Queer Screen – Mardi Gras Film Festival

Sell By | Australian Premiere
Sun Feb 16 8:00 PM & Tue Feb 18 6:30 PM
Event Cinemas, George St
BOOK TIX: bit.ly/MGFF20-Sell

What happens when the facts don’t match the Insta filter?

In this comedy-drama, artist and painter Adam (Scott Evans, as swoon-worthy as his brother Chris Evans) and successful influencer Marklin (Augustus Prew) have the seemingly perfect New York lifestyle – gorgeous restaurants and cashmere coats aplenty.

However, after five years, cracks are beginning to show in their beautifully curated world. Can they salvage what they once had? And do they even want to? In this ensemble-led exploration of modern relationships, they and their friends will all find themselves putting long-held ideas about love and sex to the test. (Oh, and keep an eye out for a brilliant cameo by the amazing Patricia Clarkson). How do you live your most authentic life when you’re not even sure what that is?

BOOK NOW: bit.ly/MGFF20-Sell

Presented with Novotel Sydney Darling Square

BIT | Australian Premiere
Fri Feb 14 9:00 PM at Event Cinemas, George St
& Tue Feb 18 6:30 PM at Dendy, Newtown
BOOK TIX: http://bit.ly/MGFF20-Bit

Fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, D.E.B.S and the ’90s will revel in this queer, lesbian vampire film about what it means to belong in today’s complex times.

Laurel (transgender actress Nicole Maines, Supergirl) is graduating high school and moving to LA to see what the future holds by crashing on her brother’s couch and sampling the nightlife. Of course it is here that she falls in with a group of lesbian vampires, for whom the only rule is to never turn a man, because they can’t be trusted with power.

Bit has a gritty, ’90s aesthetic but is set today, and Laurel’s journey as a young trans woman finding her place in a new city, albeit with vampires, is compelling, moving, sexy and most importantly, wildly entertaining.

BOOK NOW: http://bit.ly/MGFF20-Bit

Speed Networking for Queer Filmmakers | MGFF 2020
Tue Feb 18 7:00 PM at Event Cinemas Set Bar
BOOK TIX: bit.ly/MGFF20-free

Queer Screen’s filmmaker networking is a chance for you to find that missing collaborator for your next project. We encourage artists from every discipline, at whatever level they are at in their career to attend, so we can work together to advance queer film.

“Director seeks editor for long nights in a post production office.”
“Cinematographer seeks gaffer to light up their scene.”
“Producer seeks actor for romantic comedy”

The event is completely free and open to filmmakers from every level. Space is limited, so book now: http://bit.ly/MGFF20-free

Head to queerscreen.org.au to sign up to the Filmmakers eNews to keep abreast of all the filmmaker opportunities available.

Presented with UTS Arts and Social Sciences

More Beautiful for Having Been Broken
Tues 18 Feb, 7:00pm, Event Cinemas, George St
BOOK TIX: http://bit.ly/MGFF20-mbfhbb

Australian Premiere

Award-winning director Nicole Conn’s (Elena Undone MGFF11, A Perfect Ending MGFF13) new film is a heartfelt drama about the power of love and the importance of living each day as it comes.

Grieving the loss of her mother, battle-scarred FBI agent McKenzie (Aussie actress Zoe Ventoura) takes refuge in the beautiful lakeside town she remembers from childhood. After meeting ten-year-old Freddie (Cale Ferrin), a boy with special needs, she’s gradually drawn into the lives of an eccentric group of locals, including a former fling who’s struggling with sobriety (Harley Jane Kozak) and Freddie’s beautiful single mother, Samantha (Kayla Radomski). As Freddie’s positivity and unique view of the world helps McKenzie heal from past trauma, a passionate love affair with Samantha beckons.

Loosely based on Conn’s own experiences as a mother, as shown in her intimate documentary Little Man (queerDOC05), More Beautiful embraces the Japanese idea of ‘kintsukuroi’, that we are stronger and more beautiful for our flaws.

BOOK NOW: http://bit.ly/MGFF20-mbfhbb

Presented with AGL

End of the Century
Tue 18 Feb, 8:30pm, Event Cinemas, George St
BOOK TIX: http://bit.ly/MGFF20-End

A festival favourite from QSFF19, End of the Century is back due to popular demand. Ocho, an Argentinian poet, and Javi, a Spanish filmmaker, meet by chance while in Barcelona. Initially intended as a brief hook-up, the two men realise that they met twenty years earlier. This serendipitous relationship unfolds in a non-linear fashion in three parts. Lucio Castro’s sensual film captures the romanticism of a balmy European summer, and explores the role of fate and chance in our sexual encounters. Is this just a summer fling or are they meant for each other?

BOOK NOW: http://bit.ly/MGFF20-End

Scream, Queen! My Nightmare on Elm St | Australian Premiere
Tue Feb 18 8:30 PM at Dendy Cinemas, Newtown
BOOK TIX: bit.ly/MGFF20-Scream

In 1985, Wes Craven’s unforgettable classic A Nightmare on Elm Street was followed up with Freddy’s Revenge, which quickly earned infamy as ‘the gayest horror film ever made’.

Despite performing well at the box office, the film was maligned by critics and horror fans due to its apparent gay subtext and homoerotic imagery. Mark Patton, the film’s leading man became a scapegoat for the film’s failure. In Reagan era USA, against the backdrop of the AIDS epidemic, Patton endured relentless ridicule for his ‘gay’ performance, and with his promising career derailed, Patton left Hollywood. Over the course of the next thirty years on, A Nightmare on Elm Street 2 has found a passionate fanbase in the queer horror movie community.

