MQFF 2007 Program

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CONTENTS Welcome

Documentaries

8–9

Festival Director Lisa Daniel outlines the fabulous program for the 17th Melbourne Queer Film Festival

Sponsors

Special Presentations

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Oz Shorts

12–13

Select from our big range of tickets and passes

Venues

Short & Girly

15

Boob Tube

17

Short & Burly

19

Cocktales

20–21

69

The best in shorts for boys from around the world

Queeries: Bent on Film

22–23

Australian Premiere of Itty Bitty Titty Committee

Centrepiece Presentation 24–25

Casserole An eclectic menu of new Australian shorts

Selectors’ Choice

26

The selection panel’s top choice: Jack Smith And The Destruction of Atlantis

27 – 48

Index

Credits Thanking the people who bring you the Festival

SCHEDULE

MQFF Membership Form

40 – 41

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77

Every film listed by title and country of origin

Reviews, images and session details for all features

Complete chronological listing of daily sessions

70–71

Exploring gender and sexuality for young audiences

The sumptuous Korean costume drama The King and the Clown

Features

66–67

Latest and greatest collection of boys’ short flicks

Capote biopic, Infamous

Closing Night

65

Lessons in modern lesbian life

Find out how to give away big prizesI

Opening Night

62–63

Latest and greatest collection of girls’ short flicks

Food, drink and sound in the function space at ACMI

Awards & Voting

60–61

The best Australian short queer films

Find your way to our cinema & party locations

Festival Club

56-57

Meth and Rainbows End, followed by panel discussions

The businesses and organisations who help the Festival survive

Ticketing

49–55

Reviews, images and session details for all docos

Joining MQFF is inexpensive, easy and totally rewarding!

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WELCOME Welcome to the 17th Melbourne Queer Film Festival, driven by Volkswagen. We’re excited to welcome Volkswagen back to the fold for the next three years, and look forward to producing yet another outstanding schedule of films in Australia’s largest and most successful queer film festival.

There are so many standout films travelling the queer cinema circuit at the moment that we’ve further expanded the Festival so that the absolute best program can be presented to Melbourne audiences. Some of the foreign language highlights include films from Iceland, The Philippines, Korea, Mexico, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Romania, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. And not to be outdone, we’re proud to be presenting two new Australian feature films: Ed Aldridge’s gay surf film Tan Lines, and the World Premiere of Melbourne filmmaker Kylie Eddy’s first lesbian feature film This Kiss.

Please come along and show your support to our local filmmakers.

Some award–winning highlights that you shouldn’t miss from the features list include 20 Centimeters, Another Gay Movie, The Gymnast, Whole New Thing, Boy Culture, The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros, The Dying Gaul, Cut Sleeve Boys and Nina’s Heavenly Delights. These films have entertained audiences the world over, and indicate the maturity of contemporary queer cinema as a genre. We’re also happy to announce that Cut Sleeve Boys’ lead actor Chowee Leow will be attending the Festival.

Our principal venue the Australian Centre for the Moving Image is returning as the Festival’s Cultural Partner, and are also co-presenting our Centrepiece Presentation of the spectacular award winning film The King and the Clown (Wang-ui Namja), which is South Korea’s Official Entry into the Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film – we’re incredibly proud to be screening the Melbourne Premiere of such an outstanding film.

This year’s Selectors’ Choice session is the Melbourne Premiere of Jack Smith and the Destruction of Atlantis, the must-see documentary on the life of Warhol Factory stablemate and cultural misfit Jack Smith, whose film work helped to define contemporary queer cinema as we know it today. Don’t miss this one-time-only screening.

And speaking of one-time-onlys, make sure your diary has you attending the big screen presentation of Frank Brittain’s seminal 1970 Australian film The Set. Commonly regarded as Australia’s first film with openly gay characters and storylines, The Set will be personally introduced by Executive Producers Roger Ward and David Hannay.

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WELCOME There’s an outstanding selection of documentary packages on offer with an eclectic array of diverse subjects covered. In particular, don’t miss the award winning titles Cruel and Unusual, Beyond Hatred, Small Town Gay Bar and Beyond Conception. Documentary sessions to be accompanied by panels include the hard-hitting Meth, co-presented by Gay and Lesbian Health Victoria, and Rainbow’s End, co-presented by the Victorian Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby, which will include a timely discussion on the future of queer activism.

There’ll be filmmakers galore in Melbourne for the Festival, including those vying for the $2000 cash prize for the City of Melbourne Award for Best Australian Short Film (Oz Shorts). Come along to either (or both) of the Oz Shorts sessions and don’t forget to cast your vote for that award and the various others on offer throughout the program.

We head back to the grand old dame of cinemas, The Astor, for our annual opening night film, the Melbourne Premiere of brilliant Capote biopic Infamous. Forget Philip Seymour Hoffman’s Capote, this bio is the queerest piece ever produced about the renowned author and stars Daniel Craig, Toby Jones, Sigourney Weaver and Sandra Bullock to name a few. Oh, and then there’s the after-party..!

Yet another Australian Premiere closes the Festival with the brand new film from Jamie Babbit, (But, I’m a Cheerleader – MQFF opening night 2000), Itty Bitty Titty Committee. Jamie is a guest of the Festival, and will be on hand to introduce her new film. Join us at ACMI for both film and afterparty, and get in early for tickets for this one.

Don’t forget film-lovers, the competition for tickets will be intense as always, and the majority of films will be here for the Festival and then leave the country for other destinations, so don’t miss your one and only chance to see them on the big screen.

Enjoy your Festival!

Lisa Daniel Festival Director

MELBOURNE QUEER FILM FESTIVAL 2007 HIGHLIGHTS TOUR! This year the MQFF is packing an overnight bag, and sending off an excellent selection of queer titles which screen during the Melbourne season to our queer film starved friends in Bendigo, Cairns and Rockhampton. So if you can’t make it to the Melbourne screenings, pop on a bus, train or plane to catch the latest in queer film from Australia and around the world. Tour highlights include screenings of the Award winning features Red Doors, Another Gay Movie and Whole New Thing, along with brilliant shorts packages and a doco as well!

BENDIGO QUEER FILM FESTIVAL : March 30 – April 1 (www.bendigoqueerfilmfestival.info/) TROPICAL ALTERNATIVES: A Very Queer Film Festival: CAIRNS: 14 & 15 April ROCKHAMPTON 21 & 22 April

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SPONSORS Title Sponsor

Principal Sponsor

Cultural Partner

Principal Media Partners

Major Sponsors

Sponsors

Community Partners

Supporters Turtle Cove Blakes Feast Arid Zone Magnify Media

Gay & Lesbian Health Victoria Midsumma Festival Australia Gay & Lesbian Archives

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TICKETING OPENING NIGHT & CLOSING NIGHT Closing Night film & party @ ACMI Cinemas

Opening Night film & party @ Astor Theatre

Itty Bitty Titty Committee (pp.22-23) $20 full, $17 conc, $15 MQFF

Infamous (pp.20-21) $35 full, $30 conc, $28 MQFF

SINGLE TICKETS AND MULTI-SESSION PASSES SINGLE TICKET

TRIPLE CHOC PASS

1 session $15 full, $12 conc, $11 MQFF

3 sessions $40 full, $34 conc, $31 MQFF

STRAWBERRY PASS 5 sessions $65 full, $55 conc, $52 MQFF

GOLDEN TOFFEE PASS

MINT PASS

All sessions including Opening & Closing Nights

7 sessions

$250 full, $212 conc, $190 MQFF

$90 full, $76 conc, $70 MQFF

You must produce your laminated Gold Pass for entry to all sessions. Your Gold Pass is strictly non-transferable. Please choose your sessions carefully as you may not be able to see all films in the Festival. Gold Pass holders please be seated 15 minutes before the beginning of each session or your seat may be sold if the session is booked out.

SPECIAL TICKETED SESSIONS QUEERIES

CELLULOID CASSEROLE

Sessions 7 & 21 (pp.70-71)

Session 46 (p.73)

$10 full, $8 MQFF and conc

Gold coin donation

TICKETING RULES

1 All prices include GST.

2 A session ticket will be required to enter each film (except for Gold Pass holders). Session tickets should be attached to your Festival multipass.

3 Only one ticket per session per multipass will be issued.

4 We encourage patrons to arrive early as seating is unreserved.

5 Laws governing film festivals mean that all audience members must be 18 years or over, with the exception of Queeries (see pp.70-71) where patrons 15 years and over are permitted.

6 No refunds or cancellations given unless a session is moved or cancelled.

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7 Valid concessions: full time students, healthcare card holders, Senior’s Card, Melbourne International Film Festival members, City Of Melbourne Companion Card, ACMI members, Classic Cinema members. One concession ticket per card holder will apply on presentation of valid card. Please note: when picking up pre-booked tickets, please present your valid concession card.

MQFF members receive further discount.

8 Sessions advertised as ‘sold out’ may actually have a limited number of tickets available for sale at the venue (due to the holding of seats for Gold Pass holders). Standby reservation numbers will be handed out 30 minutes prior to the session. All available seats will be sold to the holders of standby numbers immediately prior to the session beginning. Cash only sales.

TICKETING THE LAZY PASS An MQFF Lazy Pass is the perfect Festival companion for busy queers. One pass gets you along to a curated selection of the best sessions for girls and boys, or Festival Director Lisa Daniel’s personal picks for 2007.

Sessions are not transferable.

LAZY LESBIANS PASS Session 2: Session 28: Session 37: Session 65: Session 75:

LAZY BUGGERS PASS Session 4: Session 16: Session 47: Session 63: Session 78:

$65 full, $55 conc, $52 MQFF

Nina’s Heavenly Delights (p.38) Short & Girly (pp.62) Red Doors (p.44) Triple X Selects The Best of Lezploitation (p.55) The Gymnast (p.36)

$65 full, $55 conc, $52 MQFF

Another Gay Movie (p.27) Eleven Men Out (pp.33) The Dying Gaul (p.31) Boy Culture (pp.29) Cocktales (p.69)

Entry to these sessions: Fri 16 Mar, 6.15pm Sun 18 Mar, 4.15pm Mon 19 Mar, 8.15pm Fri 23 Mar, 10.15pm Sat 24 Mar, 6.15pm Entry to these sessions: Fri 16 Mar, 8.15pm Sat 17 Mar, 6.30pm Wed 21 Mar, 8pm Fri 23 Mar, 8.15pm Sat 24 Mar, 10pm

DIRECTOR’S CHOICE PASS DIRECTORS’ CHOICE PASS $65 full, $55 conc, $52 MQFF Session 1: Session 27: Session 40: Session 65: Session 81:

Whole New Thing (p.48) Red Without Blue (pp.54) Backstage (p.28) Triple X Selects The Best of Lezploitation (p.55) The Line of Beauty (p.37)

Entry to these sessions: Fri 16 Mar, 6pm Sun 18 Mar, 4pm Tue 20 Mar, 6pm Fri 23 Mar, 10.15pm Sun 25 Mar, midday

BUYING TICKETS All tickets and passes can be booked via our website at

www.melbournequeerfilm.com.au It’s quick and easy, totally secure and available 24 hours.

Please note that all tickets purchased on the website will be available from the first venue you attend, they will not be posted out.

ACMI Cinemas, Australian Centre for the Moving Image, Federation Square, Flinders Street, Melbourne Box Office open daily from 10am–6pm (extended hours during festival) Tickets – 03 8663 2200

Hares and Hyenas 63 Johnson St Fitzroy 3065 Tel: 9495 6589 www.hares-hyenas.com.au/ Tickets can be bought 10am–7pm Mon to Sat; 12pm–6pm Sun For group bookings of 10 or over, please phone the MQFF office on 03 9827 2022

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VENUES ALFRED DE AKIN LIFT

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All Sessions (except Opening Night and Casserole) take place at ACMI Cinemas 1& 2, and The Screen Pit

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Australian Centre for the Moving Image, Federation Square, Flinders St, Melbourne

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All venues wheelchair accessible (Astor is limited)

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FESTIVAL VISIT THE FESTIVAL CLUB Meet up with your friends before or after the film at our fabulous Festival Club. Featuring resident djs spinning funky toons, great food, hot coffee, assorted bevvies, including the products of our beloved grog sponsors Mount Avoca and Matilda Bay, the Festival Club will be the place to be seen and heard during the Fest. But wait, there’s more! Returning once again in ‘07 is our world famous Presidential Mix of the finest mixed lollies we can lay our hands on. “Truly one of the greatest selection of mixed lollies I’ve had this afternoon” MQFF member number 15834.

Located in the Function Space at ACMI Cinemas, ground floor off the Flinders Street entrance, the Festival Club is open 30 minutes before the first session everyday.

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OPENING INFAMOUS Dir: Douglas McGrath, USA, 2006, 35mm, 118 min

Australian Premiere In 1959 writer Truman Capote was at the height of his powers - his scathing wit made him the centre of attention and a key figure of the New York social scene, and his prose, was razor sharp and highly coveted. On the morning of 16 November, recovering after another Manhattan soiree, he picked up the New York Times and was intrigued by a small article about the murder of a family of four in rural Kansas. Far away from the glamour and superficiality of New York City nightlife he embarked on a journey to the Midwest to write about this horrific crime, a task that would take six years and be his final finished work - his obsession with one of the killers leaving him a broken man.

If this sounds like the plot of Capote, the Oscar winner from last year, that’s because both films cover the same basic territory, but Infamous goes further in exploring the relationship between Capote and Perry Smith, the killer who was the object of Capote’s obsession. Infamous skilfully sets up the diminutive Capote as the King of NY, with his effeminate persona, high-pitched voice and flamboyant dress, but when he lands in Kansas expecting the same sort of adoration he is shocked by the cold reception. It is not until he regales the locals with stories of Bogart, Brando and Monroe that they take notice, and suddenly the doors open. When he gains access to the killers his assignment changes – he decides to expand his work from an article to a novel. Driven by a quest for artistic greatness, to create a new style of reportage, one that mixes fiction techniques to a non-fiction work, and fuelled by his increasing obsession with Perry Smith, Capote would eventually write In Cold Blood, a landmark novel that was his masterpiece.

