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PROUD SPONSOR OF THE 2013 MELBOURNE QUEER FILM FESTIVAL
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The greatest movie characters of all time 24 April – 18 August Book now! ACMI, Federation Square www.acmi.net.au
HOLLYWOOD
Exhibition organised by the Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Breakfast at Tiffany’s Paramount / The Kobal Collection / Fraker, Bud
CONTENTS FESTIVAL INFORMATION Accessibility .........................................................
FILM PROGRAMS 4
Opening Night Film & Party .............................. 14
Sponsors ...............................................................
5
Centrepiece Presentations ............................... 16
Welcome ................................................................
6
Closing Night Film & Party ................................ 18
Awards ...................................................................
7
Feature Films ....................................................... 23
Ticketing ...............................................................
8
Documentaries .................................................... 52
Volunteer Program .............................................
11
Special Presentations ........................................ 58
Community Film Project .................................... 47 Festival Lounge ................................................... 48
SHORTS PROGRAMS
Satellite Events .................................................... 93
Transformations .................................................. 64
Credits ................................................................... 94
Oz Docs ................................................................. 65
Sweethearts ......................................................... 95
Oz Shorts .............................................................. 66
Film Index ............................................................. 96
Short & Girly ........................................................ 68
Pocket Guide – Venues Map & Festival Planner .................... Inside back cover
Short & Burly ....................................................... 70 Boobtube .............................................................. 72 Cocktales ............................................................... 74 Femme Fatalities ................................................. 76 Sex Drives & Videotape ..................................... 78 Trans Phats ........................................................... 80 Mix Tape ................................................................ 82 Queeries ................................................................ 84 Celluloid Casserole ............................................. 87
Visit mqff.com.au to browse the 23rd Melbourne Queer Film Festival program and buy tickets online. Download the free iPhone or Android app to view the program and buy tickets on your smartphone.
JOIN THE CONVERSATION Melbourne Queer Film Festival @mqff #mqff2013 Search for mqff tube Search for mqff Subscribe to MQFF’s e-newsletter to be first in the know at mqff.com.au
ACCESSIBILITY HEADING ACCESS
GUIDE DOGS
Melbourne Queer Film Festival is committed to improving access for all festival-goers. We are proud to be an inclusive event that welcomes everyone to enjoy queer film.
Guide dogs are welcome in all Festival areas.
CITY OF MELBOURNE Information about accessible parking, amenities, public transport and other facilities in the City of Melbourne is available online at melbourne.vic.gov.au/communityservices/ disabilityservices
COMPANION CARD MQFF supports the Companion Card. To book these tickets please contact us via the details listed below. These tickets cannot be booked online.
TEXT TOO SMALL? WHEELCHAIR ACCESS
If you’d like a large text version of the film descriptions please contact us and we’ll email or post them to you.
All MQFF venues are accessible for people who require wheelchair access and accessible toilets, including ACMI, Hoyts Melbourne Central, Loop and the Festival Lounge at Beer DeLuxe.
ASSISTIVE LISTENING
CONTACT US
All cinemas at ACMI and Hoyts Melbourne Central have assistive listening via an audio loop that can be used to amplify or enhance sound quality. This can be accessed from all seats through the t-switch on a hearing aid.
Phone: 03 9662 4147 Email: info@mqff.com.au Website: mqff.com.au
AUSLAN INTERPRETERS
MQFF makes every effort to ensure that our accessibility information is correct. If you find an error please contact us so we can update our details.
Yarra Trams are presenting Auslan Interpreting for the screening of Struck by Lightning at ACMI on Sunday 24 March at 6pm. Details about this film can be found on page 41. Many of the films in the Festival are subtitled and this information can be found under the title of each film in the session descriptions.
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PROUD FESTIVAL HEADING PARTNERS Principal Partner
Cultural Partner
Major Partners
Media Partners
Sponsors
Supporters
magnifymedia
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WELCOME HEADING Other special presentations include our annual midnight session, a panel for filmmakers about utilising crowd funding for their next film project, a panel on the representation of queers on the small screen, and a step back in time slide night with the Gay and Lesbian Archive.
Welcome to the 23rd Melbourne Queer Film Festival! It’s exciting times here at MQFF headquarters. Along with another fabulous selection of quality queer cinema, we’ve got a number of ‘firsts’ this Festival, which are sure to excite our audiences as much as they’ve excited us.
Check out our new Festival Lounge situated at Beer DeLuxe on the Flinders street side of Federation Square, at ground level, right next to ACMI. The Lounge will feature a selection of great music and food, as well as tasty wine, beer, cider and bubbly provided by our sponsors, as well as a whole bunch of fun queer-focused activities to add to your Festival experience. Speed dating anyone?
We’ve leapt into the 21st Century with a spanking new ticketing system, a smart phone app from which you can not only peruse the program in all its glory but also buy tickets, a swish new screening venue in addition to our Cultural Partner ACMI, a brand new Festival Lounge, an Australian World Premiere Feature film AND our very first 3D session!
We haven’t skimped on the documentary package this year with several award-winning docos screening such as Call me Kuchu, I am Gay and Muslim, Turning, and The British Guide to Showing Off.
After wading through a record 600-plus submissions, our selection panel has put together a cracking program of films, panels and special presentations for our loyal audience this year. We’re pretty damn chuffed to be presenting two Melbourne-born and bred feature film Premieres. Definitely book early to catch Monster Pies and our closing night film Submerge. Our talented Australian filmmakers also feature throughout the program across documentary and shorts packages and competing for cash awards in our Celluloid Casserole, and City of Melbourne Award packages.
Please vote for your favourite films and reward our filmmakers for their efforts and don’t forget to see something you wouldn’t normally see! Enjoy your Festival!
Lisa Daniel Festival Director
Our international program is awash with high quality cinema with award-winning films spread throughout the program such as Bye Bye Blondie, Keep the Lights On, Cockpit, North Sea Texas, Yossi and Sexual Tension: Volatile all bound to be hot tickets. Our Cultural Partner ACMI is co-presenting our two Centrepiece titles Zenne Dancer and Beyond the Walls – two outstanding films that are not to be missed. And now for something completely different – our first 3D session! We’re incredibly excited to be presenting this brilliant biopic about the life of Monty Python’s Graham Chapman, A Liar’s Autobiography at new screening venue Hoyts Melbourne Central. A veritable smorgasbord of laughs, lies, and general queer buffoonery all in 3D, Chapman’s film is an absolute highlight, and tickets will no doubt fly out the door.
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HEADING AWARDS This year Melbourne Queer Film Festival will present $8,500 in cash prizes to films across a range of genres. Through these awards we support the exceptional work of talented filmmakers from Australia and around the world.
JURY AWARDS Our Jury Awards recognise home grown filmmakers from the diverse selection of Australian short films screening this year in the Oz Shorts and Celluloid Casserole packages. The City of Melbourne Emerging Filmmaker Award for Best Australian Short Queer Film $3,000 Cash All films in the Oz Shorts are eligible and the winner will be announced at the screening on Saturday 23 March. Judges and films are listed on page 66.
AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARDS Don’t miss your chance to decide the best of the Fest. There are four Audience Choice Awards that you can vote for online at mqff.com.au or in the Festival Lounge at Beer DeLuxe. Best Feature Film $2,000 Cash Presented by MQFF Members Warwick Eddington and Tony Hillery
Presented by
Best Documentary $2,000 Cash Presented by MQFF Life Member & Sweetheart David McCarthy
Selectors’ Choice Award for Best Australian Short Queer Film in the Celluloid Casserole $500 Cash All films in Celluloid Casserole are eligible and the winner will be announced at the screening on Wednesday 20 March. Films are listed on page 87.
Best Australian Short Film $500 Cash Presented by Step Right Up Best International Short Film $500 Cash
Presented by
The winner of the City of Melbourne Award also qualifies for automatic inclusion in the international queer shorts competition, the Iris Prize, which is the world’s largest prize for a gay and lesbian short film. The winner of the Iris Prize receives £25,000 to make their next short film in the UK. In 2012 Melbourne filmmaker Grant Scicluna (opposite) won the Iris Prize for his film The Wilding, that screened at and won several awards at MQFF.
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TICKETING HEADING THREE WAYS TO EXPERIENCE THE BEST OF THE FEST
Print-at-home Tickets Please bring your print-at-home tickets with you and proceed directly to the cinemas to gain entry. To avoid the queues at the box office MQFF strongly recommends printing your tickets at home.
FIVE FILM PASS Ready to dip your toe into the Festival? The Five Film Pass is valid for one session per programmed time slot. Excludes Special Events.
Standby Queues MQFF will operate standby queues for all soldout sessions 30 minutes prior to the start time. Locate the designated standby queue near the box office and ask staff for a reservation number. We accept cash sales only to enable quick processing. Admission is not guaranteed.
$85 Full / $77 Concession / $68 MQFF Member
Classification The Australian Classification Board grants MQFF special censorship clearances that mean all audience members must be 18 years or over with the exception of the Queeries Program and the Queer History Slideshow which will admit people 15 years and over.
TEN FILM PASS Take a paddle and explore a large cross-section of films. The Ten Film Pass is valid for one session per programmed time slot. Excludes Special Events.
Concessions Holders of valid concession cards are eligible for concession price tickets including full-time students, pensioners, unwaged, seniors, MIFF members, ACMI members, Palace Cinema members and Classic Cinema members. You will be asked to show your valid concession card when purchasing tickets or upon entry.
$160 Full / $136 Concession / $128 MQFF Member
ALL-IN PASS
MQFF Members Members receive a 20% discount on all tickets (excluding the All-In Pass which can only be purchased by members). You will be asked to show your valid membership card when purchasing tickets or upon entry. Membership benefits are non-transferable.
Dive in head-first and immerse yourself in the full Festival extravaganza. The All-In Pass is valid for every session including Opening and Closing Night Films & Parties plus all of the special events and presentations with priority entry into the cinemas. The All-In Pass is available to MQFF members only, and is limited to 100 passes.
Group Bookings To make a group booking of 10 or more please phone the MQFF office on 03 9662 4147. Refunds/Exchange Please check your booking carefully at the time of purchase as all tickets and passes are non-refundable unless a session is changed or cancelled. Lost or stolen tickets will not be replaced or refunded. You may exchange tickets online for a $1 fee per ticket exchanged, or at the box office for a $2.50 fee per ticket exchanged. Ticket exchanges are free for All-In Pass holders. Exchanges for All-In Pass holders can be made by contacting the MQFF office on 03 9662 4147.
$325 MQFF Member All-In Pass holders are required to book their sessions online or via the smartphone app to secure seats at their preferred sessions. Please choose sessions carefully as you may not be able to see all films in the Festival. The All-In Pass must be produced for entry to all sessions. The All-In Pass is strictly non-transferable. All-In Pass holders may be able to enter sessions that they haven’t previously booked – but only if seats are available. To avoid disappointment please book your preferred sessions before the start of the Festival.
GST/Booking Fees All ticket prices include GST. There is a $2.50 fee per transaction for all online purchases. Terms & Conditions For full details of the terms and conditions plus frequently asked questions visit mqff.com.au/ticketing
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TICKETING HEADING THREE WAYS TO BUY YOUR TICKETS
TICKET OPTIONS
ONLINE AT MQFF.COM.AU
SINGLE TICKETS
Browse the program online, select your films, purchase tickets or passes with a credit card then print your tickets at home. It’s quick and easy, totally secure and available 24 hours.
This is your ticket for any film session excluding special events.
ON YOUR SMARTPHONE
SPECIAL EVENTS
Download the free application for iPhone or Android to view the program and purchase tickets on your smartphone. Bring your phone to be scanned at the door. No paper ticket is required.
Opening Night Film & Party $75 Full / $63.50 Concession / $60 MQFF Member
$18.50 Full / $15.50 Concession / $14.50 MQFF Member
Closing Night Film & Party $30 Full / $25.50 Concession / $24 MQFF Member
Presented by
A Liar’s Autobiography – The Untrue Story Of Monty Python’s Graham Chapman In 3D (includes 3D glasses) $20 Full / $17 Concession / $16 MQFF Member
AT THE BOX OFFICE You can purchase tickets at ACMI Cinemas, Australian Centre for the Moving Image, Federation Square only during the Festival from 14 – 25 March, open from 10am – late. You can also purchase tickets for Hoyts Melbourne Central sessions at the venue one hour prior to the start time of that night’s first session.
Queeries $10 Full / $8.50 Concession / $8 MQFF Member The Queer History Slide Show $10 full / $8.50 Concession / $8 MQFF member Celluloid Casserole Gold coin donation at the door
MQFF Members save 20% on tickets. Join online now at mqff.com.au Melbourne Queer Film Festival
@mqff #mqff2013
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VOLUNTEER HEADING PROGRAM VOLUNTEERING WITH MQFF
THE JACKO AWARD
As a non-profit community organisation MQFF relies on the amazing generosity of our lovely volunteers old and new, young and young-atheart. Every year over 200 dedicated people contribute their time and energy to make our event a world-class Festival, from the Board of Management to the selection panel, from office interns to cinema ushers and everything in between.
As part of our 20 year celebration the Festival introduced volunteer recognition awards. The spirit of the awards is embodied in the Festival’s longest serving volunteer Claire “Jacko” Jackson. The Jacko recognises the incredible contribution of volunteers who have worked tirelessly for at least five years of continuous service. These special volunteers are announced at Closing Night, officially recognised at the volunteer thank-you party and their name is enshrined forever on the online Honour Board.