Scream, Queen! My Nightmare on Elm Street explores the once maligned sequel’s subsequent cult status, its firm place in the pantheon of queer horror, and traces Patton’s defiant return to Tinseltown to embrace his legacy as horror cinema’s first gay male scream queen.

BOOK NOW: bit.ly/MGFF20-Scream

Presented with FilmInk

Sid & Judy
Wed 19 Feb 6:30pm Event Cinemas, George St.
BOOK TIX: bit.ly/MGFF20-Judy

Judy Garland fever is upon us! After Renée Zellweger’s powerhouse performance in biopic Judy,
spend more time getting to know the star in this insightful new documentary.

The unpublished memoirs of Judy’s third husband, Sid Luft are brought to life by narrator Jon Hamm, with Jennifer Jason Leigh voicing Garland. Sid & Judy explores the performer’s rise from child vaudevillian to entertainment legend, taking a fresh look at a journey that was beset with troubles and often subject to the whims of male power players who thought they knew best, even while she was crumbling.

What rings out is Garland’s incredible, goosebump-inducing voice, and the film features plenty of interviews, live recordings, and archival footage of the star. This is a fascinating profile told from the perspective of someone who knew and loved this icon intimately.

BOOK NOW: bit.ly/MGFF20-Judy

Presented with The Bookshop Darlinghurst

Transgender Shorts
Wed Feb 19 6:30 PM at Dendy Cinemas, Newtown
BOOK TIX: http://bit.ly/MGFF20-Trans

Showcasing some of the best filmmaking about transgender people from around the world, this must-see package of beautifully realised shorts confronts bigotry, stereotypes, religion, cultural norms, and the medical establishment.

Firmly placing trans people and their diverse lives front and centre, this collection of shorts share a narrative throughline of transgender people – both real and fictional – reclaiming space for themselves in society, history, and life.

A trans woman’s compartmentalised life is shaken when her nighttime explorations of femininity come face-to-face with her closeted life as a mechanic in multiple award-winning Miller & Son, while Asia-Pacific Queer Film Festival Alliance 2019 winner A Gift (Kado) portrays a young trans boy’s struggle to please societal expectations and feel comfortable in his own skin.

They’re joined by a trans woman celebrating finally legally changing her name but still can’t shake one negative voice in Fee, transgender performers – including Zackary Drucker (Transparent) and Angelica Ross (Pose) – recreate long-buried 1950s medical research interviews with trans people in Framing Agnes, and a mother’s earnest wish to make a Danish religious ceremony inclusive of her trans son in The Confirmation.

BOOK NOW: http://bit.ly/MGFF20-Trans

Double feature: Cloudy River & Without A Tracey
World Premiere
Wed 19 Feb, 7:00pm, Event Cinemas, George St
BOOK TIX: http://bit.ly/MGFF20-crwt

Pairing two different but equally exciting Australian episodics, both the hilarious Without a Tracey and the riveting Cloudy River are not to be missed. Boasting laugh-out-loud performances and a killer script, Without a Tracey sees ex-cop Tracey stumble across a murder case, in a comedy about a very serious crime that is anything but serious. While pansexual painter Cloudy and musician boyfriend River navigate the complications of an open relationship in Cloudy River, a sexy drama about jealousy, mental health, and finding something solid in a life filled with fluidity.

BOOK NOW: http://bit.ly/MGFF20-crwt

Tu Me Manques | Australian Premiere
Sat 15 Feb, 6pm & Wed 19 Feb, 8:30pm
at Event Cinemas George St
BOOK TIX: bit.ly/MGFF20-tmm

Based on a play that started a revolution in Bolivia, Tu Me Manques is an innovative film which turns a deeply personal story into a universal call for love and acceptance. Sebastian and Gabriel are two Bolivian men living in New York City falling in love, the complicated issue of Gabriel coming out to his family back home starts to drive a wedge in their fairy tale life stateside.

L.A. Outfest 2019 Winner Grand Jury Award Outstanding Screenwriting

BOOK NOW: bit.ly/MGFF20-tmm

Presented with Sydney Latin American Film Festival

Walking with Shadows | Australian Premiere
Wed Feb 19 8:30 PM at Dendy Cinemas, Newtown
BOOK TIX: http://bit.ly/MGFF20-Shadows

Walking With Shadows portrays the impossible weight of living in the closet and the terrifying freedom of being out.

In the conservative nation of Nigeria, Adrian Njoko has created a life that fits the expectations of society and his family. However, it all comes crashing down when his sexuality and past is exposed to his loved ones.

This film is based on Jude Dibia’s 2005 novel of the same name, the first Nigerian novel cited to “humanise” a gay character. The empathy that permeates the novel is rich within this film. Ozzy Agu brings an aching yearning to the role of Adrian as he struggles to find the right thing to do for himself and his family.

Walking with Shadows explores the damage done by being forced to hide your true self and the strength it takes to move forward.

BOOK NOW: http://bit.ly/MGFF20-Shadows

T11 Incomplete | World Premiere
Thu 20 Feb, 6:30pm, Dendy Cinemas Newtown
BOOK TIX: bit.ly/MGFF20-T11

Recovering alcoholic Kate (Karen Sillas, Female Perversions) is working as a home health aide striving to rebuild her life and her relationship with her adult son (Zachary Booth, After Louie QSFF17) who now has a child of his own. Laura (Kristen Renton from Sons of Anarchy) is a fiercely independent paraplegic who is fighting her own demons. When circumstances bring the two together they find commonality in their struggles that may go beyond what they are ready for. As their undeniable connection deepens and they begin to fall in love, issues of trust come to the fore and threatens to derail both their lives again.

