1940: Based on a True Story

‘1940-Based on a True Story’, is a speculative history piece focusing on two men who may have been same-sex lovers during World War II.While the evidence around this pair is inconclusive, diary entries and other primary materials suggest a special relationship between a young Australian pilot who died in the Battle of Britain and his older male guardian, who sponsored his aeronautical training after bringing him to England.This piece also highlights the obscured nature of queer history—a consequence of homosexuality historically being illegal, often leading to the erasure of evidence. Join Todd as he discusses the pair who inspired the work, same-sex relations during wartime, and the process behind this hand-drawn animation.