Volunteering with MQFF is an awesome way to meet new friends (particularly fellow film nerds), learn new skills and receive free tickets for your time. It’s also a fantastic way to be part of a world-class event especially if you’re interested in working in the arts. To find out how you can be involved visit mqff.com.au for more information. This year we’re proud to announce that FIAT is our official Volunteer Program Partner. We’ll be driving some seriously stylish FIAT 500’s around Melbourne during the Festival. We’re pretty sure we can find a couple of volunteers to help with that! Volunteer Program presented by
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OPENING NIGHT
GAYBY Dir: Jonathan Lisecki, USA, 2012, HD Cam, 88 min
Matt and Jenn have been best friends since college, and now in their thirties, are both stuck in a rut: Matt has comic writer’s block and is still not over his ex-boyfriend; and perennially single Jenn is treated with disdain by her boss at the hot yoga studio. Jenn decides to have a baby, and Matt agrees to fulfill a college promise to have the kid together. But there’s one catch – no turkey baster or artificial means, they have to have sex the ‘old fashioned way’ to conceive the child. With their respective catty gay pals weighing in on the pros and cons of their decision, both Jenn and Matt start getting their lives back in order in preparation for parenthood. But when Matt falls for the handsome Scott, and Jenn has a one-night stand with her boss’ brother, will their plan stay on track? Gayby is an hilarious and sexy look at two best mates who stretch the boundaries of their friendship. This debut feature by Jonathan Lisecki – who as Matt’s pal, Nelson, steals every scene he’s in – has won over 16 Festival awards, and is based on the short film of the same name which screened at MQFF 2011. (PT) Join us in the cinema for pre-screening speeches, followed by our Opening Night Party downstairs at ACMI cinemas! Melbourne Premiere
BOOKING
DATE
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8000 Thu 14 March 7.30pm
VENUE
ACMI 14
“Utterly sweet, heartfelt and wildly entertaining at the same time.” IndieWIRE
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CENTREPIECE PRESENTATIONS
BEYOND THE WALLS (HORS LES MURS) Dir: David Lambert, Belgium/France/Canada, 2012, DCP, 96 Min French and Albanian with English subtitles
After a drunken night in a bar, Paulo goes home with the bartender, Illir. Despite identifying as straight, Paulo is compelled to keep seeing Illir. Then, after being thrown out by his girlfriend, Paulo ends up at Illir’s door, homeless and desperate. Initially reluctant, Illir is won over by Paulo’s boyish charm and the two happily begin living together, until one day, Illir doesn’t return home. Where has Illir gone? And can their love survive the hard road ahead? Beyond the Walls is a touching story about the lengths that people will go to for those they love. Utterly gripping, this outstanding film will keep you guessing until the end. (BG) Melbourne Premiere
“On the heels of Weekend and Keep the Lights On, Beyond the Walls is a carefully crafted gently moving debut feature”. Variety magazine
Presented by
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Thu 21 March 6.30pm
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ACMI 16
CENTREPIECE PRESENTATIONS
ZENNE DANCER (AKA ZENNE) Dir: Caner Alper & Mehmet Binay, Turkey, 2012, DCP, 104 min Turkish, German, English with English subtitles
Based on true events, Zenne Dancer is a powerful and emotionally charged Turkish drama, winner of numerous awards worldwide. Ahmet is a student in Istanbul, supported by his archly conservative parents who live in the countryside, unaware of his homosexuality. He spends his days with friends, and tutoring – his studies are a way of staving off compulsory military service – but is shadowed by a mysterious man. He befriends Can, a flamboyant dancer – a zenne (male performers who dress in exotic female attire and dance for an audience). Afraid to go out in the daytime for fear of being caught for evading military service, Can lives with his sympathetic aunt. Daniel, a German photo-journalist, harbouring guilt over a tragedy in his past, sees Can at a club one night and asks to record his captivating dancing. When Daniel and Ahmet begin an affair, the German urges Ahmet to come out as gay to this parents, not fully understanding the cultural implications of such an action. With the ever-growing threat of being captured by the military police, and as his parents’ expectations grow, Ahmet is torn between following his heart and family honour. (PT) Australian Premiere
Presented by
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3169 Wed 20 March 6.00pm
VENUE
ACMI 17
CLOSING NIGHT
SUBMERGE Dir: Sophie O’Connor, Australia, 2013, HD Cam, 90 mins
A quintessential ‘Gen Y’ story, Submerge explores the underlying sense of entitlement of a generation that pushes young adults to believe they can have it all, despite a plethora of competing demands from social media, family, and peers. For Jordan, university life brings the promise of new experiences and a chance to break away from the grind of pursuing a career as an elite swimmer, a path chosen for her at a young age by her parents. Through her newly discovered passions – the study of history and her academic tutor – Jordan is emboldened by the idea of not only controlling her future, but obtaining everything she desires. A raft of setbacks, coupled with a chance meeting with an intriguing nightclub owner, propels Jordan into a subculture of fetish and anonymous sex. In trying to obtain everything will Jordan be left with nothing? Australian Premiere Cast and crew in attendance
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9000 Sun 24 March 8.30PM
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ACMI 18
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Ferve Tickets
ferve.com.au
FEATURE FILMS
ABOUT CHERRY (AKA CHERRY) Dir: Stephen Elliot, USA, 2012, DCP, 102 min
Angelina (Ashley Hinshaw) is an 18-year-old girl with a problematic relationship with her mother (Lily Taylor) on the cusp of graduating from high school. When her boyfriend suggests that she take nude pictures of herself and sell them, she takes the money and hightails it to San Francisco with her best friend Andrew (Dev Patel), in the hope of making it big. It’s not long before she meets two controversial figures who will change her life forever. Francis (James Franco) is a wealthy lawyer with a matching drug habit who introduces her to the upper classes and a lavish lifestyle; while Margaret (Heather Graham) is a ruthless former porn star turned porn director who endures a jaded relationship with her impatient girlfriend. Francis erodes Angelina’s (now Cherry) self-confidence with his bullying, and Margaret immerses Cherry into the porn scene, while making an aggressive play for her affections. Will Cherry be able to extricate herself from the dubious lifestyle she’s fallen into? Based on a script penned by director Elliot and porn industry veteran Lorelei Lee, About Cherry is a sexy and engrossing drama, highlighting the skills of a brilliant cast. (LD) Official selection Berlin International Film Festival 2012 Melbourne Premiere
BOOKING
2163 5172
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Sun 17 March 6.00pm Thu 21 March 8.30pm
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ACMI HOYTS 23
FEATURE FILMS
BEAR CITY 2: THE PROPOSAL
BYE BYE BLONDIE Dir: Virginie Despentes, France/Belgium/Switzerland, 2011, DCP, 98 min French with English subtitles
Dir: Douglas Langway, USA, 2012, video, 101 min
The much-loved cuddly characters from BearCity are back as they head to Provincetown for the annual Bear Week! Kathy Najimy plays den mother to the boys as they navigate their way through ex-boyfriends, foam parties, marriage proposals, weddings and about 6000 sexy gay men. Will wedding bells ring for former ‘bear about town’ Roger and his love-cub Tyler? Or will the temptations of hot daddies and former fuckbuddies bring their relationship undone? BearCity 2: The Proposal, is a romp full of fur, fun and family as the bears ponder the notion that maybe marriage is more than just the freedom to say “I do.” (LD) Melbourne Premiere
BOOKING
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5170 Wed 20 March 9.00pm
French film darlings Béatrice Dalle and Emanuelle Béart set the screen alight in this lesbian punk rock film based on the novel by writer/director Virginie Despentes, who also directed Baise moi (aka Fuck Me). Twenty-five years after Gloria and Frances had lost contact with each other, they meet again. Gloria is an erratic recovering alcoholic, alone, homeless and jobless. Frances is a successful and respected TV host, with a gay husband who married her to keep up appearances. In their shared past existed an intense sexual and emotional relationship which began at a psychiatric hospital, from which they ultimately ran away to experience all the sex, drugs and rock-n-roll on offer from the punk rock years. What will transpire between them when they meet 25 years on? Will the fire between them reignite or burn them down? (LD) Melbourne Premiere
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HOYTS
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3180 Sat 23 March 6.15pm 24
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ACMI
FEATURE FILMS
COCKPIT
THE COMEDIAN
Dir: Mårten Klingberg, Sweden, 2012, DCP, 95 min Swedish with English subtitles
Dir: Tom Shkolnik, UK, 2012, DCP 80 min
Ed is a 32-year-old aspiring stand-up comedian who works in a call centre selling women’s health insurance to make ends meet. By day he puts up with the constant haranguing of his ill-humoured boss, and by night he battles away on the lowest level of London’s stand-up circuit. Outside of these two existences his personal life is complicated. His charming flat-mate Elisa and his new lover Nathan are both competing for his attention, and he doesn’t seem to know which way to turn. This Dogma 95 style narrative, shot with no script, using available light and almost entirely improvised in one shot takes, is a brilliant slice-of-life drama; a gritty take on the life of Ed, and what he’s going to make of his current situation. Indeed, editor Pierre Haberer, who pared the 90 hours of footage down to its tight 80 minutes, describes the film as “the first wildlife documentary about human relations.” Set in the immediate and random background of contemporary London, The Comedian is a fresh, realistic and sometimes funny story about choices and how not to make them. (LD)
Mrs. Doubtfire meets Tootsie, meets Some Like it Hot – 10,000m up, in this over-the-top comedy of mistaken identities from Sweden. After losing his job as an airline pilot when his company downsizes, Valle is thrown out by his materialistic wife, who takes the kids with her and immediately begins a new relationship with a wealthy elderly man. After countless knock backs by airlines, he hears that Silver Airlines are looking for a female captain. In desperation, and with little in the way of a plan, Valle dons a pair of high heels, borrows his staunchly feminist and queer friendly sister’s identity and transforms himself into attractive Maria and wins himself a pilot’s job. The plan begins to unravel when his lesbian airline colleague Cecilia starts to fall for him/her and a narrowly averted plane crash lands Maria all over the news. With one belly laugh after another, and a modern queer sensibility, Cockpit is one comedy not to be missed! (LD) Winner: Best Film Peace and Love Film Festival 2012 Australian Premiere
PLUS SHORT
SCAFFOLDING (ANDAMIO) Dir: Juanma Carrillo, Spain, 2012, video, 14 min Spanish with English subtitles Eduardo, a snobby and cranky publicist and David, a shy student of literature are neighbors in a building under construction. After 6 months of hardly a greeting, a scaffold intercedes between them causing unexpected reactions in each.
Presented by
BOOKING
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Thu 21 March 6.30pm
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BOOKING
HOYTS
3167 25
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Tue 19 March 6.00pm
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ACMI
FEATURE FILMS
EVERYBODY’S GOT SOMEBODY, BUT ME
FACING MIRRORS
(TODO MUNDO TIENE A ALGUIEN MENOS YO)
Dir: Negar Azarbayjani, Iran/Germany, 2011, 35mm, 102 min Persian with English subtitles
(AYNEHAYE ROOBEROO)
Dir: Raúl Fuentes, Mexico, 2012, DCP, 90 min Spanish with English subtitles
The lives of two Iranian women collide in Facing Mirrors when Randa, a conservative taxi driver, saves Adineh from a brawl with two men. Adineh ‘Eddy’ is a transgender (female to male) on the run from the police, and her society. Confronted by Eddy’s sexuality, Randa is forced to choose between her narrow-minded values and her compassion for Eddy. Does Randa have the strength to reject how her society has demonised Eddy? Facing Mirrors is a fascinating exploration of the expectations of women in contemporary Iranian society. Shayesteh Irani and Ghazal Shakeri deliver stunning performances as two women from opposite ends of society forced to attempt to understand each other. Heartfelt and powerful, this multi award-winning film offers a glimpse into the lives of transgender people in the Middle-East. (BG) Jury Award for Best Film, Montreal World Film Festival 2011 | Jury Award for Best Feature, Frameline Film Festival 2012 | Grand Prix, Paris Gay & Lesbian Film Festival 2012 | Best Narrative Feature, Austin Gay and Lesbian Film Festival 2012
Alejandra is a 30-something book editor, uptight and tired of her daily life and with little interest in having a relationship. All that changes when she meets vibrant and talented high school student María, with whom she starts an affair. With complete disregard for rules and regulations, Maria drags Alejandra out of her shell, and introduces her to a life lived on passion and instinct. At first everything runs smoothly, however Alejandra’s serious personality and her emotional needs prove increasingly demanding; being around her becomes unbearable for Maria. The void between the older-but-notwiser rigidity of Alejandra, and the youthful exuberance of Maria becomes wider, and it appears the relationship may not survive. Will Maria’s free spirit negotiate a peaceful existence between the two, or will Alejandro’s hair-trigger jealousy doom the relationship? (LD) Australian Premiere
BOOKING
2151
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Fri 15 March 6.00pm
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BOOKING
ACMI
3172 26
DATE
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Thu 21 March 8.30pm
VENUE
ACMI
FEATURE FILMS
FOUR
FOURPLAY
Dir: Joshua Sanchez, USA, 2012, HD Cam, 75 min
Dir: Kyle Richard Henry, USA, 2012, DCP, 79 min
A steamy July 4th night brings four people together in two tales of seduction and conflicted desire. Joe is a black, middle-aged, married man out on an Internet date with June, a white teenage boy. Abigayle is Joe’s precocious daughter, out on the town with a hot, wisecracking, Latino basketball player named Dexter. As the two couples get to know each other intimately, their realities are tested, and the outcome is bracing. Based on the play by Pulitzer Prize finalist and Obie-winning playwright Christopher Shinn, Four stars Wendell Pierce, acclaimed for his roles in the HBO series’ The Wire and Treme and Emory Cohen from NBC’s Smash. Four is a compelling film, with brilliant performances, that will stay with you long after you’ve left the dark comfort of the cinema. Winner of Best Narrative Feature Award Urban World Film Festival 2012 Australian Premiere
There’s something here guaranteed to offend everyone’s sensibilities in this quartet of short films about sexual encounters Executive Produced by R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe. Running the gamut from outrageous comedy to heartfelt drama, they feature a broad range of themes and situations, all named after the cities in which they take place. Skokie. Marcy, a closeted lesbian church choir member, lusts after Gail, the pastor’s wife. When Gail and her hubby head out of town, Marcy offers to dog-sit their nightmarish pooch, Myra, who’s just in need of some tender affection. Austin. Stuck in a rut, a straight couple use an adult video shop to bring some much-needed energy to their sex life. Tampa. When a guy goes into a shopping centre restroom he fantasises about getting a blowjob, but little did he expect the scenario that would play out. San Francisco. A transgender sex-worker faces a challenging assignment with a quadriplegic man. (PT) Melbourne Premiere
PLUS SHORT
PLUS SHORT
THE MEN’S ROOM
LAW AND ORDER
Dir: Jane Pickett, USA, 2012, HD Cam, 15 min
(ZUCHT UND ORDNUNG) Dir: Jan Soldat, Germany, 2012, video, 9 min German with English subtitles
When Thomas ventures into the park for a sexual encounter with a stranger, he uncovers a complex situation composed of desire, fear, and betrayal.
Two naked elderly men talk about their relationship, the good old days and are refreshingly candid about their fetishes, S/M and bondage.
Warning: this session contains sexually explicit material BOOKING
3157 2174
DATE
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Sat 16 March 6.15pm Fri 22 March 8.30pm
VENUE
BOOKING
ACMI ACMI
DATE
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3153 Fri 15 March 10.30pm 3170 Wed 20 March 8.30pm 27
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ACMI ACMI
FEATURE FILMS
FUNKYTOWN Dir: Daniel Roby, Canada, 2011, 35mm, 132 min French and English with English subtitles
This energetic Boogie Nights-style ensemble drama from openly gay screenwriter Steve Gallucio (Mambo Italiano) follows the glamorous denizens of Montreal’s Starlight disco; from superstar deejay Bastien and his drug-fueled rise and fall, to the mismatched gay romance of out fashion maven Jonathan and his closet-case boyfriend Tino. Funkytown is a glossy, big-budget movie featuring a spectacular, greatest disco hits soundtrack. Bastien Lavallee is the host of Montreal’s hot TV show, Disco Dance Party. Adriana is the super knockout model who falls into a hot drugged out affair with Bastien (despite his nagging wife). TV celeb Paul Doucet stars as Jonathan, who falls for the closeted Tino despite Tino’s double life and thuggish gay basher friends. Featuring a spectacular soundtrack of the greatest hits of the era, Funkytown is a glossy, big-budget and loving recreation of the glitz, sex and debauchery that was Disco. This wonderfully authentic drama features such hot classic disco hits as: Disco Inferno, Don’t Leave Me This Way, Knock on Wood, Doctor’s Orders, Hot Stuff, I Feel Love, and of course Funkytown. Wolfe Releasing Melbourne Premiere
Presented by
BOOKING
3164
DATE
TIME
Sun 17 March 9.00pm
VENUE
ACMI 28
FEATURE FILMS
I DO
I WANT YOUR LOVE
Dir: Glenn Gaylord, USA, 2012, HD Cam, 97 min
Dir: Travis Mathews, USA, 2012, HD Cam, 71 min
Jack is a British gay man working in the New York fashion industry. When his work visa is revoked, the option of moving back to the UK is not feasible, as he feels morally responsible for his 7-year-old niece. He asks his best pal, Ali, to marry him to obtain a green card, and although Ali agrees, she’s not sure it’s a good idea, especially as she just broke up with her girlfriend. When Jack falls for a sexy Spaniard, Mano, and a flirtation turns to a serious relationship, the ground under everyone’s feet begins to shift. And with the threat that at any minute immigration officers could come knocking on Jack and Ali’s door, the whole farce could be revealed, leaving everyone in danger. With its timely storyline, I Do highlights the barriers faced by the queer community in matters of love, identity and equality in order to achieve happiness. Director Glenn Gaylord, who wrote and produced last year’s closing night film, Leave it on the Floor, has crafted an emotionally involving and entertaining film. (PT) Winner Audience Award, Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Festival 2012 Melbourne Premiere
The debut feature from Travis Matthews is a breath of fresh air in queer cinema. Instantly notorious for its depiction of real sex on screen, the film displays an immediacy and authenticity in capturing the lives of a group of San Franciscans at a moment of significant change in their lives. Performance artist Jesse has decided to move back to his Mid-western hometown due to the high cost of living in San Francisco. During his last weekend, as he questions his decision, plans are afoot for a final night party. As his friends gather for the celebration, including Ben, his ex-boyfriend, Jesse receives some unexpected news from his father, news that could change everything. (PT) “Intimate, sexy and unflinchingly honest, I Want Your Love is a bold film with rare insight into the uncensored lives of a generation of gay men.” Andrew Haigh (Director of Weekend) Melbourne Premiere
PLUS SHORT
SABBATICAL Dir: Glenn Kiser, USA, 2012, digital, 12 min Two guys decide to take a sabbatical on their relationship to work out how they feel.
Presented by
Warning: this session contains sexually explicit material
BOOKING BOOKING
3163
DATE
TIME
Sun 17 March 7.00pm
3158 6176
VENUE
ACMI 29
DATE
TIME
Sat 16 March 8.15pm Fri 22 March midnight
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ACMI HOYTS
FEATURE FILMS
JOSHUA TREE, 1951: A PORTRAIT OF JAMES DEAN
KEEP THE LIGHTS ON Dir: Ira Sachs, USA, 2012, HD Cam, 101 min
Keep the Lights On chronicles the emotionally and sexually charged journey through the love, addiction, and friendship of two men. Documentary filmmaker Erik and closeted lawyer Paul (Zachary Booth, Damages) meet through a casual encounter, but they find a deeper connection and become a couple. Individually and together, they are risk takers – compulsive, and fueled by drugs and sex. In an almost decade-long relationship defined by highs, lows, and dysfunctional patterns, Erik struggles to negotiate his own boundaries and dignity, and to be true to himself. Harrowing and romantic, visceral and intellectual, Keep the Lights On is a moving film that looks at love and all of its manifestations, taking it to dark depths and bringing it back to a place of grace. Winner: Teddy Award Berlin International Film Festival 2012 | Winner: Outstanding US Dramatic Feature, Outfest 2012 | Official selection: Sundance 2012
Dir: Matthew Mishory, USA, 2012, HD Cam, 94 min
This speculative biopic brazenly explores the possibility of James Dean’s homosexuality. Rumours have clung to Dean about his homosexuality ever since his spectacular rise to fame in 1954. Dean’s magnetic stage presence was an instant hit in Hollywood, bringing with it both the cult of celebrity and the gossip. Further fanning the flames, Dean listed himself as a homosexual to avoid military duty, although he later denied being gay. Shot almost entirely in monochrome, Joshua Tree 1951 is a fictional take on a young Dean’s affair with his college room-mate. This is writer-director Matthew Mishory’s debut feature and he has shot a film that promises to be controversial amongst critics and film-goers alike. (BG) “The movie is art. Mesmerizing and sexy” San Francisco Chronicle Melbourne Premiere
BOOKING BOOKING
DATE
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3182 Sat 23 March 10.30pm
2157 3181
VENUE
ACMI 30
DATE
TIME
Sat 16 March 6.00pm Sat 23 March 8.15pm
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ACMI ACMI
FEATURE FILMS
A MAP FOR A TALK
MARGARITA
(MAPA PARA CONVESAR)
Dir: Dominique Cardona and Laurie Colbert, Canada, 2012, DCP, 91 min
Dir: Constanza Fernandez, Chile, 2011, video, 82 min Spanish with English subtitles
When illegal Mexican nanny Margarita is fired by her cash-strapped yuppie employers, it sets in motion a chain of events that leaves her torn between loyalties and the law. Desperately in love, but feeling rejected by her commitmentphobic girlfriend, Margarita becomes resigned to starting a new life back home in Mexico. The family quickly discovers that Margarita’s modest salary is the only good investment they’ve ever made and hatches a series of ill-conceived schemes to keep her in the country. Suddenly, it seems like everyone wants to save Margarita – everyone, that is, except the one person who can actually save her. Winner: Audience Award, Best Feature, Inside Out Toronto 2012 | Winner: Audience Award, Best Feature | Women’s International Film Festival France 2012 Melbourne Premiere
Roberta and her girlfriend Javiera are in love and recently engaged, however, Roberta’s mother doesn’t approve of the relationship, or of free-spirited and slightly eccentric Javiera. Roberta plans a sailing trip in the hope that the two most important women in her life might find some common ground. The situation is complicated by the fact that Roberta’s six-yearold son remains unaware of the extent of his mother’s relationship. The day’s sailing becomes turbulent, mirroring the relationship of the women on board, and as emotions heighten in the claustrophobic conditions the trio is forced to confront complex feelings. Fans of Roman Polanski’s Knife in the Water will appreciate the nod to his famous film, as well as the humour that permeates the on-board conflict. (LD) Melbourne Premiere
PLUS SHORT
QUIET DE LUXE Dir: Gary Polski, USA, 2012, digital, 8 min Two young girls communicate across time through an antique typewriter.
BOOKING
3179
DATE
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Sat 23 March 4.15pm
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BOOKING
ACMI
2173 31
DATE
TIME
Fri 22 March 6.00pm
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ACMI
FEATURE FILMS
THE MERMAIDS
MIXED KEBAB
Dir: Petra Clever, Germany, 2012, digital, 36 min German with English subtitles
Dir: Guy Lee Thys, Belgium, 2012, DCP, 95 min Flemish, Turkish, Dutch, French, Arabic, English with English subtitles
Nikki is a maths nerd whose world consists almost entirely of numbers and figures. In an attempt to widen her cloistered world her therapist suggests Nikki try out for the university football team and very soon has her eyes opened to the sapphic world.
