Melbourne Queer Film Festival

Starring, written, and produced by members of New Zealand’s queer, Māori, and gender-diverse communities, this touching dramedy is about the power of embracing one’s identity in all its forms.

A decade since he skipped town without warning, gay transgender activist Caz returns to his isolated hometown of Rūrangi, where no one has seen or heard from him since he transitioned. Although former best friend Anahera is quick to embrace him, the same can’t be said of his estranged father, while his reappearance raises more questions than answers for ex-boyfriend Jem.

As Caz struggles to reconnect and make amends, the realisation they’re grappling with their own shifting identities and shared history pushes him to finally confront the regrets he’s been running from.

Winner of the Audience Award at the world’s largest LGBTIQ+ Film Festival, Framleine, Rūrangi is a crowd pleaser that perfectly balances drama, humour and heart.

Content Warning: Discussion of suicide

Director: Max Currie, English, and Māori with English subtitles

This film is presented as part of the MQFF Regional Roadshow with support from the Victorian Government.

Alice (Gemma Arterton), a fiercely independent folklore investigator, secludes herself in her clifftop study, debunking myths using science to disprove the existence of magic. Consumed by her work, but also profoundly lonely, she is haunted by a love affair from her past.

When spirited young Frank (Lucas Bond), an evacuee from the London Blitz, is dumped into her irritable care, his innocence and curiosity awaken Alice’s deeply buried emotions.

Opening herself up for the first time in a while, memories come flooding back and Alice begins to recount her great love affair with Vera (Gugu Mbatha Raw).

Set in the 1940s, 1920s and 1970s and filmed along the stunning coastal vistas and villages of Sussex, Summerland is the feature directorial debut of Jessica Swale, who helms her own original script, and features two wonderful performances from Arterton and Raw as the star-crossed lovers.

When journalist Eammon Ashton-Atkinson fled Australia and moved to London to escape depression – a struggle exacerbated by his battle with his sexuality and a traumatic outing during high school – he found his salvation in the Kings Cross Steelers.

Formed in 1995, the Steelers were one of the first gay rugby clubs in London. More than that, this club became a sanctuary of sorts for the disparate group of gay men from all around the world, finding a home to excel in a game they love and to celebrate their sexuality.

Directed by Ashton-Atkinson, this inspiring and emotional documentary takes an intimate look into the lives of the various team members (including their fierce lesbian club director) as they grapple with their own demons, overcome adversary and do a little drag, all the while competing for the Bingham World Cup in Amsterdam.

This is a heartwarming story about finding your tribe and the protective shield of a gay rugby scrum.

Shown as part of MQFF’s Regional Tour, stopping in Geelong, Bendigo, Moree, Ballarat, and Shepparton. Held in partnership with Bendigo Queer Film Festival. MQFF’s Regional Tour has been made possible through support from the State Government of Victoria, through Victoria Together.

Where are we when we remember? The past, the present or somewhere in-between? The philosophical underpinnings of The Greenhouse take its viewers on a journey of time travel, fusing fantasy with domestic drama. In this story of loss, Beth and her three adopted siblings assemble at their rural childhood home after the tragic passing of their lesbian mother.

As with many family events, the weekend is rife with conflict, hostility and implicit tension, while Lauren, an old flame from the past, shows up to destabilise Beth’s world further. Meanwhile, danger looms as Beth discovers a mysterious dimension to the past.

The film’s phantasmagorical qualities allow the viewer access to Beth’s disorientating internal world – an unstable reality ruled by unresolved grief and memory, and a past that threatens to engulf the present.

Thomas Wilson-White’s feature debut, The Greenhouse, is part magic, part metaphor, reminding its audience of the seductive nature of memory and the danger of spending too much time there.

Shown as part of MQFF’s Regional Tour, stopping in Geelong, Bendigo, Morwell, Ballarat, and Shepparton. MQFF’s Regional Tour has been made possible through support from the State Government of Victoria, through Victoria Together.

Ex champion diver Victor (Vasilis Magouliotis), works in a mundane job repairing furniture while living with his grandmother in a small Greek coastal town. Following her death, he decides to dust off her car and head to Germany to reconnect with his distant mother. On the ferry over to Italy, he meets the handsome Mattias (Anton Weil), a chatty German drifter on his way home.

Victor reluctantly agrees to give Mattias a lift and the two begin their winding ride north through the Italian countryside. Despite their clashing personalities, the two men begin to find an emotional connection with one another in this delightful and visually striking romance.

Written and directed by Greek filmmaker Stelios Kammitsis, this charming gay film features grounded performances from its two leads and gorgeous landscapes lensed by cinematographer Thodoros Mihopoulos.

Weil is a highlight as the inquisitive and free-spirited Mattias, who also provides some levity to contrast the uptight and reserved Victor. A moving film that explores finding family and yourself in the most unlikely of times and places.

Shown as part of MQFF’s Regional Tour, stopping in Geelong, Bendigo, Morwell, Ballarat, and Shepparton. Held in partnership with Bendigo Queer Film Festival. MQFF’s Regional Tour has been made possible through support from the State Government of Victoria, through Victoria Together.

Starring, written, and produced by members of New Zealand’s queer, Māori, and gender-diverse communities, this touching dramedy is about the power of embracing one’s identity in all its forms.

A decade since he skipped town without warning, gay transgender activist Caz returns to his isolated hometown of Rūrangi, where no one has seen or heard from him since he transitioned. Although former best friend Anahera is quick to embrace him, the same can’t be said of his estranged father, while his reappearance raises more questions than answers for ex-boyfriend Jem.

