# Hayley Kiyoko's film journey

> Hayley Kiyoko's debut film Girls Like Girls finds queer representation after 11 years of struggle.
- Title: Hayley Kiyoko's film journey · NME | Shortify
- Summary: Hayley Kiyoko's debut film Girls Like Girls finds queer representation after 11 years of struggle. Hayley Kiyoko's film Girls Like Girls, based on her music…
- Keywords: hayley kiyoko, girls like girls, queer representation, film, directing, queer cinema, lgbtq+, nfl, music, culture, Hayley, Kiyoko's
- Source: NME — https://nme.com/features/film-interviews/hayley-kiyoko-interview-girls-like-director-3972808
- Published: 2026-10-09T15:05:34+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: hayley kiyoko, girls like girls, queer representation, film, directing, queer cinema, lgbtq+, nfl, music, culture
## Hayley Kiyoko's film journey
Hayley Kiyoko's feature directorial debut Girls Like Girls tracks a teenage romance between two queer women.
## 11-year journey to film
Kiyoko spent 11 years convincing the world her story matters after fans called her 'Lesbian Jesus'.
## Girls Like Girls plot
The film follows Coley, a grieving teen moving to Oregon with her estranged father, and Sonya, a sexually conflicted girl.
## Authentic queer representation
Girls Like Girls features authentic queer representation with two young women of colour in a rural 2006 setting.
## Music video origin
The film is based on Kiyoko's 2015 electropop single 'Girls Like Girls' with the hook: 'Girls like girls, like boys do, nothing new.'

> Girls like girls, like boys do, nothing new
## 11-year pitch struggle
Kiyoko faced 11 years of rejections, including pitches about why Coley's father would accept her sexuality.
## Book to film transition
Kiyoko published a young adult novel in 2023 to help greenlight the film after initial funding fell through in 2022.
## Casting choices
Kiyoko cast Maya da Costa, a Canadian actress with Portuguese and Vietnamese heritage, as Coley.
## Film release
Girls Like Girls opened in UK cinemas on October 2, 2024, with a streaming release coming soon.
## Key takeaway

Hayley Kiyoko's film Girls Like Girls, based on her music video, addresses queer representation after 11 years of effort.