Belgian-born Bram is a tall, dark and handsome gay Turk living a double life in Antwerp that is at odds with his conservative, traditional Muslim upbringing. By day he’s the ideal son and brother, but by night he’s a player on the bar scene, and casual drug dealer to Antwerp’s seedier underbelly. When rumours begin to travel around the neighbourhood about Bram’s ‘lifestyle’ his father demands that he pay better attention to being a role model for his younger brother Furkan who has converted to a fundamental form of Islam. Bram subsequently flies off to Turkey with his friend Kevin to meet his cousin Elif, who will be his future wife in an arranged marriage. However, the trip brings Bram closer to Kevin than to Elif, and a steamy shower seduction and drinks confirms their relationship. At the centre of Mixed Kebab, director Guy Lee Thys paints a rich and sexy picture of how race and class affect a simple thing like love in today’s society and that courage and tolerance ultimately triumph over all. (LD) Melbourne Premiere
PLUS SHORT
QUIET Dir: Lauren Fash, USA 2012, video, 32 min A lesbian couple encounters homophobia when one of them tragically ends up in hospital.
PLUS SHORT
EXPOSURE Dir: Larin Sullivan, USA/ Australia, 2011, DCP, 14 min Pilar, a high school senior, yearns for her best girlfriend and has an awakening when a forensic photographer asks to take her picture, as a murdered victim.
BOOKING
3162
DATE
TIME
Sun 17 March 5.00pm
VENUE
BOOKING
ACMI
DATE
TIME
5168 Tues 19 March 8.30pm 32
VENUE
HOYTS
FEATURE FILMS
MONSTER PIES
MOSQUITA Y MARI
Dir: Lee Galea, Australia, 2012, DCP, 85 min
Dir: Aurora Guerrero, USA, 2012, HD CAM, 83 min Spanish and English with English subtitles
When Mike’s English teacher pairs him up for a class assignment about Romeo & Juliet with the cute new guy Will, Mike can’t believe his luck. However, as the two spend more and more time working together on a monster movie version of the Bard’s classic tale, they both soon realise their feelings for one another may be more powerful than either of them is truly ready for. But like the two main characters in the greatest love story ever told, Mike and Will seem pre-destined to be kept apart by their respective dysfunctional families, by their classmates, and by their own sexual confusion. Can their love overcome all obstacles? Or, like the Shakespearean monsters that inhabit their school project, are they fated to spend their existence haunted and alone? A coming-out and coming-of-age drama firmly set in the 1990’s, Monster Pies is a snapshot in time, a moving teen romance unafraid to tackle the contradictions and complexities of the male adolescent heart and mind. World Premiere. Cast and crew in attendance
BOOKING
DATE
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3184 Sun 24 March 3.00pm
When straight A student Yolanda (aka Mosquita), decides to help struggling tough girl Mari with her homework, an intense attraction evolves between the two. As their friendship grows, a yearning to explore their strange yet beautiful connection surfaces. Lost in their private world of unspoken affection, lingering gazes, and heart-felt confessions of uncertain futures, Yolanda’s grades begin to slip while Mari’s focus drifts away from her duties at a new job. Mounting pressures at home collide with their new-found desires thus driving Yolanda and Mari’s relationship to the edge, forcing them to choose between their obligations to others and staying true to each other. A genuinely unique and tender story about young love, Mosquita y Mari heralds the arrival of an exceptionally talented young filmmaker, Aurora Guerrero. Official Selection: 2012 Sundance Film Festival
VENUE
BOOKING
ACMI
DATE
TIME
2167 Tues 19 March 6.00pm 33
VENUE
ACMI
FEATURE FILMS
MY BEST DAY
NAKED AS WE CAME
Dir: Erin Greenwell, USA, 2012, HD Cam, 75 min
Dir: Richard LeMay, USA, 2012, HD Cam, 90 min
What could a gambling addict, a mysterious phone call, and a butch side-kick all have in common? They’re all part of Karen’s 4th of July. Karen is bored, and is spending most of her workday dreaming about meeting her father. Suddenly, a call from a familiar sounding man sends Karen’s imagination snow-balling. Could this be her father? With all the repair guys off for the day, Karen is pretty sure that it’s worth lying about being a mechanic to find out. My Best Day’s seamless blend of eccentricity and puncturing awkwardness results in an hilarious, off-tap film. Selected for the 2012 Sundance Festival and winner of ‘Best Narrative Feature’ at New York’s New-Fest, My Best Day is a film to watch this Festival. (BG) Melbourne Premiere
After an unexpected phone call, Laura and her brother Elliot rush to their family’s country estate to find their mother, Lilly, gravely ill and living with a handsome young stranger named Ted. Estranged for some time, their mother’s condition sets Laura and Elliot on a path to realising where their own lives have gone wrong. Lilly, on the other hand, has mellowed from the controlling woman she was and is hoping to pass on some wisdom to her children. Now her kids find themselves dealing with their own feelings of resentment and broken dreams while trying to figure out how Ted fits into their mother’s life. But Ted has a secret of his own. Love, loss and hope are all explored in this powerful drama that begs the question: What is your dream? Melbourne Premiere
Presented by
PLUS SHORT
AIR BALLOON (LUFTBALLONG) Dir: Yenni Lee, Norway, 2011, video, 11 min Norwegian with English subtitles Julie carries around a box full of memories of her ex-girlfriend.
BOOKING
DATE
TIME
2158 Sat 16 March 8.15pm 2181 Sat 23 March 8.15pm
VENUE
ACMI ACMI
BOOKING
DATE
TIME
3168 Tues 19 March 8.00pm 34
VENUE
ACMI
FEATURE FILMS
NATE AND MARGARET
NORTH SEA TEXAS
Dir: Nathan Adloff, USA, 2012, HD Cam, 80 min
(NORDZEE, TEXAS) Dir: Bavo Defurne, Belgium, 2012, DCP, 86 min Dutch with English subtitles
It’s not often that a 52-year-old woman and a teenage boy are best friends. Margaret is single and moonlights as a comedian, while Nate is in film school and has recently come out. On face value, these two don’t seem to have much in common, but both feel like outsiders amongst their peers. When Nate begins dating James, however, he is suddenly thrown into the middle of a new, exciting gay world. Similarly, Margaret’s increasing popularity grants her respect amongst her comedy peers. Suddenly, both Nate and Margaret have the realisation that maybe they were never meant to be close at all. Is it possible for these two to remain friends while both their worlds continue to push them apart? (BG) Melbourne Premiere
Pim lives in a run-down house in a dead-end street somewhere on the Belgian coast, together with his mother Yvette Bulteel (better known as Yvette Mimosa, local accordion starlet). Life here smells of cold French fries, cheap cigarettes, vermouth and stale beer. As a kid, Pim dreams of a better life: imagining princesses and beauty queens. But when Pim turns 16 he dreams of Gino, the boy next door, instead. Ever since they were children there has been this tension between them. Now Gino is Pim’s motorcycling hero. Then one day Yvette leaves with young, hunky Zoltan, the boy from the fair. Pim moves to the neighbours’ house to live with Marcella, his ‘second mum’, and Sabrina, Gino’s sister, who circles longingly around Pim. He even sleeps in Gino’s bed. But Gino’s off romancing and living with a girl from across the border. Dreams never come true. Or do they? On a rainy day Gino returns… Bavo Defurne is well known on the queer film festival circuit – most famous for his award-winning short film Campfire (Kampvuur), MQFF 2001. North Sea Texas is an absolute MQFF highlight and not to be missed! Melbourne Premiere
PLUS SHORT
UNANIMATED Dir: Emilio Marti Lopez, Spain, 2011, video, 8 min Spanish with English subtitles An animated character goes to therapy because he feels rejected in a ‘real’ world that dislikes those who are different.
Presented by
BOOKING
3160
DATE
TIME
Sun 17 March 1.00pm
VENUE
BOOKING
DATE
TIME
VENUE
ACMI
3151
Fri 15 March
6.15pm
ACMI
35
FEATURE FILMS
OUT IN THE DARK
A PERFECT ENDING
(ALATA)
Dir: Nicole Conn, USA, 2011, HD Cam, 114 min
Dir: Michael Mayer, Israel/USA, 2012, DCP, 96 min
Drop dead gorgeous Jessica Clark (True Blood’s Lilith) and TV icon Barbara Niven co-star in this glossy, sexy and fun romantic drama from writerdirector Nicole Conn (Elena Undone, Claire of the Moon). When straight, married and frustrated (she’s never had an orgasm), Rebecca seeks out the sexual services of high-priced call girl Paris she isn’t expecting to fall in love. Grappling with intense family drama at home, Rebecca escapes into the oasis of her encounters with Paris. Meanwhile, outside of her lucrative sex-worker day-job, Paris is a struggling artist with troubles of her own. A Perfect Ending is filled to the brink with aching desire, and the sexual chemistry between Niven and Clark is off the charts. The cast also boasts Morgan Fairchild, John Heard, Rebecca Staab and a cameo from celesbian actress/ therapist Cathy DeBuono. “Conn’s film upends traditional prejudices regarding a woman’s age, beauty and sexuality through depicting tender and joyous lovemaking.” BeyondChron.com Melbourne Premiere
Nimer, a Palestinian student, is dreaming of a better life abroad. One fateful night he meets Roy, an Israeli lawyer, and the two fall in love. As their relationship deepens, Nimer is confronted with the harsh realities of a Palestinian society that refuses to accept him for his sexual identity, and an Israeli society that rejects him for his nationality. When his close friend is caught hiding illegally in Tel Aviv and sent back to the West Bank, where he is brutally murdered, Nimer must choose between the life he thought he wanted and his love for Roy. “Mayer has tapped into a predicament not often visited cinematically when exploring the ever-present conflict in the Middle East, and he’s managed to not only make a memorable debut, but an unflinching document about the violence and hardships LGBT people face in this hostile territory”. Nicholas Bell ioncinema.com Official selection Toronto International Film Festival 2012 | Winner Haifa International Film Festival. Best Israeli Feature. Australian Premiere
BOOKING BOOKING
DATE
TIME
3187 Mon 25 March 8.30pm
DATE
TIME
2164 Sun 17 March 8.00pm 3174 Fri 22 March 8.00pm
VENUE
ACMI 36
VENUE
ACMI ACMI
FEATURE FILMS
QUEENS! DESTINY OF DANCE
REMINGTON AND THE CURSE OF THE ZOMBADINGS
Dir: David Atkins, India, 2011, video, 112 min Hindi with English subtitles
(ZOMBADINGS 1: PATAYIN SA SHOKOT SI REMINGTON)
Guru Amma presides over a community of hijras (male to female transgenders) inside a huge palace, with love and severity in equal measure. The apple of her eye is the talented Mukta who is the best dancer among them and also the potential next leader of the community. Mukta adores Guru Amma with all her heart, to the point of worshipping her. One day, a beautiful young girl turns up at their door without any explanation. Awed by her beauty, Amma takes the mysterious girl under her wings and names her Nandini. Soon, Nandini becomes the centre of attraction for the other hijras and for Amma as well, thereby sidelining Mukta. Mukta’s jealousy soon turns to paranoia about Nandini, and Mukta leaves the community after threatening Amma. But Mukta soon realises that she will never be taken back into her house or the community. Determined to set things right, Mukta returns to Amma and the community, but behaves kindly towards Nandini this time around, until enough is enough and events unfold leading to a shocking climax. True to the essence of Bollywood films, Queens! is chock full of colourful characters, and fantastic dance scenes. Australian Premiere
BOOKING
5174
DATE
TIME
Fri 22 March 8.30pm
Dir: Jade Castro, The Philippines, 2011, DCP, 96 min Filipino and Tagalog with English subtitles
Remington is happy being a bum alongside his gin-loving friends in the sleepy town of Lucban. That is until Hannah comes along. Suddenly, he’s becoming neater, nicer and more sensitive – feminine perhaps? She doesn’t share his feelings until he starts to dress better and be nice to her mother. But what is behind this new image, and why has he suddenly started to have feelings for his best mate Jigs? Could it be the spell that was cast over him by the drag queen he insulted in the graveyard as a young child? To find the answers Remington must deal with the curse from his past and a serial killer on a rampage against gay men. Together with Hannah and Jigs, Remington embarks on an adventure full of murders, spirits, curses, and gay zombies roaming the streets. This unlikely satire pokes fun at homophobia, camp and the zombie horror genre while telling a touching story of friendship and family. Laugh out loud stuff! (LD) Melbourne Premiere
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HOYTS
DATE
TIME
3165 Mon 18 March 6.30pm 37
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ACMI
FEATURE FILMS
ROUTE OF ACCEPTANCE Dir: Heather Tobin, Canada, 2012, video, 112 min
Choosing the right university is a tricky thing. For Ryan Stark, teenager, lesbian and aspirational writer, the decision is even more complicated. She doesn’t even know what she wants out of life. Route of Acceptance is a glance at the ‘what-ifs’ of Ryan’s college life. Moving sideways between three alternative futures, Ryan juggles her college life, her writing and her lovers. Amongst them, one girl stands out as special. But will Ryan choose the right future so that she and her true love meet? From the acclaimed writer-director of To Each her Own (MQFF 2009), Heather Tobin has once again produced a film that breaks new ground in lesbian cinema. (BG) Melbourne Premiere
BOOKING
DATE
TIME
5167 Tues 19 March 6.00pm
VENUE
HOYTS 38
FEATURE FILMS
THE SEX OF THE ANGELS
SEXUAL TENSION: VOLATILE
(EL SEXO DE LOS ANGELES)
(TENSIÓN SEXUAL: VOLÁTIL)
Dir: Xavier Villaverde, Spain, 2012, DCP, 105 min Spanish and Catalan with English subtitles
Dir: Marco Berger & Marcelo Mónaco, Argentina, 2012, HD Cam, 85 min Spanish with English subtitles
Struggling martial artist and dancer Bruno loves his girlfriend Carla, but when he meets fellow dancer Rai, serious sparks begin to fly, opening the couple up to new possibilities. A new generation navigates sexual fluidity, torn affections, and open relationships in this steamy love triangle. Xavier Villaverde’s latest film is all about bodies: in motion, entwined, heaving with laughter or sadness. His attractive young cast enacts an ever more socially acceptable postmillennial scenario – that of the ménage a trois. But as in real life, taking romantic risks in any type of partnership inevitably leads to growing pains. Once Bruno’s clandestine encounters with Rai are revealed, a confused and hurt Carla kicks him out. But she simply doesn’t want to give up on her love. Eventually she agrees that Bruno can date them both – as long as he keeps his life with Rai relatively separate. Sex of the Angels is a stunningly beautiful and positive narrative about three people’s experience of polyamory. Seattle International Film Festival 2012 “Trying to find ways in which this film could have been improved is an exercise in futility. If you love cinema, watch this films. It’s sublime”. Adrian Naik, Big Gay Picture Show Melbourne Premiere
Sexual Tension: Volatile is the latest film from Marco Berger, whose film Plan B was voted the Most Popular Feature at MQFF 2010. This time around he shares directing duties with Marcelo Mónaco in creating 6 short films all with one thing on their mind – raising your pulse. In ‘Ari’ a teenager feels the rush of a tattooist’s needle; in ‘The Cousin’, when a young guy visits his friend’s house, little did he realise the impact his friend’s cousin would have; in ‘The Other One’ two straight friends play-act making love to a girl; a man is on the receiving end of special care in ‘Broken Arms’; a straight guy, a busted shower and a handsome caretaker collide in ‘Love’; and in ‘Workout’ two musclebound guys send photos to their girl pals, each time wearing less clothes. These men – with very little, or no clothing – are objects for our voyeuristic pleasure, as their bodies are pored over and caressed by the camera. Ranging in style and form – some are dialogue-free, others loud and boisterous – the six stories are wonderful examples of filmmaking taking audiences to the edge. (PT) Australian Premiere PLUS SHORT
JULIAN Dir: Antonio da Silva, Portugal, 2012, digital, 9 min No dialogue A cross between a road-trip in Portugal and a summer love story, all shot on beautiful Super 8 film. BOOKING BOOKING
DATE
TIME
3166 Mon 18 March 8.30pm
2159 3175
VENUE
ACMI 39
DATE
TIME
Sat 16 March 10.15pm Fri 22 March 10.15pm
VENUE
ACMI ACMI
FEATURE FILMS
SHE, THEIR LOVE STORY
SPEECHLESS
Dir: Sarunya Noithai, Thailand, 2012, video, 90 min Thai with English subtitles
(WU YAN) Dir: Simon Chung, Hong Kong/China, 2012, video, 92 min Mandarin with English subtitles
Set in present day Thailand, Da, a columnist on a woman’s magazine edited by her elder sister, is hurt when her ex-boyfriend Wat sends a video to her workmates of them having sex. After taking a break, Da reluctantly agrees to write an article on the trendy topic of hurt heterosexual women finding solace in lesbianism. Clueless on the subject, Da charms her butch lesbian neighbour Be, who has sworn never to fall in love, to help her research the subject. Meanwhile, wealthy businesswoman Bua has retired to the luxury Sea Sun Sand spa resort she owns in Pattaya after deciding to divorce her husband. She hires photographer June, a closeted lesbian to do a new brochure and, when June falls for her, Bua responds. Back in Bangkok, Da unexpectedly falls for Be and the two become lovers. In Pattaya, June feels rejected when Bua’s husband and daughter come to visit, and Prair is still angry over her mother’s decision. Bua then reveals to her family the real reason she decided to divorce. A fun, yet charming and touching film, She, Their Love Story brings the romance back into the cinema. Melbourne Premiere
BOOKING
DATE
TIME
2184 Sun 24 March 4.00pm
In a remote part of southern China, a mysterious Westerner appears on a riverbank, completely naked. Taken to the local police station and afterwards to the hospital, he refuses to speak. While the doctors soon give up, the hospital’s orderly, Jiang, befriends the stranger. When Jiang learns that the Westerner is about to be transferred to a mental asylum, he decides to rescue him and takes him to his uncle’s village. There, he accidentally discovers a secret that provides a key to the mysterious stranger’s past. The men begin to experience strong feelings in each other, and the slow unfolding of memories reveals a traumatic secret and a tragic end as the two principals uncover a troubled past of sex, revenge, love and betrayal in this dramatic thriller. Melbourne Premiere
VENUE
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ACMI
2172 40
DATE
TIME
Thu 21 March 9.00pm
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ACMI
FEATURE FILMS
STRANGE FRAME: LOVE AND SAX
STRUCK BY LIGHTNING
Dir: G.B. Hajim, USA, 2012, video, 98 min
High school senior Carson Phillips (Golden Globe winner Chris Colfer, Glee) was destined for bigger things than his closed-minded small town could ever offer. He was on a path to greatness, but destiny had a different plan when he was suddenly killed by a bolt of lightning in his school parking lot. Demonstrating that life is what happens while you’re busy planning your future, Carson recounts the last few weeks of his life via witty, insightful flashbacks, including a blackmail scheme targeting the popular kids in school that he concocts with his best friend (Australian Rebel Wilson, Bridesmaids, Pitch Perfect), and a home life that includes a mother (Allison Janney, Juno, The West Wing) who’s more interested in the bottle than her son’s future and an estranged father (Dermot Mulroney, My Best Friend’s Wedding) who suddenly appears with a pregnant fiancée (Christina Hendricks, Mad Men). Official Selection Tribeca Film Festival 2012 Please note: this is an Auslan interpreted session
Dir: Brian Dannelly, USA, 2012, DCP, 90 mins
The first lesbian, science fiction, rock ‘n’ roll animated film is here! Hold on tight as we head off into the 29th Century. 200 years after the human race has left a decimated Earth behind, life on Ganymede, one of Saturn’s moons, is a world of space pirates, indentured slaves and genetic mutations. Parker, a saxophonist, meets a gutsy singer, Naia, who’s a ‘debt slave’, and the two quickly fall in love and form a band. Gaining cult notoriety, the band catches the eye of the authorities, and Naia is recaptured. As Parker begins a desperate search for her love, Naia is repackaged by ‘the man’ as a generic rock star and achieves immense fame. Will Naia be saved before her soul is forever destroyed? With a voice cast led by Claudia Black (Stargate SG-1), Tara Strong and Tim Curry, Strange Frame’s unique blend of sci-fi animation is a sensory explosion of colour, sound and ideas. (PT) Australian Premiere
“Chris Colfer outdoes Tina Fey with his script... it feels exactly like the fantasy I would have liked to see late at night when I was twelve or thirteen, wondering why I didn’t fit in.” Indiewire
“A gorgeous and engrossing tale of the power of love and music.” TwitchFilm
Presented by
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FEATURE FILMS
STUD LIFE
TWO WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL
Dir: Campbell X, UK, 2012, HD Cam, 85 min
(DU BUNUI GYULHONSIKGWA HAN BUNUI JANGRYESIK)
Stud Life is the story of two best friends in gritty, down town London. JJ is a stud – a masculine lesbian – who works, lives and plays with her camp room-mate Seb. However, their escapades in the gay reggae scene quickly become complicated by the introduction of mysterious Elle. Elle is a femme, and exactly JJ’s type. While things start well between the two women, something isn’t adding up. What is Elle hiding from JJ? Stud Life is a coming-of-age story about twenty-somethings finding love in the hyper-sexual, gender-bending London scene. (BG) Melbourne Premiere
Dir: Jho Kwang-Soo Kim, South Korea, 2012, HD Cam, 108 mins Korean with English subtitles
Doctors Min-Soo and Hyo-Jin decide to get married. Not because they love each other, but because they each love someone else. Min-Soo is gay and ready to settle down, while Hyo-Jin is a lesbian, happily entrenched in a relationship, and looking to have a baby with her female partner. Both are in the closet to their traditional families, and to keep up their straight appearances, marriage seems the obvious choice (particularly for Hyo-Sin who will use the cover of marriage to adopt a child). In reality they live next door to each other in the same apartment block, which while handy, creates some hilarious scenes when Min-Soo’s mother keeps arriving unexpectedly. Their scheme threatens to unravel when Min-Soo falls in love with a confident out gay man, who quickly becomes tired of Min-Soo’s obsessive secrecy. When tragedy strikes, Min-Soo must take stock of his life, and decide whether to live a life of secrecy, or be true to himself. Two Weddings and a Funeral is a snappily entertaining romantic comedy drama that gets under your skin, and speaks volumes for the current status of queers in South Korea. (LD) Melbourne Premiere
“London-set Stud Life is a sexy, young, cool, and queer British urban romance that pays homage to Spike Lee’s She’s Gotta Have It” British Film Council
PLUS SHORT
FRESH FRUIT Dir: Diane Busuttil, Australia/Italy/Germany, 2012, video, 9 min No dialogue A sweet trip into one woman’s imagination, a world full of sexual and sensual fantasy.