The hallmark of this film is that both cast and crew are comprised of people who identify with disability, helping to deliver an authentic, romantic and heartfelt character study about people striving to be better.

BOOK NOW: bit.ly/MGFF20-T11

Presented with Red Raw

Circus of Books | Sydney Premiere
Thu Feb 20 6:30 PM at Dendy Cinemas, Newtown
BOOK TIX: bit.ly/MGFF20-cob

In acclaimed documentary Circus of Books, director Rachel Mason turns the camera on her parents, Karen and Barry to tell their unlikely tale of running the most successful gay adult bookstore in West Hollywood.

In the early 1980s, the couple desperately needed an income to support their young family and took over a local gay bookstore, renaming it Circus of Books. The store became a haven for the gay community to mingle and meet, as well as offering customers a wealth of erotica. In the mid-1980s, the strait-laced couple branched into film, becoming the largest distributors of gay video porn in the USA and even faced prison time in the conservative Reagan era!

The arrival of the internet sounded the death knell for Circus of Books, and the business’ bittersweet final days are depicted in this fascinating and personal film, which features stories and interviews with former patrons and employees including drag superstar Alaska Thunderfuck, adult film legend Jeff Stryker, and publishing titan Larry Flynt.

BOOK NOW: bit.ly/MGFF20-cob

Presented with The Bookshop Darlinghurst

Monsoon | Mardi Gras Film Festival 2020
Thu 20 Feb 7:00pm Event Cinemas, George St.
BOOK TIX: bit.ly/MGFF20-Monsoon

Crazy Rich Asians’ sexy leading man Henry Golding stars in this poetic tale from director Hong Khaou (MGFF15’s Lilting).

Golding plays a gay man whose family left Vietnam when he was a child, and who returns to Saigon from the UK to distribute his parents’ ashes. As well as reconnecting with a cousin who reminds him of the world he left behind, he also hooks up with an American, Lewis (Parker Stevens) who has his own personal connection to Vietnam – their liaison offering both men a sympathetic ear.

Monsoon looks at the complexity of home and place, and how our culture, history, sexuality, and family history forms our identity. With the dreamy Golding as our guide, this beautifully shot and evocative film finds that the answers can sometimes be wondrously elusive.

BOOK NOW: bit.ly/MGFF20-Monsoon

Monsoon | Australian Premiere
Sun 16 Feb, 6:00pm & Thu 20 Feb 7:00pm
Event Cinemas, George St
BOOK TIX: bit.ly/MGFF20-Mons

Crazy Rich Asians’ sexy leading man Henry Golding stars in this poetic film from director Hong Khaou
(MGFF15’s Lilting) about a man who returns to his native Vietnam from the UK to distribute his
parents’ ashes. As part of his journey, he hooks up with an American, Lewis (Parker Stevens) who has
his own personal connection to the country – their liaison offering both men a sympathetic ear. Asking questions about home, place and identity, this beautifully-shot film, with the dreamy Golding at its heart, finds that the answers can sometimes be wondrously elusive.

BOOK NOW: bit.ly/MGFF20-Mons

Bonnie & Bonnie | Australian Premiere
Thu Feb 20 8:30 PM at Event Cinemas, George St
BOOK TIX: bit.ly/MGFF20-bnb

A modern-day Bonnie & Clyde set on the “wrong side of the river” in Hamburg. Seventeen year old Yara is trapped in a world dictated by cultural obligations to her strict Albanian family. When she meets Kiki, a free spirited bartender and petty thief, she is presented with a life she never expected. While Yara discovers an unfamiliar freedom in the new relationship, Kiki learns to belong to someone for the first time.

But when her secret is discovered by her domineering older brother, and becomes a shameful viral video, Yara is forced to make a life-changing decision. A thriller about the consequences of our actions, and the risks of being true to yourself even in the face of adversity.

BOOK NOW: bit.ly/MGFF20-bnb

Crystal City | Australian Premiere
Thu 20 Feb, 9pm at Event Cinemas George St
BOOK TIX: http://bit.ly/MGFF20-Crys

* Screening will be followed by a post-screening discussion *

The manic rush of crystal meth is powerfully brought to life in this confronting yet inspirational tale of addiction and recovery. Beautifully cinematic, this is one for anyone whose life has been touched by drug use and addiction.

Stick around for a post-screening discussion of the issues raised in Crystal City, providing local context to the film’s powerful portrayal of crystal meth use in New York’s gay community.

Tell It To the Bees
Fri 21 Feb, 6:30pm at Hayden Orpheum
Sat 22 Feb, 6pm at Event Cinemas George St
BOOK TIX: bit.ly/MGFF20-Bees

In the UK in the 1950s, Dr. Jean (Anna Paquin) has returned to her hometown where whispers of improper acts as a schoolgirl follow her. Lydia (Holliday Grainger) and her son are looking for a home, and Jean kindly takes them in. Lydia finds herself drawn to Jean in a way she never expected, and the two embark on a passionate affair that starts a series of events which neither of them can stop. This sweeping period drama has an intoxicating mix of romance and magical realism, and is an engrossing story about love and sacrifice.

