The critically acclaimed documentary Forgetting the Many: The Royal Pardon of Alan Turing will have a one-week run at Cinema Village in NYC beginning December 6th. Directed by award-winning filmmaker Rosemarie Reed and narrated by acclaimed actor Ben Whishaw, this powerful film examines the posthumous pardon of World War II hero and codebreaker, Alan Turing, and delves into the stories of other men like Turing, who were convicted under the 1885 British law that criminalized male homosexual acts as “gross indecency,” as well as other offences. Through in-depth interviews, archival footage, and personal stories, Forgetting the Many highlights their struggle for justice, showing how these men lost their jobs, their families, and their dignity—all because of a law that criminalized love.
We are joined by Director Rosemarie Reed! She is passionate, knowledgable, & we were excited to chat with her!
In 2009, the then-Prime Minister Gordon Brown issued a formal apology for Alan Turing’s 1952 conviction for same-sex acts. Then, in 2013, Queen Elizabeth II posthumously pardoned him. This royal pardon extended only to Turing. It left thousands of other men convicted under the same and similar laws without a pardon.
In 2017, the Policing and Crime Act, amended by what became known as “Turing’s Law,” provided automatic posthumous pardons for deceased men who had been convicted of homosexual behaviour that was no longer a crime.
Forgetting the Many: The Royal Pardon of Alan Turing is a timely reminder of the struggles that LGBTQ+ individuals have faced in the fight for equality. Reed’s film shines a spotlight on the continuing fight for justice, both in the UK and around the world, where similar laws and their legacies still impact lives today. While the legal battle for pardons continues, the film calls attention to the need for societal change and greater recognition of the harms done to these men.
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