Presented by
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Fri 15 March
8.15pm
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Fri 15 March 8.00pm
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FEATURE FILMS
UNCONDITIONAL
WESTERLAND
Dir: Bryn Higgins, UK, 2012, video, 92 mins
Dir: Tim Staffel, Germany, 2012, DCP, 89 min German with English subtitles
An unsettling British thriller, Unconditional has been a hit at Festivals worldwide, including Frameline, Edinburgh and Slamdance. 16-year-old twins, Kristen and Owen, live in a world devoid of excitement: caring for their disabled mother, they are stuck in their dull, high-rise apartment. When charming salesman, Liam, knocks at their door, Kristen is instantly smitten, and glimpses an escape from her humdrum life. However, Liam has his sights set on Owen, and goes about seducing the lad with the offer of free booze, and a good time out on the town in his expensive-looking car. With no male role model in his life, and seemingly no friends, Owen is flattered at the attention lavished upon him. However Liam’s overtures take an unexpected turn, as he convinces Owen to dress as a woman, calling him ‘Kristen’. As a twisted game of role-play and fantasy unfurls, Owen is forced to confront the extent of Liam’s psychopathic tendencies. (PT) Australian Premiere
Two young men fall into an unlikely relationship when Cem comes across Jesús as he contemplates committing suicide on a beach. Both men are battling their own demons – Jesús, some serious mental health issues including bulimia; Cem the weight of family expectation. Cem falls quickly into the role of caregiver to Jesús, much to the distaste of Cem’s family who witness the swift disintegration of his lifestyle. They are at once their own worst enemies, and possible saviors, estranging themselves from outside influence. As their lives spin out of control, it’s inevitably left to Cem to attempt to bring them back to reality. Westerland is a hypnotic tale of friendship, love, family and co-dependency. (LD) Melbourne Premiere
“An impressively made and darkly disturbing drama… delightfully skewed look at obsessive love.” Screen International
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Fri 22 March 6.00pm
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FEATURE FILMS
WOMAN’S LAKE
PLUS SHORT
(FRAUENSEE) Dir: Zoltan Paul, Germany, 2012, DCP, 85 min German with English subtitles
Earthy and capable Rosa is a professional fisherwoman who spends her days silently travelling through the peaceful waterways of the picturesque hinterlands north of Berlin. As guardian of the lakes, she can be found policing and protecting the surrounding landscape when she’s not casting her nets. Rosa’s lover Kirsten is a successful architect who lives in a lakeside bungalow, yet seems an odd match for the chilled Rosa. While Rosa is ready to settle into the relationship, Kirsten seems uneasy about committing, and uptight about anything that distracts from her business interests. Their world is upended by the arrival of Olivia and Evi, a brash, sexually adventurous young lesbian couple who are on a study break from Berlin and sailing through the lakes. Both Rosa and Kirsten react differently to the sexual advances of the young women, and their presence threatens the already precarious relationship of the older women. (LD) Melbourne Premiere
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Thu 21 March 6.00pm
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SILENCES (SILENCIOS) Dir: Javier Sanz, Spain, 2011, digital, 5 min No dialogue With no words the feelings of separation between lovers wading in the aftermath of a fight are beautifully communicated in this sultry, moody lesbian love story.
FEATURE FILMS
YOSSI
PLUS SHORT
Dir: Eytan Fox, Israel, 2012, DCP, 84 min Hebrew with English subtitles
Ten years after Yossi and Jagger, the tragic love story of two Israel Defence Force officers serving in Lebanon, director Eytan Fox returns to tell us what has happened with Yossi. Dr. Yossi Hoffman has become a valued and dedicated cardiologist, often using his work as a way to escape from dealing with his anguished life. He lives alone, still closeted, unable to break through the walls and defenses built around him since the death of his lover. Even his co-workers – a recently divorced doctor, who tries to sweep Yossi into his world of women and drugs, and a lonely nurse, who is secretly in love with him – find it almost impossible to get close to him. His daily routine at the hospital is shaken up by the arrival of a mysterious woman. He follows her, and through the surprising connection that they make, receives a rare opportunity to deal with his trauma. Yossi then travels to the southern city of Eilat. Surrounded by sea and sand dunes he meets a group of young Israeli Defence Force officers, among them Tom, a handsome and self-confident openly gay man, who represents a new world, different from the one that shaped Yossi. Official selection Tribeca Film Festival 2012
“Written and directed with uncommon honesty and compassion by Fox, this is a deeply moving film about the power of second chances” Indiewire
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TORD AND TORD (TORD OCH TORD) Dir: Niki Lindroth Von Bahr, Sweden, 2011, video, 11 min Swedish with English subtitles One day Tord accidentally walks in to the apartment next to his own. Another person named Tord has just moved in. Tord and Tord start to spend time with each other.
WHY SHOULD I BE MADE TO FEEL LIKE CRAP FOR JUST BEING WHO I AM? SEE WHAT GLBTI PEOPLE THINK AT REALLIFESTORIES.ORG.AU BECAUSE OF THE THINGS PEOPLE SAY AND DO, GLBTI PEOPLE ARE FAR MORE LIKELY TO EXPERIENCE DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY. IF YOU FEEL LIKE CRAP AND NEED TO TALK ABOUT IT beyondblue CAN HELP, CALL CONFIDENTIALLY ANYTIME ON 1300 22 4636.
VISIT LEFTHAND.ORG.AU TO VIEW THE ANTI-DISCRIMINATION CAMPAIGN
STOP s
THINK s
RESPECT
BEY1075 12/12
COMMUNITY HEADING FILM PROJECT
BRINGING GENERATIONS TOGETHER Melbourne Queer Film Festival and beyondblue are joining forces to present an exciting new initiative by award-winning filmmaker Grant Scicluna. During the Festival we will be producing eight short films featuring stories from diverse voices within our community that will bring generations together. We are looking for eight gay, lesbian, bi, trans or intersex participants…but there’s a twist. There will be four teams of two and each team will consist of a LGBTI young person (16 – 25) and their LGBTI senior counterpart (55+) who will interview each other on camera about their personal experiences.
If you would like to participate in this project please visit mqff.com.au for more information. Look out for these short films at a free screening on the last weekend of the Festival at ACMI. To keep up-to-date with this project you can like us on Facebook, follow us on twitter or subscribe to our e-newsletter.
Inspirational storytelling ability is more important than filmmaking skills as mentors will guide the participants through the process of film production.
Presented by
Writer and director Grant Scicluna and producer Jannine Barnes are the mentors for this community film project. Their short film The Wilding has won awards around the world including the City of Melbourne Award for Best Australian Short Queer Film 2012. Joining Grant and Jannine will be Tim Marshall, director of the short film Battlefield which screened at the MQFF in 2012. They will be assisted by Megan Hansford, who is the GLBTI and Priority Communities Project Manager at beyondblue and a judge for this year’s Oz Shorts package. 47
Join us at Fes The queerest plac 10 day MQFF Festival Lounge takes over the heart of Melbourne’s Federation Square at Beer DeLuxe. For 10 days only it will be the queerest place to eat and meet.
So if you need a break from the cinema, there’s always something (or someone!) else to pique your interest.
Drop in for a quick hello, talk film for hours with friends or find a comfy couch to soak up the Festival atmosphere.
Festival Lounge Opening Hours Monday to Friday 5pm until late Weekends 11am until late
We’ll be serving delicious meals, quick snacks and real coffee. You can also enjoy a drink and formal tastings from one of our lovely beverage partners Picante Espana Wine, Mildura Brewery Beer or Lucky Duck Cider.
Entry is free, except for some special ticketed events.
Where Beer DeLuxe Federation Square
Check mqff.com.au/festivallounge for the full line-up and further information.
For the first time this year the Festival Lounge will host a range of special events. There will be GLBTI community nights, film student networking and speed dating. Every Friday and Saturday night DJ’s will entertain you with great music and it will be the party destination for Closing Night.
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stival Lounge ce to eat and meet ys only MEET THE SELECTION PANEL
SLIDE NIGHT WITH THE ARCHIVES
The MQFF Selection Panel waded through a record 600 plus submissions over dumplings and rice to decide on which films are part of the program. This year our panel has selected a relationship comedy from Singapore, When Hainan Meets Teochew, which heralds a new era of filmmaking for our Asian neighbours. Join the MQFF selection panel for an informal chat and a drink immediately following the Selector’s Choice film screening. They’ll be happy to answer all questions about the MQFF selection process.
MQFF goes to the Archives! As part of its 35th Anniversary celebrations, the Gay and Lesbian Archives has pulled the slide projector out from under the bed and invited some of its special friends to share some of their most precious queer historical pics with you. We’ve given them each five minutes on the stopwatch to tell us the story of their slides in a race against time! For one night only, join us for a fast and sweaty evening of tales of the raunchy, the remembered and the ridiculous. Anything could happen! A cash bar and Australian Lesbian and Gay Archives Stall will also feature at the event. Donations support ALGA. A must for all queer history geeks! Presented by Carla Donnelly and Daniel Marshall for ALGA.
When Sat 16 March 5.30pm Festival Lounge at Beer DeLuxe
When Tuesday 19 March 8pm at Festival Lounge at Beer DeLuxe
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MEET LUCKY
PROUDLY MADE IN MELBOURNE Lucky Duck Cider
50
Proud Supporter of the
Melbourne Queer Film Festival 2013
For more information please contact your McWilliam’s Wines Representative on 1800 800 584 (Sydney Metro 02 9722 1299)
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DOCUMENTARIES
THE BRITISH GUIDE TO SHOWING OFF
CALL ME KUCHU Dir: Katherine Fairfax Wright & Malika Zouhali-Worrall, USA, HD Cam, 87 mins
Dir: Jes Benstock, UK, 2011, DCP, 98 min
In Uganda, new legislation is being tabled to Parliament to make homosexuality punishable by death. This essential documentary follows a small band of local activists who defy persecution as they work tirelessly to stop it. Their courageous work is a call to action for the global community to pressure a country whose commitment to crushing gays is absolute. Unprepared for the depth of the brutality and persecution, this intelligent and poignant portrayal will enrage, inspire, jubilate and move you deeply. Call Me Kuchu is a powerful celebration of Uganda’s first openly gay man who refuses to let his government tell everyone that “we are not here”. Winner of the Teddy Award for Best Documentary at the 2012 Berlin Film Festival and celebrated the world over, Call Me Kuchu is a must-see documentary. (GS)
British artist, living legend and renowned eccentric Andrew Logan, loved the world over by celebrities and misfits alike, takes us under his glittering wing and inside his outrageous, anarchic and spectacular costume pageant: the Alternative Miss World Show. As the Show’s master of ceremonies and ringmaster, Logan is the high priest of an esteemed congregation. He describes the Show as his most important artwork; a fabulous living sculpture that spans forty years of arts and culture. Using live observational camera, archive and exuberant animation, this documentary charts the mounting of the 2009 Show, interwoven with its history, the rise, fall and rediscovery, of both the event and the artist and his partner Michael Davis at its centre. With appearances by Grayson Perry, Zandra Rhodes, Brian Eno, and Logan’s own family, The British Guide to Showing Off is heartfelt, humourous and a rollicking good time. Melbourne Premiere
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Sun 17 March 2.00pm
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DOCUMENTARIES
DIE STANDING UP
I AM A WOMAN NOW
(MORIR DE PIE)
Dir: Michiel Van Erp, The Netherlands, 2012, HD Cam, 87 min Dutch, German, French, English with English subtitles
Dir: Jacaranda Correa, Mexico, 2011, video, 90 min Spanish with English subtitles
Back in 1956, people who wanted to undergo gender reassignment surgery could go to gynecologist Georges Burou in Casablanca without having to undergo any psychological assessment. Filmmaker Michiel van Erp asks some of these pioneers, all women in their 70s now, if the choice they made back then has changed their lives as they had hoped. How did the outside world react to this first generation of transgenders? Corinne, a former exotic dancer from Belgium, considers herself having been born in Casablanca, a sentiment echoed by her friend and fellow dancer from France, Bambi. Colette, an artist and cosmetologist from The Netherlands, discusses the impact of aging on her relationship with a younger man. Jean from Germany talks about her struggles when, following her operation, a female partner asked her to live as a man again. And April from England sees the surgery as having enabled her to put her difficult childhood behind her, offering her a new and happier life. The fascinating stories as told by the women are beautifully fleshed out with archival footage and photos, giving you an intimate insight into the lives of these inspiring women. (LD)
Don’t miss this inspiring story of Irina Layewska, a tireless fighter in the war for personal freedoms, who continues to work for progressive causes from her wheelchair despite a severe disability. It’s also the love story of Irina and her partner Nelida, whom she married when Irina was a man. Irina was born into a male body to Mexican communist militants and grew up idolizing Che Guevara, and spent much of her young life fighting in the Cuban solidarity movement. When her medical condition suddenly threatened her eyesight she became aware of an internal, emotional imbalance, and a need to explore her feminine side, and in the end made the choice to become a woman. Correa brilliantly moves between archival footage of Layewska’s past as a male activist and her present where she stills fights for the rights of the less powerful, whilst dealing with serious medical issues. (LD) Winner: Best Mexican Documentary, Guadalajara Film Festival Melbourne Premiere
“A conceptually striking and emotionally piercing documentary.” Robert Koehler, Variety magazine
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Sat 16 March 4.00pm ACMI STUDIO
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Sat 16 March midday ACMI STUDIO
DOCUMENTARIES
I AM GAY AND MUSLIM
INTERSEXION
Dir: Chris Belloni, Morocco/The Netherlands, 2012, DCP, 58 min
Dir: Grant Lahood, New Zealand, 2012, HD Cam, 68 min
Focusing on the subject of gay rights in the Islamic world, this intimate portrait follows a number of young gay Moroccan men in their exploration of their religious and sexual identity. Triggered by the current political situation in which homosexuality and Islam seem irreconcilable, director Chris Belloni spent the major part of 2011 residing in Morocco to interview gay Muslims. The men portrayed in the film share their personal experiences and talk about the ambiguity and secretiveness of the life they feel condemned to live, although some have openly acknowledged their sexual orientation. Melbourne Premiere
One in 2,000 babies is born with genitalia so ambiguous it’s impossible for doctors to determine if the child is male or female. The challenge posed to parents and doctors of intersex children has been what to do about it. Since the 1950s, intersex children have been “fixed” by early intervention genital reassignment surgery. However, as New Zealand’s first “out” intersex person Mani Bruce Mitchell shows via the stories of intersex people the world over, human sexual development is far too complex for medicine. Intersexion interrogates the ethics of medically intervening to neatly separate boys from girls. By building a rich patchwork of experience, it is an illuminating, emotional and deeply heartwarming celebration of courage. (GS) Melbourne Premiere
PLUS SHORT
PLUS SHORT
FIGHTING FOR AIR
VESSEL FOR MY HEART
Dir: Fatima Mawas, Australia, 2012, DCP, 8 min
Dir: Ryan Lexi, USA, 2012, digital, 13 min
Tension exists in the household between teenage KJ and her older sister, Hanna. To make matters worse, KJ is arriving at school with bruises on her face and her teacher, Amal is starting to get suspicious.