Pink Apple 2019 Winner Best Feature Film
Kingston Reelout Film Festival 2019 Nominee Outstanding Lead Performance

BOOK NOW: bit.ly/MGFF20-Bees

Presented with The Bookshop Darlinghurst

Lizzie | Mardi Gras Film Festival 2020
Sat 15 Feb 8:30pm
Fri 21 Feb 6:30pm
BOOK TIX: bit.ly/MGFF20-Lizzie

Lizzie is a distinct feminist retelling of the notorious unsolved grisly axe murders of the wealthy Borden family in 1892.

At 32 years of age, unmarried and already deemed an outcast by her family and society, Lizzie Borden (Chloë Sevigny) strains against stifling social conventions and the domineering and abusive rule of her father, seeking solace in an intimate connection with the new housemaid Bridget (Kristen Stewart).

Lizzie dives deep into the possible psychology and motivations behind the murders that stopped a nation, speculating a passionate affair between the two women in an intense and unsettling character study that will have you squirming in your seat until the climactic finale.

BOOK NOW: bit.ly/MGFF20-Lizzie

And Then We Danced | Sydney Premiere
Fri 21 Feb, 7:00pm & Tue 25 Feb 8:30pm
Event Cinemas, George St
BOOK TIX: http://bit.ly/MGFF20-Danced

One of the most acclaimed LGBTIQ+ films of 2019, And Then We Danced is a powerful film about rivalry, desire and defiance. Goal-oriented Merab (an astonishing Levan Gelbakhiani) wants nothing more than to dance with the National Georgian Ensemble and has trained most his life for the honour. But all this is thrown into chaos when he falls for the carefree and rebellious newcomer Irakli (Bachi Valishvili). Levan Akin’s film sparked wild scenes of protest outside cinemas in conservative Georgia when it screened and is a mesmerising film that’s not to be missed.

BOOK NOW: http://bit.ly/MGFF20-Danced

Girls Like Girls Shorts
Fri 21 Feb, 8:30pm, Event Cinemas, George St
BOOK TIX: http://bit.ly/MGFF20-girl

Winner of the Outfest Los Angeles Audience Award for Best Narrative Short 2019, Time & Again is just one from this assortment of shorts about queer women, regardless of how they identify. These are the stories of their discreet dalliances, stubborn grudges, cinematic escapades, roadside encounters, repressed crushes, long-awaited kisses and out-and-out romance in its purest form. Serious, silly, and even strange, these shorts stretch the bounds of genre, tone and the Kinsey scale whether it’s about going to karaoke, down memory lane, or to St Kilda beach in search of dolphins.

BOOK NOW: http://bit.ly/MGFF20-girl

The Shiny Shrimps – Encore Screening
Fri Feb 21 8:45 PM at Hayden Orpheum, Cremorne
BOOK TIX: http://bit.ly/MGFF20-Shrimps

A massive box office hit in France, The Shiny Shrimps is a feel-good sports comedy, and unabashed escapist entertainment.

After Matthias, a hot-headed swimming champion at the end of his career makes a homophobic slur on national television he is relegated to coaching the Shiny Shrimps, a diverse and flamboyant water polo team.

Upon initial inspection, the Shiny Shrimps seem little more than an undisciplined ragtag bunch of amateurs. But before long, the Shrimps transform themselves into a force to be reckoned with. They soon find themselves and their initially-reluctant coach embarking on an action-packed road trip from Paris to Croatia in a beat-up old bus to compete in the Gay Games.

This hilarious and touching journey will shake up Matthias’ past prejudices and forge friendships amongst the disparate team.

BOOK NOW: http://bit.ly/MGFF20-Shrimps

Spiral | Australian Premiere
Fri Feb 21 9:00 PM at Event Cinemas, George St
BOOK TIX: http://bit.ly/MGFF20-Spiral

In 1995, gay couple Malik and Aaron move from Chicago to small-town America with their teenage daughter, but there’s something unnerving about their overly friendly new neighbours.

After someone breaks in and spray-paints homophobic graffiti on their wall, and he witnesses a strange party next door, Malik is forced to reckon with past traumas as he tries to prove Rusty Creek is not what it seems. But how far is he willing to go to unravel the truth and protect his family, as his own life begins to spiral out of control?

Featuring a star-making performance from Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman (UnREAL, American Horror Story), and co-written by Colin Minihan (writer-director of What Keeps You Alive), Spiral is a spine-tingling exploration of what people will do in the name of fear and prejudice. A chilling and timely addition to the queer horror canon about the dangers of not learning from the past.

BOOK NOW: http://bit.ly/MGFF20-Spiral

For They Know Not What They Do | Australian Premiere
Sat Feb 22 1:30 PM at Event Cinema, Georges St
BOOK TIX: bit.ly/MGFF20-For

With a focus on four gay and transgender Americans and their devout Christian families, this moving documentary shines a light on the love and acceptance possible within faith, while profiling the continued struggles for acceptance at the intersection of sexuality, gender identity, politics, and religion.

Without shying away from the sometimes devastating impact homophobia and transphobia can have on the most vulnerable in our community, For They Know Not What They Do is ultimately about the importance of resilience, family, and making amends for past mistakes.

As religious freedom is increasingly used as an excuse to target the LGBTIQ+ community here in Australia, director Daniel Karslake’s poignant follow-up to For the Bible Tells Me So (2007) is both timely and hopeful for the future.

