News
BUFF is here....
4th Feb 2012
Join us tomorrow at Pride March. Become a Volunteer. Stay at the Cullen. Find out more...
Social Media Intern
23rd Dec 2011
We're looking for a Social Media Intern to work with us on planning and delivering our Social Media Strategy for the 2012 Festival. Applications are open now and close on 3rd January. If you're interested please download the position description and get in touch.
2011 MQFF Annual General Meeting
9th Dec 2011
The Festival’s Annual General Meeting was held on Monday 28 November, and saw the re-election of the existing Board of Management. The number of board nominations equalled the number of positions, so the following people were duly elected: Elizabeth Bennett, Cath Borg, Paul Clifton, Scott Herron, Claire Jackson, Antony Jarvis, Fiona Kelly, Gerard Long, Steven Lucas, Alice Murray, Aydin Sipaloglu and Susie Wickes.
The meeting reconfirmed Paul Clifton as Co-convenor and Antony Jarvis as Treasurer/Secretary, whilst Fiona Kelly was elected as the 2nd Co-convenor. Fiona has had extensive experience with MQFF, as Sponsorship Manager in 2005, and as a board member from 2006-2007 and 2010 to now. Fiona’s appointment marks the end of Claire Jackson’s long (over 14 years!) time as Festival Co-convenor.
Claire Jackson first took on the position of President (as it was called then) in 1997 when most of the previous Board had left. It was a major undertaking and a personal risk for her; the Festival was in a tenuous financial state, and there was virtually no money. From there Claire has given thousands of hours of her time to the Festival. Her significant financial commitment has been no less. From the time she joined until about 2002 she was basically the volunteer office assistant working about 30 hours a week for no wage; Claire actually resigned from her own job in about 2000 to continue to volunteer during the week at the Festival. Without her time, contacts and generosity the Melbourne Queer Film Festival would either no longer exist, or be a much smaller event. Put simply, Claire has always been there – for big jobs and small – whenever the Festival needed her. Also of particular note are Claire’s efforts in securing triennial funding from the City of Melbourne, her extensive contributions to forward planning and development, and her 2011 Opening Night impersonation of Sue Sylvester from Glee.
On behalf of all members, the Board and staff of the Festival pay tribute to Claire’s exemplary leadership of MQFF over the last decade and a half, aiding the Festival’s growth in size and attendance and setting it on a sound financial base - all done with characteristic charm, grace and bloody good humour. Luckily for the Festival, Claire’s skill and experience will not be lost, as she remains a member of the Board of Management.
Final Call for Entries - MQFF 2012
2nd Nov 2011
FINAL CALL FOR ENTRIES
2012 MELBOURNE QUEER FILM FESTIVAL
March 15 - 25, Melbourne, Australia
The Melbourne Queer Film Festival invites submissions to its 22nd Film Festival in 2012. Each year the Festival screens over 150 features, shorts, documentaries and experimental films from Australia and all around the world over 11 days. The Festival is Australia's largest, oldest and most successful queer film festival and screens at 3 premier Melbourne venues including the state of the art Australian Centre for the Moving Image to audiences of over 25,000. The MQFF also tours highlights of its program to various parts of Australia.
Films and videos can be of any length and should be of interest to the gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgendered communities.
There is over $10,000 in the cash prize pool for various awards.
Submissions should be provided on DVD in either PAL or NTSC format, or via on line screener. Please include supporting material, such as a brief synopsis, stills (can be emailed), and reviews, wherever possible. THERE IS NO ENTRY FEE.
Entries should be submitted on the official Entry Form which is available via email at info@mqff.com.au or from our website - MQFF Submissions - or by contacting the Festival office. Deadline for entries is December 2, 2011 (Australian titles have until Dec 19 at 5pm).
The Battle For The Short Film
30th Aug 2011
Australian Writer's Guild Presents: The Battle for the Short Film
Tuesday 6 September 6.30pm
Join the AWG at their next Victorian members' night to hear about the craft of making short films
Good things come in small packages. The “apprenticeship” art form of the Short Film is in a period of transition. As new technologies emerge, the ways and whys of making shorts is changing. Traditional funding has shrunk, while the festival and online demand for shorts has increased. Filmmakers need to be creative to get their idea into production – clever storytelling goes hand in hand with raising the money. More filmmakers are turning to crowdfunding – raising money through social media, and using the crowd to promote the work – as well as approaching Government agencies. Come explore the pitfalls and successes of conceiving, financing, producing and distributing short films.