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What is your gender? When did you decide? Most of us live in communities and cultures that expect us to embrace and express one of two genders: male or female. But what if your sense of self does not match societal expectations?
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DOCUMENTARIES
THE INVISIBLE MEN
THE INVISIBLES
(GVARIM BILTI NIR’IM)
(LES INVISIBLES)
Dir: Yariv Mozer, Israel, 2012, video, 68 min Hebrew, Arabic and English with English subtitles
Dir: Sébastien Lifshitz, France, 2012, HD Cam, 115 min French with English subtitles
Exiled from Palestine for being gay, Louie lives illegally across the border in Israel’s more accepting Tel Aviv. His asylum gets no recognition from the Israeli government, who prohibit that status for Palestinian nationals. After ten years hiding from the Israeli government and running from Palestine, Louie struggles to contemplate that his future does not lie in either country. Embraced by gay Israelis, the future for gay Palestinians like Louis is determined by the political conflict of their leaders. This intimate documentary distills the emotional and psychological impact the IsraeliPalestinian conflict has upon their gay citizens. Powerful, inspiring and heart wrenching, it contemplates what some must risk for selfrespect, love and somewhere to call home. (GS) Winner Outstanding Documentary Frameline Film Festival 2012 | Winner Special Jury Award Doc Aviv 2012 Melbourne Premiere
In this fascinating documentary director Sébastien Lifshitz trains his lens upon eleven gay men and lesbians over the age of 70 as they discuss their lives in remarkable detail at the same time as painting an intriguing portrait of the progress of French social attitudes over the past 60 years. Concentrating on more rural and regional stories than those from the cities, Lifshitz acknowledges the inevitable homophobia and violence each may have encountered in their lives. But the portraits rarely remain maudlin or victim-focused and instead are fabulous celebrations of lives lived long, well and proudly. Lifshitz’s skills as a director of gay features (Going South 2009, Presque Rien 2000), shines through in this documentary, giving the film a welcome storytelling quality rather than a dry fact providing exercise. This one will warm the cockles of your heart! (LD) Winner Best Documentary 2012 Paris Lesbian Film Festival Melbourne Premiere
Presented by Val’s Café
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Sat 16 March 4.15pm
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Sat 16 March 2.00pm
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DOCUMENTARIES
PEACHES DOES HERSELF
SEVENTH GAY ADVENTISTS
Dir: Peaches, Germany, 2012, HD Cam, 80 min
Peaches Does Herself is an electro rock opera stage show that tells a mythical history of the musician Peaches. Peaches Does Herself follows the musician Peaches through her journey from bedroom wannabe musician to Rockstar. Through a selection of songs from Peaches 4 official albums, a mythical biography is told based on the misconceptions surrounding Peaches image. On the advice of a 65 year old stripper, Peaches makes music that is sexually forthright. Her popularity grows and she becomes what her fans expect her to be, Transsexual. She falls in love with a beautiful Shemale but Peaches gets her heart broken and has to realize who she really is. Described as an anti jukebox musical. Peaches wrote directed and played the role of Peaches. This is Peaches’ first feature film.
Dir: Daneen Akers & Stephen Eyer, USA, 2012, DCP, 104 min
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3186 Mon 25 March 6.15pm
In this raw and inspiring documentary, three gay Seventh-Day Adventists are forced to make a choice between two parts of their identity that feel as ingrained as their own name. Growing up Adventist means growing up knowing you belong. These close-knit religious communities not only share beliefs, but follow dietary regimes, attend church schools and hospitals, and associate primarily with other Adventists. Discovering you are gay in these communities means certain exile from all who have loved you. These brave men and women are not fanatics, but ordinary people forced to choose between loved ones. They share their stories with gut-wrenching intimacy and intelligence, and struggle powerfully to find a place where they can integrate identity, love and belief. (GS) Melbourne Premiere
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2168 Tues 19 March 8.30pm 56
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DOCUMENTARIES
TURNING
UNFIT: WARD VS WARD
Dir: Charles Atlas, USA/Denmark 2012, HD Cam, 82 min
Dir: Katie Carmichael, Edwin Scharlau & Penny Edmiston, USA, 2012, video, 90 min
This art/music documentary is based on a concert collaboration between acclaimed video artist Charles Atlas and the unique music of Antony and the Johnsons. The Turning concert captivated Europe, described as a ‘subtle journey into the feminine universe’ by interweaving Antony’s ethereal music with 13 “beauties” spinning live on a podium, swathed with Atlas’ exuberant 80’s pop aesthetic. Going behind the scenes, the documentary is part music concert, part art documentary, combining beautifully filmed sequences from the show with portraits of each of these remarkable women. Challenging our traditional perception of identity and gender, it leaves a haunting, meditative and revelatory impression of struggle and acceptance. (GS)
Who is the more fit to be a parent? A mother who is a lesbian or a father who is a convicted murderer? In 1995, a Florida judge was presented with a custody modification case. The couple in question had been separated and then divorced for six years. At the time of the divorce, primary custody of their only daughter had been awarded to the mother. She requested, and was granted, child support well below the Florida state guideline, as she knew that her ex-husband was not in a position to pay more and she wanted him to remain a part of their daughter’s life. Yet mounting bills and a loss of income forced the mother to file for an increase in child support, which she was awarded. Yet, the case began to unravel when the father filed for a complete modification of the custody arrangement, despite the fact that he is behind in child support payments, knows very little about his daughter, nor has spent much time with her, and has done jail time for the murder of his first wife. While the judge claims that the mother’s lesbianism had nothing to do with his decision his ruling stated that “...I believe that this child should be given the opportunity and the option to live in a non-lesbian world…” If you think what ensues can’t happen in contemporary society, think again. (LD) Australian Premiere
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Sun 17 March 4.00pm
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2183 Sun 24 March 2.00pm 57
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SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS
A LIAR’S AUTOBIOGRAPHY – THE UNTRUE STORY OF MONTY PYTHON’S GRAHAM CHAPMAN IN 3D Dir: Bill Jones, Jeff Simpson, Ben Timlett, UK/USA, 2012, DCP, 83 min
And now for something completely different! That catchphrase from Monty Python’s Flying Circus works perfectly for the MQFF’s very first 3D session and is also the overriding philosophy behind the late Graham Chapman’s autobiographical film. Completely anarchic, revealing and as expected very funny, these series of sketches executed in 15 different animation styles, attempt to tell the life story of Chapman – comedian, actor, rugby fan, pipe smoker, alcoholic and gay man (or 70% gay as his self-conducted survey revealed), amongst other things. Based on Chapman’s famous false memoir A Liar’s Autobiography (Volume VI), the 3D film version is a chaotic and often hilarious ride through Chapman’s version of his life well-lived before dying of lung cancer in 1989 at age 48. And despite being dead for all of the time since, Chapman manages to make himself star of the show thanks to a decent slab of newly discovered audio recordings. Fellow members of the Monty Python team take part (John Cleese, Michael Palin, Terry Jones and Terry Gilliam), adding to the humour, with fabulous footage of Cleese delivering the eulogy at Chapman’s funeral. Chapman’s naughtily queer heart beats throughout, as does the irreverent mood – perfectly fitting for a man whose work life constantly careered toward the absurd. A Liar’s Autobiography is an MQFF highlight, and not to be missed! (LD) “I had no idea until recently that Graham Chapman is in fact dead – I thought he was just being lazy!” Terry Jones $20 Full / $17 Concession / $16 MQFF Member includes 3D glasses Melbourne Premiere BOOKING
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Fri 22 March 6.00pm
VENUE
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SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS
BEING BRENDO
SELECTOR’S CHOICE
Dir: Colin Batrouney, Shannon Murphy & Neil Armfield, Australia, 2013, HD Cam, 90 min
WHEN HAINAN MEETS TEOCHEW
Being Brendo 2013! Brenda has a revelation, Brandi finds love, Aaron is in for a big surprise, Brendan moves up the career ladder, Pam’s getting married, Zoltan meets his match and Jack crosses a bridge, Pete works things out and Toby gets it together, Davo starts a new life and Glen has a windfall. There’s a big party, and a funeral. Will it end in tears? Q&A with cast and crew after the screening.
(DANG HAI NAN YU SHANG CHAO ZHOU) Dir: Yew Kwang Han, Singapore, 2010, video, 81 min Tamil, Teochew, Mandarin & English with English subtitles
When Hainan Meets Teochew tells a unique story about love between a butch and a femme woman. The two meet in the most unusual circumstances (involving a falling bra), become enemies in the most unpredictable situation and become friends in the most unforgettable manner. Just as they gradually develop feelings for each other, Hainan’s ex-girlfriend appears and puts their relationship under the most challenging test. The ensuing love triangle results in much misunderstanding and hilarity. What will become of Hainan and Teochew’s romance, and who is the owner of the falling bra? Australian Premiere
Presented by
Please join the MQFF selection panel for an informal chat and a drink in the Festival Lounge at Beer DeLuxe immediately following the session. They’ll be happy to answer questions about the MQFF selection process.
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Sat 16 March 4.00pm
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Sat 23 March 4.00pm
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ACMI
SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS
CROWD FUNDING FOR DUMMIES The MQFF is all about films, filmmakers and audiences. This year, we’re dedicating an entire panel session to the art of raising cash to make films – no easy feat! With new and accessible digital technologies, raising funding for your film is no longer restricted to applying to competitive film funding bodies, or begging from rich uncles and aunties. It’s much more about thinking outside the square and utilising new technologies to reach potential audiences and funders. Crowd funding is a relatively new technique, but one that already has a proven track record. Please join us, as our expert panelists discuss their experiences of both running a crowd funding organisation, as well as going down the crowd funding path.
Rick Chen is an entrepreneur and a social change-maker with a strong focus on new media design. He has a keen interest in web-based technology, user interface design and innovative ideas that change people’s behaviour. After graduating from the University of Sydney with a Masters in Digital Media design, Rick co-founded Australia’s first crowd funding platform Pozible, which has helped lots of creative projects get off the ground. Louise Wadley is an award-winning filmmaker who attended the National Film and Television School in the UK. She teaches scriptwriting at University of Technology Sydney and the Sydney Film School and has made feature length documentaries and fiction shorts. Her upcoming feature film The Trouble With E has used Pozible as its crowd funding source. Christina Radburn is an independent film producer based in Melbourne. Her film credits include a number of short films that have screened at various festivals including the Arab Film Festival, Colourfest Film Festival, Warburton Film Festival, Rotterdam Arab Camera Festival and was a Top 60 TropFest finalist in 2010. She is currently studying a Master of Producing at the Victorian College of the Arts. Her two most recent short films were partly funded through successful Pozible campaigns, one of which Fighting for Air is screening at MQFF this year. BOOKING
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4800 Sat 23 March 4.00pm ACMI STUDIO 60
SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS
MIDNIGHT MOVIE
I WANT YOUR LOVE Dir: Travis Mathews, USA, 2012, HD Cam, 71 min
The debut feature from Travis Matthews is a breath of fresh air in queer cinema. Instantly notorious for its depiction of real sex on screen, the film displays an immediacy and authenticity in capturing the lives of a group of San Franciscans at a moment of significant change in their lives. Performance artist Jesse has decided to move back to his Mid-western hometown due to the high cost of living in San Francisco. During his last weekend, as he questions his decision, plans are afoot for a final night party. As his friends gather for the celebration, including Ben, his ex-boyfriend, Jesse receives some unexpected news from his father, news that could change everything. (PT) “Intimate, sexy and unflinchingly honest, I Want Your Love is a bold film with rare insight into the uncensored lives of a generation of gay men.” Andrew Haigh (Director of Weekend) Warning: this session includes sexually explicit material Melbourne Premiere
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Fri 22 March Midnight
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HOYTS 61
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SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS
THE QUEER HISTORY SLIDESHOW
QUEERING THE SMALL SCREEN
Are there histories of young queer people in Australia? What happened before there were any queer youth groups and when homosexuality was still illegal? What did queer young people do in the past? What protests did they organise? What parties did they have? What did they wear and what music did they listen to? How much have things changed for queer young people today? Join Daniel Marshall for an interactive slideshow featuring images and stories of queer young people from Australia’s past. Come see pictures of struggle, celebration and amazing youth fashions from history! This event will be presented by Daniel Marshall and is based on the Queer Youth Education Project workshops that he runs with queer youth groups. Daniel also writes about queer history and youth and is an academic at Deakin University in Melbourne. Special ticketed price – $10 Full / $8.50 Concession / $8 MQFF Member
After the success of ACMI’s Queering the Small Screen session of Live in the Studio in 2012, the MQFF is joining forces with ACMI and heading back into the Studio to take a deeper look at the evolving face of queers on small screens. With more GLBTQ characters appearing on screen in everything from Modern Family and The New Normal to animated hit Archer, and with a wider range of representations getting air-time in shows such as ABC TV’s Outland, queer visibility on the small screen has steadily risen over the past decade. Our panel will take a closer look at the current slate of queerfocused television and GLBTQ characters, examining the changing array of queer representations to come out of the television closet and taking a peek at what the future may hold. Join cultural reviewer Tim Hunter, Star Observer Editor Rachel Cook and others as they explore the changing faces of queers on the box.
Presented by
Co-presented by
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4400 Sun 17 March 2.00pm ACMI STUDIO
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4700 Sat 23 March midday ACMI STUDIO 63
TRANSFORMATIONS Here’s a fabulous package of great trans docs guaranteed to entertain.
PERFECT IN MY IMPERFECTIONS
TRANSITIONS Dir: Genady Gavleshov, Canada, 2012, digital, 11 min
Dir: Julia Parnell, New Zealand, 2012, HD Cam, 22 min
A person finds the courage to change his life in two fundamental ways: honouring his true self as he transitions from married priest to openly gay atheist, and respecting the transition of his transgender son.
It’s a challenging time in the life of choreographer, dancer and fakaleiti (Tongan transgender) Amanaki Prescott. Though a star on the rise in the New Zealand professional dance scene, Amanaki struggles to feel accepted within the Tongan community and her own family.
THE DEVOTION PROJECT: MY PERSON
THE HIDDEN GEM
Dir: Antony Osso, USA, 2012, HD Cam, 10 min
The Hidden Gem is an observational documentary based on the life of an Aboriginal-Australian transwoman named Jemma, well-known in the Kings Cross area.
Dir: Namratha Thomas, Australia, 2012, video, 26 min
Trans couple Eric and Anne, discuss how they’ve overcome adversity to become a very traditional non-traditional family.
AKIN
TRANSFORMING FAMILY
Dir: Chase Joynt, Canada, 2012, video, 8 min
Dir: Remy Huberdeau, Canada, 2012, video, 11 min
Akin powerfully engages in a relationship between an Orthodox Jewish mother and her transgender son as they navigate silent secrets of a shared past.
Transforming Family is a beautiful snapshot of current issues, struggles and strengths of transexual, transgender and gender fluid parents (and parents-to-be) in North American society today.
PUTTING THE ‘I’ IN TRANS Dir: Steen Starr, Canada, 2012, video, 5 min
On June 27, 2011, the Toronto Star, one of Canada’s largest circulating newspapers, featured an article titled “Gay Activism Makes Comeback.” They just didn’t exactly proofread it.
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Sun 17 March 3.00pm
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ACMI 64
OZ DOCS This year’s excellent collection of Oz Docs is a fantastic tribute to our talented local documentary makers. Representatives from the films will be in attendance for a Q&A following the session.
QUEEN OF THE DESSERT
CARNIVAL QUEEN
Dir: Alex Kelly, Australia, 2012, video, 27 min
Dir: Amy Gebhardt, Australia, 2011, HD Cam, 29 min
Queer Star Lady goes out to indigenous communities to engage in an outreach program. She takes her styling business out to remote communities with inspiring results.
Enter the insides of a carnival troupe as a new show is born, Finucane and Smith’s Carnival of Mysteries: mothered by the formidable hand of Melbourne’s esteemed performance artist, Moira Finucane.
THE LALA ROAD
PART ONE: LOVE
Dir: Letitia Lamb, Australia, 2012, HD Cam, 10 min
Dir: Tony Radevski, Australia, 2012, HD Cam, 10 min
Young Chinese lesbians make their way along a difficult path, rejecting traditional ideas about marriage and family to be with the women they love.
Love can be fragile. Love can redeem. Love can be fleeting. For these six men, love has been a torrid and sometimes beautiful journey, convoluted by being gay and HIV positive. Love can be complicated.
FINDING YOUR NICHE
AQUAPORKO! Dir: Kelli Jean Drinkwater, Australia, 2013, HD Cam, 20 min
Dir: Jonathan Duffy and Ryan Coonan, Australia, 2013, DCP, 14 min
Aquaporko! is a story of femme sisterhood, queer community, and radical body politics told through the journey of Aquaporko! the fat femme synchronized swim team, and their journey leading up to the first ever performance of its kind in Melbourne. Colorful and camp, this heartfelt documentary, is overflowing with humor and humanity. Inspiring people of every size to celebrate our bodies in all their glorious diversity.
Follow the journey of local activist Daniel Witthaus, the ‘challenging homophobia guy’, as he travels across regional, rural and remote Australia spruiking his antihomophobia message to the masses.
Throw your legs in the air and wave them like you just don’t care!