BOOK NOW: bit.ly/MGFF20-For

Presented with MCC Sydney and Equality Australia

Are You Proud? | Australian Premiere
Sat Feb 22 2:30 PM at Dendy Cinemas, Newtown
BOOK TIX: http://bit.ly/MGFF20-ayp

Witness the bold, vivid history of the UK Pride movement in Are You Proud?

This vital documentary tracks the rise of UK Pride from its beginnings through to the diverse range of Pride celebrations that exist today. It brings a thorough history of Pride to the screen, featuring interviews with some of the trailblazers of the 1970’s Gay Liberation Front, as well as present-day community leaders who are continuing the fight for equal rights.

Are You Proud? isn’t just a historical recount. It embraces intersectionality and the nuance of identity and experience to explore Pride with a breadth that reflects the complexity and diversity within theLGBTIQ+ community. At a time when the international stage is fraught with political battles for human rights, Are You Proud? shows us where we’ve come from and leaves us with the question of how to move forward.

BOOK NOW: http://bit.ly/MGFF20-ayp

Olivia
Sat Feb 22 3:30 PM at Event Cinemas, George St
BOOK TIX: bit.ly/MGFF20-Olivia

“Does your heart beat when you see her? Does it stop when your hands touch? Does your throat close up when you speak to her?”

This 1951 French lesbian classic offers a tantalisingly strange portrayal of infatuation between a girl and a woman. Set in the 1800s, in a flamboyant French boarding school, Olivia tells the archetypal story of a forbidden attraction between student and teacher.

The pupils at this all-girls French boarding school are hopelessly devoted to one of two alluring teachers – Miss Julie or Miss Cara. When English schoolgirl Olivia arrives, tensions escalate as the new girl’s feelings for one teacher blossom and begin to grow. Based on the 1949 novel by Dorothy Bussy, Olivia is both surprisingly sexual, and expectedly understated.

The antics of the students (and the teachers) create a bizarre mixture of desire, scandal, flamboyance and morality. This 4k restoration offers a tantalising insight into the cultural mores surrounding representations of lesbianism in the 1950s.

BOOK NOW: bit.ly/MGFF20-Olivia

Presented with Cinema Reborn

Asia Pacific Queer Film Festival Alliance Shorts
Sat Feb 22 4:30 PM at Dendy Cinemas, Newtown
BOOK TIX: http://bit.ly/MGFF20-apqffa

Representing some of the best short films from the region, these Asian Pacific Queer Film Festival Alliance (APQFFA) shorts highlight queer characters performing defiant resistance against cultural norms in their own unique ways.

Alongside APQFFA Best Short Film 2019 winner A Gift (Kado), about a young Indonesian trans boy’s struggle to please societal expectations and feel comfortable in his own skin, it also includes a slow-burn romance between a Maharashtrian single mother and her son’s school teacher in U for Usha, and the heartfelt tale of a Taiwanese supreme court justice who receives a letter from her estranged son on the eve of an important vote in From the Other Side.

It also features Military Dog from Taiwan, about a submissive soldier caught up in a kinky relationship; The Booth from India, about two women having secret rendezvous in a mall security frisking booth; and Rani from Pakistan, about a trans woman who discovers an abandoned baby in the streets and vows to raise them despite society’s prejudices.

BOOK NOW: http://bit.ly/MGFF20-apqffa

Tell It To the Bees
Fri 21 Feb, 6:30pm at Hayden Orpheum
Sat 22 Feb, 6pm at Event Cinemas George St
BOOK TIX: bit.ly/MGFF20-Bees

In the UK in the 1950s, Dr. Jean (Anna Paquin) has returned to her hometown where whispers of improper acts as a schoolgirl follow her. Lydia (Holliday Grainger) and her son are looking for a home, and Jean kindly takes them in. Lydia finds herself drawn to Jean in a way she never expected, and the two embark on a passionate affair that starts a series of events which neither of them can stop. This sweeping period drama has an intoxicating mix of romance and magical realism, and is an engrossing story about love and sacrifice.

Pink Apple 2019 Winner Best Feature Film
Kingston Reelout Film Festival 2019 Nominee Outstanding Lead Performance

BOOK NOW: bit.ly/MGFF20-Bees

Presented with The Bookshop Darlinghurst

Los Fuertes | Australian Premiere
Sat 22 Feb 6:30pm & Mon 24 Feb 6:30pm
Event Cinemas, George St

BOOK TIX: bit.ly/MGFF20-Fuertes

This Chilean romantic drama is set against a stunning backdrop of crashing waves and rolling fog. Whilst visiting his sister in a remote south-Chilean town Lucas meets Antonio, an attractive local fisherman, and their chemistry is instantly palpable. But when their simmering sexual tension boils over and an intense romance blossoms, both men have major decisions to make as Lucas’ planned move abroad edges ever closer. Los Fuertes is about finding the inner strength to be yourself instead of bowing to expectations.

BOOK NOW: bit.ly/MGFF20-Fuertes

Presented with SBS and Sydney Latin American Film Festival

Lingua Franca | Australian Premiere
Sat 22 Feb, 6:30pm, Dendy Cinemas Newtown
BOOK TIX: bit.ly/MGFF20-lifr

Enchanting and sensual, this gentle romance is a landmark drama written, directed, edited and starring critically acclaimed New York based transgender filmmaker Isabel Sandoval.

Fresh from the Venice Film Festival, Lingua Franca chronicles the struggles of Olivia – played by Sandoval – an undocumented Filipina transgender woman who cares for Olga, an elderly Russian grandmother in Brooklyn. Olivia’s search for love, security and a green card takes an unexpected turn following the arrival of an unlikely drifter who also happens to be Olga’s adult grandson and troubled abattoir worker, Alex.