Featuring an all-star cast including the new ’James Bond’ Daniel Craig, as Perry, Sandra Bullock as Nelle Harper Lee, Capote’s childhood friend who accompanies him on the initial journey to Kansas, Sigourney Weaver as one of the NY social set, Jeff Daniels as investigator Alvin Dewey and Gwyneth Paltrow as a crooner, Infamous is spearheaded by Toby Jones’ outstanding performance as Capote, embodying the strengths and frailties of a man haunted by loss and a desire for acceptance. (PT)

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OPENING

Plus:

SEXY THING Dir: Denie Pentecost, Australia, 2006, 35mm, 14 min On a dry suburban day, a 12-year-old is caught between the conflicting worlds of family, friendship and imagination.

Starring Catherine McClements and Chris Vance, Sexy Thing was an Official Selection at Cannes 2006.

MAR

2007 Thursday 15 March

7.30pm

Astor Theatre, St Kilda

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CLOSING ITTY BITTY TITTY COMMITTEE Dir: Jamie Babbit, USA, 2007, video, 87 min

Australian Premiere If you loved D.E.B.S then Itty Bitty will be right up your alley. Dumped by her girlfriend, rejected from the only college to which she applied and wearing an A-cup in a C-cup world, Anna laments her life. Leaving work, she meets Sadie, the sexy leader of a radical punk-feminist group called the CIA (Clits in Action). Anna enters into this secretive world of eradicating phallocentric and misogynist imagery, embarks on her first radical mission, and begins to feel alive for the first time, especially once she becomes the target of Sadie’s flirtatious actions. Things start to go sour when the CIA discovers that all of their acts have been co-opted or quickly undone and the only people who know about their group are its members. Once the CIA becomes disenchanted they dismantle. Can Anna regain her friendships and resurrect the CIA with her brilliant idea?

Boasting an all-star cast of lesbian favourites such as Daniela Sea (The L Word, Shortbus), Guinevere Turner (The L Word, Go Fish), former Calvin Klein model Jenny Shimizu (Foxfire), and pure Hollywood lesbian royalty on the production side: Director Jamie Babbit (But I’m a Cheerleader) and Executive Producer Stacy Codikow (D.E.B.S.).

Itty Bitty Titty Committee ‘earns its title the hard way! This is an upfront call to action that takes no prisoners and pulls no punches. For anyone in despair over the state of the world or the movies, this posse of revolting dykes deliver a megadose of hope. Kicking free of genre and industry expectations, Jamie Babbit proves that she can rock with the best of them.’ B. Ruby Rich

Director Jamie Babbit is a guest of the Festival and will be attending the screening.

Join us for the Closing Night Party following the film in the Festival Club – ground floor, ACMI Cinemas.

MAR

2007

Sunday 25 March ACMI Cinemas

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8.30pm

CLOSING OPENING

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CENTREPIECE THE KING AND THE CLOWN (WANG-UI NAM-JA) Dir: Jun-ik Lee, South Korea, 2005, 35mm, 119 min

Korean with English subtitles Sumptuous period costume drama about two gay clowns who mock a Joseon Dynasty King that has become the most popular Korean Film in history. Adapted as a screenplay from the 2000 Korean play titled Yi, it follows the tough life of a troupe of actors, clowns and acrobats who flee to Seoul to find fame and riches, and win the favour of the hunky though wayward twisted King Yonsan. When the clowning gets tough, the clowns get going, however, Seoul is not exactly the paradise they imagine. Konggil and Jangseng are the two-featured lowly comics

SESSION 41 MAR

2007

Tuesday 20 March ACMI Cinemas

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6pm

who share a great love for their art and also a somewhat quixotic love for each other. It is their extraordinary series of circus comic acts that turns the Joseon court in their favour and its ministers upside down. King Yonsan casts aside the favours of his chief concubine as he finds himself curiously infatuated with the porcelain androgyny of Konggil, who at times appears manly and at others times womanly. Handsome King Yonsan invites Konggil to his royal bedchamber for wine and conversation, much to the chagrin of a very protective and loving Jangseng. The King’s courtship becomes a curious game of queer seduction that soon turns foul.

The film has many epic highlights including the great physical play-acting of Konggil and Jangseng that verges on Shakespearean in its treatment of wit and tragedy. Its central subtext, that art and love prevails in the face of tyranny is perhaps one reason this film became the single highest grossing film in its native Korea and an offthe-scale festival favourite in cinemas around the world. The King and the Clown has been submitted to the Oscars in the Best Foreign Film category, and has been referred to as the Korean Brokeback Mountain. (PA)

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SELECTORS’ Each year the MQFF selection panel spends a night debating their favourite session over last week’s pizza and some stale popcorn. They barely made it to their second slice this year with the unanimous choice for the not-to-be-missed session of the Festival going to Jack Smith And The Destruction Of Atlantis, Mary Jordan’s brilliant and vital documentary on the life and career of filmic misfit Jack Smith. Come and find out just how much significance Smith’s life has on what we know and love of contemporary queer cinema.

JACK SMITH AND THE DESTRUCTION OF ATLANTIS Dir: Mary Jordan, USA, 2006, video, 93 min Who is Jack Smith? Without Jack Smith we wouldn’t have Todd Haynes, Gus van Sant, John Waters, Gregg Araki or any number of queer filmmakers, artists and photographers whose work we take for granted. Put simply, without Jack Smith the queer (and mainstream) cultural landscape would be a very different, and much duller, place. This wonderfully entertaining documentary looks at the extraordinary life of one of the USA’s most notorious and misunderstood artists of the past 50 years. His influence is profound - Warhol drew him into his Factory circle of artists – and far reaching. If you don’t know who Jack Smith is by the end of this film, you will be searching out his work, inspired by the spirit of this enigmatic queer icon. Director Mary Jordan draws together a wealth of archival footage (video, photography, audio recordings) to paint a portrait of a man who kicked against the constraints of almost all those who surrounded him - fellow artists, the authorities – whom he saw as leeching off his artistic endeavours.

Smith only ‘completed’ one film, the seminal Flaming Creatures, which was banned in over 20 American states and four countries. When experimental film godfather Jonas Mekas toured the film, Smith felt violated and never finished another work of art. Instead he edited films within the projection room and resisted the commercial trappings of fame that he felt Warhol had fallen victim to. Hence his name has become a footnote in popular culture – Jack Smith and the Destruction of Atlantis addresses this imbalance, placing the name of Jack Smith front and centre where it belongs. Don’t miss this passionate film. (PT) ‘Superb… a fascinating portrait.’ Timeout London ‘Director Mary Jordan has scored a triumph.’ Variety

SESSION 53 MAR

2007 Thursday 22 March

ACMI Cinemas

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8.15pm

FEATURES

20 CENTIMETERS

ANOTHER GAY MOVIE

Dir: Ramon Salazar, Spain/France, 2005, 35mm, 113 min

Dir: Todd Stephens, USA, 2006, video, 90 min

Spanish with English subtitles Marieta is a narcoleptic transsexual prostitute whose condition sees her dreaming up elaborate musical numbers in which she’s the star. Her rich imaginary world comes alive during her ill-timed narcoleptic episodes and her dreams reveal lavish and colourful musical numbers, where as a real woman she sings Madonna, Queen and Ani DiFranco with gay abandon in Spanish, French and English. The one thing holding her back from her ideal life is the fleshy 20 Centimeters that hangs between her legs. Every convention of extravagant Hollywood musicals is on show in Salazar’s often hilarious musical comedy drama. With more than a nod to Almodóvar, and channelling the spirit of The Adventures Of Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert, this endlessly engaging celebration flick will have you laughing and singing in the aisles. (LD) SESSION 54 MAR

2007 Thursday 22 March

ACMI Cinemas

8.15pm

Think you’ve seen the lot when it comes to gross-out, teen or queer sex comedies? Get ready for Another Gay Movie and be prepared to either laugh or be appalled (or both) non-stop for 90 minutes. This is American Pie, with an extreme queer makeover from director Todd Stephens (writer of Edge Of Seventeen).

Seventeen-year-old Andy and his pals, Jarod, the buffed jock, Griff, the shy brainiac, and Nico, edgy and alternative, are all sex-starved virgins. Out and proud, all they want is to pop their ass cherry. When they remain booty-virgins at the graduation party thrown by cheerleader-slayer Muffler, their lady-killer, mullet wearing bulldyke friend, the foursome make a pact to do ‘the big A’ by summer’s end. With only a couple of months, the boys let it all hang out in their quest for sexual bliss. Parodying teen comedies from Pretty In Pink to American Pie and queer films such as Trick and beyond, Another Gay Movie is twisted to its core and riotously funny. Don’t miss it! (PT) ‘Refreshingly crass, very funny gay spoof of teen sex romps.’ Village Voice ‘Hysterical.’ Gay.com SESSION 4 MAR

2007

Friday 16 March

8.15pm

ACMI Cinemas SESSION 77 MAR

2007 Saturday 24 March

8.15pm

ACMI Cinemas

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FEATURES

BACKSTAGE Dir: Emmanuelle Bercot, France, 2005, 35mm, 115 min

French with English subtitles

THE BLOSSOMING OF MAXIMO OLIVEROS (ANG PAGDADALAGA NI MAXIMO OLIVEROS) Dir: Auraeus Solito, The Philippines, 2005, 35mm, 100 min

If first love is the deepest, first obsessions are certainly the most intense. Backstage is a provocative drama about a teenage girl, Lucie Isild Le Besco whose passion for the singer Lauren (Emmanuelle Seigner or Mrs Roman Polanski) is so white hot that when she actually meets her idol in the flesh, she cannot speak, but can only weep and tremble, before running into her room and locking the door. Of course, it’s not many teenage fans who come home to find that their mother has arranged for the object of their affection to come to serenade her for a television special.

Utterly overwhelmed by her feelings, Lucie then runs away to worship Lauren up close, working for her as a gofer and gradually becoming more and more entangled in Lauren’s destructive and dysfunctional private life. Backstage is not an easy film, but Le Besco’s achingly raw portrait gives the film its stark power and will resonate with many who remember their first crush. And Seigner is utterly convincing as the Deborah Harry-like icon adored by millions but struggling with self-loathing and rejection. (MS)

Winner of over 10 international film awards, including the prestigious Teddy Award for Fiction at the Berlin Film Festival, this low-budget film from the Philippines is a gem. 12-year-old Maxi lives with his widowed father, Paco, and two older brothers, Boy and Bogs, in an impoverished area of Manila. The family ekes out an existence by stealing and gambling but Maxi is seemingly oblivious to these illegal activities. Instead he sashays through the streets, wearing girl’s clothes and hanging out with his similarly gender-bending pals. Trouble brews when Maxi becomes chummy with the handsome new cop on the block, Victor. A seemingly innocent friendship turns precarious when Maxi’s feelings turn romantic, while Victor becomes determined to bust the family’s illegal rackets and nab Bogs who the cops suspect has murdered a student. The performance by Nathan Lopez as Maxi is a revelation – we feel the joy as he falls deeper in love with Victor, and then later the heartbreaking dilemma of choosing family loyalty over doomed romantic desire. (PT)

SESSION 40

Official entry to the 2007 Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film.

MAR

2007

Tuesday 20 March

6pm

ACMI Cinemas

Filipino with English subtitles

SESSION 11 MAR

2007 Saturday 17 March

SESSION 61 MAR

2007

ACMI Cinemas

Friday 23 March ACMI Cinemas

6pm

SESSION 57 MAR

2007

Friday 23 March ACMI Cinemas

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2.15pm

1pm

FEATURES BOY CULTURE Dir: Q Allan Brocka, USA, 2006, video, 87 min Fans of Eating Out (MQFF 2004) and Rick & Steve The Happiest Gay Couple In All The World rejoice, here’s the latest riotous feature from Q Allan Brocka.

A gay romantic comedy with plenty of eye candy and intelligence, Boy Culture is sure to be one of the hot tickets at this year’s MQFF. After hustling for ten years, 25-year-old X longs for someone who is more than a paycheck. Told through a series of confessions by the anonymous X because, after all, confessions should be anonymous, we are thrown headfirst into X’s tension filled homelife. Teenage party boy Joey is in love with X, who in turn desires the sexy, but distant Andrew. Life for the three roommates never fails to be colourful. Meanwhile X still has a roster of clients, including Gregory (Patrick Bauchau, Carnivale), a wealthy, but reclusive 79-year-old who refuses sex until he’s convinced that their sexual desire is entirely mutual. As Gregory recounts the story of his fifty year relationship, with all its passion and heartbreak, X’s desire for something more permanent with Andrew fuels a shift in the dynamic in the house, leading to some bold decisions.

AUSTRALIA LOGO E

A popular fave at Fests around the world Boy Culture has snagged plenty of awards. (PT) ‘ …destined to become a gay classic.’ New York Edge

Winner: Best of Fest London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival 2006; Winner Best Film Philadelphia Gay & Lesbian Film Festival.

AUS SESSION 18 MAR

2007 Saturday 17 March

8.30pm

AUS

ACMI Cinemas

SESSION 63 MAR

2007

Friday 23 March

8.15pm

AUS

ACMI Cinemas

AUS

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FEATURES

BROKEN SKY (EL CIELO DIVIDIDO) Dir: Julián Hernández, Mexico, 2006, 35mm, 140 min

Spanish with English subtitles Mexican Director Julián Hernández’s exquisite arthouse film follows the sex-fuelled romance between two stunning young Latino students, Gerardo and Jonas who meet on the steps of the college campus. Their fateful steamy world of first love unfolds blissfully before us. Their love seems perfect, until a chance encounter at a nightclub casts the two men adrift into an unchartered world of tension and temptation. The impetuous Jonas tires of his new love and becomes infatuated with another young hunk under the flashing pulsating disco lights. Jonas experiences a torrid sexual awakening as his dejected lover Gerardo spirals into the oblivion of despair, heartbreak and uncertainty. Meanwhile, in another twist, a dark stranger, Sergio has been observing the alienated Gerardo over time and seduces him.

The sensual arms of Sergio soothe Gerardo’s pain and loss. With minimal dialogue, hypnotic-almost choreographed acting, languid cinematography this allegorical film portrays the slow dance of love, rejection, sex and constant craving that engages two people on the awkward threshold of first love. (PA)

SESSION 32 MAR

2007

Sunday 18 March ACMI Cinemas

9pm

CUT SLEEVE BOYS Dir: Ray Yeung, Hong Kong, 2005, video, 87 min

English language Cut Sleeve Boys is quirky new feature about two Chinese Brits - Mel and Ash, who start examining the crow’s feet on their faces and questioning the meaning of the labels in their wardrobes after the death of their close, closeted college friend Gavin. Mel soon faces the realisation that he is a fading party boy and whilst considering Botox, diets, body bronzing, and engaging in fashionista small talk he miraculously finds true love in Todd - gorgeous, intelligent, happy, enthusiastic, modest, and to die for. Mel is too paranoid and filled with self-loathing to really know true love when it’s revealed- with hilarious and tragic effect. While best friend Ash has a less overblown ego than his Norma Desmond friend does, he too is none the wiser. With time, lashings of ribald sex and witty one-liners Mel and Ash face their own fears, their own self-fulfilling prophecies, and true love finds a way.

