Hayley Kiyoko on the Ten-Year Journey to Bring 'Girls Like Girls' to the Big Screen
Kiyoko turns the viral 2015 anthem into her feature directorial debut after a 10-year fight for queer representation, with the novel version becoming a number-one bestseller.
- Musician and writer Hayley Kiyoko's directorial debut, 'Girls Like Girls', opened in theaters nationwide yesterday, June 19, expanding on her 2015 hit music video.
- This release concludes an improbable 10-year journey that began with the viral 2015 video and continued through her 2023 bestselling novel 'Girls Like Girls'.
- Casting directors reviewed over 4,000 audition tapes to select actresses Maya Da Costa and Myra Molloy to portray leads Coley and Sonya.
- Early screenings sparked emotional reactions, with audience members waving pride flags, while Kiyoko called seeing the film on the big screen 'surreal'.
- Often dubbed 'Lesbian Jesus' by fans, Kiyoko plans to continue directing and scoring films to create a 'massive safe space' for sapphic stories.
13 Articles
13 Articles
Hayley Kiyoko loves being a 'gay awakening' for young queer fans
Sapphics, rejoice!Hayley Kiyoko has proudly pushed the gay agenda for over a decade once she graduated from her Disney Channel days to putting out queer anthems such as "Girls Like Girls," "Curious," "Sleepover," and more.Since the music video for "Girls Like Girls" racked up over 100 million views on YouTube, Kiyoko wanted to use the record to tell more of her authentic experiences as a closeted lesbian during her adolescence. She released a su…
‘I Finally Found a Thing That I Want to Do Forever’: Hayley Kiyoko on Making Her Filmmaking Debut With ‘Girls Like Girls’
Vogue spoke to Kiyoko about working with stylist Avigail Collins on a custom look for the film’s Los Angeles premiere, her dreams of continuing to direct while scoring her own films, and making the love story she wishes she’d seen growing up.
“There is No Harm in Love” Hayley Kiyoko’s Directorial Debut ‘Girls Like Girls’ Is a Coming-of-Age Homage of Queer Love
View this post on Instagram A post shared by GLAAD (@glaad) The coming-of-age film Girls Like Girls is finally in theaters on June 19th, and it is every bit as sweet and powerful as the viral 2015 music video and best-selling 2023 novel that inspired it. Directed by the icon affectionately known as [...] The post WATCH: “There is No Harm in Love” Hayley Kiyoko’s Directorial Debut ‘Girls Like Girls’ Is a Coming-of-Age Homage of Queer Love first…
Kiyoko, da Costa and Molloy on the queer yearning of ‘Girls Like Girls’
Based on her song, music video, and YA novel, out writer/director Hayley Kiyoko’s auspicious feature directorial debut, “Girls Like Girls,” is a luscious summer romance. Set in 2006 Oregon, Coley (dazzling newcomer Maya da Costa) has recently moved in with her estranged father, Curtis (Zach Braff), following the death of her mother. When she meets some local teens, Coley is attracted to Sonya (Myra Molloy), a dancer who draws her into their circ…
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