Ami in Wandsworth is 21-30 and is vet and an actress and a magazine editor.
For most people, being a vet is a full time job. As would be running a magazine, Reprobait. Or being an actress. Ami manages to do all three. And seems to be making a pretty good go of it. She is driven, determined and delighted to debunk any myths about what a lesbian might look like. This film was the winner of a competition with London Short Film Festival.
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Film Maker: Kat Wootton
Questions & Answers
- What's your first memory of London? My first memory of London is almost entirely of the underground. I'm about ten years old and navigating the befuddling world of the tube, accompanied by a suitcase bigger than me and an exasperated summer camp leader. I thought if I got lost in there, nobody would ever find me again.
- What do you miss when you're away from London? I miss the pace. Whenever I leave by train, I look at the big clock in St Pancras station and I tell myself that if I can handle London, I can handle anything. It calms me. I'm always relieved to see it again, because time seems to move more slowly everywhere else.
- What's your favourite neighbourhood? There are so many neighbourhoods that I drive through and think "this is my kind of place", but because I wear so many hats and live in so many different professional worlds, no place can denote me entirely. I live in South London at the moment, and always love to wander around Clapham - it has everything you need without feeling so oppressively city-like.
- What's your favourite building? The Natural History Museum. As a child, it was a recognisable landmark that I always wanted to visit, and spend hours wandering around. Not only is it a beautiful building, but I bet it's only one of a few that houses ACTUAL DINOSAURS.
- What's your ideal day out in London? A cooked breakfast at Jack's at the Junction, before going to play rounders, reading and sunbathing on Clapham Common. Then some coffee at an independent cafe, followed by lazing back at home with my friends, probably playing obnoxious singing games or Articulate.
- What's your ideal night out in London? Dinner and the theatre, of course. I'm easily (albeit expensively) pleased.
- What's your most hated building? The shopping centre and station at Elephant and Castle. It's so grey and grim and I never feel safe or comfortable walking through it. I almost always take it at a run, and I find it sad that it was probably once very new and and exciting, and now is totally depressing.
- What's the best view in London? The view from Westminster bridge. One night, I zoned out on a night bus, and accidentally went past my stop, necessitating a walk back over the bridge. It was freezing, I was alone, and had had a pretty rubbish night. But wandering back across Westminster bridge brought me back down to Earth - everything was illuminated and reflected on the water, and I couldn't decide which side held the better view. That view made me love London a little bit.
- What's your favourite open space? A very small graveyard in the middle of the city, near Love Lane. It's near a fountain that looks like it was donated by the citizens of Oz, and it's so peaceful despite being in the middle of a business district. In the summer, I spend hours there just reading. It's a bizarre little place, and you might not see anyone else there because it's really small. You can't beat that tranquility.
- What's the most interesting shop? Sh! In Hoxton. It's the only place I've ever been offered a cup of tea whilst perusing sex toys and underwear. There's something to be said for that.
- What's your favourite place to hang out? I used to like hanging out at the Candy Bar. It was the only dedicated lesbian venue in the city, and now that it's gone, I really feel a void. It was a safe, predictable space where you knew almost everybody and you could have a great night out, conversation and dance all in one place. It's a real shame that we have lost it.
- What's been your most memorable night out in London? A night at Soho House. We skipped the queue for the club and our entry fee was waived. I remember it as a blur of cocktail dresses and dancing, but I do recall thinking for the first time that I had made a really great set of friends here, and that gave me a sense of achievement and belonging. I like to leave nights out before I get tired and bored; to leave myself always wanting more, and that's exactly how I ended the night... it was a real high.
- Where would you take someone visiting from out of town? I'd probably take them to somewhere like Exmouth Market first. I'm a big fan of eating breakfast out, so naturally that means my friends have to enjoy it too. Most visitors I have want to do some kind of mammoth shop whilst they're here and I'm more than happy to go along for the ride. Unless it's near Christmas, however; then I avoid the shops like the plague. I would also take my visitor to the theatre; you can't not when you're in town. I'd also get an excuse to do all of the touristy things that I don't do out of pride, because tourists are generally a nuisance to people that actually live here.
- What's the worst journey you've had to make in London? On the day I moved to London I hired a van, packed up my old house and drove to the new one by myself. I was terribly stressed, apprehensive, lonely and exhausted. It was a long and difficult drive, compounded by the fact that when the van was parked, somebody drove into it without leaving a note. I almost instantly second guessed the move; I felt unprepared for what I thought was a very unforgiving city. The worst part was redelivering the pranged van to Barnet. I cried.
- What's your personal London landmark? At the risk of sounding cheesy, it's the Houses of Parliament. They're so instantly recognisable, and whenever I see them on the television, I smile because I feel part of something, to live in this city. I sometimes drive past them rather absentmindedly, and they always snap me back to the reality that I actually live here. They make me feel proud.
- Who's your favourite fictional Londoner? Sherlock Holmes. In his many incarnations from book character to animated mouse, he is an intriguing, multifaceted character that brings the turn of the 20th century in London to life. I like how London is so proud of him, and celebrates its fictional history with landmarks and tours. I love the way London embraces its fictional history, and its heroes like Harry Potter; it makes the magic seem just a little bit more feasible.
- What's your favourite London film, book or documentary? Love Actually. I'd love to say that it's because it showcases London and lots of the different people that inhabit it, but it's really because I wonder what it would be like if Hugh Grant really was Prime Minister.
- If you could travel to any time period in London, past or future, where would you go? I would probably like to see what the 1920s were like in London. It seems like an age of decadence and extravagance; London lends itself so well to those things. Also, the traffic wouldn't be so horrendous.
- For you, who is the ultimate Londoner? I'm not really sure what the definition of an ultimate Londoner is. Is it the normal person-done-good celebrity type that is now a global face of London, or is it someone who has grown up here, found a niche and continues to live and work, largely unnoticed by anyone who isn't part of the local community? Could it be someone that has moved to London from another city or country and blended in seamlessly, surviving in what can be a really tough city? I don't know. The ultimate Londoner isn't necessarily someone I even know of, because to live and breathe this city, one doesn't necessarily have to shout about it.