Funny, touching, feel-good highlight of this year’s festival. (PA) Winner of the Audience Choice Award for Best Feature at LA Outfest Fusion Festival 2006.

The film’s co-star Chowee Leow will be in attendance.

SESSION 30 MAR

2007

30

Sunday 18 March ACMI Cinemas

6.15pm

FEATURES

DEAD BOYZ DON’T SCREAM Dir: Marc Saltarelli, USA, 2006, video, 78 min If you walk into this film five minutes late, don’t worry, you won’t have missed much plot. However, you will have missed an extended scene of three muscled guys posing in their underwear at a photo shoot, dance music pounding away, and the camera zooming closer to the guys’ packages. If you’re after quality drama, then look away now, but if you are after a schlocky spoof-thriller with plenty of gratuitous nudity and a high body count that doesn’t take itself seriously, then climb on board the bus. Did we mention the nudity, ‘cause there’s a lot if it! The plot goes something like this: three straight muscled models are sent to a photo shoot in the California countryside. The assignment is for an ‘art book’ but they are required to be naked.

A lot. Joining them on the shoot is their agent and her lesbian lover, the photographer, her gay assistant, a stylist and fellow models ‘The Poodles’, pretty-boy blonde brothers who only have eyes for each other!

When one of the models is brutally murdered, the group panics and soon the bodies pile up and the list of suspects grows shorter… (PT) Plus:

DIRTY LOVE Dir: Michael Tringe, USA, 2006, video, 6 min Teenage Derik escapes his country town for Los Angeles in search of something more. Lost in the city and seduced by a hustler, he finds himself.

THE DYING GAUL Dir: Craig Lucas, USA, 2005, 35mm, 101 min Peter Sarsgaard (Jarhead, Kinsey) plays Robert, a struggling writer whose brilliant film script attracts a million dollar offer from Jeffrey, a powerful film executive. The catch: Robert must agree to make the script’s love interest – initially inspired by his lover’s recent death from AIDS – heterosexual. Very soon Robert is seduced by Jeffrey’s charms. When he also befriends Jeffery’s wife, Elaine (Patricia Clarkson, Good Night And Good Luck), the entangled triangle of relationships threatens to jeopardise more than the film script. The Dying Gaul, on Official Selection at the Sundance Film Festival, is a polished, highly original psychological thriller that cuts to the core of an alienated society. (BZ) ‘The Dying Gaul has the best kind of story in that it unfolds as a series of surprises, and yet every step, twist and turn seems inevitable in retrospect. Just in terms of plot, it’s a meticulous piece of construction, with key information gracefully planted and nothing extraneous. The performances of Sarsgaard, Clarkson and Scott are outstanding. One thinks of them here as an ensemble – vulnerable, defensive and monstrous.’

San Francisco Chronicle SESSION 47

SESSION 20 MAR

2007 Saturday 17 March

10.30pm

MAR

2007 Wednesday 21 March

ACMI Cinemas

ACMI Cinemas

SESSION 80

SESSION 66 MAR

2007

8pm

Friday 23 March ACMI Cinemas

10.30pm

MAR

2007

Sunday 25 March ACMI Cinemas

Midday

31 31

FEATURES EATING OUT 2: SLOPPY SECONDS Dir: Phillip J. Bartell, USA, 2006, video, 80 min Even if you missed the original Eating Out – a ‘beefcake ’n bikini’ audience fave of MQFF 2005 – you’ll lap up this rapid-fire comedy with more than a little front.

When gorgeous and buff country boy Troy arrives in town to do some nude modelling, Kyle enlists the help of Gwen (whose fantasy involves two men getting it off) and Tiffani (who’s sick of being a slut) to help him land the boy. After confused Troy joins the campus ‘go straight’ support group, Kyle has to pretend to be hetero. Meanwhile Kyle’s ex-boyfriend, Marc is horrified at the plan and decides to pursue Troy with his own tactic: being his out gay self. Just like the original Eating Out, one-liners fly thick and fast, with talk of sex never more than a heartbeat away. As for character motivation, look no further than a babble of buff babes just hankering to get their kit off! (BZ) ‘If American Pie could spawn a sequel, so can Eating Out. Once again yummy American Idol alum Jim Verraros plays along with the notion of swinging both ways. As Troy, Marco Dapper has a full-frontal scene of impressive length.’ Village Voice

EL CALENTITO Dir: Chus Gutierrez, Spain, 2005, 35mm, 89 min

Spanish with English subtitles Sara is a naïve, sheltered girl who stumbles into a wild world of sex, drugs and rock-n-roll in this music-filled romp.

While still a virgin, she finds herself at the underground nightclub El Calentito, owned by a sassy transsexual. The venue features some of the hottest up-and-coming rock groups including Las Sioux, an all-girl rock band fronted by Joan Jett look-a-like Carmen, who happens to be a lesbian, and Leo, who has a penchant for letting her breasts run free. In the politically conservative climate of the Franco regime, the club has become a haven for all forms of sexual expression: gay, bisexual and those who want to try anything once. Unexpectedly, Sara gets invited to perform with Las Sioux and, on the night of her scheduled debut, a political revolt occurs, causing the Government to collapse, sending dictatorship to democracy and causing a night of wild, unrestrained celebration. Set during the uprising of the La Movida movement in Spain from which directors like Almodóvar and music groups like Fangoria found artistic inspiration, El Calentito is a raucous, high energy comedy with a political bent.

‘With a comical and free-spirited exuberance, El Calentito embodies an era full of libertarian energy in which sexual and gender liberation, equality for women, and homosexuality began to exert itself on Spanish culture.

Filled with witty performances and with great punk numbers, El Calentito is out, loud and in your face!’ Variety.

SESSION 15

SESSION 6 MAR

2007

MAR

Friday 16 March

10.15pm

ACMI Cinemas

2007

MAR

Sunday 25 March ACMI Cinemas

32

6pm

ACMI Cinemas SESSION 68

SESSION 86 MAR

2007 Saturday 17 March

6.15pm

2007 Saturday 24 March

ACMI Cinemas

12.15pm

FEATURES

ELEVEN MEN OUT (STRÁKARNIR OKKAR) Dir: Róbert I Douglas, Iceland/Finland/UK, 2005, video, 87 min

ELECTROSHOCK Dir: Juan Carlos Claver, Spain, 2006, 35mm, 98 min

Spanish with English subtitles Bring your handkerchiefs along for this one. This brilliantly acted Spanish drama tells a tragic tale, but does it extremely well. It revolves around the relationship between a pair of devoted lovers, Pilar and Elvira, whose lives are turned upside down when the mother of one of the women has her committed and sent to be ‘cured’ of her lesbianism. Of course the electric shock treatment and the aversion therapy (which make for tough viewing) only serve to traumatise Pilar further, making her a changed and haunted woman by the time she does manage to return to her lover’s arms… and yet there is more tragedy to come. The hardest thing to believe is that it is not only based on a true story, but that it’s not even set in the dark and distant past. Only 30 years or so have passed since such ‘treatment’ was deemed appropriate by Western medical practitioners and, indeed, it still is in less enlightened spots around the world. A sobering thought indeed, but an engrossing and deeply moving film. (MS)

SESSION 59 MAR

2007

Friday 23 March

3.30pm

ACMI Cinemas

Icelandic with English subtitles Ottar is the handsome star of a successful soccer team.

One day when being interviewed for a local newspaper he outs himself because he was only going to get on the back page and wanted the cover! Ottar’s revelation doesn’t go down well with his ex-wife, or teenage son, but least of all with his father and team manager, who promptly kicks his son off the team. Approached by an old friend to join a lower ranked team, which just happens to have a few gay players, Ottar accepts and soon becomes a magnet for gay soccer players. The straight members leave the team, and opposition teams refuse to play them, scared they’ll be perceived as gay.

Ottar’s family life is not all roses either, as his son finds his father’s lifestyle hard to accept – all too hilariously shown when Ottar is caught by his son screwing a teammate at home. However, this is a comedy after all and the stage is set for a showdown between Ottar’s former club and his new team, coincidentally on the day of the city’s gay pride march! But don’t expect the usual rah-rah of Hollywood films, as Eleven Men Out doesn’t play by the rules. But you do get to hear a stomping version of ‘I Am What I Am’ sung in Icelandic, and shower scenes with plenty of flesh, so I guess gay sex comedies the world over have some things in common!

(PT) SESSION 16 MAR

2007 Saturday 17 March

SESSION 71

6.30pm

ACMI Cinemas

MAR

2007 Saturday 24 March

ACMI Cinemas

2.15pm

SESSION 44 MAR

2007

Tuesday 20 March

10.30pm

ACMI Cinemas

33 33

FEATURES

ETERNAL SUMMER (SHENGXIA GUANG NIAN)

FAR FROM SUNSET BOULEVARD (DALEKO OT SANSET-BUL’VARA) Dir: Igor Minaiev, France/Russia, 2006, 35mm, 130 min

Dir: Leste Chen, Taiwan, 2006, 35mm, 95 min

Russian with English subtitles

Mandarin with English subtitles

Set in the cold milieu of 1930s Stalinist Russia, Far From Sunset Boulevard dramatises the political repression of sexual and creative freedom in Soviet cinema of the era. Constantin Dalmatov, a young assistant director, returns to Moscow from a long journey in the United States with his lover Mansourov, a famous homosexual film director. When Mansourov dies under mysterious circumstances, the Russian political police exert blackmailing pressure on Dalmatov. Whilst Dalmatov is allowed to realise his dream of directing musicals, he feels his life is constantly under threat and that he is being used for political ends. In order to hide his homosexuality, he marries his leading female actress, Lidia Poliakova, herself a haunted individual. At every turn, however, his cinematic vision is thwarted by Soviet censors.

In this intimate historical drama, Far From Sunset Boulevard provides acute glimpses into the artists who struggled against tyrannical political agendas in a dark period of European history. If you were moved and inspired by A Love To Hide (MQFF 2006), then this is the not-to-be-missed political drama of the 2007 Festival. (BZ) SESSION 29

Eternal Summer tells the story of Jonathan, a high school student who finds himself in a complicated romantic predicament. On one hand, pretty Hong Kong native, Carrie, chases Jonathan for romance.

On the other, he secretly longs for his best friend Shane, a handsome and roguish troublemaker whose future is at the crossroads. Whilst it seems that Carrie acknowledges Jonathan’s unspoken predicament, and even accepts it to some extent, the conflict can only be avoided for so long before it bubbles to the surface – particularly when Shane begins to date Carrie, initially behind Jonathan’s back, and eventually amid a steamy liaison between the two boys. The summer lingers on, but the big secret of Jonathan’s desires hangs over the three friends and eventually something has to give, and when it does, lives will surely change.

‘Leste Chen’s gay-themed youth drama is a joy to watch, thanks to beautiful production, sensitive direction, and fine acting.’ Hkfilm.com SESSION 42 MAR

2007

Tuesday 20 March ACMI Cinemas

8.30pm

MAR

2007

Sunday 18 March

6pm

ACMI Cinemas SESSION 49 MAR

2007 Thursday 22 March

ACMI Cinemas

34

3.15pm

FEATURES

FAT GIRLS Dir: Ash Christian, USA, 2006, video, 82 min This quirky coming-of-age story focuses on the relationship between a high school senior, theatre loving Rodney, and his best friend Sabrina, who are considered outcasts at their small town Texas high school. Rodney is the gay son of fundamentalist Christians, and Sabrina is the overweight daughter of two lesbian mums. Both eventually find outlets for their insecurities, and Rodney’s dreams are realised with the encouragement of his theatre teacher Mr Cox. The story explores the difficulties of growing up in a small town with humour and humility. Will nerdy Rodney learn to accept his inner ‘fat girl’? Will he be able to convince the most handsome guy in the school to be his high school prom date? Twenty one-year-old writer director star Ash Christian is a talent to watch.

‘Fat Girls is John Hughes by way of John Waters, with the punk flair of Tarnation’ Frameline Film Festival 2006 Plus:

SUMMER Dir: Hong Khaou, UK, 2006, 35mm, 9 min On a stroll in the woods with his best mate, 16year-old Leung has the chance to win a wish.

Summer was selected for the Panorama section of the Berlin International Film Festival 2006, where it was nominated for a Teddy award. It also won the audience award for Best Short Film at the Turin International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival.

SESSION 73

GO WEST Dir: Ahmed Imamovic, Bosnia and Herzegovina/Croatia, 2005, 35mm, 97 min

Bosnian, Serbo-Croatian with English subtitles A powerful and compelling film, go west is what every compassionate character advises the central couple (the Serbian student Milan and the Muslim cellist Kenan) to do when they find themselves trapped in Sarajevo as war breaks out in the Yugoslav Federation in the early 90s. But before they can get to the safer surrounds of western Europe, Milan and Kenan must hide out with Milan’s father in a remote patriarchal village, waiting for their papers – a situation that entails the sensitive Kenan posing as Milan’s wife (and convincingly so) in order to keep their true relationship a secret. Imamovic’s groundbreaking film touches on many issues, including fear and superstition, ethnic hatred and religious intolerance, and art and politics, to paint a vivid and terrifying picture of what happens when society’s mainstays crumble into civil war and how, as the world has seen so many times, it is the marginalised who are invariably the first to suffer. Featuring a cameo from the great Jeanne Moreau, Go West is a brutally honest and deeply affecting piece of cinema. (MS)

SESSION 55 MAR

2007 Thursday 22 March

ACMI Cinemas SESSION 85 MAR

MAR

2007 Saturday 24 March

4.15pm

10.15pm

2007

Sunday 25 March

6pm

ACMI Cinemas

ACMI Cinemas

35 35

FEATURES

LAST SECOND (DETIK TERAKHIR) Dir: Nanang Istiabudi, Indonesia, 2005, 35mm, 112 min

Bahasa Indonesian with English subtitles

THE GYMNAST Dir: Ned Farr, USA, 2006, video, 96 min In her forties, having no luck getting pregnant, trapped in an unfulfilling marriage, and tired of being propped up by anti-depressants, former Olympic gymnast Jane (Dreya Weber) has the perfect body but a troubled mind. Unexpectedly, an old friend reenters Jane’s life. Happily single and independently wealthy, Denise teases Jane about looking to possible adventures outside of her mundane existence.

