The holiday season in London is nothing short of magical, and my recent trip felt like stepping into a dream. The streets were adorned with twinkling lights, and iconic spots like the West End buzzed with energy. Among the festivities, I had the opportunity to watch Les Misérables, one of the most breathtaking plays I've ever seen. But the highlight of my trip came afterward: sitting down with two remarkable individuals, Dr. Kamran Qureshi and Matt Kenny, who brought their creative brilliance to the film Only Love Matters.
Dr. Qureshi, the director, and actor Matt Kenny shared insights into their journey with the film, which is currently streaming on Amazon Prime and other platforms. Only Love Matters is a poignant story that delves into the complex emotions surrounding identity, love, and family. The film centers on a young woman's budding romance, disrupted by the discovery of a book about intersex issues, which sparks deep personal and familial conflicts.
At its core, the narrative follows an intersex mother who makes extraordinary sacrifices for her adopted daughter while fighting for recognition and rights. Set against the backdrop of a modest village, the story interweaves themes of love, humor, and resilience. It’s an inspiring tale of triumph over adversity, illuminating the struggles of intersex individuals and celebrating the unbreakable bonds of family.
Dr. Qureshi’s passion for telling this story is evident. Through his work, he aims to shed light on often-overlooked narratives, fostering understanding and empathy. The film stands as a testament to the power of storytelling to raise awareness about intersex experiences while offering a profound message of hope, love, and acceptance.
As I left the interview, I reflected on how special this holiday season had become—not only because of the festive charm of London but also because of the opportunity to meet such passionate artists. Their commitment to creating meaningful cinema and championing human rights made this trip unforgettable.
If you’re looking for a film that touches your heart and challenges your perspective, Only Love Matters is a must-watch.
Interview with Dr. Kamran Qureshi
Dr. Kamran Qureshi is a film and television director, producer, and a senior fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy. He also runs his own production companies, KQ Movies and Evergreen Media Europe, based in London.
Dr. Kamran, it’s such a pleasure to be here with you today.
It’s a pleasure for me as well. You are most welcome in London. I hope you’re enjoying it.
Oh, I love London. This is one of the most beautiful cities I’ve ever visited. So, I’d like to start by asking you about your exciting journey. How did it all begin for you?
Initially, my intention wasn’t to join film and television. I actually started my career by taking some computer courses back in the early '90s.
One day, a friend of mine who worked at a digital video effects studio suggested that I visit and see how things worked there, especially since I already had basic computer training. I visited, watched how they operated with machines like DFS and DME—it’s amazing, I still remember the names.
Back then, computers weren’t as advanced as they are now. I joined for training, and on the fourth day, I was offered a permanent job at the studio. From there, I transitioned into film and television editing and eventually began managing TV programs in a production house.
As my career progressed, I started directing segments and later entire shows. One of the first projects I directed was a segment of Pepsi Top of the Pops. Over time, I directed and produced various shows, including Ariel Mothers for Procter & Gamble, which focused on parenting. Another show, Nido Young Stars, highlighted children excelling in academics and aspiring to do extraordinary things.
Later, I directed Nésvita Woman of Strength, which celebrated young girls pursuing careers like pilots, doctors, or even filmmakers. These experiences shaped my journey—it’s been an exciting ride!
Wow, that’s incredible! I see that you also hold a PhD in English Language Feature Film Production. What was the focus of your research?
Thank you for asking! My PhD explored British, American, and Australian cinema, focusing on how these industries have approached intersex narratives. I discovered that British cinema hadn’t produced any films on this subject, which raised the question: why not?
The research also examined the challenges filmmakers face when dealing with taboo topics that society may not readily accept or fully understand, such as intersex issues. Many people mistakenly conflate intersex with LGBT identities, but intersex is a biological condition. According to the UN, intersex individuals face discrimination across various areas, including sports and education.
Globally, about 1.7% of the population is intersex—roughly two people out of every 100. Yet, our understanding of gender remains largely binary. My film, Only Love Matters, aimed to break stereotypes by presenting intersex characters authentically, based on thorough research.
That’s so inspiring. I saw the film, and as you mentioned, it’s not just about intersex issues—it’s also a romantic comedy. It’s breaking boundaries while telling a heartfelt story.
Absolutely. The idea for the film originated years ago when I was working on Ariel Mothers. We had created a segment about a mother who was intersex, and later expanded it into a series. Fast forward 15 years, my wife Dr. Iram and I decided to revisit this theme, but this time through a British film in English.