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2165 Mon 18 March 6.00pm
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ACMI 65
OZ SHORTS CITY OF MELBOURNE AWARD In partnership with the City of Melbourne, the MQFF is proud to present this year’s package of Australian shorts. The City of Melbourne has confirmed their long-standing support of the Festival by generously providing a $3000 cash prize for The City of Melbourne Emerging Filmmaker Award for Best Australian Short Queer Film. Only the films listed in the Oz Shorts package are eligible for this Award, which will be voted by a panel of judges. The Award will be announced and presented at the end of the session. 2013 OZ SHORTS JUDGES TIM HUNTER Tim Hunter is a writer, filmmaker and cultural commentator who loves talking about TV, films, travelling, Doctor Who and Speedos. He’s the Queer Editor for Time Out Melbourne and features occasionally in Melbourne Community Voice. He’s had two short films screen at the MQFF, and has a feature film script in development. CR ROHAN LEPPERT CITY OF MELBOURNE Cr Rohan Leppert is Chair of the Arts and Culture portfolio and Deputy Chair of the Finance and Governance portfolio at the City of Melbourne. He is a music teacher and composer who is passionate about supporting, promoting and improving access to Melbourne’s vibrant arts scene. SPENCER McCLAREN Spencer McClaren is the Director of Momo Films and has produced short film, feature film and theatre as well as being an accomplished actor best known for his work on The Secret Life Of Us. MEGAN HANSFORD Megan Hansford is the GLBTI and Priority Communities Project Manager at beyondblue. Her job is all about working with communities to improve the mental health of gay, lesbian, bi, trans and intersex people, for the most part that means working to stop discrimination. She lives in Melbourne with her partner Kay and their cat.
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OZ SHORTS
CONTINENTAL DRIFT
RADICAL Dir: Sonia Junttila, Australia, 2012, video, 10 min
Dir: Anna Helme, Australia, 2011, HD Cam, 15 min
In 1971 a group of young anti-Vietnam idealists plan to orchestrate an act of terrorism. At the heart of the group is a perilous love triangle between John, Alice and Ben, which threatens to unravel the insulated reality of their world.
A delicate drama set in Croatia circa 1999 brings us a young woman who discovers the bittersweet poignancy of ephemeral romance, and the uncanny intimacy between strangers amidst echoes of war.
SHOPPING
THE OUTSIDE LIGHT
Dir: Will Kuether, Australia, 2012, video, 6 min
Dir: Ben Bryan, Australia, 2012, digital, 16 min
Two women meet up at various stages of their lives, but don’t connect properly until old age.
Leigh lives in a caravan by the side of a burnt out house. What happened there to cause her to experience such disturbing late night visions?
TREADING WATER
KITTY Dir: Cindy Dodkins, Australia, 2012, HD Cam, 6 min
Dir: Melissa Anastasi, Australia, 2012, video, 22 min
A young effeminate queer boy wants to be accepted into his sister’s friendship group, but at what cost?
A married couple’s struggle to piece their lives together after the tragic death of their teenage son brings into question their notions of acceptance and understanding.
FIGHTING FOR AIR
DIK Dir: Christopher Stollery, Australia, 2012, HD Cam, 9 min
Dir: Fatima Mawas, Australia, 2012, DCP, 8 min
A six-year-old boy brings home a piece of schoolwork that provokes his parents to question his sexual orientation, and their own, with disastrous, yet hilarious results.
Tension exists in the household between teenager KJ and her older sister, Hanna. To make matters worse, KJ is arriving at school with bruises on her face and her teacher, Amal is starting to get suspicious.
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2180 Sat 23 March 6.00pm
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ACMI 67
SHORT & GIRLY First love, forbidden relationships and feline allergies – it’s all here in this fabulous collection of lesbian short films.
MILK AND VODKA Dir: Tonnette Stanford, Australia, 2012, digital, 24 min
Astrid immerses herself in the intensity of her first love, however paranoia consumes her when she suspects her girlfriend Emily may be cheating.
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Sat 16 March 2.00pm
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ACMI 68
SHORT & GIRLY
WATER WELLS
ONE NIGHT
Dir: Iyar Dyoman & Sivan Levy, Israel, 2010, video, 14 min Hebrew with English subtitles
(EN NATTS FORHOLD)
Teacher Lea, and student Inka, share a complex forbidden relationship in 1940s Israel.
The darkness of the nightclub provides the setting for the first few hours in a young couple’s relationship, as they deal with the intimacy and desire that this encounter provokes.
PAINTING
DO YOU HAVE A CAT?
Dir: Gali Landsberger Eyal & Hadar Nadler, Israel, 2011, digital, 18 min Hebrew with English subtitles
Dir: Jason Sax, USA, 2011, digital, 11 min
Dir: Josephine Adams, Sweden, 2012, digital, 23min Swedish with English subtitles
Can you be allergic to love?
A woman’s ex-girlfriend returns after years away. In the meantime her partner has died leaving an unfinished painting.
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3155
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Sat 16 March 2.00pm
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ACMI 69
SHORT & BURLY From Stormtroopers filled with longing, to bullied teens, to terrorised hamsters and a man who just isn’t gay enough – it’s all here in this package of gay shorts from around the world.
ALASKA IS A DRAG
TEENS LIKE PHIL
Dir: Shaz Bennett, USA, 2012, DCP, 13 min
Dir: Dominic Haxton, USA, 2012, video, 20 min
Leo’s dreams of becoming an international superstar are hard fought working in a fish cannery in Alaska.
Inspired by the alarming increase in real-life tragedies involving high school bullying and suicide, Teens Like Phil tells the story of a gay teen, Phil, and one of his classmates, Adam, who brutally bullies him.
THE GAY WHO WASN’T GAY ENOUGH
HATCH Dir: Christoph Kuschnig, Austria/USA, 2012, DCP, 19 min German with English subtitles
Dir: Lindi Knight, Canada, 2011, digital, 3 min
A recruitment mockumentary for Toronto’s gay rugby team about one man’s quest to find himself.
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2175
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Fri 22 March 10.30pm
A newborn’s destiny hangs in the balance, as grownups come to terms with what they cannot have.
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ACMI 70
SHORT & BURLY
RITE
FIRST BIRTHDAY
Dir: Michael Pearce, UK, 2011, digital, 17 min
(DOL) Dir: Andrew Ahn, USA, 2011, HD Cam, 11 min
A father is desperate to prove he’s changed. But drink and the simmering violence of match day in London brings out the worst in him over a long, difficult afternoon with his son.
Nick is a gay Korean-American man living in Koreatown, Los Angeles with his partner Brian and their dog Chloe. When Nick attends his baby nephew’s ‘dol,’ a traditional Korean first birthday party, he finds himself yearning for a life just out of reach.
THE HAMSTER IS GAY
LOVE WARS
(HAMSTEREN ER HOMO)
Dir: Vicente Bonet, Spain, 2012, digital, 4 min Spanish with English subtitles
Dir: Mattias Hoyem, Norway, 2012, digital, 6 min Norwegian with English subtitles
A day-in-the-life love story about two Stormtroopers aboard the Death Star.
A boy stands up for a loved one in the face of danger.
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2175
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Fri 22 March 10.30pm
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ACMI 71
BOOBTUBE Fabulous lesbian short films from around the globe.
MARY MAE
NEXT DOOR (NEBENAN)
Dir: Kristian Lariviere, Canada, 2011, digital, 8 min
Dir: Luise Brinkman, Germany, 2009, video, 21 min German with English subtitles
A sultry encounter with a woman at a Halloween party leaves a long-time nun questioning her faith.
Life gets complex in a household of female housemates when they start falling for each other.
SUGAR COOKIE
BOUDDHI BOUDDHA
Dir: Jena Serbu, USA, 2012, digital, 22 min
Dir: Sophie Galibert, France, 2012, DCP, 8 min French with English subtitles
Infidelity and sexual hijinks infiltrate a lesbian couple’s Philadelphia home in this well-made fun potboiler.
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3177
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Sat 23 March midday
A girl, just back from a journey to Nepal invites a friend home. They talk and after a while decide to take a meditation session that may change their lives.
Presented by
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ACMI 72
BOOBTUBE
POLAROID SONG
FRESH AIR THERAPY 2
Dir: Alphonse Giorgi & Yann Tivrier, France, 2011, DCP, 19 min French with English subtitles
(FRISCHLUFT THERAPIE 2) Dir: Christoph Scheermann, Germany, 2011, video, 16 min German with English subtitles
In 1991 Lise is aged 18. The Gulf War ends, The USSR collapses, Nirvana gives birth in a pool and three girls create the rock band Periodink.
German couple, Petra and Kerstin, are back in couple’s counseling. At their therapist’s request, they rent a hotel room and try, unsuccessfully, to engage in role-play.
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COCKTALES The latest and greatest collection of gay shorts from around the world.
IT’S CONSUMING ME
LITTLE MAN
Dir: Kai Staenicke, Germany, 2012, digital, 3 min German with English subtitles
Dir: Eldar Rappaport, UK/Israel, 2012, HD Cam, 22 min
I can’t move on, I wish I could. But I’m caught in the thought of what could have been, losing my grip on reality.
Based on the short story Your Man by Etgar Keret, Little Man is a psychological thriller about one’s inner demons.
SIGNATURE
THE POOL DATE
(HATIMA)
Dir: Patrick Sisam, Canada, 2012, video, 6 min
Dir: Boaz Foster, Israel, 2012, digital, 14 min Hebrew with English subtitles
On a sunny South American beach, a silent territorial battle of wills ensues between a vacationing Canadian and a local stranger, loaded with unspoken inferences of sexual curiosity and cultural differences.
Yotam is a successful Israeli footballer who gets the chance of a lifetime to sign a contract with the Royal Madrid Football club. Yotam soon finds out that his ticket to glory comes with a heavy price. Will he pay it?
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3159
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Sat 16 March 10.15pm
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ACMI 74
COCKTALES
INCIDENT
DAWN
Dir: Daniel F. Cardone, Australia/USA, 2012, digital, 11 min
Dir: Leon Le, USA, 2012, video, 10 min
After Tye, a young black man, detects what he considers to be a racist glance from another passenger on the evening train home, he follows him off the train and confronts him, not realising they have more in common than he thought.
With James’ lover soon returning home from his military service, he has ended his brief ing with Steve and is preparing to greet his lover with the perfect home and the perfect partner. Trouble brews when Steve shows up.
WHAT IS THIS NIGHT! Dir: Ben Matthew Empey, USA, 2011, digital, 9 min
After a painful break-up, Mitch drags his best friend Boone out drinking with him.
BOOKING
3159
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Sat 16 March 10.15pm
Warning: this session contains scenes of violence that may upset some viewers
VENUE
ACMI 75
FEMME FATALITIES This collection of quirky lesbian shorts is bound to entertain and enthrall.
2ND BEST
IRENE
Dir: Sarah Gertrude Shapiro, USA, 2012, digital, 7 min
Dir: Patricia Galucci and Victor Nascimento, Brazil, 2011, video, 13 min Spanish with English subtitles
A trip to IKEA sparks a discussion between two women about the quality of their sex life.
Irene lives in an isolated house in the country. When her granddaughter shows up for an unexpected visit, along with a new friend, Irene’s isolation is disturbed and she begins to unveil feelings she thought were long forgotten.
NOCTURN
JENNY MI AMOR
Dir: Leanne Welham, UK, 2011, video, 19 min
Dir: Abigail Severence, USA, 2012, digital, 8 min Spanish, French and English with English subtitles
A conservative young woman takes a chance when she hitches a ride with a young woman and her boyfriend. A wild night ensues, but in the morning the woman is struck by the uncaring nature of her new friends. She’s looking for something outside of her banal life – could it be a woman?
BOOKING
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3183 Sun 24 March 1.00pm
Everyone thinks they know Jenny, but what do they really know?
VENUE
ACMI 76
FEMME FATALITIES
REPRISE
WHERE ARE THE DOLLS
Dir: Shripriya Mahesh, India/USA, 2011, digital, 13 min
Dir: Cassandra Nicolaou, Canada, 2012, video, 7 min
Meena struggles in an abusive relationship with Sarah, her alcoholic, emotionally manipulative partner of 25 years. When their daughter is accepted into university in Paris, Meena is forced to confront the state of her relationship and her life.
A woman embarks on a late-night journey through an unfamiliar urban landscape, searching for something she cannot name.
CHLOE LIKES OLIVIA
IT GETS BITTER
Dir: Mette KjĂŚrgaard, Denmark, 2011, DCP, 19 min Dutch with English subtitles
Dir: Laura Terruso, USA, 2012, digital, 1 min
A darkly hilarious take on Dan Savage’s online homophobia video campaign. Starring Lisa Haas, Co-Dependent Lesbian Space Alien Seeks Same MQFF 2012.
Olivia brings home Chloe after a night out. Chloe is in love with Olivia, but Olivia is in a relationship with Andrea, who is waiting at home. A love triangle unfolds and Olivia is forced to make a choice.
BOOKING
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3183 Sun 24 March 1.00pm
VENUE
ACMI 77
SEX DRIVES & VIDEOTAPE This eclectic shorts package is a sexy exploration of the gay male sex drive in all its diverse glory.
CHASER Dir: Sal Bardo, USA, 2012, digital, 15 min
Alienated from his conservative Jewish family and culture, a promising, young gay schoolteacher seeks solace in New York City’s barebacking community.
BOOKING
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2153 Fri 15 March 10.15pm 2182 Sat 23 March 10.15pm
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ACMI ACMI 78
SEX DRIVES & VIDEOTAPE
PEOPLE IN FRONT OF THE CAMERA
ONE MORE NIGHT (UNA NOTTE ANCORA) Dir: Giuseppe Bucci, Italy, 2012 digital, 11 min Italian with English subtitles
Dir: Dror Amsallem, Israel, 2012, digital, 7 min Hebrew with English subtitles
The end of a relationship prompts an unusual response in one man.
Friends with benefits at its finest.
SHOWER
A BACKSIDE APPROACH
Dir: Christian K. Norvalls, Norway, 2012, video, 8 min Norwegian with English subtitles
Dir: Nimrod Rinot, Israel, 2012, digital, 11 min Hebrew with English subtitles
A man enters the shower after working out, but gets distracted by unidentifiable sounds. His decision to investigate leads to devastating results.
Nurse Nona comes to the rescue when Yossi’s condom disappears where the sun don’t shine.
MATES
TO RAPPEL
Dir: Antonia da Silva, UK/ Portugal, 2011, digital, 5 min Spanish with English subtitles
(A RAPEL) Dir: Gian Cassini, Mexico, 2012, digital, 12 min Spanish with English subtitles
A collage of explicit home videos paints today’s landscape of contemporary gay casual hookups.
A man feels a strong attraction for his nephew. At the first opportunity he tries his best to seduce him, without any qualms.
BOYGAME
A STABLE FOR DISABLED HORSES
Dir: Anna Österlund Nolskog, Sweden, 2012, DCP, 14 min Swedish with English subtitles
Dir: Fabio Youniss, UK, 2012, digital, 13 min
Two 15-year-old boys fret about their first time with a girl. The obvious solution would be to ‘practice’ on each other.
BOOKING
DATE
TIME
2153 Fri 15 March 10.15pm 2182 Sat 23 March 10.15pm
A nerdy misfit holds a going away party for his Norwegian friend.
Warning: this package contains images of sex and violence that may disturb some viewers.
VENUE
ACMI ACMI 79
TRANS PHATS Here’s a brilliant package of great trans shorts guaranteed to entertain and enlighten.
THE THING
QUEEN
Dir: Rhys Ernst, USA, 2012, video, 15 min
Dir: Adam Rose, USA, 2011, digital, 22 min
A woman, a transgendered man, and their cat travel towards a mysterious roadside attraction known as “The Thing”.
Transwoman Nikki goes to great lengths to achieve her dream of adopting a child.
BLACK MASK
TABOO
(MASCARA NEGRA)
Dir: Chiara, Austria, 2011, digital, 7 min German with English subtitles
Dir: Rene Brasil, Brazil, 2011, digital, 15 min Portuguese with English subtitles
Chantal lives with her young son Marlon in a housing estate in Munich. At a parent’s evening at Marlon’s school Keven has his first public appearance as a man.
At Carnival in Rio, you can be exactly who you want, without anyone knowing who you are.
BOOKING
2178
DATE
TIME
Sat 23 March 2.00pm
VENUE
ACMI 80
TRANS PHATS
URSULA’S VICTORY
BEYOND THE MIRROR’S GAZE
(LA VICTORIA DE URSULA)
Dir: Iris Moore, Canada, 2012, digital, 4 min
Dir: Nacho Ruiperez and Julio Marti, Spain, 2011, digital, 15 min Spanish with English subtitles
What if we could choose our gender from day to day?
Young teen Ursula gets caught robbing graves at the local cemetery, but when she explains her ‘father’s’ story, an old man helps to set Victor’s life after death right.
THE HAWKER
JAMES DEAN
Dir: Riot, Coco and Lim, Elisha, Canada, 2012, video, 2 min
Dir: Lucy Asten Elliott, Scotland, 2010, video, 7 min
A family day out takes an unexpected turn when young Alex is forced to share a secret.
“When I was a kid in Singapore, the same person served me chicken rice every day. I didn’t know if that person was a man or a woman, and that was awesome.”
BOOKING
2178
DATE
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Sat 23 March 2.00pm
VENUE
ACMI 81
MIXTAPE Sit back, relax, and enjoy this ‘desert island disks’ style package of shorts from the 2013 MQFF.
TEENS LIKE PHIL
BOUDDHI BOUDDHA
Dir: Dominic Haxton, USA, 2012, video, 20 min
Dir: Sophie Galibert, France, 2012, DCP, 8 min
Inspired by the alarming increase in real-life tragedies involving high school bullying and suicide, Teens Like Phil tells the story of a gay teen, Phil, and one of his classmates, Adam, who brutally bullies him.
A girl, just back from a journey to Nepal invites a friend home. They talk and after a while decide to take a meditation session that may change their lives.
BOOKING
DATE
TIME
2185 Sun 24 March 6.00pm
VENUE
ACMI 82
MIXTAPE
URSULA’S VICTORY
ALASKA IS A DRAG
(LA VICTORIA DE URSULA)
Dir: Shaz Bennett, USA, 2012, DCP, 13 min
Dir: Nacho Ruiperez and Julio Marti, Spain, 2011, digital, 15 min Spanish with English subtitles
Leo’s dreams of becoming an international superstar are hard fought working in a fish cannery in Alaska.
Young teen Ursula gets caught robbing graves at the local cemetery, but when she explains her ‘father’s’ story, an old man helps to set Victor’s life after death right.