Soon a seed is planted. When Jane meets gymnastchoreographer Nicole and her student, the enigmatic and irresistibly sexy Serena, she finds herself amid an adventure that has the potential to turn her life around. While Jane is terrified by the prospect of rocking the boat, Serena is an out and proud lesbian who upends stereotypes in her life as an adopted Korean daughter of Jewish parents. Despite their differences, the two form an undeniable and sexually charged bond, but will Jane have the emotional strength to match her physical strength and make the changes she so desperately desires? (LD)

Winner of over 9 international Best Film awards including NewFest and LA Outfest Awards for Best Narrative Feature; LA Outfest Audience Choice award; Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature at Frameline Film Festival.

MAR

2007

Tuesday 20 March

9pm

ACMI Cinemas SESSION 58

SESSION 75 MAR

2007 Saturday 24 March

ACMI Cinemas

36

This first lesbian feature from Indonesia is a comingof-age story about teenagers Regi and Vela (who are lovers) and Rajib. All three are on a search for love that is complicated by drug addiction, family violence, isolation and alienation. The trio’s stories provide a harsh depiction of the problems encountered by both rich and poor teens who seek refuge in friendships defined by mutual desires for love and to fit in. The central character Regi is holed up in a rehab centre when she hears news of Rajib, who is in prison. As Regi takes time to reflect on the events of her complicated life, her individual story takes on a resonance recognizable to families, the disenfranchised and youth facing the scourge of addiction, poverty and desire for emotional connection. The film’s antidrug message is a powerful one, at the same time offering an insightful condemnation of inadequate support services and parenting skills that often beset those in society with issues of substance abuse and dependency. Last Second is hard hitting and hard work. It makes a potent argument for fighting against apathy and ignorance, and has as much relevance to local audiences as it does to the society it depicts.

SESSION 43

6.15pm

MAR

2007

Friday 23 March ACMI Cinemas

1pm

FEATURES

THE LINE OF BEAUTY Dir: Saul Dibb, UK, 2006, video, 180 min MQFF brings to the big screen this subtle yet seamless BBC drama, hailed for its understated portrait of class and sexuality in 80s Thatcherist Britain. Adapted by Andrew Davies (whose credits include Bleak House) from Alan Hollinghurst’s Man Booker Prize winning novel, this major three-part drama charts the relationship between Nick Guest, a gay, middle-class teen with a passion for Henry James, and the Feddens, a rich Tory family from Notting Hill. He is particularly close to their rebellious, manic-depressive daughter Catherine, and is appointed a sort of unofficial guardian of her moods and her self-destructive relationships with men. Meanwhile, he also discreetly pursues his own sexual education – first with Leo, a council worker he meets through a lonely hearts ad, and later with Antoine, the closeted son of a Lebanese millionaire.

As the lines of class and sexuality inch towards an inevitable head-on collision, The Line Of Beauty raises the bar on screen naturalism. Through its dry realism and finely-drawn characters, this emotionally charged drama maps out life in the time of AIDS, material excess and conservative political hegemony, with parallels to our milieu all too close to home. (BZ)

Please note: There will be a short interval during this session.

LOOKING FOR CHEYENNE (OUBLIER CHEYENNE) Dir: Valérie Minetto, France, 2005, 35mm, 86 min

French with English subtitles A refreshingly different lesbian love story. In it our two lovers Cheyenne and Sonia spend the first part of the film miles apart, but for once it’s not due to interference from disapproving families or nefarious authority figures. Minetto’s film has moved on from all that to provide another example of the age-old ‘can’t live with ‘em, can’t live without ‘em’ routine.

Instead it is personal principles and philosophies that have driven a wedge between journalist, Cheyenne, and the love of her life, Sonia, a teacher. And it is to the film’s credit that we can see both of their points of view. Cheyenne clearly has been treated badly by the capitalist society she despises, but is her reaction – living in a barn with a grouchy recluse and refusing to buy into ‘the system’ in any way shape or form, which even means eschewing the use of electricity or motorised transport – too extreme? If this all sounds a little dry, be assured that Minetto’s light touch and delightful way of stretching reality, not to mention her unexpected use of humour, makes for a thoroughly engaging examination of relationships and the art of compromise. (MS)

SESSION 23 MAR

2007

Sunday 18 March

SESSION 81 MAR

2007

12.15pm

ACMI Cinemas

Sunday 25 March ACMI Cinemas

Midday

SESSION 34 MAR

2007

Monday 19 March

6pm

ACMI Cinemas

37 37

FEATURES

LOVE SICK (LEGATURI BOLNAVICIOASE) Dir: Tudor Giurgiu, Romania, 2005, video, 85 min

Romanian with English subtitles Love Sick is the captivating story of young lovers Alex and Kiki who live in modern day Bucharest. What makes this stand out from the usual tale of young lovers who must hide their affair from their families is the wildcard in the form of Kiki’s older brother, Sandu. In the opening sequence we see the two siblings, naked, in a seemingly post-coital embrace, and for the viewer everything that follows is filtered through this encounter. Alex, who has been residing unhappily in the Uni dorms, moves into the flat of the elderly Mrs Benes, in the same apartment building where the more outgoing Kiki lives with her parents and brother. The girls have known each other for a year, and this new arrangement means they can spend more time together. The film cleverly moves from past to present, so the viewer is initially unaware of their full story but one thing is certain - their attraction is palpable and the time they share is charged with sexual energy. However, young love is never easy, and navigating the task of keeping their affair secret from Mrs Benes and their parents takes a back seat to the persistent figure of Sandu – a presence that constantly unbalances the young lovers. Beautifully photographed and with wonderful performances by the two leads, Love Sick is an emotional and sensual film. (PT) SESSION 64 MAR

2007

NINA’S HEAVENLY DELIGHTS Dir: Pratibha Parmar, UK, 2006, 35mm, 94 min Pratibha Parmar is a name that may be familiar to fans of queer cinema thanks to documentaries like Double The Trouble, Twice The Fun (1992) And Jodie: An Icon (1996), but now after 20 years of making docos, music clips and TV shows, we finally get to see a feature from her and it’s bound to be one of the most popular films in this year’s festival. Featuring a charming romance that blossoms over bubbling curries and tasty chutneys, Nina’s Heavenly Delights is a prodigal daughter tale.

Nina (the lovely Shelley Conn) is an Indian/Glaswegian who returns home to Scotland to make amends with her estranged family following her father’s death.

Despite finding her beloved papa has left his restaurant in financial difficulties, she decides to stay and take up where he left off – cooking up a tantalising range of Indian dishes in an attempt to win a prestigious competition and save the restaurant. She also finds a willing associate and something more in her father’s new business partner Lisa. All in all it’s a worthy addition to the long and noble tradition of sumptuous movies about hot and steamy goings on in the kitchen. And the food looks great too…(MS)

Nina’s Heavenly Delights is only available to the MQFF for the first weekend of the Festival before it travels back overseas, so get in early for tickets to avoid missing out.

SESSION 2

Friday 23 March

8.30pm

MAR

2007

Friday 16 March

ACMI Cinemas SESSION 84 MAR

2007

SESSION 31

Sunday 25 March ACMI Cinemas

38

6.15pm

ACMI Cinemas

4.15pm

MAR

2007

Sunday 18 March ACMI Cinemas

8.15pm

39

SESSION START TIME (all times pm)

SESSION NO. 8.15

SESSION TITLE

PROGRAM PAGE NO. p.27

77 Another Gay Movie

Colour key

Opening Night

Centrepiece Presentation

Selectors’ Choice

Features

Documentaries Short & Burly/Cocktales

Special Presentations

Oz Shorts

Short & Girly/Boobtube

Queeries

Celluloid Casserole

Closing Night

7.30

ThUrSday 15 March Infamous + Opening Night Party @ The Astor

6.00

Friday 16 March 01 Whole New Thing

p.48

8.00

p.20

6.15

02 Nina’s Heavenly Delights

p.38

03 Boob Tube

p.65

8.15

04 Another Gay Movie

p.27

10.00

05 Short & Burly

p.66

10.15

06 Eating Out 2: Sloppy Seconds

p.32

12.00

SaTUrday 17 March 07 Queeries 1

p.70

12.15

08 While You Are Here

p.48

2.00

09 Fabulous! The Story Of Queer Cinema

p.51

2.00

10 What’s Up Scarlet?

p.47

2.15

11 The Blossoming Of Maximo Oliveros p.28

4.00

12 His/Stories

p.53

4.00

13 Oz Shorts

p.60

4.15

14 The Two Sides Of The Bed

p.47

6.00

15 El Calentito

p.32

6.30

16 Eleven Men Out

p.33

8.00

17 Red Doors

p.44

8.30

18 Boy Culture

p.29

10.00

19 Eye On The Guy

p.51

10.30

20 Dead Boyz Don’t Scream

p.31

12.00

SUnday 18 March 21 Queeries 2

p.71

12.00

22 Beyond Hatred

p.49

12.15

23 Looking For Cheyenne

p.37

2.00

24 Cruel And Unusual

p.50

2.00

25 Rainbow’s End + panel

p.59

2.15

26 Short & Burly

p.66

4.00

27 Red Without Blue

p.54

4.15

28 Short & Girly

p.62

6.00

29 Far From Sunset Boulevard

p.34

6.15

30 Cut Sleeve Boys

p.30

8.15

31 Nina’s Heavenly Delights

p.38

9.00

32 Broken Sky

p.43

33 No Regret

p.30

10.15

Monday 19 March 6.00

34 Looking For Cheyenne

p.37

6.15

35 Tan Lines

p.45

8.00

36 No Regret

p.43

8.15

37 Red Doors

p.44

10.00

38 Cocktales

p.69

10.30 39 Eye On The Guy

40

p.51

See Index (p.77) for an alphabetical listing of all films by title and country of origin.

TUeSday 20 March 6.00

40 Backstage

p.28

6.00

41 The King And The Clown

p.24

8.30

42 Eternal Summer

p.34

9.00

43 Last Second

p.36

10.30

44 Eleven Men Out

p.33

6.00

WedneSday 21 March 45 This Kiss

p.46

7.30

46 Celluloid Casserole @ LOOP

p.73

8.00

47 The Dying Gaul

p.31

10.00

48 Stray Cats

p.45

3.15

ThUrSday 22 March 49 Far From Sunset Boulevard

p.34

4.00

50 What’s Up Scarlet?

p.47

6.00

51 The Two Sides Of The Bed

p.47

6.15

52 Queer Duck: The Movie

p.43

8.15

53 Jack Smith & the Destruction of Atlantis p.26

8.15

54 20 Centimeters

p.27

p.35

10.30

56 Two Drifters

p.46

1.00

Friday 23 March 57 The Blossoming Of Maximo Oliveros p.28

1.00

58 Last Second

p.36

3.30

59 Electroshock

p.33

3.30

60 Stray Cats

p.45

6.00

61 Backstage

p.28

6.15

62 The Set

p.44

8.15

63 Boy Culture

p.29

8.30

64 Love Sick

p.38

10.15

65 Triple X Selects: The Best of Lezsploitation p.55

10.30

66 Dead Boyz Don’t Scream

p.31

12.00

SaTUrday 24 March 67 Beyond Conception Men Having Babies p.49

12.15

68 El Calentito

p.32

10.15

55 Go West

2.00 69 Her/Stories

p.52

2.00 70 Meth + panel

p.57

2.15

71 Electroshock

p.33

4.00

72 Boy I Am

p.50

4.15

73 Fat Girls

p.35

6.00

74 Oz Shorts

p.60

6.15

75 The Gymnast

p.36

8.00

76 Short & Girly

p.62

8.15

77 Another Gay Movie

p.27

10.00

78 Cocktales

p.69

79 Whole New Thing

p.48

12.00

80 The Dying Gaul

p.31

10.15

SUnday 25 March 12.00

81 The Line Of Beauty

p.37

2.00

82 Boob Tube

p.65

4.00

83 Small Town Gay Bar

p.54

4.15

84 Love Sick

p.38

6.00

85 Go West

p.35

6.15

86 Eating Out 2: Sloppy Seconds

p.32

8.30

Itty Bitty Titty Committee + Closing Night Party @ ACMI

p.22

41 41

FEATURES

QUEER DUCK: THE MOVIE Dir: Xeth Feinberg, USA, 2006, dvd, 72 min

NO REGRET

Dir: Leesong Hee-il, South Korea, 2006, 35mm, 114 min

Korean with English subtitles Leaving the country orphanage where he grew up, Sumin comes to Seoul to study art design. However, after losing his job at a factory due to layoffs, he finds himself working as a prostitute in a gay bar. Initially Sumin resists the advances of Jaemin, who comes from a rich and conservative family that doesn’t accept his sexual identity, and who tries everything he can to win Sumin’s heart. Eventually, Sumin succumbs to Jaemin’s advances. But after experiencing a brief happiness as passionate lovers, Sumin and Jaemin’s relationship falls into heartache and tragedy. Director Leesong’s characters, as tangibly vivid as in his short films, are propelled toward an unexpected ending that will be remembered as sorrowful yet surprisingly beautiful.

SESSION 33 MAR

2007

Sunday 18 March

10.15pm

ACMI Cinemas SESSION 36 MAR

2007

Monday 19 March ACMI Cinemas

8pm

Based on the popular short films of the same name, Queer Duck is a riotous animated comedy, with a cast of quick-witted animals, from Mike Reiss, a former head writer of The Simpsons. At 72 minutes the jokes are non-stop, the humour scathing and often out-right bitchy - if your idea of a good night out is merciless ribbing of Elizabeth Taylor, Barbra Streisand, Rosie O’Donnell and Co, then here’s the film for you! Queer Duck has been with his ‘insignificant other’, Openly Gator, for years, and hangs around with pals Bi-Polar Bear and Oscar Wildcat. When he resurrects the career of has-been stage legend Lola Buzzard (‘do you think gay men would pay to hear an old diva gossip about her booze and sex problems?’) they decide to get married. But our hero has a big hurdle to jump – having sex with women! He visits the Reverend Van der Gelding, a right-wing talk show host who specialises in turning gay men straight, and voila, Queer Duck is converted! But how long will it last? And will Openly Gator come to the rescue?