That’s amazing! Speaking of Dr. Iram, I interviewed her recently for The Relatable Voice podcast. She shared the story of how you met—it was so romantic! Could you tell us more about it?
Of course. Our families already knew each other, but we formally met when Iram was pursuing a Master’s in Television Studies. She approached me for an internship. On her first day, I told her, “If you want a certificate, you’ll get it tomorrow. But if you really want to learn, be prepared for long hours and hard work.”
The next day, she returned and said she was ready to learn. From that point on, we worked together. After she completed her degree, we developed a wonderful chemistry, and eventually decided to get married. Now, we have three beautiful daughters!
That’s such a heartwarming story! Dr. Kamran, your work often focuses on women’s issues. Is that because of your close relationship with your mother?
Yes, my mother was my best friend and a great source of strength. She helped me set up my television studio in the '90s and even served as an executive producer for some of my projects. She passed away in 2008, but her love for storytelling and dramas has always inspired me.
That’s so touching. What’s next for you? Are you working on any new projects?
Yes, my next project is called My Good Lady, Elsie Inglis’ War. It’s a period drama set during World War I, focusing on British women’s contributions to the war effort, particularly Scottish women working in hospitals on various fronts. We’re producing both a feature film and a six-episode series.
That sounds incredible! And when can we expect your upcoming book and series?
The book should be ready by 2025, and the series is currently in pre-production.
That’s exciting! Only Love Matters is already making waves and is available on platforms like Apple TV and Amazon Prime.
Dr. Kamran, thank you so much for sharing your journey and for the amazing work you’re doing.
Thank you for having me. It’s been a pleasure talking with you.
Interview with Matthew Kenny
Hi Matt, welcome to The Relatable Voice magazine! Can you share what inspired you to pursue acting as a career? Was there a particular moment or role that solidified this path for you?
I often joke that I became an Actor because I’m a twin and didn’t get enough attention growing up but that doesn’t really give my wonderful parents who have always supported my career and unusual creative pursuits enough credit really, the truth is it’s always felt somewhat inevitable, growing up both my parents were creative, my mother being an actress turned teacher and my father a photographer and really the whole family are story tellers from My cinephile aunt who worked as a librarian on cruise ships and would take us to the cinema when she returned to visit to my grandparents on both sides who would share family stories, books and jokes which was combined with growing up on a part of the south coast drenched in history from the romans and vikings all the way up to Dickens and D-day it’s always felt like the perfect storm to create an deep seated interest in story telling really so if I’m really honest I never seriously considered anything else!
Looking back on your career so far, which role has been the most challenging for you, and why?
I mean I definitely think this film has been my hardest challenge so not only because of the sensitive nature of the subject matter and really wanting to bring justice to the story we’re telling but we also had to battle intermittent lock downs, ever changing restrictions and waning sunlight hours, there where times when it really felt like the universe was against it being made and it’s only due to the skill and tenacity people like the lovely Iram and our fantastic Director Kamran that we were able to overcome these challenges!
Do you have a dream role or genre you haven’t explored yet but would like to in the future?
Nothing specific, the main thing I’m looking for in this industry is variety- you can’t be an actor if your looking for a simple predictable life and I look forward to the many challenges ahead, I have a bunch of goals in terms of places I’d like to perform (like the national and the globe) and types of work I’d like to do (appear in an edgy bbc police drama or a classic style British sitcom etc) but when it comes to roles I have an awful habit of falling in love with parts from almost anything I’ve seen recently, for example I saw a performance of Jack Thornes ‘Burying your Brother under the pavement’ yesterday and the performances where brilliantly funny and utterly heartbreaking and I definitely left feeling there’s a couple of roles I’d like to have a crack at there!
What drew you to your latest film, Only Love Matters? How did you first learn about the story and the intersex themes it addresses?
When I was first approached about the film the casting team were very generous and upfront about the subject matter and it immediately struck me how important a story they had and when I looked into the team it was clear to me these are the right people to tell this story, In particular Kamran and Iram had an extensive history with this topic and telling this kind of story and with it being the first British film featuring the stories of Intersex characters it really felt like the kind of message the film featured was the sort of work that drew me towards this industry in the first place.
Were you already familiar with intersex issues before this film? If not, what did you learn during the process of preparing for and filming this role?