UNANIMATED
TABOO
Dir: Emilio Marti Lopez, Spain, 2011, video, 8 min Spanish with English subtitles
Dir: Chiara, Austria, 2011, digital, 7 min German with English subtitles
An animated character goes to therapy because he feels rejected in a ‘real’ world that dislikes those who are different.
Chantal lives with her young son Marlon in a housing estate in Munich. At a parent’s evening at Marlon’s school Keven has his first public appearance as a man.
WHERE ARE THE DOLLS
THE HAMSTER IS GAY
Dir: Cassandra Nicolaou, Canada, 2012, video, 7 min
(HAMSTEREN ER HOMO) Dir: Mattias Hoyem, Norway, 2012, digital, 6 min Norwegian with English subtitles
A woman embarks on a late-night journey through an unfamiliar urban landscape, searching for something she cannot name.
A boy stands up for a loved one in the face of danger.
THE POOL DATE
IT GETS BITTER
Dir: Patrick Sisam, Canada, 2012, video, 6 min
Dir: Laura Terruso, USA, 2012, digital, 1 min
On a sunny South American beach, a silent territorial battle of wills ensues between a vacationing Canadian and a local stranger, loaded with unspoken inferences of sexual curiosity and cultural differences.
A darkly hilarious take on Dan Savage’s online homophobia video campaign.
BOOKING
DATE
TIME
2185 Sun 24 March 6.00pm
VENUE
ACMI 83
QUEERIES 1 Curated by Edward McAndrew, Matthew Wade, Chrisi Camp and Michael McDermott, this collection of international shorts explores gender and sexuality issues relevant to younger audiences.
RELIGION AND QUEER YOUTH
GENDERFREAK Dir: Rebecca Louisell, USA, 2012, digital, 19 min
Dir: Marco Fink, Australia, 2012, video, 8 min
Short documentary that focuses on the relationship young GLBTIQ youth may have with religion in contemporary Australia.
What happens when Rachel, the token straight girl to her friends, meets a genderqueer teenager named Sammy who just might be able to play guitar to her violin?
WRONG
WATER (VATTNET)
Dir: Tessa Millesse, Australia, 2012, digital, 5 min
Dir: Marco Van Bergen, The Netherlands, 2012, digital, 14 min Dutch with English subtitles
Wrong sheds light on the unique issues faced by young lesbians when choosing to come out.
Water is a coming-ofage film about family, loneliness and sexual identity. It examines the confusing period of adolescence and the first homosexual feelings of a young boy.
ALLE WERDEN
ALONE WITH MR. CARTER
Dir: Piet Baumgartner, Switzerland, 2011, DCP, 19 min German with English subtitles
Dir: Jean-Pierre Bergeron, Canada, 2011, video, 18 min
In 1997, the year Ellen De Generes comes out, John is ten and dreams of becoming a cop. He wants to confide in his neighbor, Mr. Carter, that he is secretly in love with him.
Samuel and Andreas’ friendship is put to the test when Samuel falls hopelessly in love with Philippe.
THE MAIDEN AND THE PRINCESS Dir: Ali Scher, USA, 2011, digital, 18 min
Little Emmy Adams kisses a girl on the playground and is left feeling isolated and alone. The Grand High Council of Fairy Tale Rules and Standards led by Bernard (Julian Sands) sends her a hetero-normative fairytale to set her down the ‘right’ path in life.
BOOKING
DATE
TIME
VENUE
4250 Sat 16 March 2.00pm ACMI STUDIO 84
QUEERIES 2
TEENS LIKE PHIL
DECLARATION
Dir: Dominic Haxton, USA, 2012, video, 20 min
(DECLARACIÓN) Dir: Hernan Touzon Lentini, Argentina, 2011, video, 4 min Spanish with English subtitles
Inspired by the alarming increase in real-life tragedies involving high school bullying and suicide, Teens Like Phil tells the story of a gay teen, Phil, and one of his classmates, Adam, who brutally bullies him.
Caro’s friend Cinthia explains how she should declare her love for someone.
CRUSH
RITE
Dir: Gloria La Morte, USA, 2011, video, 8 min
Dir: Michael Pearce, UK, 2011, video, 17 min
It’s Prom Night in the South Bronx, and Michael is in for an evening of horror, hilarity and hope as he decides whether or not to kick it to his crush.
Mike takes his estranged son out for his birthday; a man desperate to prove he’s changed. But drink and the simmering violence of match day in London brings out the worst in him over a long, difficult afternoon for father and son.
SAM
JAMES DEAN
Dir: Sal Bardo, USA, 2012, digital, 11 min
Dir: Lucy Asten Elliott, Scotland, 2010, video, 7 min
After being bullied and beaten at school for dressing like a boy, Sam needs to decide who she really is before she can face reality again.
A family day out takes an unexpected turn when young Alex is forced to share her secret.
STRAIGHT WITH YOU
Short & Tweet
(NIET OP MEISJES)
All Queeries sessions will feature a live feed tweet screen in the cinema. Bring your smart phone, tablet or laptop to tweet about the films during the sessions! Join the conversation
Dir: Daan Bol, The Netherlands, 2012, DCP, 19 min Dutch with English subtitles
Eleven-year-old Melvin has a secret: he is not into girls. Although his family knows, he’s afraid to tell his schoolmates, as he thinks they might start bullying him. What should he do when the coolest girl in his class sends him a love letter? BOOKING
DATE
TIME
#queeries13
VENUE
4600 Fri 22 March 6.30pm ACMI STUDIO 85
QUEERIES 3
VESSEL FOR MY HEART
PRORA Dir: Stephane Riethauser, Switzerland, 2012, video, 23 min German with English subtitles
Dir: Ryan Lexi, USA, 2012, digital, 13 min
What is your gender? When did you decide? Most of us live in communities and cultures that expect us to embrace and express one of two genders: male or female. But what if your sense of self does not match societal expectations?
In a deserted former Nazi holiday camp and communist military complex, teenagers Jan and Matthieu embark on an adventure that confronts their identities and puts their friendship at risk.
POLAROID SONG
UNIFORMED
Dir: Alphonse Giorgi & Yann Tivrier, France, 2011, DCP, 19 min French with English subtitles
Dir: Irene Zoe Alameda, Spain, 2010, video, 18 min Spanish with English subtitles
Margaret is a lonely but very observant girl. Every day, she is impacted by numerous uniforming messages that try to educate her to fulfill a concrete social role. Nevertheless, Margaret has a little secret.
In 1991, Lise is aged 18, the Gulf War ends, the USSR collapses, Nirvana gives birth in a pool and three girls create the rock band Periodink.
MARIQUITA Dir: Bill Bilowit, USA, 2011, digital, 14 min
One Sunday at an upscale Miami home, a 10-year old boy takes advantage of a family birthday party to make a very personal announcement to his family – and a very special home movie for the internet – proclaiming that he’s gay.
Short & Tweet All Queeries sessions will feature a live feed tweet screen in the cinema. Bring your smart phone, tablet or laptop to tweet about the films during the sessions! Join the conversation BOOKING
DATE
TIME
#queeries13
VENUE
4750 Sat 23 March 2.00pm ACMI STUDIO 86
CELLULOID CASSEROLE MQFF and LOOP present a tasty menu of new Australian shorts. For just a gold coin donation you have the chance to see our talented emerging filmmakers in action.
SILVER STILETTO
THE DIVINE DECADENCE OF CHEESECAKE
Dir: Luke Mayze, Australia, 2012, dvd, 16 min
Revenge is a drag.
Dir: Peter Savieri, Australia, 2012, dvd, 13 min
Ash receives a lusty piece of Golden Girls fan fiction, which spontaneously brings out his erotic side.
FIRST DATE
TWO GUYS IN A BACKYARD
Dir: John Tsioulos, Australia, dvd, 2012, 9 min
Dir: Tez Frost, Australia, 2011, dvd, 5 min
A young man prepares for an important first date, but does he have the courage to take the next step?
A friendship is put on the line during a backyard sparring session.
LOST IN PERCEPTION
BLACK MIRROR Dir: Jonathan Trakas, Australia, dvd, 2012, 6 min
Dir: James Joo, Australia, dvd, 2013, 5 min
It’s been five years since James has seen his reflection.
A young man makes a deal with a mystic to rid himself of his insecurities and to create his own world.
MATRIMONY
BALCONY BEERS AND BLACK PLASTIC
Dir: Devan Pitches, 2012, dvd, 5 min
Two men struggle through external and internal conflicts after making a connection with each other.
Dir: Greg Howard, Australia, dvd, 2012, 8 min
A connection via a social networking app brings interesting and potentially dangerous results.
SUPAGAY Dir: Meaghan Palmer, Australia, 2013, dvd, 6 min
Cash award for Best Film in the Celluloid Casserole will be presented on the night.
So what’s wrong with using the word “gay”? Two generations of babeness clash in a café and end up finding themselves rather compromised, in a pretty gay way.
Presented by DATE
TIME
VENUE
Wed 20 March
7.30pm
LOOP 87
DO NOT ADJUST YOUR SET. info@looponline.com.au www.looponline.com.au
88
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2& 3 BEDROOM APARTMENTS FROM $560K Anthony Ferraro: 0412 897 774 Christian Marcel: 0432 666 096
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Celebrating and proudly supporting festivals and arts in the West MELBOURNE QUEER FILM FESTIVAL – WEST HOLLYWOOD, YARRAVILLE FESTIVAL, ETHIOPIAN NEW YEAR FESTIVAL, SNUFF PUPPETS, SEDDON FESTIVAL, WESTERN EDGE YOUTH ARTS, NEXT WAVE FESTIVAL, MIDSUMMA FESTIVAL, BIG WEST FESTIVAL, BLACKSMITH’S FESTIVAL, YARRAVILLE CAROLS, EAST MEETS WEST LUNAR NEW YEAR FESTIVAL, QUANG MINH TET FESTIVAL, FOOTSCRAY COMMUNITY ARTS CENTRE, MELBOURNE FOOD & WINE FESTIVAL – FEASTING IN FOOTSCRAY, ST JEROME’S LANEWAY FESTIVAL, THE WOMEN’S CIRCUS, ALBANIAN FESTIVAL, EMERGE IN THE WEST FESTIVAL FOOTSCRAY ON THE EDGE: PUBLIC ART FESTIVAL
YARRA City Council congratulates MQFF on another successful and stimulating festival. Our vision is for Yarra to be a creative space where arts activities thrive and people are able to enjoy arts and culture as an everyday experience. Discover more about our support for arts and culture at www.yarracity.vic.gov.au/ services/arts Yarra City Council is a proud supporter of MQFF and other festivals that celebrate our community.
www.yarracity.vic.gov.au 92
SATELLITE HEADING EVENTS Throughout the year the Melbourne Queer Film Festival presents other fantastic film events. If you can’t get enough of queer film join us in Yarraville, Fairfield and beyond.
WEST HOLLYWOOD MQFF heads west to Yarraville’s iconic Sun Theatre for a winter smorgasbord of queer film delights. This year the West Hollywood film festival will be screening 23 – 25 August. The full program is online from mid-June. Proudly supported by Maribyrnong City Council
MOVIES UNDER THE STARS You may have just missed our summer season of outdoor screenings but don’t worry…they’ll be back next year. MQFF screens queer films over four nights at the Fairfield Amphitheatre on the banks of the beautiful Yarra River every January and February. The full program is online from mid-December. Proudly supported by Yarra City Council
TOURING MQFF curates a selection of queer film highlights for other events around Australian including Perth, Adelaide and Darwin. You can find out more information about touring programs online. We are also proud Presenting Partner of the Bendigo Queer Film Festival that screens 26 – 28 April. This year is their 10th anniversary and we wish them many happy returns! For the full program and more details please visit www.bendigoqueerfilmfestival.com.au.
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HEADING CREDITS STAFF
PROGRAM GUIDE
Festival Director Lisa Daniel General Manager Kylie Eddy Festival Operations Manager Natalie Grigg Festival Assistant Claire Connors Marketing/PR Intern Nicholas Cheetham Development Intern Lauren Valmadre
Editor Lisa Daniel Program Note Writers Lisa Daniel (LD), Paul Tonta (PT), Grant Scicluna (GS), Ben Gielewski (BG) Proof Reader Alice Murray Production Management Sweet Creative
BOARD OF MANAGEMENT
LIFE MEMBERS
Paul Clifton (Co-convenor), Scott Herron (Co-convenor), Antony Jarvis (Treasurer), Elizabeth Bennett (Secretary/Public Officer from Nov 2012), Cath Borg, Ayan Dasvarma (from Nov 2012), Ronit Fazekas (from Nov 2012), Claire Jackson, Paul Kearney, Gerard Long, Alice Murray, Fiona Kelly (Co-convenor until Sep 2012), Aydin Sipaloglu (until Jan 2013), Susie Wickes (until Sep 2012), Rod Macneil (from Jan 2012)
Rowland Thomson, Crusader Hillis, Madeleine Swain, Suzie Goodman, miss jan horstman, David McCarthy, Richard Watts, Suzy Green, Rowena Doo, Luke Gallagher, Alex Green, Paul Tonta, Leanne Sumpter, Colin Billing
MELBOURNE QUEER FILM FESTIVAL Level 8, 225 Bourke St Melbourne VIC 3000 Australia +61 3 9662 4147 info@mqff.com.au mqff.com.au
SELECTION PANEL David Collins, Lisa Daniel, Stuart Richards, Leanne Sumpter, Paul Tonta, Elizabeth Robinson-Griffith, Teague Leigh, Sarah Oh, Brian Kearney, Melissa Pritchard
Melbourne Queer Film Festival @mqff #mqff2013
The Festival would like to thank all of our members, volunteers, patrons, sponsors and supporters for making this event possible.
QUEERIES PANEL Matthew Wade, Chrisi Camp, Edward McAndrew, Michael McDermott
MQFF makes every effort to ensure that all details are correct at the time of printing. Any unforeseen late program changes will be listed on mqff.com.au and included in our e-newsletter.
FESTIVAL PROVIDERS Creative Direction & Graphic Design Sweet Creative Ticketing & Smartphone Apps Ferve Tickets Distribution & Promotion Step Right Up Publicity Asha Holmes Publicity Audience Development Partner Little Birdy Tix Website Hosting Connexus Website Design Paul Clifton & Gerard Long
MQFF Members save 20% on tickets. Join online now at mqff.com.au 94
SUPPORT HEADING YOUR FESTIVAL We applaud the following Sweethearts for their generous support of MQFF 2013.
SWEETHEARTS PATRONS PROGRAM
Diamond David Owen and David Sloan, David McCarthy, Fiona Kelly Emerald Anonymous, Duncan Hewitt, Daniel Neal, Claire Jackson, Kris Walker, Suzie Goodman
Our annual Patrons program, Sweethearts, plays a significant role in the development of the MQFF. The generosity of Melbourne’s philanthropic community demonstrates their commitment to nurturing queer film culture.
Ruby Sue Spurr, Iain McKinnon, Hui-Chang Wang, Jane Weston, Mark Grogan, Paul Kearney, Mal Lewis, Athol Willoughby OAM
As a Sweetheart you’re at the heart of what we do. You embody the spirit of the Festival. You share our belief that powerful queer film can transform audiences, celebrate our lives and act as a catalyst for change. With your support we can continue this important work.
Sapphire Serena Chow
If you’d like to become a Sweetheart, or make a tax-deductible donation, please contact Kylie Eddy, General Manager, on 03 9662 4147 or email at manager@mqff.com.au.