But really the plot is incidental to the constant gags, movie and TV parodies and musical numbers, including ‘Have Sex With the Animals’, ‘Smile, You Bastard, Smile’ or ‘Jimmy Couldn’t Master Masturbation.’ Oh yeah, the gang also buys a certain world famous amusement park and renames it Fairyland, featuring the Seven Gay Dwarves - Queeny, Bitchy, Screamer, Flamer, Prancer, Mincer and David Sedaris. Stand by for celebrity ‘cameos’ from Michael Jackson, Elizabeth Taylor, Joan Rivers, and David Duchovny as the Baby Jesus. Priceless! (PT) SESSION 52 MAR

2007 Thursday 22 March

6.15pm

ACMI Cinemas

43 43

FEATURES

RED DOORS

THE SET

Dir: Georgia Lee, USA, 2005, video, 90 min

Dir: Frank Brittain, Australia, 1970, 16mm, 101 min

The Wongs are a bizarrely dysfunctional ChineseAmerican family living in the suburbs of New York.

Family patriarch Ed Wong has just retired and harbours a secret plan to escape his unfulfilling life. However, his plans look like coming undone due to the chaos created by his three wacky and rebellious daughters. Samantha (Jacqueline Kim – she of the hot sex scene in Xena Warrior Princess), is a tough New York businesswoman engaged to a prominent young man, but like her father she desires a change – she resents having been pushed down what she sees as a conventional path. Samantha’s shy middle sister Julie is a medical student whose only social life revolves around her ballroom dance classes, and whose other sole purpose appears to be keeping her family on some kind of even keel. However, her life is also turned upside down when she falls hard for Mia Scarlet – a movie star attending the hospital to research her next film role. While Julie wrestles with the ramifications of dating a major celebrity (and a glamorous woman at that!), she bravely tries to keep the family from self-combusting. Meanwhile, the youngest sister Katie engages in an elaborate and hilarious war of practical jokes with her long time neighbour Simon. Will Ed leave the family, will Samantha stray from her conventional path, will Julie come out to her family and live happily ever after with her sexy movie star girlfriend, and what will become of Katie and her bizarre relationship with Simon? (LD) SESSION 17 MAR

2007 Saturday 17 March

8pm

ACMI Cinemas 2007

Writer and Executive Producer Roger Ward and Executive Producer David Hannay will be in attendance.

SESSION 62 2007

Monday 19 March ACMI Cinemas

44

Paul lives at home with his parents who won’t support his decision to go to college. When his girlfriend is sent overseas after her father discovers love letters from a woman, Paul is distraught and moves into his own flat and starts work at a department store. He meets a famous art dealer who introduces him to the A-list Sydney art crowd, and with his youthful good looks he is invited to all the best parties. Paul is soon commissioned to build a theatre set but only has two weeks to complete the project. Armed with plenty of ideas but no technical skill he enlists the help of Tony, his cousin’s architecture student boyfriend, who reluctantly agrees to help. Tony, a life saver, is every inch the epitome of the bronzed Aussie straight male, yet he moves into Paul’s flat to get the job done quicker, and soon the two share a bed. But this is the swinging 60s, and how long will their affair last?

Whilst unpolished, and often eyebrow raising in its depiction and treatment of queer characters, The Set is a groundbreaking film that deserves to be seen on the big screen. (PT)

MAR

SESSION 37 MAR

Widely claimed to be the first ‘gay’ Australian movie, The Set is a fascinating glimpse of queer life in the 1960s and its depiction on screen.

8.15pm

Friday 23 March ACMI Cinemas

6.15pm

FEATURES

STRAY CATS (PUSANG GALA) Dir: Ellen Ongkeko-Marfil, Philippines, 2005, 35mm, 115 min

Filipino, Tagalog and English with English subtitles Stray Cats is a magical Philippine feature drama that rings, chimes and beats with Almodóvar meets Will And Grace. Babaen bakla is a metro Manila term- describing a straight woman who is a gay man. Philippine director, Ongkeko-Marfil takes us deeply and deftly into the life of one such woman. Marta and her landlord neighbour, gay best friend Boyet, are two middle-aged travellers along life’s odyssey into true love. Marta is a formidable advertising executive keen to change the way women are represented in the national media, while Boyet is busily writing romance novels while looking after reformed adolescent street urchin Jojo. Marta’s musings with her young lover Steve provide Boyet with a slew of material. Steve has a wandering eye, while Marta yearns for husband and family. Boyet too has a studly lover, Dom, a very buff and adorable Adonis, who tends to show up for love only or when he’s low on cash. Together the two frustrated friends plot fantasy revenge on their inattentive partners and compelling confrontations ensue. (PA) SESSION 48

TAN LINES Dir: Ed Aldridge, Australia, 2006, video, 90 min Midget Hollows: teenager, surfer, party boy, pervert...

Midget and his mates live a quintessential grommet existence and now that the holidays have arrived, there’s nothing to do except go surfing, harass the townsfolk and consume as much weed and booze as time allows. However beneath the surface of his idealistic teen lifestyle, Midget feels claustrophobic about his small town life. When his best mate’s older brother Cass arrives back in town after a mysterious long absence, Midget is immediately attracted to his confidence, brashness and his penchant for sex with men. Midget and Cass embark on a passionate affair, but it isn’t long before the relationship feels the strain of secrecy and trouble starts to brew. A gay surf movie, a coming of age story, or a punk’s view of teenaged sexuality, Tan Lines is a wild ride full of passion, love, laughs, sex and drugs, all against a backdrop of an ever-swelling ocean.

SESSION 35 MAR

2007

Monday 19 March

6.15pm

ACMI Cinemas

MAR

2007 Wednesday 21 March

10pm

ACMI Cinemas SESSION 60 MAR

2007

Friday 23 March

3.30pm

ACMI Cinemas

45 45

FEATURES

THIS KISS Dir: Kylie Eddy, Australia, 2007, video, 75 min

World Premiere Lucy and Juliet were inseparable best friends at high school but after graduation a traumatic incident took their lives on very different paths. Despite best intentions and grand dreams, Lucy never left the small country town where they grew up and instead married a local boy and had two kids in quick succession.

Lucy has invested so much time nurturing her family that she’s forgotten her own identity and ‘let herself go’. Juliet, with lofty aspirations for a successful career and world travel, couldn’t escape small-town life fast enough. She clawed her way into middle management and has transformed into a hardened workaholic. Despite her career success, Juliet’s emotional life is a mess, she’s firmly in the closet to all around her, and even after eight years, she still believes Lucy is the source of all her problems. On the night of their ‘Class of 1995’ high school reunion she decides to reunite with her childhood friend and get some answers. But when Juliet turns up unannounced on Lucy’s front door, the two women barely recognise each other. In one night the two women struggle to resurrect their friendship and deal with the heartbreaking event that tore them apart. By finally revealing their long coveted secrets they can put their teenage dreams to rest and reclaim their lives.

Melbourne Director Kylie Eddy will be in attendance for a Q&A immediately following the screening.

SESSION 45 MAR

2007 Wednesday 21 March

ACMI Cinemas

6pm

TWO DRIFTERS (ODETE) Dir: João Pedro Rodrigues, Portugal, 2005, 35mm, 101 min

Portuguese with English subtitles An enigmatic and sensual film about the power of love being stronger than death, Two Drifters screened at the Cannes Film Festival. Pedro and Rui have it all – youth, good looks and each other. After celebrating their one-year anniversary Pedro dies tragically in a car crash. Rui is devastated and cannot be consoled by the sudden loss of his true love. Odete, all legs and combustible personality, works as a skater-girl at the local supermarket and desperately wants a baby.

When she breaks up with her boyfriend a sudden change overcomes her: she attends Pedro’s wake, and soon after informs his grief-stricken mother that she is pregnant with his child. The problem is not only that she isn’t pregnant, but she only lived in the same building as Pedro and seemingly never met the deceased guy. When she alarmingly removes his wedding ring at the wake, and hurls herself onto his casket at the funeral we are witness to someone who is well and truly losing touch with reality. Rui is still having difficulty coming to terms with life without Pedro, and nothing can assuage his grief.

To add to his misery Odete torments him, and he is witness to her increasingly crazy behaviour. When Odete begins to transform herself fully into Pedro’s image, the stage is set for an alarming, and sure to be discussed, ending. Another brilliant original story from director Rodrigues, whose previous film The Phantom encountered much discussion at MQFF 2002. (PT) SESSION 56 MAR

2007 Thursday 22 March

ACMI Cinemas

46

10.30pm

FEATURES

THE TWO SIDES OF THE BED (LOS DOS LADOS DE LA CAMA) Dir: Emilio Martinez-Lazaro, Spain, 2005, dvd, 108 min

Spanish with English subtitles The Two Sides Of The Bed is a raucous and sexy romantic comedy with a musical bent. Marta and Javier are out celebrating their upcoming wedding with best friends Pedro and Raquel. While Marta and Javier seem to have the perfect relationship, it becomes clear that Pedro and Raquel are struggling with different relationship goals. When Marta and Raquel slip off to the ladies room for quicky sex, it seems the situation is more complicated than first thought! The next morning Javier is left standing on the church steps when Marta is a no-show. Naturally Raquel races to find Marta and the boys are left distraught and spend the remainder of the film trying to solve the mystery of the women. The ensuing multiple misunderstandings and relationship swapping add to the comic farce, made all the more hysterical by the occasional burst into song and dance routines where 20 dancers appear from nowhere in the most unlikely places.

‘A warmblooded Spanish sex comedy that leaves you smiling’. Sundance Film Festival SESSION 14

WHAT’S UP SCARLET? Dir: Anthony Caldarella, USA, 2005, video, 84 min Scarlet Zabrinsky is a successful, hard-edged Los Angeles matchmaker who lives in the shadow of her overbearing mother, Ruth Zabrinksy (played by Oscar nominee and Golden Globe winner Sally Kirkland), who relentlessly tries to find the perfect man for her daughter. Ben is Scarlet’s pot smoking brother, an unemployed lawyer, who becomes furious when Scarlet unwittingly sets him up with a porn star. Scarlet’s life is turned upside down one afternoon when she has a minor traffic accident with Sabrina, a homeless foreign actress. Against her better judgement Scarlet offers this seemingly vulnerable vagabond a place to stay for one night. One night becomes an eternity as the free spirited Sabrina makes herself at home in Scarlet’s house, and eventually (much to Scarlet’s surprise) her bed and her heart. When a vengeful Ben tries to seduce Sabrina, and her mother starts to nose around, Scarlet finds herself in a messy situation that she doesn’t feel qualified to deal with.

SESSION 10

MAR

2007 Saturday 17 March

4.15pm

ACMI Cinemas

MAR

2007 Saturday 17 March

2pm

ACMI Cinemas

SESSION 51

SESSION 50

MAR

2007 Thursday 22 March

ACMI Cinemas

6pm

MAR

2007 Thursday 22 March

4pm

ACMI Cinemas

47 47

FEATURES

WHILE YOU ARE HERE (SO LANGE DU HIER BIST) Dir: Stefan Westerwelle, Germany, 2006, 35mm, 77 min

German with English subtitles Georg, an elderly man, lives alone and is visited occasionally by Sebastian, a young hustler. With painstaking care Georg prepares himself and his house for Sebastian’s arrival. One night Sebastian claims to have missed his transport home and asks to stay the night. Georg is delighted and offers his bed, but will this be the last time the two men spend anytime together?

Although their relationship is based on sex, the film paints a tender portrait of two men whose need for meaningful connection is painfully human. Debut filmmaker Stefan Westerwelle has crafted an achingly beautiful portrait with minimal dialogue but with such attention to detail and atmosphere that the audience is drawn into this very private world. A film of character and mood, While You Are Here is one of those rare cinema experiences to treasure, whose images linger in the mind long after the final shot fades from the screen.

(PT) Plus:

Dir: Amnon Buchbinder, Canada, 2005, 35mm, 93 min Canada consistently provides queer cinematic favourites (C.R.A.Z.Y), Three Needles (MQFF 2006), Touch Of Pink (MQFF 2005) are three recent examples), and Whole New Thing is set to join this illustrious list. Winner of a swag of international awards, including the Grand Jury Prize at Outfest, Whole New Thing is a wonderfully observed bittersweet comedy about the awkwardness of first love. Emerson Thorsen, 13, lives with his parents in their eco-home in the wilds of Nova Scotia. He’s just had his first wet dream, and completed writing and illustrating his first book, all 1000 pages of it. However the home-schooled youth can barely add, so his mother enrols him in the local school. There, Emerson’s English teacher is Don Grant (Daniel MacIvor, star of queer classics Beefcake, The Five Senses, and who also wrote the screenplay). At 42, the solitary Don is suffering from a recent break-up and pays regular visits to a park washroom for anonymous sex. In the classroom, Emerson stirs things up, and initially scornful of his teacher, quickly develops his first crush – on Don. The precociously confident boy, raised in a household of casual nudity and sexual openness, throws himself into this awakening of his heart with dangerous abandon. (PT)

SHADES OF GREY

Winner of Outfest Award for Best International Feature Film 2006.

Dir: John Cleland, USA, 2006, video, 14 min

SESSION 1

Mike and Shawn’s lives are forever changed when Mike is brutally attacked one night.

SESSION 8 MAR

2007 Saturday 17 March

ACMI Cinemas

48

WHOLE NEW THING

12.15pm

MAR

2007

Friday 16 March

6pm

ACMI Cinemas SESSION 79 MAR

2007 Saturday 24 March

ACMI Cinemas

10.15pm

DOCUMENTARIES

BEYOND CONCEPTION: MEN HAVING BABIES

BEYOND HATRED (AU-DELÀ DE LA HAINE)

Dir: Johnny Symons, USA, 2006, video, 75 min

Dir: Olivier Meyrou, France, 2005, video, 86 min

Beyond Conception is an intimate portrait of a gay male couple, an egg donor and a lesbian surrogate who find themselves on a high-tech journey to build a modern family. Over two bumpy years of disappointment and triumphs, they discover the complexities of creating life using unconventional means. After adopting a baby girl, Paul and Bruce think they’ve found the safest and simplest route for expanding their family: surrogacy. They’re matched with Jennifer, a vivacious lesbian mum who loves being pregnant and fantasises about bringing someone else’s child into the world, and Jade, a 19-year-old who is donating her eggs for the fifth time. The group sets off on a reproductive journey that proves to be both technologically complex and emotionally volatile.

