Blake Simons

Blake Simons is a film journalist and programmer with a taste for the self-reflexive, sentimental and surreal. Specialising in contemporary Japanese and queer cinemas, they enjoy speaking with filmmakers about what makes them and their films tick.

All articles by Blake Simons

Festivals

Look Back: Two rival manga artists join forces in Koreeda’s sweet story of teenage friendship

Koreeda Hirokazu returns to the childhood wonderment of Monster (2023), with an intimate coming-of-age drama adapted from a popular one-shot manga by Fujimoto Tatsuki.

By Blake Simons

Look Back: Two rival manga artists join forces in Koreeda’s sweet story of teenage friendship

Interviews

Gregg Araki on I Want Your Sex: “The despair of the bad makes the euphoria of the good even more intense”

By Blake Simons

Gregg Araki on I Want Your Sex: “The despair of the bad makes the euphoria of the good even more intense”

Reviews

Bouchra: a striking animation about identity, connection and creativity

By Blake Simons

Bouchra: a striking animation about identity, connection and creativity

Interviews

John Waters on restoring Hairspray and Desperate Living: “The mistakes are part of the charm”

By Blake Simons

John Waters on restoring Hairspray and Desperate Living: “The mistakes are part of the charm”

Reviews

Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma: Jane Schoenbrun’s open-hearted slasher is playful about sex and cinema

By Blake Simons

Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma: Jane Schoenbrun’s open-hearted slasher is playful about sex and cinema

Reviews

Queer as Punk: powerful music doc takes viewers on the road with a radical Malaysian punk band

By Blake Simons

Queer as Punk: powerful music doc takes viewers on the road with a radical Malaysian punk band

Interviews

Mink Stole and Peaches Christ talk trash, collaboration and community: “Divine eating the dog poop was way past the tolerance level of most people”

By Blake Simons

Mink Stole and Peaches Christ talk trash, collaboration and community: “Divine eating the dog poop was way past the tolerance level of most people”

Reviews

Scarlet: a visually striking but narratively frustrating animated adaptation of Hamlet

By Blake Simons

Scarlet: a visually striking but narratively frustrating animated adaptation of Hamlet

Lists

40 hidden gems of LGBTQIA+ cinema

By Alex Davidson, Grace Barber-Plentie and others

40 hidden gems of LGBTQIA+ cinema

Interviews

“The sexiness of queerness is that there’s no fixed role”: Julia Jackman on 100 Nights of Hero

By Blake Simons

“The sexiness of queerness is that there’s no fixed role”: Julia Jackman on 100 Nights of Hero

Reviews

100 Meters: anime sports drama never quite finds its footing

By Blake Simons

100 Meters: anime sports drama never quite finds its footing

Discoveries

6 discoveries from Venice Film Festival 2025

By John Bleasdale, Rory Doherty and others

6 discoveries from Venice Film Festival 2025

Interviews

Takeshi Kitano, a rare interview: “There are diverse patterns of queerness in Japanese society”

By Blake Simons

Takeshi Kitano, a rare interview: “There are diverse patterns of queerness in Japanese society”

Interviews

James Schamus on a new The Wedding Banquet: “Over the years, I’ve come to the conclusion that what we call civilisation and culture is more or less queer”

By Blake Simons

James Schamus on a new The Wedding Banquet: “Over the years, I’ve come to the conclusion that what we call civilisation and culture is more or less queer”

Features

Like a Dragon: Yakuza – the films that inspired the long-running video game series and new Amazon adaptation

By Blake Simons

Like a Dragon: Yakuza – the films that inspired the long-running video game series and new Amazon adaptation