In 1979, a small community of Irish lesbians established a network of underground telephone helplines to provide a lifeline for people experiencing isolation, abuse and/or profound loneliness. After all, homosexuality faced intense social and legal hostility in a conservative Ireland.

The feature documentary Lesbian Lines, which was directed by Cara Holmes (Notes From Sheepland) will world premiere in the international competition lineup of Sheffield DocFest on Thursday, June 11, now brings an intimate portrait of these help- and life-lines to the big screen.

Audiences get to meet original helpline volunteers, watch actors bring to life this so far undocumented part of history through dramatized sequences and relive or discover archival material. The resulting cinematic mix is as moving as it is joyful. The phone volunteers logged every call, and Lesbian Lines even shows us these handwritten notes, along with old telephones.

With cinematography by Aidan Gault and editing by Colin Campbell and Holmes, Lesbian Lines tells a story of community, connection and the power of listening. Holmes actually started off in editing, saying:  When I'm not directing, I do edit feature documentaries.  And she tells THR:  I feel my role is very fluid as a filmmaker, so I like to not keep things too defined. I like the openness of being able to do a few different things. 

Lesbian Lines comes from executive producers Katie Holly and Yvonne Donohoe of Keeper Pictures, Niamh Fagan of Screen Ireland, and Sally Roden and Grainne McAleer of Irish broadcaster RTÉ. The producer is Evan Horan of Keeper Pictures, who is also handling sales.

Holmes talked to THR about the challenges and pleasures of documenting a period of history that suddenly doesn't feel quite like a distant past anymore, the universal and timely themes the film explores and why it was key for Lesbian Lines to feature not just darkness but also joy.

Why did you want to tell the story of Lesbian Lines?

Sometimes there's so much history and there is so much behind it. This absolutely was a helpline, and many of the women I spoke to told me tha

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