Plus:

QUEER SPAWN Dir: Anna Boluda, USA/Spain, 2005, video, 30 min It is estimated there are over ten million children with gay or lesbian parents in the United States. Are their lives affected by their ‘alternative’ families?

2007 Saturday 24 March

On the night of 13 September 2002, François Chenu, aged 29, was beaten to death by three skinheads, and his body thrown into a pond, because he was gay.

In this deeply moving award winning documentary Chenu’s parents try to overcome their grief, move beyond feelings of hatred for the killers, and move towards feelings of forgiveness. Although the details of the crime are presented, the real focus of the film is its aftermath and the family’s efforts to find a way of coping with the loss of their beloved son and brother.

In the lead up to and during the trial, we learn more about the accuseds’ own backgrounds of prejudice and neglect, and observe the Chenus’ remarkable dignity in the face of incredible heartbreak. In many ways the life stories of the accused are almost as tragic as the outcome for the Chenus. Director Meyrou never takes a sentimental or sensational approach, and instead leaves the powerful subject matter to speak for itself. A remarkable documentary.

Teddy Award Winner Berlin Film Festival for Best Documentary SESSION 22

SESSION 67 MAR

French with English subtitles

MAR

Midday

ACMI Cinemas, Screen Pit, Ground Floor

2007

Sunday 18 March

Midday

ACMI Cinemas

49 49

DOCUMENTARIES CRUEL AND UNUSUAL Dirs: Janet Baus, Dan Hunt & Reid Williams, USA, 2005, video, 70 min

BOY I AM Dirs: Sam Feder & Julie Hollar, USA, 2006, video, 72 min While female-to-male (F2M) transgender visibility has reached fever pitch in some parts of the Western world, an undercurrent of conflict about trans issues in the lesbian community has bubbled to the surface.

Many lesbians have fought against acknowledging F2M visibility as it is seen by many as a ‘fad’ destined for future heartbreak for those transitioning, or as an anti-feminist act which taps into the patriarchy that many feminists have long struggled against. Boy I Am is a well-structured documentary that sets out to break down the barrier between the opposing schools of thought, and promote dialogue about trans issues through an exploration of the experiences of three young transitioning F2Ms in New York City (Keegan, Nicco and Norie - who are mid-way through their transitions). Their experiences are juxtaposed with the opinions and ideas of lesbian activists, and gender theorists who raise important questions about the nature and reality of altering one’s gender. An excellent documentary that is sure to promote discussion. (LD)

Director Janet Baus takes an empowering and unflinching look into the lives of women trapped in men’s prisons in this award winning documentary. Tackling the controversial topic of gender reassignment and a corrupted criminal justice system, a disproportionate number of transgenders in the US find themselves unnecessarily confronted by outdated brutal prison treatment. (PA) ‘Eye opening and caustic in its depiction of the blatant discrimination transgender people endure, this documentary will leave you with much to think about.’

Erin Cullerton, Frameline Film Festival Plus:

Plus:

ON MY SKIN (EN MI PIEL) Dir: Amy Andre, USA, 2006, video, 8 min

MOCKINGBIRD

What’s at the intersection of race, colour, gender, and family relationships? On the cusp of gender transition from female-to-male, Logan Gutierrez-Mock, a lightskinned person of mixed race, realises he will soon be passing not only as a man, but also as a white man.

Dir: Joe Tunmer, UK, 2005, Video, 14 min

SESSION 72 MAR

2007 Saturday 24 March

4pm

ACMI Cinemas, Screen Pit, Ground Floor

50

Eight-year-old Jenny’s transsexual father is succumbing to a wasting disease. At his funeral Jenny weaves together a tender recollection of tiny moments in a journey to rebuild a life with her mother.

SESSION 24 MAR

2007

Sunday 18 March

2pm

ACMI Cinemas, Screen Pit, Ground Floor

DOCUMENTARIES

EYE ON THE GUY: ALAN B STONE & THE AGE OF BEEFCAKE Dir: Jean-François Monette, USA, 2005, video, 48 min

Eye On The Guy is a highly entertaining and fascinating documentary that profiles Alan B Stone, one of the pioneers of ‘beefcake’ or homoerotic photography. This doco beautifully illustrates Stone’s brilliant eye for the male form in all its raw beauty by including an array of shots from Stone’s important body of work in both still and moving form. A loving and revealing tribute, and a voyeur’s dream. (LD)

FABULOUS! THE STORY OF QUEER CINEMA Dir: Lisa Ades & Lesli Klainberg, USA, 2006, video, 82 min

In 2001, the law in the UK for gay porn changed. Up until then, the only porn gay men in the UK could enjoy was illegal, bad quality material mainly from Europe and America. Now that has all changed and films can be produced and sold freely in the UK and a new industry is starting to emerge. The Seven Secrets To Perfect Porn follows the work of Max Lincoln, who took the opportunity to start his own movie company, Eurocreme, to make porn in the UK to challenge the American and European dominance of hardcore films.

Award-winning directorial team Ades and Klainberg celebrate American queer film history from the 1940s to the contemporary queer cinema of today, featuring interviews with queer luminaries such as John Waters, John Cameron Mitchell, Guinevere Turner, Gus Van Sant, Ang Lee, Todd Haynes, Alan Cumming and B Ruby Rich. The doco is also peppered with excellent clips from groundbreaking films such as Hedwig And The Angry Inch, Go Fish, Heavenly Creatures, Tongues Untied to name a few, as well as more pioneering works such as Fireworks. Building on Vito Russo’s seminal work in The Celluloid Closet, Fabulous! The Story Of Queer Cinema helps to chart how far we’ve come from moralistic and clichéd representations of homosexuality seen in previous decades to the more realistic portrayals of contemporary queer cinema. (LD)

SESSION 19

SESSION 9

Plus:

THE SEVEN SECRETS TO PERFECT PORN Dir: Max Barber, UK, 2005, video, 32 min

MAR

2007 Saturday 17 March

10pm

MAR

2007 Saturday 17 March

2pm

ACMI Cinemas, Screen Pit, Ground Floor

ACMI Cinemas SESSION 39 MAR

2007

Monday 19 March ACMI Cinemas

10.30pm

51 51

DOCUMENTARIES HER/STORIES This session presents an eclectic variety of stories from a feminine bent. Some are harrowing, some are inspiring, but all will leave you a little more enlightened about our world.

Plus:

RAPE FOR WHO I AM

BLACK AND WHITE

Dir: Lovinsa Kavuma, South Africa, 2006, video, 27 min

Dir: Kirsty Macdonald, NZ, 2006, video, 18 min

Every 29 seconds a woman is raped in South Africa.

Set in Johannesburg and its surrounding townships, this documentary interweaves four personal experiences of the prejudices and targeted rape of black lesbians, with the strength and inspirational warmth of women who refuse to become victims.

Plus:

READY OR NOT Dir: Katherine Wilkinson, Australia, 2006, video, 18 min Kelly came out unexpectedly on national television, Katherine fell in love with a straight girl, and Fee got married to avoid burning in hell. Three women tell their unique stories of learning how to claim their queer identity.

Macdonaldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s short documentary explores the potent collaboration between intersex activist Mani Bruce Mitchell and acclaimed New Zealand photographer Rebecca Swan.

Plus:

LESBIANS ON THE LOOSE DirS: Monica Davidson & Chris Castro, Australia, 2007, video, 28 min In 1990 Frances Rand started a grass roots newsletter designed to keep lesbians informed about what was happening around Sydney. Seventeen years later, LOTL is a media institution. Lesbians On The Loose explores the humble beginnings of the magazine, and traces its involvement in the community it represents.

Lesbians On The Loose also asks the question - can one magazine be all things to all people? Is there such a thing as a lesbian community?

SESSION 69 MAR

2007 Saturday 24 March

2pm

ACMI Cinemas, Screen Pit, Ground Floor

52

DOCUMENTARIES HIS/STORIES Don’t miss this selection of personal gay stories depicting a world outside of the media-produced gay stereotype.

Plus:

BOB AND JACK’S 52 YEAR ADVENTURE Dir: Stu Maddox, USA, 2006, video, 42 min

BELLY Dir: Dave Deveau, Canada, 2006, video, 6 min Not everyone in the gay community looks like the characters on Will & Grace - and that’s OK. Plus:

Bob and Jack met during stints in the army in 1952. Despite the obvious obstacles, their romance grew until rumours reached headquarters.

They avoided court-martial by confronting the troops in their unit. That pivotal moment cemented their relationship, and Bob and Jack have been together ever since. Fifty-two years on they discuss how they’ve remained a couple: the pain of leaving wives and children; their adventures of moving to a small town in the Pacific Northwest and starting a radio station; and today how they battle it out in their eighties. Bob & Jack’s 52 Year Adventure is the true self-told story about the kind of lifelong love many of us hope for and the equal rights two men who are still in love will now need to survive.

MILIND SOMAN MADE ME GAY World premiere Dir: Harjant Gill, USA/India, 2006, video, 26 min

Milind Soman Made Me Gay explores the memoryscape of four South Asian men living in the diaspora; one Hindu, one Muslim, one Christian and one Sikh, to reveal how each negotiates his sexual desire with his cultural and religious background. Underneath the nostalgic explorations of life back home lie harsh realities of homophobia and racism in America, and an on-going struggle to find a place to belong. www.TilotamaProductions.com

SESSION 12 MAR

2007 Saturday 17 March

4pm

ACMI Cinemas, Screen Pit, Ground Floor

53 53

DOCUMENTARIES

SMALL TOWN GAY BAR

RED WITHOUT BLUE Dirs: Brooke Sebold, Benita Sills & Todd Sills, USA, 2006, video, 77 min In 1983, Mark and Alexander Farley were born minutes apart in Montana with an identical genetic make-up. The twins’ early lives were quintessential byproducts of their all-American family: picture perfect holidays, a second home by the lake, supportive parents who cheered them on every step of the way.

By the time they were 14, their parents had divorced, they had come out as gay, and a joint suicide attempt precipitated a forced separation of Mark and Alex for two and half years. Today, Mark is attending art school in San Francisco, and Alex is living as a woman named Clair in New York. Red Without Blue explodes our notions of self-hood and sexual identity through its deeply personal look at the unique and unconventional relationship between Mark and Clair as they mature into adulthood. From Mark’s perspective, we learn about the singular bond that the twins shared as children, the hardships they bore, and Mark’s evolving perspective now that his identical twin ceases to be identical. Red Without Blue is a groundbreaking portrayal of gender, identity, and the unswerving bond of twinship despite transformation.

SESSION 27 MAR

2007

Sunday 18 March

4pm

ACMI Cinemas, Screen Pit, Ground Floor

Dir: Malcolm Ingram, USA, 2005, video, 81 min Director Malcolm Ingram excels in this compelling documentary about two historic Mississippi gay venues in the heartland of Middle America’s righteous Bible belt. Loosely based around the idea that if the walls of thriving gay venues could speak, there would be no secrets, Ingram has done the next best thing. He’s gathered the funny, sad, emotional, scintillating and titillating testimonials from men and women who frequented Infamous local gay venues. To Pentecostal followers ‘Crossroads’ was the Babylon of Sodom; for gay men and lesbians it was the zenith of free love, free expression and enthusiastic, occasional orgiastic living. And neighbouring ‘Rumours’ was the hell of promiscuity, the oblivion of family values and damned place of confused genders; for queers it was the hub of entertainment, truly connected community and drag saviours who spread their version of gospel with sequins, tiaras and song. Like every Small Town Gay Bar there are horror stories of vilification, prejudice, torture and murder. Courageously, Ingram lifts the lid on small town closets and collective hypocrites who thwart same-sex social justice with a sideshow of fear, dogma and hatred.

Amazing filmmaking, sublime cinematography, pulsating soundtrack, powerful doco realism. (PA)

Winner of the Awards for Best Documentary at the 2006 Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival and LA Outfest 2006.

SESSION 83 MAR

2007

Sunday 25 March ACMI Cinemas

54

4pm

DOCUMENTARIES

TRIPLE X SELECTS: THE BEST OF LEZSPLOITATION Dir: Michelle Johnson - DJ Triple X, USA, 2006, video, 45 min Sexploitation. Exploitation. Grindhouse. Sleaze. Erotic Cinema. Whatever your term of choice this genre’s glory days were heady in the 60s and 70s. None of these films were strictly lesbian or even for lesbians.

But this brilliant trip down a sexed-up memory lane, put together by Michelle Johnson says we’re takin’ it all back! Culled lovingly from over 20 films shot in Europe and North and South America, this montage, accentuated by groovy tunes from the relevant eras and featuring helpful scientific commentary will have you rolling in the aisles - maybe literally. Here in all their cinematic glory are the erotic heroines of the 60s and 70s fighting, tempting, teasing and fucking each other for your viewing pleasure.

Get a room ladies!

Plus:

ESTER Dirs: Maria Pavon & Rut Suso, Spain, 2005, video, 16 min

Spanish with English subtitles Two women, one very large bed...

Plus:

COSA BELLA Dir: Fiona Mackenzie, USA, 2005, video, 16 min A young married woman’s life takes a radical turn when, what she thinks is a passing sexual encounter with her beautiful college roommate, turns into a life altering love...

SESSION 65 MAR

2007

Friday 23 March

10.15pm

ACMI Cinemas

55 55

SPECIAL METH Dir: Todd Ahlberg, USA, 2005, video, 79 min

Meth is a hard-hitting documentary that explores the rising wave of Crystal methamphetamine use within the gay population. Through the stories and reflections of a dozen gay men across the US, who range in age from 21 to 50, we learn of the drug’s allure, its promise, and why its popularity is soaring within the culture. Use of the drug almost always begins as an ecstatic, mind-blowing thrill ride where users find themselves on top of the world with feelings of superhuman power and collegial connectivity with those around them. The world becomes a place of boundless opportunity and brilliance, and any trace of fear or insecurity is cast off in favour of infinite confidence and libidinous prowess. As crystal’s power takes hold, however, it begins to call the shots, and the fun takes a turn for darkness. Some of the men in the film are current users, and they share their life with us while under the constant influence of ‘Tina.’ Through their eyes we see how immense and powerful this drug can be, and how it cleverly and insistently saturates one’s life, in spite of the nagging, conscious knowledge that it is also destroying it. Other interviewees are former denizens of ‘Tina World,’ who have lost everything because of the drug, but who have managed to shake Tina’s grip and crawl back from the depths she led them to… glimmers of hope in a realm from where less than 6% ever succeed escaping.