As Caz struggles to reconnect and make amends, the realisation they’re grappling with their own shifting identities and shared history pushes him to finally confront the regrets he’s been running from.

Winner of the Audience Award at the world’s largest LGBTIQ+ Film Festival, Framleine, Rūrangi is a crowd pleaser that perfectly balances drama, humour and heart.

Content Warning: Discussion of suicide

Director: Max Currie, English, and Māori with English subtitles

This film is presented as part of the MQFF Regional Roadshow with support from the Victorian Government.

Alice (Gemma Arterton), a fiercely independent folklore investigator, secludes herself in her clifftop study, debunking myths using science to disprove the existence of magic. Consumed by her work, but also profoundly lonely, she is haunted by a love affair from her past.

When spirited young Frank (Lucas Bond), an evacuee from the London Blitz, is dumped into her irritable care, his innocence and curiosity awaken Alice’s deeply buried emotions.

Opening herself up for the first time in a while, memories come flooding back and Alice begins to recount her great love affair with Vera (Gugu Mbatha Raw).

Set in the 1940s, 1920s and 1970s and filmed along the stunning coastal vistas and villages of Sussex, Summerland is the feature directorial debut of Jessica Swale, who helms her own original script, and features two wonderful performances from Arterton and Raw as the star-crossed lovers.

Where are we when we remember? The past, the present or somewhere in-between? The philosophical underpinnings of The Greenhouse take its viewers on a journey of time travel, fusing fantasy with domestic drama. In this story of loss, Beth and her three adopted siblings assemble at their rural childhood home after the tragic passing of their lesbian mother.

As with many family events, the weekend is rife with conflict, hostility and implicit tension, while Lauren, an old flame from the past, shows up to destabilise Beth’s world further. Meanwhile, danger looms as Beth discovers a mysterious dimension to the past.

The film’s phantasmagorical qualities allow the viewer access to Beth’s disorientating internal world – an unstable reality ruled by unresolved grief and memory, and a past that threatens to engulf the present.

Thomas Wilson-White’s feature debut, The Greenhouse, is part magic, part metaphor, reminding its audience of the seductive nature of memory and the danger of spending too much time there.

Shown as part of MQFF’s Regional Tour, stopping in Geelong, Bendigo, Morwell, Ballarat, and Shepparton. MQFF’s Regional Tour has been made possible through support from the State Government of Victoria.

Sam (Colin Firth) and Tusker (Stanley Tucci) have spent 20 years together, and they are as passionately in love as they have ever been. But in the two years since Tusker was diagnosed with early-onset dementia, their lives have had to change. As Tusker’s condition has progressed, Sam has been forced to place his career on hold and become his partner’s full-time carer, their time together has become the most important aspect of their lives, and every moment they now share has a weight it once did not.
They plan a road trip while Tusker is still able to travel, to reconnect with friends and family and visit the places of their past.

Directed with understatement, warmth and compassion by Harry Macqueen, Stanley Tucci and Colin Firth give stellar performances in this heartrending modern love story about a couple struggling with irreversible illness and the inevitable loss of a life partner.

Ex champion diver Victor (Vasilis Magouliotis), works in a mundane job repairing furniture while living with his grandmother in a small Greek coastal town. Following her death, he decides to dust off her car and head to Germany to reconnect with his distant mother. On the ferry over to Italy, he meets the handsome Mattias (Anton Weil), a chatty German drifter on his way home.

Victor reluctantly agrees to give Mattias a lift and the two begin their winding ride north through the Italian countryside. Despite their clashing personalities, the two men begin to find an emotional connection with one another in this delightful and visually striking romance.

Written and directed by Greek filmmaker Stelios Kammitsis, this charming gay film features grounded performances from its two leads and gorgeous landscapes lensed by cinematographer Thodoros Mihopoulos.

Weil is a highlight as the inquisitive and free-spirited Mattias, who also provides some levity to contrast the uptight and reserved Victor. A moving film that explores finding family and yourself in the most unlikely of times and places.

Shown as part of MQFF’s Regional Tour, stopping in Geelong, Bendigo, Morwell, Ballarat, and Shepparton. Held in partnership with Bendigo Queer Film Festival. MQFF’s Regional Tour has been made possible through support from the State Government of Victoria.

The 31st Melbourne Queer Film Festival is coming – screening 18 – 29 November 2021 at ACMI, Village Cinemas Jam Factory, and Cinema Nova.

MQFF is moving to November! This is a great move for the festival and will mark the first time that we are moving the festival. We are expecting a great lineup of films, plus the return of some of our favourite festival events, and we are looking forward to celebrating this change with our community this November.

A November festival allows us to make the most of the latest queer content being released, including from the Northern Hemisphere festival circuit, before it appears on local streaming services. This means you will get to see some of the latest and best content celebrating LGBTIQ+ stories on film.

We also know that March is a busy time of year for festivals both in the queer community and in Victoria more generally.

Don’t worry, you will still get your MQFF fix in March. Our plans are to continue to hold a smaller festival during March to catch any of the new releases that didn’t make it into our November festival.

Tickets and passes for #MQFF31 will go on sale in October 2021 at mqff.com.au, following the program announcement.

In the meantime, mark the dates 18-29 November 2021 in your calendar.

Keep an eye out on our emails and our socials for further announcements.