It's already been another year, queers. And aren't we in a whole other world now? I'm not going to labour the point but WTAF!??!
It hit me this morning when I was watching one of those emotion-drenched diversity vids that prop up Facebook to make the world seem a better place. Wholly apart from the fact that we need organisations to produce and propagate these snatches of hope in the first place, I was struck by one of the women who stood up to snog her girlfriend (or BFF, or current fuck bud) on camera. She was wearing an "Orlando survivor" t-shirt. And I was suddenly drowned in the realisation that the end-point to all this hate that is being spewed by conservatives is already here (or, rather, it never really went away): they are killing us for who we are.
I point this out because the question has been asked of me: “Why do we need a queer film festival?”
Orlando makes a pretty sobering business case.
This festival (and others like it the world over) saves lives, changes minds, expands experiences. It gives voice. It redefines community. And we’ve got to capitalise on those effects.
That may be by coming along to experience the struggles and triumphs of those in other corners of the queer community than you currently inhabit. You may want to check out New York’s queer Kiki kids who’re keeping Paris burning. Maybe experience the shifting lives of a pioneering French activist. Or go back and unpack cinematic slavery. I recommend all three journeys though I’ve only reviewed the first (see below) - the others I wrote the program notes for so you’ll get a hint of my feelings there.
Of those films that I have seen in previous festivals, my affection varies widely. We go from a film that featured in my best of 2016 list to one that was hanging on the tail end of last year’s viewings. That said, many friends took to these in ways that I didn’t.
You can check out my thoughts by clicking on these fetching posters:
I’ll also be catching Uncle Howard before the fest (at an ACMI Member screening if you also want to jump onboard), so I’ll get you word on that – suffice to say it’ll be pretty positive from what I’ve heard.
For the rest, I’m going in blind, bar a few that have garnered critical acclaim or come from film makers I’m partial to. But that diversity, that unknown, is the beauty of a festival like MQFF. Which brings me back to my rant. Let’s savour this festival; this festival that they've told us is too niche, this festival that they've told us is unnecessary.
Let’s use it not to normalise our existence but to diversify theirs. Let's make them more like us.
Find a straight friend and bring them along. Better yet, find an enemy (you can ditch them somewhere in the audience) and broaden their horizons. Or even better still find one of the curious fence-sitters and you might get some action after the film.
I don't know if my picks are necessarily going to facilitate post-screening conversions but here they are if you want to try your chances:
Thursday 16 March | Speaking of conversions, the festival opener goes in with an "inspired by true events" take on the life of Michael Glatze and his dehomosexualising to become a Christian pastor. The often delectable James Franco continues his deep dive into on-screen queerdom (straight in real life, queer on screen apparently), taking on the title role and Jesus and Zachary Quinto. Look, word's not great on the film but it is apparently the better of the two films from this director (and staring Franco) that we're being treated to this festival. And there are drinks and funtimes afterwards. |
Friday 17 March 8:30 pm - The Pass 10:30 pm - Paris 5:59: Theo and Hugo | One of the big draws of the festival is Russell Tovey spending a lot of time naked in The Pass, a film about a football player tussling with homophobia. I don't know how much action there will be onscreen there but the late session, Paris 5:59 will more than fix you up if there isn't any (!!!). Earlier on, Clea DuVall's The Big Chill inspired drama has a cool cast including Natasha Lyonne and Melanie Lynskey; it should deliver (it's gotta be better than last year's attempt at a queer rehash). I'm a little upset to be missing the queer volleyball flick, Miles, which looks like a ball, but choices. |
Saturday 18 March 4:00 pm - Weekends 6:15 pm - Southwest of Salem 8:15 pm - Taekwondo 10:15 pm - King Cobra | For me this is the day of the festival. For one it has a documentary about furries. For two it has James Franco in a gay porn true crime drama. For three it has a doco about a gay chorus that may actually sway me on queer cinema from Korea (fingers crossed). And for four and five there're some award winning docos from Frameline, Southwest of Salem and Real Boy, though the second of those I'm having to miss - head there if warbling Koreans don't tickle your fancy. The big draw today though is Marco Berger's new film, Taekwondo. I've loved Berger's will-they-won't-they brand of cinema since Plan B but his Hawaii stole my heart (even though the rest of the MQFF audience was hurling abuse at the screen). Looks like there'll be lots of hot flesh on offer, just be warned... Berger's a notorious tease. |
Sunday 19 March 3:45 pm - 1:54 6:15 pm - Arianna 8:15 pm - AWOL | I'll be honest, the only reason I've scheduled in 1:54 is because it boasts a performance by Mommy star Antoine-Olivier Pilon; I hear he's the best thing in it. To be honest, the other offerings for Sunday are much more intriguing, especially Arianna, which promises a visually stunning wander into sexuality and gender identity, with an award winning lead performance. The other, AWOL, should deliver a different take on lesbian romance. And to begin with there's another marriage equality doco to remind us how backwards our government is. This one recently had them cheering at the Mardi Gras Film Fest, so if shorts aren't your thing (and they're not mine - though the "Wildings" package is impressive) check it out. |