Set against Trump-era immigration anxieties, Lingua Franca is both a sobering and visually mesmerising portrait of just some of the struggles facing the transgender community.

BOOK NOW: bit.ly/MGFF20-lifr

Presented with Trans Pride Australia

HalloKween Shorts
Sat Feb 22 8:30 PM at Dendy Cinemas, Newtown
BOOK TIX: http://bit.ly/MGFF20-Hallo

Prepare for chills, thrills, and kills from this spine-tingling set of shorts. From a zombie trans woman to a gay wannabe serial killer, a lesbian monster in the closet and some seriously queer transformations are just a few of the things haunting this wonderfully weird collection of tales, drawing on the unique horrors, anxieties, and desires concerning LGBTIQ+ people.

Featuring Queer Palm 2019 nominee Jeremiah, about an Asian-American footballer who’s convinced he’s being watched as he grapples with his crush on another player, it’s joined by the humorously awkward serial killer romance of Killer Date, and a girl making a disturbing discovery during her first sexual encounter in the award-winning Switch.

Rounded out by a straight couple facing their privilege in Eat Rich, the magical infatuation of Tentatrice, a teenager tackling her monstrous fears in Something in the Closet, and a confrontation between tokenisation and jealousy – with the help of a bloody stapler – in The Office is Mine, this often hilarious yet spooky package is a must for genre fans.

BOOK NOW: http://bit.ly/MGFF20-Hallo

The Ground Beneath My Feet
Sat Feb 22 8:30 PM at Event Cinema, George St
BOOK TIX: http://bit.ly/MGFF20-gbmf

Lola, portrayed with impeccable iciness by the exceptional Valerie Pachner, is torn between two German cities.

Rostock for high pressure consultancy work and an illicit, hotel-room-bound affair with her boss, Elise. And Munich, as guardian for her unstable and suicidal older sister, Conny.

When Conny makes another suicide attempt and is hospitalised, Lola throws herself even further into her work, to the point where she begins to question even her own sanity thanks to a series of mysterious, distressing calls from Conny that may not be as they appear.

Combined with the pressure of sleeping with her boss, aggressively climbing the corporate ladder and making the decision to care for her sister in-house, Lola is on a one-way track to oblivion, and even she isn’t sure she’ll make it out the other side. The stark environs and nuanced performance from Pachner serve up a tense, careful and provocative film.

BOOK NOW: http://bit.ly/MGFF20-gbmf

Jonathan Agassi Saved My Life
Sat 22 Feb, 9:00pm, Event Cinemas, George St
BOOK TIX: bit.ly/MGFF20-jasml

Offering explicit access to Israeli adult film star, Jonathan Agassi’s life, on camera and off, it’s often the unique bond with his supportive mum and their time together that’s the most fascinating to watch. Charting his rapid rise to fame and his attempts to cope with the pressures that brings, Jonathan Agassi Saved My Life is a personal story of addiction and survival. Filmed over eight years, it offers an at times confronting look behind the curtain at a man many think they know, but few have seen this naked and raw.

BOOK NOW: bit.ly/MGFF20-jasml

Presented with Antenna Film Festival

No Box For Me. An Intersex Story | Australian Premiere
Sun Feb 23 1:00 PM at Dendy Cinemas, Newtown
BOOK TIX: bit.ly/MGFF20-NoBox

The story of four different young people in France and Switzerland, all of whom also happen to be intersex.

The documentary is framed through a growing friendship between Deborah, who is writing her dissertation on the experience of being intersex, and M, who is struggling with acceptance both internally and externally.

Through intimate interviews and footage, we are given a careful, thought-provoking and informative window into their lives, along the way, opening up a viewpoint that is rarely spoken about and for generations has been seen as taboo by society in general. With a mixture of warmth and intelligence, we are given insights and come to new understandings that pave the path for a brighter, braver and more diverse future.

BOOK NOW: bit.ly/MGFF20-NoBox

Presented with Intersex Human Rights Australia and Human Rights Watch

Changing the Game
Sun 23 Feb, 1pm at Event Cinemas George St
BOOK TIX: bit.ly/MGFF20-ctg

* Screening will be followed by a panel discussion, Game Plan: Affirmation and Inclusion in Australian Sport *

Changing the Game is a timely doco profiling three transgender teens fighting for their right to compete in the sports they love. Supported by their families, friends, and coaches, the film ultimately becomes a striking portrait of three teens chasing their dreams in a world yet to catch up to them.

Australian Premiere

Join Beau Newell, National Program Manager at Pride in Sport; trans athlete and pioneer Ricki Coughlan; Merrilee Barnes, Director of Inclusive Sport at the Australian Sports Commission; and Monique Schafter, Board Member of Twenty10, ABC journalist and Producer of the Well Played project, as they discuss Changing the Game and the hurdles faced by trans and gender diverse athletes in Australia.

BOOK NOW: bit.ly/MGFF20-ctg

Presented with Pride in Sport

Gay Chorus Deep South | Sydney Premiere
Sun Feb 23 3:30 PM at Dendy Cinemas Newtown
BOOK TIX: bit.ly/MGFF20-gcds

* This screening will be preceded by a performance by Sydney Gay & Lesbian Choir *

MGFF20 audiences will be moved by Gay Chorus Deep South, an award-winning and uplifting documentary that hits all the right notes.

