Annual Report 2009
About Us Melbourne Queer Film Festival (MQFF) is the largest queer film festival in Australia, the second largest film festival in Victoria, and one of the oldest queer film festivals in the world. We screen the best queer cinema from Australia and around the globe. Our mission is to become one of the top queer screen events internationally. The Festival first screened in 1991 and has continued every year since. MQFF is an Incorporated Association and is run by a Board of Management and three permanent staff.
Contact details
BRIEF HISTORY
Mailing address....................................PO Box 21244, Little Lonsdale St VIC 8011 Australia
1991
Melbourne International Lesbian & Gay Film & Video Festival first screened at the National Theatre, St Kilda.
Office address......................................Level 8, 225 Bourke St, Melbourne VIC 3000 Australia
1993
Festival is renamed Melbourne Queer Film & Video Festival, with screenings at the State Film Theatre at Treasury Place.
2000
Festival name is changed to Melbourne Queer Film Festival.
2004
Bulk of screenings moved to the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) at Federation Square.
Telephone............................................613 9662 4147 Fax......................................................613 9660 3950 Email..................................................info@mqff.com.au Website...............................................www.mqff.com.au
Staff Festival Director....................................Lisa Daniel director@mqff.com.au General Manager..................................Rowena Doo info@mqff.com.au Sponsorship & Advertising Manager......Kylie Eddy sponsorship@mqff.com.au
ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY MQFF is committed to reducing our carbon footprint and delivering an environmentally sustainable festival. Green printers
Smaller print runs We have trimmed the print runs for all our publications to the bare minimum, ensuring the best market coverage with the least amount of waste. e-mag
Board of Management Co-convenors.......................................Claire Jackson Tony Harding Secretary.............................................Kris Darmody
The company we have chosen to print our Festival Program, Printgraphics (Printgreen) has Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) accreditation and understands its commitment to quality and the environment.
From 2009, our Festival Program has been published online as an ‘e-mag’: it’s just like flipping through a book, minus the dead trees!
ANNUAL CALENDAR OF EVENTS January
Midsumma Carnival stall
Treasurer..............................................Mal Lewis
Highlights Guide published
Board..................................................Roberta Armitage Steve Boxshall Paul Clifton Scott Heron Gerard Long Steven ‘Luke’ Lucas Aydin Sipaloglu
Movies Under the Stars fundraiser February
Festival Launch Festival Guide published Festival website – new program launched, tickets on sale
March
Opening Night Film & Gala The Festival: 12 days, 90+ sessions Closing Night Film & Party
Selection Panel
‘Back by Popular Demand’ extra sessions
Paul Andrew, Carol Christensen, David Collins, Lisa Daniel, Josh Frederick, Kim Montgomery, Grant Scicluna, Leanne Sumpter, Paul Tonta
April-December
Monthly e-bulletins and special events
May
Annual planning day
Queeries Panel
June
Call for entries for next Festival
September
Annual General Meeting
December
Festival program finalised
Patrons
Scott Igoe, Claudia Stapleton Gary Singer, Geoffrey Smith, Stephen Hahn
Advertising due MELBOURNE QUEER FILM FESTIVAL • ABN 46 894 300 561 • PO Box 21244, Little Lonsdale St, Victoria 8011 Australia • ph 613 9662 4147 • fax 613 9660 3950 • info@mqff.com.au • www.mqff.com.au
Demographics Every year MQFF conducts an Audience Survey that covers a range of questions, including demographics. This helps us better understand our patrons and provide them with the best possible festival experience. Our mission is to become one of the top queer film events internationally and we will only achieve this with the support of our loyal audience.
4.1% 8.8%
18−24 years
5.3%
13.4%
25−34 years 27.5%
19.9%
35−44 years
36%
18%
45−54 years
34.5%
Postgraduate
Trade cert/Diploma
32.6%
55−64 years
Bachelors degree
High school
65+ years
Age AGE
14%
Education EDUCATION
25.6%
$80K + $50K−$79K
29.9% 30.5%
$20K−$49K
6.5% 8.3% 4.7% 14.8%
Full-time work
9.5%
Part-time work 63.9%
Less than $20K
Casual Full-time study Part-time study Retired/Other
Income INCOME
2.9%
1.2%
6.4% 6.4%
WorkSTATUS Status WORK
0.6%
Lesbian
Female
Gay 35.1%
50.3%
Queer
50%
49.4%
Male Transgender
Bisexual Straight Other
SexualIDENTITY Identity SEXUAL
Gender GENDER
MELBOURNE QUEER FILM FESTIVAL • ABN 46 894 300 561 • PO Box 21244, Little Lonsdale St, Victoria 8011 Australia • ph 613 9662 4147 • fax 613 9660 3950 • info@mqff.com.au • www.mqff.com.au
Festival Growth Over the last decade, MQFF has shown extraordinary growth to become the largest queer film festival in Australia, and highly regarded internationally for our quality programming. The number of films screened has increased threefold and the audience has increased from 3,000 attendees in 1998 to 25,000 in 2009.
MQFF films and sessions, 1998–2009
2002 2000
2003
2008 2006
2004
MQFF audience numbers, 1998–2009
2009
2007
20,000
120
1999
100
2001
80
NO. OF FILMS
1998
1999
60
2002
2003
2004
2000
15,000 10,000
1998
5,000
40
NO. OF SESSIONS
25,000
2005
140
2001
2009
2006
160
2005
2007
2008
20
AUDIENCE NUMBERS
80,000
For audience size, MQFF is ranked in the top 10 of international gay and lesbian film festivals. When compared to local population size, Melbourne is second only to San Francisco for participation rates.