I have to be honest I wasn’t hugely aware of the issues that face the Intersex community in the modern world- I was familiar with their existence through a slightly archaic term ‘Hermaphrodite’ which was very lightly touched on in sex education when I was younger and through friends in the LGBTQIA+ community but the truth is I was embarrassingly ignorant. So it was only really when the casting team explained why this was the story they where telling and through research I did following that conversation that I really learnt what the reality is for so many people out there! There was so much I needed to learn thankfully there Is a wonderful community online who share their stories; people like Pidge Pagonis a YouTuber who shares their experience being non binary and intersex in detail and also our director Kamrans extensive research into the subject- I was shocked to learn how many people are effected and how different the experience of people in different cultures can be, as well as learning many people born Intersex are totally unaware of this fact unless they experience hormonal or sexual issues later in life, it’s truly awful how our current systems treat them!
Can you tell us about your character in Only Love Matters? How did you approach portraying someone in a story with such a unique and sensitive topic?
Ryan Raymond is a Model who was born Intersex and only really came to terms with this identity by reading the book ‘Only Love Matters’ by complete chance and unbeknownst to him while participating in a photoshoot he meets the estranged daughter (Steph) of the author and begins to fall in love with her. As their relationship blooms and the two learn more about each other Steph begins to suspect Ryan is keeping something from her eventually a culminating in him revealing his Intersex Identity. I approached Ryan not dissimilarity as I do all characters by starting with human that he is- whilst I may not have had any personal experience with being Intersex, that isn’t all Ryan, they’re a successful model, they’re inherently a multifaceted person so while that is an aspect of who they are- no one characteristic defines a person and I really wanted to that to come across, so it didn’t feel like I was creating a caricature or a two dimensional being and having experience both with modelling and with relationships in my own life, there was lots of other parts of his life I could identify with so that was really the start point for me.
The film delves into the complexities of identity and acceptance. How did working on this project affect your perspective on these themes?
I’m not really sure how the film affected my perspective on identity and acceptance, I think that’s a battle we all have to go through. In modern society we are all given such strong and specific messaging about who we should be and how we should act but as individuals we are all so different and similar and wonderfully unique in different ways it’s incredibly hard for people to find their place and figure out how to become comfortable with who they are. The trouble is it’s not really a battle that can be won or a puzzle that can be solved, I think it’s something we all have to struggle with day to day and sometimes it feels easy and others impossible and wrestling with that is inherently part of the human experience.
What was the most rewarding part of working on Only Love Matters? Did you feel a sense of responsibility in helping to bring awareness to intersex issues?
There were so many rewarding parts to being a part of this project from learning to ride a horse to response it received at festivals it’s hard to pin down one pet that really stands out- it’s been an incredible journey and so incredibly great full to have been brought along for the ride! I think it probably goes without saying that was a huge responsibility to bring awareness to intersex issues and to be completely honest at first I wasn’t sure I was the right choice- it’s part of why me and Kamran worked so closely on this- and I know they had an extensive process searching for the right actor for this role but one of the inherent difficulties with this story is that so many people who are facing these issues aren’t necessarily aware they are and combined with the inherently ruthless aspects of the industry the amount of Intersex performers is extremely limited, so I knew from the get go we had to try and make this special and that when people watch the film they feel we achieved something that does help start these conversations that maybe parents aren’t willing to have or what certain parts of peoples medical history actually might mean and how that can effect the individual throughout their lives.
How do you hope audiences will respond to Only Love Matters? Is there a particular message or feeling you hope they take away from the film?
I hope people are touched by the story, I hope they can see a part of themselves within it and I hope it does start some more open communication about these sort of things- It’s seems to me that as a society we are already in a substantially better place to do that than say ten years ago and I hope it inspires people to continue to look into the issues that face so many people if they aren’t directly effected themselves and that we can all continue to listen, learn, find empathy and make space for the many many wonderful and different human beings that are in the world! After all Variety is the spice of life!
Finally, what’s next for you? Are there any upcoming projects or goals you’re excited to share?
At the moment I’m working on an adaption of a Tragicomic Suisse play from the 50’s called ‘The Visit’ by Friederich Durrenmatt, which is a lot of fun and I can’t say too much about it as everything is up on the air still but I’m hoping to join a wonderful team of actors and artists working on another film tackling some serious issues around children’s correctional facilities at the start of the year, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed for that!
Find out more at https://www.instagram.com/mattwkenny?igsh=Y3ZjY2dpcTZsczBl&utm_source=qr.
Articles published in The Relatable Voice Magazine - December 2024.
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