Panel speakers include the creative team behind the Film Victoria-funded short film Golden Girl – director Grant Scicluna, producer Jannine Barnes and writer Holly Alexander – whose award-winning short films have played festivals including Berlin and Singapore International, Melbourne and Sydney Film Festivals, Melbourne Queer Film Festival, St Kilda Film Festival, amongst others. Grant and Jannine were also recipients of the Screen Australia Springboard Program, having just wrapped production on The Wilding, a short film made to help finance their feature project.
Also speaking will be the team from Snowgum Films – producer Ahren Morris and director Daniel Knight – who raised $82 000 via 1, 239 pledges to finance “the most epic-est short film ever”, Troll Bridge, a spoof on The Lord of the Rings, which has just wrapped production in New Zealand. Their earlier award-winning films have played festivals such as Boston Underground, Dungog, Fantasia, A Night of Horror Film Festival amongst many others. These are guys who know how to get things done, using the power of the crowd to finance and promote their films.
Finally, Lisa Daniel from Melbourne Queer Film Festival, arguably Melbourne’s busiest festival director, flying internationally to source short films and features for Melbourne’s second biggest film festival. Lisa will give us her insights on marketing and distributing short films, as well as the painstaking process of programming her festival.
When: Tuesday 6 September. 6pm for drinks for a 6.30pm start
Where: Upstairs @ Errols Restaurant and Patisserie, 69 – 71 Errol St, North Melbourne
Cost: $5 AWG members, $8 (ADG/SPAA/MEAA), $10 non members
RSVP: admin@awg.com.au
MQFF Call for Entries
16th Jun 2011
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The MQFF is the largest and most successful queer film festival in Australia, and offers over $10,000 in cash prizes across various filmmaker awards. There is no entry fee, so there’s really no excuse not to enter! Find out more here. Download your entry form here.
Last Day of West Hollywood
5th Jun 2011
Well we're almost there and its been an amazing weekend. A wonderful Opening Night, some amazing film and finally today with A Marine Story selling fast and La Mission not far behind.
Its been a great experience for us in this first little experiment in the West. We've had a great time working with Maribyrnong City Council in presenting West Hollywood with the wonderful assistance from Hobsons Bay City Council. We're looking forward to making this part of our annual lineup of film events alongside Movies Under The Stars in January and the main Festival in March.
We'd just like to also take the opportunity to thank the Sun Theatre for being such a great venue to work with and, of course, our amazing volunteers. Once again they've been an absolute pleasure and a key ingredient for the success of West Hollywood.
Join us in the West!
2nd Jun 2011
We're no longer taking phone bookings, but tickets are still available for all sessions 30 minutes prior to the doors opening. Cash only sales athe MQFF Box Office located in the Sun Theatre Foyer.
For those that did pre-book this is also when you can pick up your tickets under your name from the special MQFF Box Office.
For details about the films, venue and how to get there just click here for more details.
West Hollywood
8th May 2011
West Hollywood is where all the queers are in gay L.A. of the U.S. of A. and we’re bringing some of that queer film community spirit to our own Western Suburbs with a mid-Winter smorgasbord of queer film delights at the Sun Theatre, 3-5 June.
Maribyrnong City Council with the assistance of Hobsons Bay City Council are helping make The West a new cultural hub of Melbourne and the MQFF is proud to be a part of it. Enjoy 5 popular treats from the 21st Melbourne Queer Film Festival, see here for details.
Positions Vacant
28th Apr 2011
MQFF is looking for 2 new staff: a General Manager (full time) and a Festival Operations Manager (0.8).
For details please click here.
MQFF and the ALSO Foundation
21st Apr 2011
There's been a lot of discussion about the future of the ALSO Foundation, and the Melbourne Queer Film Festival has been named as one of the organisations associated with ALSO. We're just reassuring everybody that while we're grateful for the support the ALSO Foundation has provided in being lead tenant of Level 8 of City Village, that is the limit of our relationship.
The operations of the Melbourne Queer Film Festival are completely independent. While we're not the richest non-profit organisation in all the land, we're in a very stable situation thanks to a combination of great fiscal management as well as our successful 2011 Festival.