David Charles Rodrigues’ film follows the marvellous San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus on their 2017 Lavender Pen Tour of America’s Bible Belt, devised in response to the increase in faith-based anti-gay laws introduced following the divisive presidential election of 2016.

The chorus’ 300 singers travel from Mississippi, through Tennessee and Alabama to the Carolinas – states with some of America’s most restrictive anti-discrimination laws. Along the way, they attempt to reconnect with the churches, communities and family members that previously rejected them, with their soaring vocals providing a rousing gospel soundtrack to their journey. As they complete their tour, the singers soon come to realise that the things that divide can be set aside by the power of music, humanity and of course, a little drag.

BOOK NOW: bit.ly/MGFF20-gcds

Presented with Sydney Gay & Lesbian Choir

Masterclass with Omar Zúñiga | MGFF 2020
Sun Feb 23 4:00 PM at Event Cinemas Set Bar
90 Mins

This is a FREE event, bookings essential:
http://bit.ly/MGFF20-free

Join the writer and director of Los Fuertes and San Cristóbal (MGFF16) for an immersive master class on what it takes to direct a personal story.

Omar holds an MFA from New York University’s Graduate Film Program. He premiered his short San Cristóbal at the Berlinale in 2015, where it won the Teddy Award. His debut feature film Los Fuertes is currently taking him worldwide! He is a founding partner in Cinestación, a production company that creates bold auteur filmmaking in Chile and Latin America.

This is a FREE event, bookings essential:
BOOK NOW: http://bit.ly/MGFF20-free

Lesbian Shorts
Sun Feb 23 4:00 PM at Event Cinemas, George St
BOOK TIX: bit.ly/MGFF20-Les

Capturing the experiences of women caught at a crossroads in life, these shorts reflect how even small decisions can affect others. Offering insights into the worlds of women from across this globe, this package explores the multiplicity of lesbian life, both serious and hilarious.

Beginning with the beautiful My World in Yours, about a Palestinian asylum seeker caught between the life she’s built with her girlfriend in Sweden and the woman she left behind, it’s followed by two Muslim women having some overly familiar pillow talk after a hook-up in I Know Her, an older woman reminiscing about her first love during her Catholic school days in Adeline, and a conflicted woman going through IVF treatment in The Conrads.

They’re joined by a couple dissecting their jumbled breakup in After You Left, a student finding the magic secret to getting her mind off of her straight girl crush in Misdirection, and the antics of a busy-body thirteen year-old girl named Gracie who’s hellbent on “saving” the soul of an agnostic lesbian in the hilarious and moving God’s Gracie.

BOOK NOW: bit.ly/MGFF20-Les

Presented with Star Observer

Fabulous | Australian Premiere
Sun Feb 23 5:30 PM at Dendy Cinemas Newtown
BOOK TIX: bit.ly/MGFF20-Fab
Presented with BlaQ Aboriginal Corporation

Follow the legendary Lasseindra Ninja, founder of the House of Ninja in Paris, on her triumphant return to French Guiana.

Lasseindra left for NYC at a young age to spread her wings and discover who she was. There she discovered the underground ballroom scene, and the rest is history. She returns home to bring the art of voguing to the young LGBTIQ+ community who still have to contend with cultural attitudes toward masculinity and homosexuality. Voguing isn’t just dance moves, it’s attitude.

Together, Lasseindra and her young crew set about demonstrating their authenticity with love, pride and pure fabulousness.

“[Fabulous is] a tale of love and optimism that is spread not by some well-meaning stranger, but by one of their own. Lasseindra’s own humility is another reason that this journey of hers makes for such compelling viewing” – Queer Guru

BOOK NOW: bit.ly/MGFF20-Fab

15 Years | Australian Premiere
Sun Feb 23 6:00 PM at Event Cinemas George St
BOOK TIX: bit.ly/MGFF20-15y

Ruggedly handsome Yoav (Oded Leopold) is having a midlife crisis. Everything around him reminds him of his age, from the wrinkles on his face, his fifteenth anniversary with boyfriend Dan (Udi Persi), to seemingly everyone in his life having kids, including best friend Alma (Ruti Asarsai). The last thing he wants is to be a daddy – in either sense of the word – but when it becomes clear he and Dan want different things, Yoav must confront his inner demons as his life begins to unravel around him.

As he finds himself drawn further and further down a path of self-destruction, Yoav must grapple with his own insecurities, while Dan and Alma pick up the pieces in his wake. Exploring the fallout one person’s decisions can have on the lives of those around them, 15 Years is a compelling drama about learning to let go of the past – and knowing when to hang on.

BOOK NOW: bit.ly/MGFF20-15y

Presented with Dayenu Sydney

Dayenu are proud to be supporters of Queen Screen’s 27th Mardi Gras Film Festival. Join us in supporting this entertaining and insightful event bringing all things LGBTIQ+ on the big screen!

Film Synopsis:
Ruggedly handsome Yoav (Oded Leopold) is having a midlife crisis. Everything around him reminds him of his age, from the wrinkles on his face, his fifteenth anniversary with boyfriend Dan (Udi Persi), to seemingly everyone in his life having kids, including best friend Alma (Ruti Asarsai). The last thing he wants is to be a daddy – in either sense of the word – but when it becomes clear he and Dan want different things, Yoav must confront his inner demons as his life begins to unravel around him.

As he finds himself drawn further and further down a path of self-destruction, Yoav must grapple with his own insecurities, while Dan and Alma pick up the pieces in his wake. Exploring the fallout one person’s decisions can have on the lives of those around them, 15 Years is a compelling drama about learning to let go of the past – and knowing when to hang on.