Monday 20 March 8:00 pm - Barash Spa Night has been floating around festivals slowly building buzz. I've had to miss it on multiple occasions so glad I'm finally getting the chance to catch it. After that I'm catching Barash (despite the comparisons to Blue is the Warmest Colour) but I'd urge you to see Being 17 if you haven't already. I'd see it again if I hadn't already seen it twice. | Tuesday 21 March 8:45 pm - I, Olga Hepnarova Tuesday doesn't look to be a happy one but I'm told both films I've racked up are well worth the effort. If you can only take one dose of depression, I, Olga Hepnarova would be the one I'd point you to. It looks to be a fascinating story, immaculately treated. If grim isn't your thing, Other People looks like an absolute corker (UPDATE: It's not happy either.) |
Wednesday 22 March 8:55 pm - Dance, Girl Dance The annual collaboration between MQFF and the Melbourne Cinémathèque is becoming a bit of a feast. We've had early Todd Haynes and double Fassbinder. Now the crew have pulled out some excellent pre-Code flicks served up under the tantalising title, Working Women, Showgirls and Trangressive Desires: The Films of Dorothy Arzner. Better still, you don't only get the chance to see these two, the program continues with another three the following week. You may as well join up for the long haul (bonus Jane Campion season to seal the deal). | Thursday 23 March 8:15 pm - Pulse MQFF is pulling out their centrepiece stops this year with the local premiere of Pulse over two screens. The film sounds like an interesting mix of sci-fi, body swap and queer. Lots of scope for gender exploration in there. Earlier, Liebmann is billed as entrancing and eccentric so I'm sold. It is probably the type of film that most would run a mile from and they've programmed it over at the Kino so it will be surely one of the more left-field offerings of the fest if you're willing to take a chance. If not, Rara looks aces! |
Friday 24 March 6:15 pm - Esteros 8:45 pm - Death in Buenos Aires 10:15 pm - Multiple Maniacs | John Waters is the (dapper, pencil moustachioed) man of the day on Friday. A digitally restored version of the Pope of Trash's early film Multiple Maniacs will "grace" MQFF. It's not one I've seen and, with the promise of lobster rape, it is sure to be an absolute scream. The other film of note is Adult, an "experiential screening" of a film based on a short story by Christos Tsiolkas. I have no idea what to expect, though by this slot it will have played twelve times already and I'm sure many will already be talking about it. Tsiolkas' works haven't fared super well onscreen (well, not since Head On) so I'm hoping his story gets the treatment it deserves. Filling in the time between with two Argentinean films, one which has a hint of Hawaii about it, so fingers crossed (I'll keep plugging that film till it gets the recognition it deserves). |
Saturday 25 March 4:30 pm - Out Run 6:15 pm - Suicide Kale 8:00 pm - Tomcat 10:15 pm - The Cult / Credence | Nobody has been able to recommend last year's Teddy Award winner, Tomcat, to me without qualifying that it is difficult to stomach. Or at least one scene is. I guess I'm passing on that warning to you. See it but see it warily. I've been waiting a while to catch it so I'm quite excited (and I'm not really a cat person anyway). I've also been looking forward to queer sci-fi film Credence, which popped up on kickstarter a year or so ago. It sounds interesting even if it didn't make it to feature length. It is running with a queer take on Alphaville though so I'm not going to complain. I have it on good authority that Suicide Kale is a blast. Funny lesbians is a good test run for the closing night film but they've got a lot to live up to. |
Sunday 26 March  3:45 pm - Memories of a Penitent Heart 5:45 pm - The Nest 8:00 pm - Women Who Kill | All good things must come to an end. MQFF is ending with a black comedy about love and serial killers. It sounds like a bit of a gamble but I like my comedy black and the closing night always has a nice buzz. In the lead up though there are some interesting documentaries. The standout being Sébastien Lifshitz's The Lives of Thérèse, which won last year's Queer Palme. A must see for anyone who saw Lifshitz's documentary The Invisibles at MQFF 2013. Also notable, Australian film maker Eva Orner follows her award winning Chasing Asylum with Out of Iraq, a heart-wrenching look at life and gay love in that war torn country and beyond. The Nest is the wildcard of the day and the one I'm most looking forward to. A made for television drama focusing on family and queer youth. It could be a real firecracker. |
Monday 27 March 8:00 pm - TBA | Post-closing Monday is all encores and surprises. Well, it is usually more encores and encores nowadays but I'll talk about what surprises I'd actually like to see. For one, and I know it isn't going to happen, I need The Ornithologist in my face ASAP. João Pedro Rodrigues has an eye for hunky leads (and I wanted an excuse to post a photo of this most recent one). Other surprises? I wouldn't mind a cheeky screening of Xavier Dolan's latest, It's Only the End of the World, even though it'll already be playing at the French Film Festival. Queer films are always better with a queer audience, and a queer audience will almost certainly understand that film better. Other than that, Heartstone, a sweet looking film that popped up at BFI Flare in London would be ace, as would (very) recent Teddy Award winner, A Fantastic Woman, from Sébastian Lelio, but we'll be waiting till MQFF 2018 for those. |
If you know me, come say hello at the fest. If you don't, just stalk me online until you can recognise me IRL, then come say hello. You can also follow my general festival-going antics on Facebook, Twitter or Letterboxd. Comments are always welcomed, just don't shout at me in the street. If you're not that extroverted, just share the shit out of something you agree with - it's all promotion for the fest.
Till then.
As always, happy queer-festing.
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You can check out previous MQFF's by checking the links below:
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