We're also grateful for the ongoing support of the City of Melbourne and have been assured that there is no doubt about our continued tenancy.
Check out our flickr galleries
8th Apr 2011
Dozens and doxens of fabulous photos from this year's MQFF are now available for viewing on our flickr site.
You'll find galleries for
Let Us Satisfy You
4th Apr 2011
The festival is over, the balloons have gone flat and the fizz has definitely gone out of the champagne. So how are you feeling? Hung over and wondering what happened or still floating on that after-party buzz?
We need to know. And its not just about getting out that niggling thing that bugged you the whole festival, we also need to know the good stuff, so that we know not to mess with what is working well.
It won't take long and we're not going to steal your email address and sell it to offshore outsourced call centres for cheap electronics, so if you've got a minute or 5 to spare just head to the survey and tell us what you think.
2011 Award winners announced
30th Mar 2011
MQFF is pleased to announce the winners of our 2011 Audience Choice Awards:
Best Feature Film
UNDERTOW (CONTRACORRIENTE). Directed by Javier Fuentes-León
Sponsored by MQFF and MQFF Members Warwick Eddington & Tony Hillery
Prize Money = $3000
Top 4 features were: Undertow, Sasha, House of Boys and The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister
Best Documentary
GEN SILENT. Directed by Stu Maddux
Sponsored by MQFF and MQFF Life Member David McCarthy
Prize Money = $2500
Top 3 Docos were Gen Silent, Postcard to Daddy and Orchids: My Intersex Adventure
Best Australian Short Film
SLASHED. Directed by Rebecca Thomson
Sponsored by MQFF and Step Right Up
Prize Money = $1000
Top 3 Australian shorts were Slashed, Drowning, The Kiss.
Best Short Film
CUPCAKE: A ZOMBIE LESBIAN MUSICAL. Directed by Rebecca Thomson
Sponsored by MQFF and Twenty 21
Prize Money = $500
Top 3 shorts were Cupcake: A Zombie Lesbian Musical, Slashed, Cried Suicide
More for Filmmakers!
29th Mar 2011
The {also} Foundation's Take Care {out} There program invites emerging film makers to submit a short film or digital video around topics of GLBTIQ sex & sexual health.
This film competition not only offers you a chance to win $2500 cash and $1000 worth of film equipment hire, but also is an opportunity to make a film in which you share your vision about sex, sexuality and sexual health.
Next week is the official information evening for the competition and it's being held at Open Channel. This is a great chance to get more info about the competition and about how and what to enter. So come along, bring your friends and any other keen film makers you know.
Information evening details
When: Thursday 31st March, 6:30pm
Where: Open Channel, Shed 4, North Wharf Road, Victoria Harbour, Docklands
http://www.openchannel.org.au/about_map.html
So, what's going to happen at the info session?
- Intro to Take Care {out} There and the {also} Foundation
- Sex, sexuality, and sexual health- why is this competition happening?
- Basic technical info and trouble-shooting for pre-producation, production and post-production
- Pros & cons of different recording techniques and types of equipment
- Discussing narrative/story-telling and thinking outside the square
- Looking at examples from similar competitions
- Prizes
- Dates
- How to submit your entry, release forms and other entry requirements
Take your questions and ideas along. For more information on the competition head here.
Get your votes in!
27th Mar 2011
With over $9,000 in cash to give away to deserving filmmakers across six awards, please take the time to cast your votes for your favourite films in this year’s Festival. Voting forms are available at ACMI Cinemas and Festival Lounge, or you can vote online.
Congratulations to Oz Shorts winner, Drowning
26th Mar 2011
Congratulations to the winner of the 2011 City of Melbourne Emerging Filmmaker Award for Best Australian Short Queer Film, Drowning. Directed by Craig Boreham and produced by Annmaree J Bell of Azure Productions.
Drowning is a journey through the final moments of childhood as two friends are dragged toward their adult lives. Realisations of their place in the world, their familial responsibilities and awakening sexualities shape the men they will become and their changing relationship with each other. The film was funded by Screen Australia and features up and coming Australian actors, Miles Szanto, Xavier Samuel, Tess Haubrich and Bren Foster.
The winners received the gorgeous Oz Shorts award designed by Fred White, and $2000 cash.