60,000
2
40,000
Me
nF ran
3 million
lbo
cis
6 million
CIT
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urn
Syd n e
ey
Wa sh
OP
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ton
ila
DC
de
lph
Tor o ia
nto
Mu
nic
Lo s
h/K öln
Newfest
10
LLGFF
Outfest
Verzaubert
9
/St
An
Lo n
do
ge
ütt ga
les
rt/
9 million
YP
Ph
ing
3
5
6
Inside Out
Queer Screen
MQFF
Frameline
20,000
Sa
4
8
PILGF
7
Reel Affirnations
FESTIVAL ATTENDANCE
Top 10 international queer film festivals, attendance vs population
1 = INTERNATIONAL RANKING
n
Ne wY ork
Be
rlin
12 million
AT IO
N
15 million 18 million
MELBOURNE QUEER FILM FESTIVAL • ABN 46 894 300 561 • PO Box 21244, Little Lonsdale St, Victoria 8011 Australia • ph 613 9662 4147 • fax 613 9660 3950 • info@mqff.com.au • www.mqff.com.au
Sponsors MQFF is brought to you each year courtesy of the generous assistance of our sponsors and supporters.
Title Sponsor
Principal Sponsor
Cultural Partner
Major Media Partners
Major Sponsors
Sponsors
Supporters prahran market clinic
Festival Partners
MELBOURNE QUEER FILM FESTIVAL • ABN 46 894 300 561 • PO Box 21244, Little Lonsdale St, Victoria 8011 Australia • ph 613 9662 4147 • fax 613 9660 3950 • info@mqff.com.au • www.mqff.com.au
IMAGE PAUL CLIFTON
Awards Every year the MQFF offers several cash awards valued at $16,000, in the form of both Audience Choice and Jury awards. Audience Choice awards are voted by the audience through voting slips at Festival Club and secure online voting. Sponsoring an award is a great way to support the filmmakers who make the Festival possible, while exposing your brand to over 25,000 MQFF attendees. There is a prize category suitable for almost all budgets starting from $2,000. For more details on how you can make a difference please contact us. Eligibility
Prize money
Sponsor
2009 Winner
Sponsored by the City of Melbourne.
THE UNCERTAINTY PRINCIPLE Dir: Jacqui Schulz
JURY AWARDS The City of Melbourne All films listed in Oz Shorts The winning film receives Emerging Filmmaker Award (Australian short film package). for Best Australian Short Queer Film
$2000
Selectors’ Choice Award for All films in the ‘Celluloid Best Australian Short Queer Casserole’ package. Film
GALACTIC SEX WARS Dir: Robbie McEwan
The winning film receives
$500
AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARDS Audience Choice Award for Best Foreign Language Feature Film
All foreign language feature films in the Festival.
Audience Choice Award for Best Feature Film
All feature films in the Festival.
Audience Choice Award for Best Feature Documentary
All documentaries of 45 minutes and over (including Special Presentations).
Audience Choice Award for Best Australian Short Film
All Australian short narrative films screened in the Festival (except those screening in Celluloid Casserole).
Audience Choice Award for Best Short Film
All short narrative films The winning film receives screened in the Festival (except those screening in Celluloid Casserole).
The winning film receives
Co-sponsored by MQFF and Volkswagen.
PATRIK 1,5 (Sweden) Dir: Ella Lemhagen
The winning film receives
Co-presented by MQFF and FQ Films
I CAN’T THINK STRAIGHT Dir: Shamin Sarif
The winning film receives
Co-sponsored by the Festival and MQFF Life Member David McCarthy.
JERUSALEM IS PROUD TO PRESENT Dir: Nitzan Gilady
The winning film receives
Co-sponsored by the Festival THE UNCERTAINTY PRINCIPLE and Karen Russell of Step Right Dir: Jacqui Schulz Up.
$5000
$5000
$2000
$1000
$500
DONKEYGIRL Dir: Ties Schenk
MELBOURNE QUEER FILM FESTIVAL • ABN 46 894 300 561 • PO Box 21244, Little Lonsdale St, Victoria 8011 Australia • ph 613 9662 4147 • fax 613 9660 3950 • info@mqff.com.au • www.mqff.com.au
Touring Every year the MQFF packs an overnight bag and sends off an excellent selection of queer titles from the Melbourne season to our queer film starved friends across Australia. Since 2002 we’ve screened in Bendigo, since 2007 in locations in Far North Queensland, and since 2008 in Perth with great success.
Cairns Townsville NT Tropical Alternatives: A Very Queer Film Festival Co-presented with the Queensland Association for Healthy Communities.
Rockhampton QLD
WA
Hervey Bay Sunshine Coast Gold Coast
SA NSW
Perth
Perth Gay & Lesbian Film Festival. Co-presented with Glamfest.
Bendigo
Bendigo Queer Film Festival
ACT
VIC MELBOURNE TAS
MELBOURNE QUEER FILM FESTIVAL • ABN 46 894 300 561 • PO Box 21244, Little Lonsdale St, Victoria 8011 Australia • ph 613 9662 4147 • fax 613 9660 3950 • info@mqff.com.au • www.mqff.com.au