Queer Screen Film Fest is back this winter with nearly 40 local and international films that celebrate, discuss and interrogate everything queer.
It’s also the tenth year Queer Screen has held the mini-festival, marking a decade in bringing the best of queer film to Sydney and beyond.
‘It’s an incredibly exciting year and I’m thrilled to be bringing such an outstanding selection of films to Sydney to continue the celebrations,’ said Lisa Rose, Festival Director.
‘Ten years ago when the first Queer Screen Film Fest began we only screened seven films and the whole thing was run by volunteers. This world-class program is a very fitting tribute to how much we have grown and to how LGBTIQ+ stories have found their place, front and centre, on the international stage.’
Queer Screen Film Fest runs from 23 August to 27 August in Sydney, and its on-demand streaming program continues until 3 September.
Here are a handful of highlights you can catch at the festival:
Narrative Features
Drifter
Drifter follows Moritz, who finds himself alone and adrift in Berlin, searching for somewhere to fit in. Desperate for human connection in the city’s hardcore sex and drug-fuelled party scene, he is captivated by assorted friends and acquaintances whose lives intertwine. Drifter premiered at the Berlinale Film Festival.
Marinette
Hot on the heels of the FIFA 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia and fresh from its premiere at Tribeca comes Marinette, an intimate exploration of the life of soccer legend Marinette Pichon. The film spans the three decades from her turbulent childhood to her selection for the French national team. A very personal tale of one woman’s courage to pursue her dreams.
Lie With Me
Based on the acclaimed novel by Philippe Besson, Lie With Me is a sensitive and moving drama that explores the bittersweet intensity of first love and making peace with the past.
Medusa Deluxe
Medusa Deluxe premiered at Locarno International Film Festival and takes audiences behind the scenes of a hairstyling competition, where tensions are high and the ’dos are even higher. It’s a one-of-a-kind hairy whodunnit.
Monster
A mysterious fire, a withdrawn child, an overprotective mother, a teacher keeping secrets, and three truths to be uncovered are some of the pieces of the puzzle in acclaimed filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Monster, a deeply human, twisty drama which won both the Queer Palm and best screenplay at Cannes.
Peafowl
A Korean trans woman returns to her rural roots after her estranged father’s passing to lead a mourning ritual that will reinvigorate her passion for dance in Peafowl, a story of fierce authenticity and defiance which took the Busan International Film Festival by storm.
Documentaries
Commitment to Life
Acclaimed documentarian Jeffrey Schwarz explores the impact the AIDS epidemic had on Hollywood and Los Angeles more broadly in Commitment to Life, a documentary many are already calling inspiring.
Equal the Contest
Equal the Contest explores the barriers that still exist for women and gender-diverse people to participate in sport. Non-binary filmmaker Mitch Nivalis follows the highs and lows of regional women’s Australian rules football team Mount Alexander Falcons, the members of which are a wildly diverse group of people who came together to challenge notions of who has the right to play. The film will be followed by a panel discussion.
Read: Equal the Contest: charting local women’s footy and the call for gender equity
It’s Only Life After All
Grammy award winning acoustic folk-rock band the Indigo Girls gifted queer fans with songs
to live by in the 1980s and 90s and cemented their place in the hearts and minds of many.
This documentary reveals intimate details of the friendship, musicianship and dedication to activism behind the trailblazing duo’s decades-long career. The film premiered at Sundance and also screened at South by Southwest to much acclaim.
Shorts and Special Events
Triple Oh! and Fanny Scat Investigates
Two hilarious, homegrown comedy series get their big-screen debut in a special double bill. Director Poppy Stockell, whose John Farnham documentary smashed local box office records, will be in attendance to introduce Triple Oh!, which was one of the titles Queer Screen presented to the global marketplace in
Cannes recently. Cast and crew from Fanny Scat Investigates will also be walking the pink carpet into the cinema for their world premiere.
Egghead & Twinkie
The festival will mark Wear It Purple Day (25 August) with a special free youth screening of Egghead & Twinkie, followed by the sixth edition of Queer Screen Pitch Off, where six filmmakers will spruik their film proposal to a panel of expert assessors, competing for a chance to win $10,000 to produce their short film.
The Queer Screen Film Fest takes place at Event Cinemas George Street, Sydney from Wednesday 23 to Sunday 27 August. For tickets and more information, head to the Queer Screen website.
