A documentary-maker from Leicester spent over a year in the company of 52 beauty queens to reveal unknown hidden truths about the much talked about Miss England pageant, which received over 22,000 entrants last year alone.
The documentary titled Miss England: A Serious Business, follows the journey of five winning hopefuls; Stephanie Hill of South Yorkshire, Krishna Solanki of Redbridge, Rosie Thomson of Birmingham, Jade McQueen of Surrey and Holly Desai of Leicester as well as interviews with Pageant Director Angie Beasley and critics of the contest who believe the idea is backwards and sexist.
Producer Romail Gulzar said: “Around 15 to 20 years ago Miss England was a huge deal – it was even televised, but suddenly it disappeared overnight. While there is both support and opposition to beauty contests like Miss England, it is our job as documentary makers to present the facts in a clear and non-biased manner, which is exactly what we have tried to do.
“I hope the audience not only enjoys watching the film, but is also better informed about the industry before making up their minds about the work carried out by Angie and her team.”
Some topics touched upon within the documentary include the large amount of charity work carried out by the Miss England team, which amounts to a near £1m being raised in the past 6-7 years. Other issues include skin colour, sexism and unhappy contestants.
Angie Beasley said: “There are far worse things that young women can do that are far more degrading than taking part in a competition like this. If you’re going to protest about it being degrading to women then you should get your facts right.
“There’s more to being Miss England than being photographed in a bikini.”
The world exclusive premiere of Miss England: A Serious Business will be taking place on May 3 at the award-winning Curve, Leicester. Tickets are available for purchase at www.curveonline.co.uk