The MQFF and Gay and Lesbian Health Victoria (GLHV) are proud to co-present this session which includes an essential and timely panel that will discuss the impacts of Crystal Meth upon Melbourne’s gay community. Please see www.melbournequeerfilm.com.au for full panel details.

SESSION 70 MAR

2007 Saturday 24 March

ACMI Cinemas

56

2pm

SPECIAL RAINBOW’S END Dirs: Jochen Hick & Christian Jentzsch, Germany, 2006, video, 75 min

Various languages with English subtitles In some parts of Europe, gay men and lesbians have achieved near-equality through same-sex marriage, but many still face severe discrimination across the continent. To explore the consequences of this discrimination both past and present, Rainbow”s End takes us on a journey from concentration camp sites in Poland, where a group of Israeli gays mourn over those who died wearing the pink triangle, to a neighborhood in Amsterdam, where a gay couple live in constant fear from relentless threats by a local gang of Muslim teenagers. Rainbow’s End begins with the question, ‘Why should we keep fighting?’ For the following 75 minutes, this documentary answers the question with the inspiring first-person stories of gay men and lesbians; interviews with members of the activist group Outrage; an exclusive interview with the gay Mayor of Berlin, Klaus Wowereit; and footage from events in Geneva, Poland, London, Windsor, Amsterdam, Kiev and Minsk. Frameline Film Festival 2006

Many people in our community believe that homophobia doesn’t really exist any more and that much legal discrimination against GLBTIQ people has been removed. The MQFF and the Victorian Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby are proud to co-present this session which includes a panel that will challenge these assumptions and encourage participants to understand why there is still a need for queer activism in Australia. Please see www.melbournequeerfilm.com.au for full panel details.

SESSION 25 MAR

2007

Sunday 18 March

2pm

ACMI Cinemas

57

57 57

59

OZ THE CITY OF MELBOURNE EMERGING FILMMAKER AWARD In partnership with the City of Melbourne, the MQFF is proud to present this year’s package of new Australian shorts. The City of Melbourne has confirmed their long-standing support of the Festival by generously providing a $2000 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.

This year’s Oz Shorts judges are: Lyn Morgain – Lyn has been actively involved in the queer community for all of her adult life. She is passionate about the growing appreciation and understanding of diversity within our own and broader community. Lyn is currently the CEO of the ALSO Foundation.

Richard Watts – Richard is the Editor of MCV, Melbourne’s weekly queer community paper, and a Life Member of the MQFF. He also hosts the weekly ‘SmartArts’ program on 3RRR, and writes BEAT magazine’s ‘Art of the City’ column every Wednesday.

Cath Pope – Cath Pope is a writer, journalist, author, broadcaster and reviewer regularly published both in Australia and internationally. She is a strong advocate for the rights of the queer community and passionate about queer visibility, especially in the arts.

Spiro Economopoulos - Spiro has written, directed and reviewed for film, theatre and television and is currently in development hell on several projects.

Gary Singer — Gary is Deputy Lord Mayor of the City of Melbourne. Cr Singer holds a Bachelor of Economics and a Bachelor of Law degree, and is a consultant, lawyer and manager of Simon Parsons & Co Lawyers. He is also a barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court of Victoria.

ALY M Dir: Adrian Francis, Australia, 2006, video, 5 min A young Australian Muslim lesbian tries to reconcile her opposing lives and beliefs.

TWO NIGHTS Dir: Rolmar Baldonado, Australia, 2006, video, 11 min

CHALK LINES Dir: Dan Brophy, Australia, 2006, 35mm, 9 min Agosto endures the blight of unrequited love and must come to terms with his feelings for his handsome young English teacher. World premiere.

60

Over two nights a young Chinese immigrant has sexual encounters with two very different individuals.

Consequently, he has to choose between the one he wants and the one who wants him.

OZ CABALERNO Dir: Jarrah Gurrie, Australia/USA, 2006, video, 7 min A quiet guy coming to terms with his sexuality gets caught pointing a video camera at his strapping young crush: an olive skinned skateboarder. After an initial awkwardness, the two boys must deal with unanticipated feelings.

ATTACK Dir: Timothy Smith, Australia/UK, 2005, 35mm, 7 min A neo-Nazi skinhead is apprehended because he has attacked two black teenage boys. As we are taken backwards through the story we realise that things may not be as ‘black & white’ as they appear.

NOT WAVING, DROWNING Dir: Michael Trower, Australia, 2006, dvd, 9 min Stuart is a teenager struggling to stay afloat. Taunted as a ‘faggot’ at school, he hides his feelings and his body from everyone as he finds destructive ways to deal with his sexuality.

SEXY THING Dir: Denie Pentecost, Australia, 2006, 35mm, 14 min

PRADA HANDBAG Dir: Stuart Vauvert, Australia, 2006, video, 22 min What’s a girl to do when a rare hair-loss condition leaves her with an obsession for zany wigs and makeup? Become a drag queen of course!

AND EVERYTHING NICE Dirs: Craig Boreham & Peta Jane Lenehan, Australia, 2006, video, 7 min The curiosity of a schoolgirl leads her to skip a day at school to observe a classmate as she wanders through the city.

On a dry suburban day, a 12-year-old is caught between the conflicting worlds of family, friendship and imagination. Struggling to endure a confusing love, and longing simply to be seen, the child survives by transforming pain into beauty.

Stars Catherine McClements, Chris Vance.

On official selection Cannes 2006.

SESSION 13 MAR

2007 Saturday 17 March

4pm

ACMI Cinemas SESSION 74 MAR

2007 Saturday 24 March

ACMI Cinemas

6pm

61 61

SHORT Lesbians making babies, mistaken identities, classes in butch etiquette – it’s all here in one 90 minute lesson on modern lesbian life.

WHAT HOT GUY? Dir: Mary Thompson, USA, 2006, video, 4 min Susan wakes up from a night of heavy partying to find her world a very different place from what she remembered.

AIRPLANES Dir: Jen Heck, USA, 2006, 35mm, 10 min AIRPLANES tells the love story of two teenage girls from the moment they first see each other to their eventual break-up.

SUCCUBUS Dir: Alison Reid, Canada, 2006, video, 15 min Lilith, a cat-rescuing entrepreneur, and Athena, a genetic engineer, are desperately trying to have a baby together. Their attempts to conceive with the help of science have failed, so Lilith takes matters into her own hands.

BLINDFOLDED (ACIEGAS) Dir: Isabel Coll, Spain, 2005, video, 2 min

Spanish with English subtitles Alicia finds startling results during her search for love on the Internet.

ODILE Dir: Bénédicte Delgéhier, France, 2006, 35mm, 10 min

French with English subtitles Odile works an uninspiring job in a country bakery.

Her life takes an interesting turn when a group of bikies stops by.

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SHORT

OUTSIDE Dir: Jenn Kao, USA, 2005, video, 22 min In a post-apocalyptic society where people are isolated in sealed bunkers, a young woman confronts her fears of the unknown when she makes contact with an Outsider.

WORST CASE SCENARIO: BUTCH EDITION Dir: Mary Guzman, USA, 2006, video, 5 min Essential lessons in butch etiquette.

PEACE TALK (I FRED)

DRAG ROCK MOVIE

Dir: Jennifer Malmquist, Sweden, 2005, video, 14 min

Dir: Jen Markowotz, Canada, 2005, video, 2 min

Swedish with English subtitles

This macho rock singer has only one takeâ&#x20AC;Ś

Two young girls discover each other through playing war games.

SESSION 76 MAR

2007 Saturday 24 March

8pm

ACMI Cinemas

63 63

BOOB The latest and greatest in award-winning lesbian short films from around the world.

COSA BELLA

ESTER

Dir: Fiona Mackenzie, USA, 2005, video, 16 min

Dirs: Maria Pavon & Rut Suso, Spain, 2005, video, 16 min

A young married woman’s life takes a radical turn when, what she thinks is a passing sexual encounter with her beautiful college roommate, turns into a life altering love.

Spanish with English subtitles Two women, one very large bed...

CHECKOUT Dir: Jenn Garrison, USA, 2006, video, 9 min Corey and Max compete for the same woman at the grocery store. However, all is not what it seems at the checkout line.

PRIVATE LIFE Dir: Abbe Robinson, UK, 2006, video, 16 min Ruth Ackroyd leaves the monotony of her work in a textile mill and secretly takes a train to Manchester where she meets a man on the platform. But, all is not what it seems…

Winner of Grand Priza at Planet Out Short Movie Awards

DISPOSABLE Dirs: Robyn Patterson & Jo Gell, NZ, 2006, video, 8 min Two travellers engage in a fleeting roadside romance somewhere between LA and Las Vegas. This is the first film to be shot entirely on disposable single use cameras.

THE UNINVITED Dir: Louise Runge, USA, 2006, video, 12 min A girl takes to snooping around her neighbour’s place, and lives to regret it.

LOVE STRUCK Dir: Susan Ali, USA, 2006, video, 2 min Cupid’s arrow takes a wrong turn in this quirky short about attraction, fate and taking it all into your own hands.

SESSION 3 MAR

2007

Friday 16 March

8pm

ACMI Cinemas SESSION 82 MAR

2007

Sunday 25 March ACMI Cinemas

2pm

65 65

SHORT Don’t miss this selection of award-winning gay shorts from around the world.

PRO-CHOICE Dir: David Jahn, USA, 2006, video, 4 min Two hilariously self-satisfied gay men revel in the abuse society inflicts upon them.

SCARRED Dir: Damien Rea, UK, 2006, 35mm, 10 min A young man, scarred by his past, has to face the future when he falls for an unusual man.

OEDIPUS N+1 Dir: Eric Rognard, France, 2004, video, 26 min

French with English subtitles Set in a terrifying future reminiscent of cult classics THX1138 and Gattaca, Oedipus N+1 is the story of a recently deceased young man who awakens in a hospital after his memory has been implanted in a clone of his body. As he goes in search of his missing boyfriend, we discover he is victim to a controlling mother who is determined to ‘correct’ his sexual preferences.

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SHORT

THE UNDERMINER

AVAILABLE MEN

Dir: Todd Downing, UK/USA, 2005, video, 6 min

Dir: David Dean Bottrell, USA, 2005, video, 15 min

We’ve all met them: the urban predator. The passive aggressive who professes to be your friend, but who takes great joy in your failures.

IN THE DARK (AL BUIO)

A Hollywood agent (dispatched to sign a ‘hot’ new writer) and a sensitive gay man (waiting for a blind date), mistake each other for the person they were expecting to meet. Hilarity ensues.

Dir: Fabio Mollo, Italy, 2006, 35mm, 10 min

Italian with English subtitles Sometimes eroticism lies hidden in that moment suspended within the space that separates two bodies that cannot touch each other.

SESSION 5 MAR

2007

AUSTRALIA LOGO E

Friday 16 March

10pm

ACMI Cinemas

SESSION 26 MAR

2007

Sunday 18 March

2.15pm

ACMI Cinemas

THE SADDEST BOY IN THE WORLD

AUS

Dir: Jamie Travis, Canada, 2006, 35mm, 14 min Timothy Higgins, the saddest boy in the world, prepares to hang himself at his ninth birthday party.

AUS

67 67

COCK The latest and greatest in award-winning gay short films from around the world.

THE BEST MEN Dir: Tony Wei, USA, 2006, video, 13 min

GUY 101 Dir: Ian W Gouldstone, UK, 2005, video, 9 min

All the best men are gay... but some just need a good reminder.

A man hears a story about a hitchhiker from the other side of the Internet.

FIRST DATE

HUSTLER WP

Dir: Gary Huggins, USA, 2006, video, 20 min A volatile ex-con will stop at nothing to keep a date with an underage boy he met online.

Dir: Craig Cobb, USA, 2006, video, 19 min Rolf (a white neo-Nazi skinhead) and Skahead (a black rudeboy skinhead) are unlikely friends who chase adventure when a night on the town with German backpackers beckons.

HELLO, THANKS Dir: Andy Blubaugh, USA, 2005, video, 8 min Weaving interviews and off the cuff commentary with re-enactments and text, Hello, Thanks tezlls the story of filmmaker Andy Blubaugh’s year in the personal ads, looking for romance but having his true love affair with the words themselves.

BOOMERANG (COMME UN BOOMERANG) Dir: Nicolas Breviere, France, 2005, 35mm, 26 min

French with English subtitles Paul is facing the hard feeling of being abandoned by the person he loves. But is his fear really justified or is it the echo of a past wound?

SESSION 38 MAR

2007

Monday 19 March

10.15pm

ACMI Cinemas SESSION 78 MAR

2007 Saturday 24 March

10pm

ACMI Cinemas

69 69

QUEERIES QUEERIES: BENT ON FILM The Melbourne Queer Film Festival presents our youth program Queeries: Bent on Film, curated by Scott Igoe, K’ and Briony Throssell. The two sessions explore gender and sexuality issues relevant to our younger audiences. You’ll find the selection entertaining as well as enlightening – it’s a great collection of documentaries and shorts from Australia and around the world.

Please note: The Office of Film & Literature Classification allows that patrons aged 15 years and over may attend the Queeries sessions. All Queeries sessions $10 full, $8 concession and MQFF.

QUEERIES 1 The best in international shorts with a youth focus from Australia and around the globe.

BELLY Dir: Dave Deveau, Canada, 2006, video, 6 min Not everyone in the gay community looks like the characters on Will & Grace - and that’s OK.

SISSY FRENCHFRY Dir: JC Oliva, USA, 2005, video, 29 min Welcome to wildly eclectic and diverse West Beach High, where the annual Student Body President election will pit the quirky, much-beloved incumbent Sissy Frenchfry against a handsome, charismatic – and socially intolerant – transfer student with a devious plan to restore the ‘status quo’.

Winner of the Audience Award for Best Short Film at the Barcelona International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival.

SEXY THING Dir: Denie Pentecost, Australia, 2006, video, 14 min See p 21

CAN YOU TAKE IT? Dir: Justine Morris, UK, 2005, video, 20 min A girl who desires a woman decides to take matters into her own hands after being beaten up. Only she didn’t reckon on the outcome. A film about mixed signals, confusion, and there being no signs.

THE MAKING OF A HYBRID MALE Dir: Spy Denomme-Welch, Canada, 2006, video, 23 min

The Making Of A Hybrid Male explores the personal experience of a Two-Spirit and Transgender identity.

STRAY Dirs: Craig Boreham & Dean Francis, Australia, 2007, video, 10 min A retelling of the classic tale of the City Mouse and the Country Mouse, Stray follows the story of Mouse, a teenager who leaves his home in the country in search of his place in the world.

