfort — his wit and insight helped me define myself on my own terms. Later, when I was at film school in New York, we would have lunch together at the Cooper Square Diner. Chats and stories over fried eggs with mashed potatoes. If he was sick, I brought him groceries and soup from B&H Dairy.  He was family. 

But this film isn't about the Quentin that I knew—it's about a possibility he didn't get to live.

Why This Matters

Today, trans rights are under relentless attack in the UK and internationally. The terms change, but the target remains the same: the policing of gender expression. My vision is to provide a counter-narrative rooted in the same joy, wit, and fierce self-determination that Quentin embodied. We aren't just making a film. We are reclaiming a piece of queer history.

THE TEAM

We have assembled a dream team of trans talent and seasoned professionals:

Adrian Goycoolea — filmmaker and university lecturer based in Brighton, UK. His films include ¡Viva Chile Mierda! (2014), a documentary about the first agent of the Pinochet dictatorship to publicly confess to torture; AI Jetée (2024), a shot-for-shot remake of Chris Marker's La Jetée using generative AI; and A Mixtape for Stom (2025), a personal portrait of underground Super 8mm filmmaker Stom Sogo.

Fox Fisher (Producer) — award-winning filmmaker and co-founder of My Genderation, with a long history of creating authentic trans stories.

Kirsten Stoddart (Producer) — a seasoned producer with extensive experience in high-end UK film and television production, bringing rigorous creative and logistical expertise to Do Not Fade.

Dale Elena McCready BSC NZCS (Director of Photography) — internationally acclaimed cinematographer whose credits include The Day of the Jackal, The Witcher, and Doctor Who.

Izzi Valentine (Costume & Production Design) — unique creative vision drawn from short film, theatre, and electronic textiles.

Nick Hudson (Composer) — drawing on his experience scoring Derek Jarman's Super 8mm films, Nick is creating a score that bridges the past and the present.

Iain McCallum (Publicist) — a seasoned talent manager and publicist whose extensive network includes high-profile actors and comedians like Christopher Eccleston and Steve Coogan.

THE CAST

Lavinia Co-op (Quentin Crisp) — founding member of legendary radical drag troupe Bloolips, and a living link to an era of radical queer liberation. Through the magic of cinema, she transforms into Lexa Rowley as Orlyn Crisp.

Lexa Rowley (Orlyn Crisp) — best known for her breakout role in Sex Education (Netflix), Lexa brings a modern, vibrant energy to the legacy of Crisp.

Elios K. Douglas (The Great Dark Man) — a deaf and trans-masculine actor known for his roles in Heartstopper (Netflix) and the stage production of A Christmas Carol. 

How We Will Use the Money

We are raising £45,000 to bring this vision to life with the production values it deserves. Your support goes toward:

• Fair wages for an inclusive crew. We are proud to be a trans-led production. Your funding ensures we can pay our cast and crew fair, professional rates.
• Stunning period and contemporary aesthetics. From Elizabeth I to modern-day New York, our costume and production designer Izzi Valentine is creating a visual world inspired by the legacy of Orlando.
• High-end post-production. To capture the surreal transitions of Orlyn's journey, we are investing in professional colour grading, VFX, and a bespoke original score.
• Community impact. Part of our budget supports our partnership with Trans Plus on Screen, maintaining our commitment to inclusive hiring practices from top to bottom.

AHRC reviewers told us this project has "the potential to heal its audiences" and would "surely be a landmark film" — and still declined to fund it. The British Film Institute suggested it might be "challenging for audiences." What's wrong with being challenging? That's why we're bringing it directly to the community it belongs to.

This film is a cinematic recovery. It has the potential to heal, to inspire, and to ensure that this vital part of our history does not fade. Join us.

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 27th July 2026 at 8:36am