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HEADING INDEX FILMS 2nd Best ........................... 76 About Cherry .................. 23 Air Balloon ....................... 34 Akin ................................... 64 Alaska is a Drag ....... 70, 82 Alle Werden ..................... 86 Alone With Mr. Carter ......................... 84 Aquaporko! ...................... 65 Backside Approach, A .................... 78 Balcony Beers and Black Plastic .................... 87 BearCity 2: The Proposal ................... 24 Being Brendo .................. 59 Beyond the Mirror’s Gaze .................. 80 Beyond the Walls ............. 16 Black Mask ...................... 80 Black Mirror ..................... 87 Bouddhi Bouddha .......... 72 Boygame .......................... 78 British Guide to Showing Off, The ............ 52 Bye Bye Blondie .............. 24 Call Me Kuchu ................. 52 Carnival Queen ............... 65 Chaser .............................. 78 Chloe Likes Olivia ........... 76 Cockpit ............................. 25 Comedian, The ................ 25 Continental Drift ............ 66 Crush ................................ 85 Dawn ................................. 74 Declaration ...................... 85 Devotion Project, The: My Person ............... 64 Die Standing Up .............. 53 Dik ...................................... 66 Divine Decadence of Cheesecake, The ........ 87 Do You Have a Cat? ....... 68 Everybody’s Got Somebody, Not Me ......... 26 Exposure .......................... 32 Facing Mirrors ................. 26 Fighting for Air ........ 54, 66 Finding Your Niche ........ 65 First Birthday .................. 70 First Date ......................... 87 Four ................................... 27 Fourplay ........................... 27 Fresh Air Therapy 2 ....... 72 Fresh Fruit ........................ 42 Funkytown ....................... 28 Gay Who Wasn’t Gay Enough, The ............ 70 Gayby ................................. 14 Genderfreak .................... 84 Hamster is Gay, The ..................... 70, 82 Hatch ................................ 70 Hawker, The .................... 80 Hidden Gem, The ............ 64 I am a Woman Now ........ 52 I am Gay and Muslim ..... 54 I Do .................................... 29 I Want Your Love ...... 29, 61
Reprise ............................. 76 Rite ............................. 70, 85 Route of Acceptance ..... 38 Sabbatical ........................ 29 Sam ................................... 85 Scaffolding ....................... 25 Seventh Gay Adventists ........................ 56 Sex of the Angels, The .. 39 Sexual Tension: Volatile ............................. 39 She, Their Love Story ................................ 40 Shopping .......................... 66 Shower ............................. 78 Signature ......................... 74 Silences ............................ 44 Silver Stiletto .................. 87 Speechless ...................... 40 Stable for Disabled Horses, A .......................... 78 Straight With You ........... 85 Strange Frame: Love and Sax .................... 41 Struck By Lightning ........ 41 Stud Life ........................... 42 Submerge ......................... 18 Sugar Cookie ................... 72 Supagay ........................... 87 Taboo ............................... 80 Teens Like Phil .. 70, 82, 85 Thing, The ....................... 80 To Rappel ......................... 78 Tord and Tord .................. 45 Transforming Family ...... 64 Transitions ....................... 64 Treading Water ............... 66 Turning ............................. 57 Two Guys in a backyard ....................... 87 Two Weddings and a Funeral .......................... 42 Unanimated ..................... 35 Unconditional .................. 43 Unfit: Ward vs Ward ....... 57 Uniformed ........................ 86 Ursula’s Victory ............... 81 Vessel for my Heart ........... 54, 80, 86 Water ................................ 84 Water Wells ...................... 68 Westerland ....................... 43 What is This Night! ......... 74 When Hainan Meets Teochew ........................... 59 Where are the Dolls ....... 76 Woman’s Lake ................. 44 Wrong ............................... 84 Yossi .................................. 45 Zenne Dancer .................. 17
Incident ............................ 74 Intersexion ....................... 54 Invisible Men, The .......... 55 Invisibles, The ................. 55 Irene .................................. 76 It Gets Bitter ............. 76, 82 It’s Consuming Me .......... 74 James Dean ............ 80, 85 Jenny Mi Amor ............... 76 Joshua Tree, 1951: A Portrait of James Dean .................... 30 Julian ................................ 39 Keep the Lights On ........ 30 Kitty ................................... 66 Lala Road, The ................ 65 Law and Order ................ 27 Liar’s Autobiography, A – The Untrue Story of Monty Python’s Graham Chapman 3D .... 58 Little Man ......................... 74 Lost in Perception .......... 87 Love Wars ........................ 70 Maiden and the Princess, The ................... 84 Map for a Talk, A ............. 31 Margarita .......................... 31 Mariquita .......................... 86 Mary Mae ......................... 72 Mates ................................ 78 Matrimony ....................... 87 Men’s Room, The ............ 27 Mermaids, The ................ 32 Milk and Vodka ............... 68 Mixed Kebab .................... 32 Monster Pies ................... 33 Mosquita Y Mari ............. 33 My Best Day .................... 34 Naked as we Came ......... 34 Nate and Margaret ......... 35 Next Door ......................... 72 Nocturn ............................ 76 North Sea Texas ............. 35 One More Night .............. 78 One Night ......................... 68 Out in the Dark ............... 36 Outside Light, The ......... 66 Painting ............................ 68 Part One: Love ................ 65 Peaches Does Herself ... 56 People in Front of the Camera ................. 78 Perfect Ending, A ........... 36 Perfect in my Imperfections .................. 64 Polaroid Song .......... 72, 86 Pool Date, The ......... 74, 82 Prora ................................. 86 Putting the ‘I’ in Trans .. 64 Queen .............................. 80 Queen of the Desert ...... 65 Queens! Destiny of Dance ........................... 37 Quiet ................................. 32 Quiet De Luxe .................. 31 Radical .............................. 66 Religion and Queer Youth .................... 84 Remington and the Curse of the Zombadings ........ 37
COUNTRIES Argentina .................. 39, 85 Australia ....... 18, 32, 33, 59 ... 64, 65, 67, 68, 75, 84, 87 Austria ................ 70, 80, 83 Belgium ......... 16, 24, 32, 35 Brazil .......................... 76, 80
96
Canada ... 16, 28, 31, 38, 64 ...... 70, 72, 74, 77, 81, 83, 84 Chile ................................... 31 Denmark ..................... 57, 77 France ..... 16, 24, 55, 72, 73 ...................................... 82, 86 Germany ...... 26, 32, 43, 44 ......................... 56, 72, 73, 74 Hong Kong/China .......... 40 India ............................ 37, 77 Iran .................................... 26 Israel ............ 36, 45, 55, 69 ....................................... 74, 79 Italy ................................... 79 Mexico ................. 26, 53, 79 Morocco ............................ 54 New Zealand ........... 54, 64 Norway .......... 34, 71, 79, 83 Occupied Palestinian Territory ........................... 36 Portugal .................... 39, 79 Scotland ..................... 81, 85 Singapore ......................... 59 South Korea .................... 42 Spain ............... 35, 39, 71, 81 ...................................... 83, 86 Sweden ........ 25, 45, 69, 79 Switzerland ........ 24, 84, 86 Thailand .......................... 40 The Netherlands ...... 53, 54 ..................................... 84, 85 The Philippines ............... 37 Turkey ................................ 17 UK ................. 25, 42, 43, 52 ............ 58, 71, 74, 76, 79, 85 USA .......... 14, 23, 24, 27, 29 ..... 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36 .... 40, 52, 56, 57, 58, 61, 64 ...... 69, 70, 71, 72, 75, 76, 77 .. 78, 80, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86
PANELS Crowd Funding for Dummies .................... 60 The Queer History Slideshow ......................... 63 Queering the Small Screen ................... 63
SPONSORED SESSIONS ACMI ............................. 16, 17 Same Same ..................... 25 JOY 94.9 .......................... 28 Star Observer ................. 29 Relationships Australia Victoria and Family Relationship Centre ....... 34 Gay and Lesbian Switchboard .................... 35 Yarra Trams ...................... 41 Channel 31 ........................ 42 Val’s Cafe ......................... 55 VAC/GMHC ....................... 59 City of Melbourne .......... 66 BreastScreen Victoria ... 72 Loop and Shaun Miller Lawyers ............................ 87
HOLLYWOOD HEADING COSTUME MQFF 15% TICKET DISCOUNT Buy an online ticket to the fabulous Hollywood Costume exhibition at ACMI prior to its opening on 24 April, and pay just $16.50 for an adult ticket. Simply go to acmi.net.au to purchase your ticket online, and enter in promo code “MQFF” to access the discount. Offer only valid until 23 April, so get in quick.
Top and bottom: Still from The Iron Lady (2011) and Brokeback Mountain (2005) Opposite: Still from Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007)
HOLLYWOOD COSTUME Australian Centre for the Moving Image 24 April – 18 August 2013 Direct from the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, Hollywood Costume explores the central role costume design plays in cinema storytelling and character development, illuminating the costume designer’s process from script to screen. Bringing together the most iconic costumes from across a century of filmmaking, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see the clothes worn by unforgettable and beloved film characters, from The Wizard of Oz (1939) to Ben-Hur (1959), Brokeback Mountain (2005) to The Iron Lady (2011).
FESTIVAL LOUNGE
VENUES
ST INS OLL LE C LITT
PL ERS MEY
We’ll also be hosting a range of special events including community nights, speed dating, DJ’s and parties in the Festival Lounge, so if you need a break from the cinema, there’s always something (or someone!) else to pique your interest.
Flinders St
Parliament
3
S LN DER FLIN
1 Federation Square
BAT MAN AVE
1 ACMI Australian Centre for the Moving Image, Federation Square, Melbourne acmi.net.au 2 Hoyts Melbourne Central Melbourne Central Shopping Centre, cnr LaTrobe and Swanston Streets, Melbourne hoyts.com.au 3 Loop 23 Meyers Place, Melbourne looponline.com.au
YOUR VOTE COUNTS Don’t miss your chance to decide the best of the Fest. We have over $8,000 in cash prizes for deserving filmmakers. There are four audience choice awards up for grabs that need your vote. Let us know your favourite features, shorts and docos by voting online at mqff.com.au or in the Festival Lounge.
JOIN THE CONVERSATION Melbourne Queer Film Festival @mqff #mqff2013
The best and greenest way to get to the Festival is by tram. ACMI is serviced by 11 routes, with a tram every minute in peak times and every 3 – 5 minutes in the evening and weekends. Hoyts Melbourne Central is serviced by 13 routes with a tram every minute in peak times and every 3 – 5 minutes in the evening and weekends. Visit yarratrams.com.au for travel information or download the free tramTRACKER ® iPhone or Android app. If driving into the city, Secure Parking Flinders Gate, opposite Federation Square, provides MQFF audience members a flat rate of $8 for evenings and weekends during the Festival. Parking discount validation is available on request at the ACMI box office. For more information visit secureparking.com.au.
THREE WAYS TO BUY TICKETS ONLINE AT MQFF.COM.AU then print your tickets at home
Search for mqff tube
ON YOUR SMARTPHONE
Search for mqff
with the official Festival iPhone or Android app
Subscribe to MQFF’s e-newsletter to be first in the know at mqff.com.au
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Trains
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Trams
You can also enjoy a drink from one of our lovely beverage partners Picante Espana Wine, Mildura Brewery Beer or Lucky Duck Cider.
ST
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MQFF Festival Lounge takes over the heart of Melbourne’s Federation Square at Beer DeLuxe. For 10 days only it will be the queerest place to meet, eat and chat about all things film and Festival.
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23 ourne Melb r e e u Q Film al v i t s e F–24 March 2013 14 om.au c . f f q m
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FESTIVAL PLANNER THURSDAY, 14 MARCH
SUNDAY, 17 MARCH
FRIDAY, 22 MARCH
TIME
BOOKING
SESSION TYPE
SESSION NAME/FILM TITLE
VENUE
TIME
BOOKING
SESSION TYPE
SESSION NAME/FILM TITLE
VENUE
TIME
BOOKING
SESSION TYPE
SESSION NAME/FILM TITLE
VENUE
7.30pm
8000
Opening Night
Gayby
ACMI
9.00pm
3164
Feature
Funkytown
ACMI
8.30pm
2174
Feature
Four
ACMI
Feature
Queens! Destiny of Dance
HOYTS ACMI
FRIDAY, 15 MARCH
8.30pm
MONDAY, 18 MARCH
TIME
BOOKING
SESSION TYPE
SESSION NAME/FILM TITLE
VENUE
TIME
BOOKING
SESSION TYPE
SESSION NAME/FILM TITLE
VENUE
6.00pm
2151
Feature
Everybody's Got Somebody, But Me
ACMI
6.00pm
2165
Shorts Package
OZ DOCS
ACMI
3165
Feature
Remington and the Curse of the Zombadings
ACMI
6.15pm
3151
Feature
North Sea Texas
ACMI
6.30pm
8.00pm
2152
Feature
Stud Life
ACMI
8.30pm
3166
Feature
The Sex of the Angels
ACMI
Feature
Two Weddings and a Funeral
ACMI
9.30pm
2166
Feature
Westerland
ACMI
8.15pm 10.15pm 10.30pm
3152 2153 3153
Shorts Package
SEX DRIVES & VIDEOTAPE
ACMI
Feature
Fourplay
ACMI
SATURDAY, 16 MARCH
TUESDAY, 19 MARCH TIME
BOOKING
SESSION TYPE
SESSION NAME/FILM TITLE
VENUE
6.00pm
2167
Feature
Mosquita Y Mari
ACMI
6.00pm
3167
Feature
The Comedian
ACMI
6.00pm
5167
Feature
Route of Acceptance
HOYTS
TIME
BOOKING
SESSION TYPE
SESSION NAME/FILM TITLE
VENUE
midday
4154
Documentary
I am a Woman Now
ACMI Studio
8.00pm
3168
Feature
Naked as we Came
ACMI
Call Me Kuchu
ACMI
8.30pm
2168
Documentary
Seventh Gay Adventists
ACMI
QUEERIES 1
ACMI Studio
8.30pm
5168
Feature
Mixed Kebab
HOYTS
The Invisibles
ACMI
midday
3154
2.00pm
4250 Shorts Package
Documentary
2.00pm
2155
Documentary
2.00pm
3155
Shorts Package
SHORT & GIRLY
ACMI
4.00pm
4156
Documentary
Die Standing Up
ACMI Studio
4.00pm
3156
Feature
SELECTOR’S CHOICE: When Hainan Meets Teochew
ACMI
4.15pm
2156
Documentary
The Invisible Men
ACMI
6.00pm
2157
Feature
Keep the Lights On
ACMI
WEDNESDAY, 20 MARCH
ACMI ACMI
Documentary
Intersexion
ACMI Studio
8.30pm
3172
Feature
Facing Mirrors
ACMI
Feature
Nate and Margaret
ACMI
8.30pm
5172
Feature
About Cherry
HOYTS
The Mermaids
ACMI
6.00pm
2163
Feature
About Cherry
ACMI
7.00pm
3163
Feature
I Do
8.00pm
2164
Feature
A Perfect Ending
ACMI
6.15pm
3180
Feature
Bye Bye Blondie
8.15pm
2181
Feature
My Best Day
ACMI
8.15pm
3181
Feature
Keep the Lights On
ACMI
10.15pm
2182
Shorts Package
SEX DRIVES & VIDEOTAPE
ACMI
10.30pm
3182
Feature
Joshua Tree, 1951: A Portrait of James Dean
ACMI
TIME
BOOKING
SESSION TYPE
SESSION NAME/FILM TITLE
VENUE
1.00pm
3183
Shorts Package
FEMME FATALITIES
ACMI
2.00pm
2183
Documentary
Unfit: Ward vs Ward
ACMI
3.00pm
3184
Feature
Monster Pies
ACMI
4.00pm
2184
Feature
She, Their Love Story
ACMI
6.00pm
2185
Shorts Package
MIXTAPE
ACMI
6.00pm
3185
Feature
Struck by Lightning
ACMI
8.30pm
9000
Closing Night
Submerge
ACMI
TIME
BOOKING
SESSION TYPE
SESSION NAME/FILM TITLE
VENUE
6.00pm
2186
Back by Popular Demand
Go to mqff.com.au for details
ACMI
6.15pm
3186
Feature
Peaches Does Herself
ACMI
8.30pm
2187
Back by Popular Demand
Go to mqff.com.au for details
ACMI
8.30pm
3187
Feature
Out in the Dark
ACMI
SUNDAY, 24 MARCH
2172
Feature
Feature
Cockpit
VENUE
6.30pm
9.00pm
5171
SESSION NAME/FILM TITLE
VENUE
Feature
Being Brendo
THURSDAY, 21 MARCH
SESSION NAME/FILM TITLE
3162
Special Presentation
HOYTS
Woman's Lake
5.00pm
2179
BearCity 2: The Proposal
Beyond the Walls
ACMI
4.00pm
ACMI
Feature
Turning
ACMI Studio
Fourplay
Centrepiece
Documentary
4800
Feature
3171
2162
4.00pm
Crowd Funding for Dummies (Panel)
3170
2171
4.00pm
ACMI
Special Presentation
LOOP
6.30pm
ACMI
Feature
CELLULOID CASSEROLE
6.00pm
ACMI Studio
3178
2.00pm
Shorts Package
ACMI
I am Gay and Muslim
ACMI
7.30pm
COCKTALES
TRANSFORMATIONS
TRANS PHATS Strange Frame: Love and Sax
ACMI
SESSION TYPE
Documentary
Shorts Package
HOYTS
BOOKING
Shorts Package
2178
Yossi
TIME
3161
2.00pm
Feature
ACMI
4162
ACMI ACMI Studio
Gold coin on entry only
Sexual Tension: Volatile
3.00pm
BOOBTUBE QUEERIES 3
5169
Feature
4.00pm
Shorts Package
6.00pm
2159
ACMI
3177
4750 Shorts Package
ACMI
10.15pm
Documentary
midday 2.00pm
ACMI
ACMI
2161
ACMI Studio
OZ SHORTS
I Want Your Love
2.00pm
Queering the Small Screen (Panel)
A Map for a Talk
Feature
The British Guide to Showing Off
Special Presentation
Feature
3158
ACMI Studio
VENUE
4700
Shorts Package
8.15pm
The Queer History Slideshow
SESSION NAME/FILM TITLE
midday
SATURDAY, 23 MARCH
3179
Feature
Special Presentation
SESSION TYPE
2180
5170
4400
BOOKING
4.15pm
9.00pm
2.00pm
TIME
6.00pm
ACMI
3160
HOYTS
ACMI
My Best Day
4160
I Want Your Love
VENUE
Feature
midday
Feature
Zenne Dancer
2158
1.00pm
6176
SESSION NAME/FILM TITLE
8.15pm
SESSION TYPE
ACMI
midnight
Centrepiece
ACMI
BOOKING
SHORT & BURLY
SESSION TYPE
Four
TIME
Sexual Tension: Volatile
3169
Feature
SUNDAY, 17 MARCH
Feature Shorts Package
BOOKING
3157
Shorts Package
3175 2175
TIME
6.15pm
3159
10.15pm 10.30pm
6.00pm
8.30pm
10.15pm
5174
Speechless
HOYTS
ACMI
FRIDAY, 22 MARCH TIME
BOOKING
SESSION TYPE
SESSION NAME/FILM TITLE
VENUE
6.00pm
2173
Feature
Margarita
ACMI
Special Presentation
A Liar's Autobiography – The Untrue Story of Monty Python's Graham Chapman 3D
HOYTS
Unconditional
ACMI
QUEERIES 2
ACMI Studio
A Perfect Ending
ACMI
6.00pm
5500
6.00pm
3173
Feature
ACMI
6.30pm
4600 Shorts Package
ACMI
8.00pm
3174
Feature
MONDAY, 25 MARCH
For more information, go to mqff.com.au
39 REASONS WHY MELBOURNE IS THE ARTS CAPITAL The City of Melbourne Triennial Program supports major and emerging festivals and arts companies, large and small. This is just one way we ensure that Melbourne remains home to Australia’s most vibrant and diverse arts scene.
melbourne.vic.gov.au/grantsandsponsorship
APHIDS EVENTS ARENA THEATRE COMPANY ARTS ACCESS AUSTRALIAN CENTRE FOR CONTEMPORARY ART BLINDSIDE ARTIST RUN SPACE CHAMBER MADE OPERA CIRCUS OZ CRAFT VICTORIA EMERGING WRITERS’ FESTIVAL EXPERIMENTA MEDIA ARTS HUMAN RIGHTS ARTS AND FILM FESTIVAL IAN POTTER MUSEUM OF ART ILBIJERRI ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER THEATRE CO-OP JESUIT SOCIAL SERVICES LA MAMA LA MIRADA FILM FESTIVAL LITTLE BIG SHOTS LUCY GUERIN MALTHOUSE THEATRE MELBOURNE FRINGE MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL COMEDY FESTIVAL MELBOURNE FESTIVAL MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL MELBOURNE PRIZE MELBOURNE QUEER FILM FESTIVAL MELBOURNE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA MELBOURNE WRITERS’ FESTIVAL MULTICULTURAL ARTS VICTORIA NEXT WAVE FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA VICTORIA PLATFORM ARTISTS GROUP POLYGLOT PUPPET THEATRE ROYAL MELBOURNE PHILHARMONIC SOCIETY SONGLINES ABORIGINAL MUSIC VICTORIAN OPERA WEST SPACE THE WHEELER CENTRE WILD@HEART COMMUNITY ARTS