SESSION 7 MAR

2007 Saturday 17 March

Midday

ACMI Cinemas, Screen Pit, Ground Floor

70

QUEERIES QUEERIES 2 Part 2 of our excellent selection of queer youth shorts from around the world.

AIRPLANES Dir: Jen Heck, USA, 2006, video, 10 min Jen Heck’s Airplanes tells the love story of two teenage girls from the moment they first see each other to their eventual break-up.

BUTTERFLY STORIES Dir: Shalom Almond, Australia, 2006, video, 14 min

Butterfly Stories is an engaging documentary which interviews several articulate young gays and lesbians about their lives, as they recount struggling with coming out, family and friends.

DAVY AND STU Dir: Soman Chainani, USA, 2006, video, 13 min Based on Anton Dudley’s award-winning play. As the sun sets over a swampy Scotland bog, two boys meet in the darkness as part of a nightly ritual. Part character study, part love story, Davy & Stu is a heartwrenching look at the intensity of adolescent romance and forbidden love.

KADEN Dir: Harriet Storm, USA, 2006, video, 8 min

Kaden is a short documentary which follows a transgender female-to-male individual as he prepares for chest reconstructive surgery, considering what he will leave behind and what the future holds.

HOPSCOTCH Dir: Jen Markowitz, Canada, 2004, video, 4 min A child’s walk home brings a pleasant, unexpected discovery.

GYPSIES, TRAMPS AND THIEVES Dir: Andrea Janakas, USA, 2005, video, 22 min Best friends Marie and Chrissy try to fend off boredom in a rural town in 1979. A late night adventure sees innocence lost, and the world changing.

THE SADDEST BOY IN THE WORLD Dir: Jamie Travis, Canada, 2006, video, 14 min Timothy Higgins, the saddest boy in the world, prepares to hang himself at his ninth birthday party.

WHY’S IT CALLED GAY? Dirs: Vicki Jones & Mark Camilleri, Australia, 2006, video, 15 min When shy Ian Cunningham anxiously goes on his first internet date he has no idea of the tumultuous events that are about to unfold. In one life-changing weekend he will come face to face with the date from hell, a supportive friend and a confusing personal journey that leads him to ask ‘why’s it called gay?’

How will Ian cope with his new sexual identity, not to mention his parents, as he falls in love and out of the closet?

This film was produced as part of the City of Melbourne YAK Same Sex Attracted Young Person’s Arts Project 2006. YAK is a free, confidential, support group for Same Sex Attracted Young People (SSAYP), which meets on the first and third Friday of every month. For more information visit www.sexlife.net.au/3_5_2.html SESSION 21 MAR

2007

Sunday 18 March

Midday

ACMI Cinemas, Screen Pit, Ground Floor

71 71

MOGENIC AD

CASSEROLE CELLULOID CASSEROLE The Melbourne Queer Film Festival and LOOP present an eclectic menu of new Australian shorts. For just a gold coin donation you have the chance to see local titles not screening in the Oz Shorts package. Arrive early as this session is first in best dressed – standing room also available. This year, the MQFF is offering a cash prize for the winner of the MQFF Selectors’ Choice Award, voted for by the 2007 MQFF Selection Panel.

The Award will be announced and presented on the night.

Doors open at 7.30pm for an 8.30pm screening. For info call: (03) 9827 2022.

THE OMPHALITES

DO I LOOK GAY IN THIS?

Dir: Bartholomew Sammut, Australia, 2006, dvd, 11 min

Dirs: Shane Dunlop & Hope Collins, Australia, 2006, dvd, 14 min

WORKING IT OUT

CURBING LOVE

Dir: Tim Hunter, Australia, 2007, dvd, 6 min

Dir: Beth Nelsen, Australia, 2006, dvd, 4 min

CIRCA Dir: Dean Noutsos, Australia, 2006, dvd, 11 min

FINE AND DANDY Dir: Kelly West, Australia, 2006, dvd, 15 min

NOT SO BLACK OR WHITE Dir: Col Cruise, Australia/UK, 2006, dvd, 4 min

OUTLAND Dir: John Richards, Australia, 2006, dvd, 25 min

LOST WOODS Dir: Maiara Skarheim, Australia, 2006, dvd, 14 min

SESSION 46 MAR

‘QUEENS’LAND Dir: Matthais Cerwen, Australia, 2005, dvd, 6 min

2007 Wednesday 21 March

7.30pm

Loop - 23 Meyers Pl, City

73 73

CATERER 1

CATERER 2

OR CFMDG

75

INDEX COUNTRY Australia 21, 44, 45, 46, 52, 60, 61, 70, 71, 73 Bosnia and Herzegovina 35 Canada 48, 53, 62, 63, 67, 70, 71 Croatia 35 Finland 33 France 27, 28, 34, 37, 49, 62, 66, 69 Germany 48, 59 China 30 Iceland 33 India 53 Indonesia 36 Italy 67 Mexico 30 New Zealand 52, 65 Philippines 28, 45 Portugal 46 Romania 38 Russia 34 South Africa 52 South Korea 24, 43 Spain 27, 33, 47, 49, 55, 65 Sweden 63 Taiwan 34 UK 33, 35, 37, 38, 50, 51, 61, 65, 66, 67, 69, 70 USA 20, 22, 26, 27, 29, 31, 32, 35, 36, 43, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 53, 54, 55, 57, 61, 62, 63, 65, 66, 67, 69, 70, 71

FILM 20 Centimeters 27 Airplanes 62, 71 Aly M 60 And Everything Nice 61 Another Gay Movie 27 Attack 61 Available Men 67 Backstage 28 Belly 53, 70 Best Men, The 69 Beyond Conception: Men Having Babies 49 Beyond Hatred (Au-delà De La Haine) 49 Black And White 52 Blindfolded (Aciegas) 62 Blossoming Of Maximo Oliveros, The (Ang Pagdada-laga Ni Maximo Oliveros) 28 Bob And Jack’s 52 Year Adventure 53 Boomerang (Comme Un Boomerang) 69 Boy Culture 29 Boy I Am 50 Broken Sky (El Cielo Dividido) 30 Butterfly Stories 71 Cabalerno 61 Can You Take It? 70 Chalk Lines 60 Checkout 65 Circa 73

Cosa Bella 55, 65 Cruel And Unusual 50 Curbing Love 73 Cut Sleeve Boys 30 Davy And Stu 71 Dead Boyz Don’t Scream 31 Dirty Love 31 Disposable 65 Do I Look Gay In This? 73 Drag Rock Movie 63 Dying Gaul, The 31 Eating Out Sloppy Seconds 32 Electroshock 33 Eleven Men Out (Strákarnir Okkar) 33 El Calentito 32 Ester 55, 65 Eternal Summer (Shengxia Guang Nian) 34 Eye On The Guy: Alan B Stone & The Age Of Beefcake 51 Fabulous! The Story Of Queer Cinema 51 Far From Sunset Boulevard (Daleko Ot Sanset-bul’vara) 34 Fat Girls 35 Fine And Dandy 73 First Date 69 Go West 35 Guy 101 69 Gymnast, The 36 Gypsies, Tramps And Thieves 71 Hello, Thanks 69 Hopscotch 71 Hustler Wp 69 Infamous 20 In The Dark (Al Buio) 67 Itty Bitty Titty Committee 22 Jack Smith And The Destruction Of Atlantis 26 Kaden 71 King And The Clown, The (Wang-ui Nam-ja) 24 Last Second (Detik Terakhir) 36 Lesbians On The Loose 52 Line Of Beauty, The 37 Looking For Cheyenne (Oublier Cheyenne) 37 Lost Woods 73 Love Sick (Legaturi Bolnavicioase) 38 Love Struck 65 Making Of A Hybrid Male, The 70 Meth 57 Milind Soman Made Me Gay 53 Mockingbird 50 Nina’s Heavenly Delights 38 Not So Black Or White 73 Not Waving, Drowning 61 No Regret (Hoohwehaji Anha) 43 Odile 62 Oedipus N+1 66 Omphalites, The 73 On My Skin (En Mi Piel) 50 Outland 73

Outside 62 Peace Talk (I Fred) 63 Prada Handbag 61 Private Life 65 Pro-choice 66 ‘Queens’land 73 Queer Duck: The Movie 43 Queer Spawn 49 Rainbow’s End 59 Rape For Who I Am 52 Ready Or Not 52 Red Doors 44 Red Without Blue 54 Saddest Boy In The World, The 67, 71 Scarred 66 Set, The 44 Seven Secrets To Perfect Porn, The 51 Sexy Thing 21, 61, 70 Shades Of Grey 48 Sissy Frenchfry 70 Small Town Gay Bar 54 Stray 70 Stray Cats (Pusang Gala) 45 Succubus 62 Summer 35 Tan Lines 45 This Kiss 46 Triple X Selects: The Best Of Lezsploitation 55 Two Drifters (Odete) 46 Two Nights 60 Two Sides Of The Bed, The (Los Dos Lados De La Cama ) 47 Underminer, The 67 Uninvited, The 65 What’s Up Scarlet? 47 What Hot Guy? 62 While You Are Here (So Lange Du Hier Bist) 48 Whole New Thing 48 Why’s It Called Gay? 71 Working It Out 73 Worst Case Scenario: Butch Edition 63

77 77

Facsimile: 9503 9855 Email: alexandersremovals@yahoo.com.au 24 hour service

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Telephone: 9579 1864 Mobile: 0414 743 585

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Alexander Anagnostiadis

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Melbourne Queer Film Festival congratulates the

Canadian Filmmakers Distribution Centre on 40 fabulous years of support for independent filmmakers!

4HE "OARD OF THE -1&& WOULD LIKE TO CONGRATULATE #LAIRE *ACKO *ACKSON ON YEARS OF LOYAL AND COMMITTED SERVICE TO THE &ESTIVAL AS 0RESIDENT AND #O CONVENOR 7HEN *ACKO TOOK THE &EST ON ALL THOSE YEARS AGO IT DESPERATELY NEEDED HELP AND A STRONG VISION 4EN YEARS LATER THE -1&& IS THE SECOND LARGEST l LM FESTIVAL IN 6ICTORIA THE MOST SUCCESSFUL QUEER l LM FESTIVAL IN !USTRALIA AND ONE OF THE MOST RESPECTED IN THE WORLD 4HANKS FOR YOUR SHARING YOUR TIME AND SKILL WITH US *ACKO n IT S BEEN A GREAT RIDE !ND WE LOOK FORWARD TO MANY MORE TO COME -1&& 3TAFF "OARD OF -ANAGEMENT

CREDITS Festival Office Monday to Friday 10am - 6pm 6 Claremont St South Yarra VIC 3141 Australia Ph: 61 3 9827 2022 Fax: 61 3 9827 1622 Email: info@melbournequeerfilm.com.au www.melbournequeerfilm.com.au Festival Director Lisa Daniel General Manager Rowena Doo Sponsorship, Advertising & Business Development Manager Jeff Van Leuven Office Intern Claire Henry Festival Board of Management Claire Jackson - Co-convenor (10 festivals!)

Leanne Sumpter - Co-convenor Darryl Hall - Treasurer Alanna Duffy – Secretary (to August 2006) Kris Darmody – Secretary (from August 2006) Roberta Armitage Cath Borg Paul Clifton Tony Harding Fiona Kelly Trudy Hayter (to April 2006) miss jan horstman (to April 2006) Selection Panel Paul Andrew Carol Christensen Lisa Daniel Josh Frederick Guy Hussey Kim Montgomery Leanne Sumpter Paul Tonta Queeries Panel Scott Igoe K’ Briony Throssell 2007 Festival Trailer Produced by Sal Cooper (salcooper@netspace.net.au) Look for the trailer on the big screen at Federation Square throughout March.

Festival Concept Design Sal Cooper Sound Design & Music Christine Tammer Website Site creation: Tiko, Glyn Cryer www.tiko.com.au Hosting: Connexus www.connexus.com.au Design: Paul Clifton & Patrick Marris

Program Program Editor: Lisa Daniel Production Manager: Paul Clifton Program Layout & Design: Patrick Marris www.paddywacka.com.au Program Cover: Sari Harris, Sal Cooper Program Notes: Paul Andrew (PA) Lisa Daniel (LD) Madeleine Swain (MS) Paul Tonta (PT) Ben Zipper (BZ) Pocket Guide Production Manager: Paul Clifton Layout: Sari Harris Design: Patrick Marris Printing Print Graphics, Carol Christensen (03) 9562 9600 Print Distribution Step Right Up Distribution & Promotion (03) 9534 6833 Program Launch Executive Producer: Roberta Armitage Production Manager: Tony Harding Catering: Alex Catering 9686 9626 Opening Night Party Executive Producer: Roberta Armitage Creative Director: Luke Gallagher Production Manager: Tony Harding Event Crew: Geoff Williams, Mel Nelson, Beth Gibbins, Suzy Green Catering: Alex Catering 9686 9626 Festival Graphic Design: (Admin and Advertising) Sari Harris www.saridesign.com.au Festival Publicist Miranda Brown Publicity miranda@mbpublicity.com.au Thanks to: Matthew Weisner, Peter Dierks and the team at Volkswagen, Michael Comerton (Matilda Bay), Mark Whearen (MCV), Clare Williamson, Julieanne Goss, Jude Troy (Hopscotch), Jerrod Crim (Paramount), ALSO Foundation, Luke Gallagher, Beth Gibbins, Geoff Williams, Mel Nelson, Karen Russell, David McCarthy, George Florence, Ralphe Neill, Richard Sowada, Kristine Bugeja, Elly Bloom, Tamara Jungwirth (ACMI), Alex Green, Simone Ubaldi (Force Video), Classic Cinema, Jane Crawley & Vicky Guglielmo, Jo Pearson (City of Melbourne), Sandra Marguilis (City of Yarra), David Pearce & Megan Carrigy (Queerscreen), the VAC team, Shaun Miller, Matthew Barry (Mt Avoca Wines), Lynnette Foo (Loop), Nick (Access AV) all our generous and loyal sponsors and advertisers, our ever-patient ticket venues, and hard working volunteers.

Life Members Rowland Thomson, Crusader Hillis, Madeleine Swain, Suzie Goodman, miss jan horstman, David McCarthy, Richard Watts, Suzy Green, Rowena Doo, Luke Gallagher, Alex Green.

79 79

17th MELBOURNE QUEER FILM FESTIVAL. SCREENING 15 - 25 March 2007

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