Special commendation went to Slashed, directed by Rebecca Thomson. In this Tasmanian-produced sci-fi comedy, worlds will collide when Renata and Frieda’s erotic fantasies cross the digital frontier.
The Final Countdown...
26th Mar 2011
We're into the final weekend of the 2011 Festival, and our massive 21st Birthday hangover is within sights...
Amongst the Standby Sessions (what's this?) on Saturday 26th (Totally Fxxked!, Out For The Long Run, Oz Docs, Room In Rome, The Sea Purple) there's still tickets for some great offerings like Leading Ladies, Oz Shorts, La Mission, I Love You Phillip Morris. And don't miss out on tonight's midnight sassion of BearCity - it's gonna be a fur-stravaganza!
On Sunday 27th it's Standby only for The Real Anne Lister and Out In The Silence and just a handful of tickets left for The Owls. Tickets also selling fast for the gripping trans doco, The Regretters (Angrarna) and Paulista (Quanto Dura Do Amor). For final afternoon suggestions, why not try popular offerings Buffering or Eloise's Lover. And of course from 8.30 it's our Gala Event Closing Night Film & Party, with the wonderful film, Spork.
Bring on the beroccas and aspros, cos there's Back By Popular Demand on Monday night to follow...
Congratulations to Slut the Musical
25th Mar 2011
On Wednesday night at Loop, Slut the Musical was announced 2011 winner of the Selectors’ Choice Award for Best Short Queer Film. The 16 min film, directed by Tonnette Stanford, is an outrageous musical story of one boy’s triumph over his fear of telling his peers about his sexuality, filled with glorious 80s fashion, high-energy dance numbers, glitter and fun. Thanks to Shaun Miller Lawyers for the $550 cash prize.
Special commendation was awarded to Valmay The Visitor From Beep Beep Beep Bleetlebox 967, directed by Susan Earl.
Congratulations to the winner and well done to all the filmmakers!
There's Bears in There!
24th Mar 2011
There is a dress-up for Saturday night's midnight screening of BearCity, though we know a lot of you won't need to go to a lot of effort to look like a bear. BUT you do need to remember that there is a Best Bear on Field award, so dress grizzly to be in the running. No birthday suits allowed though.
Also as part of the fun we want to see as many beards as possible - so to encourage those who might be a little scarce in the facial hair department to go to a little effort we're offering $1 off drinks to anyone who has a beard whether its real or not.
Selling Fast on Thursday...
24th Mar 2011
Ok, so the weekend looks set to be HUGE, but tonight is still going to be the place to be if you're queer in Melbourne. Session 56 The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister is on the Selling Fast list and is expected to go standby only by the time it screens. But there's no need to worry, if you turn up 30 minutes before the session and get your queue number there's a good chance you'll be able to buy a ticket at the door.
You should also be getting along to Session 52 Undertow as it was an audience favourite at Sundance and we're pretty sure it'll be a favourite of yours as well.
Art? Porn? Where's the line? Usually a good way to find out is by crossing it. We're not here to make your mind up for you, so if you like to see films on the tittilating edge of art, then hit up Session 58 Sex Drives and Videotape.
Selling Fast and Standby for Tue 22 March
22nd Mar 2011
The following session are selling fast:
Greater Union sessions start today
22nd Mar 2011
If you're joining us for some movies in the 70's awesome dagginess that is Greater Union, then you need to remember a few things...
If you book your tickets online, then you MUST pick them up from our ACMI Box Office at least 20 minutes prior to the session. You won't be able to pick them up from Greater Union and you need to allow yourself the time to get from there to Greater Union (about a 10 munite walk).
Greater Union is on Russell St, kind of around the corner from ACMI. Just look for the Forum Theatre - its on the corner of Russell and Flinders St if you're heading here from ACMI.
And don't stare at the carpet when you get here. It's pretty psychadelic and you might fall over!
Back By Popular Demand!
21st Mar 2011
This year's Back By Popular Demand sessions have just been announced - giving you a chance to catch the most popular sell out films a 2nd (or 3rd) time around!
All films screen on Monday 28 March at ACMI
Session 89, 6pm: Gigola
Session 90, 6.15pm: Sasha
Session 91, 8.15pm: The Sea Purple (Viola di Mare)
Session 92, 8.30pm: Undertow (Contracorriente)
Tickets on sale now.