Ellie & Abbie (& Ellie’s Dead Aunt) Encore Screening
Sun Feb 23 6:30 PM at Event Cinemas
BOOK TIX: http://bit.ly/MGFF20-eaeda

Sophie Hawkshaw plays school captain Ellie, who is seriously crushing on her rebellious classmate Abbie (Wentworth’s Zoe Terakes). Determined to ask her first love to the year 12 formal, Ellie devises a plan to go public with the invitation but before she can go through with it, her dead aunt Tara (Julia Billington, Starting from…Now MGFF16) reappears from beyond the grave. Believing she’s been brought back from the dead to be Ellie’s fairy godmother, Tara dishes out unwanted dating advice based on her life as an out lesbian in the 80s.

Marta Dusseldorp (Stateless, Janet King) plays Ellie’s high strung mother whose concern about Ellie’s coming out is more than it seems, and Rachel House (Thor: Ragnarok, Hunt for the Wilderpeople) gives a wonderfully deadpan performance as Ellie’s adopted aunt with secrets of her own.

Don’t miss this intergenerational film which pays homage to Sydney’s LGBTIQ+ activist history — as well as bringing us a fresh take on the universal ‘first love’ story.

BOOK NOW: http://bit.ly/MGFF20-eaeda

The Elder One | Australian Premiere
Sun 23 Feb, 8pm
Event Cinemas, George St
BOOK TIX: bit.ly/MGFF20-teo

Acclaimed new film The Elder One audaciously blends social realism and magic realism; sexuality and gender identity; gay romance and crime-thriller, to startling effect.

The disappearance of Mulla’s older brother, Akbar, looms large over life in beautiful Lakshadweep. After braving the seas to find him, young Mulla is plunged headlong into the harsh realities of Mumbai’s red light district and a fateful encounter with drug-addicted gangster, Bhai. In the past, a tender but forbidden love affair unfolds between Akbar and Aamar, a mute islander on the verge of an arranged marriage.

BOOK NOW: bit.ly/MGFF20-teo

Presented with Trikone

Los Fuertes | Australian Premiere
Sat 22 Feb 6:30pm & Mon 24 Feb 6:30pm
Event Cinemas, George St

BOOK TIX: bit.ly/MGFF20-Fuertes

This Chilean romantic drama is set against a stunning backdrop of crashing waves and rolling fog. Whilst visiting his sister in a remote south-Chilean town Lucas meets Antonio, an attractive local fisherman, and their chemistry is instantly palpable. But when their simmering sexual tension boils over and an intense romance blossoms, both men have major decisions to make as Lucas’ planned move abroad edges ever closer. Los Fuertes is about finding the inner strength to be yourself instead of bowing to expectations.

BOOK NOW: bit.ly/MGFF20-Fuertes

Presented with SBS and Sydney Latin American Film Festival

Defiant Souls | Australian Premiere
Sat Feb 15 6:30 PM at Event Cinemas, George St
& Mon Feb 24 6:30 PM at Dendy Cinemas, Newtown
BOOK TIX: bit.ly/MGFF20-defs

Discover the truth behind the most scandalous case of gender on trial in colonial Cuban history.

After forging a career as an accomplished surgeon in Europe, Enrique Faber lands in Cuba in search of their missing son and settles down to continue their investigation, becoming a respected doctor in the community. Under the unjust patriarchy of 19th-Century colonialist Cuba, suspicions arise around Enrique’s open views on gender and race, their increasing care for the subjugated poor and their marriage to Juana, a local outcast. Faber is eventually subjected to a scandalous trial, with the conviction of having concealed their assigned gender and therefore ‘practicing medicine as a woman’.

This stirring film unfolds against a backdrop of the brutal history of the Cuban slave trade and offers a nuanced look at the likely reality of Faber’s gender identity, which could be honoured as transmasculine, transgender, or a cis woman in a same-sex relationship – all erased by the official historical narrative.

Presented with Sydney Latin American Film Festival

BOOK NOW: bit.ly/MGFF20-defs

My Queer Career Shorts
Mon 24 Feb, 7:00pm, Event Cinemas, George St
BOOK TIX: bit.ly/MGFF20-mqc

Australia’s biggest queer short film prize returns with ten films from emerging Australian filmmakers once again in the running for prizes, including entry into the Iris Prize Film Festival.

In Strangers, Adrienne and Stewart must care for their ailing mother in the face of an apparent sexual awakening and a strict nursing home policy; when tragedy interrupts their secret seaside tryst, the prospect of going public brings two men to a stand off, in We’re Not Here; and Long Distance sees a young Indian woman living in Australia gets a call from her mother back home.

Young queer Australians audition to retell stories from their elders who paved the way for their rights, in documentary We’re All In This Together; a nine-year-old closeted evangelical Christian tomboy must prove her faith by vandalising an LGBTQ sex shop, in Kids on Fire; in St. Augustine, a couple’s seaside trip taking a turn as the salty air finds its way into the cracks of their relationship, and Boldly Go sees a geeky sci-fi fan facing rejection by a ‘straight-acting’ guy – but not for the reason you might think.

Mindset sees Sam forced to confront her new reality over the course of an evening with old friends, road trips usually signify a beginning but for Isaac and his partner Levi, this is their last chance to spend time together before they part ways, in All Good Things; and finally, in Lone Wolf, 15-year-old Sam ignores cruel taunts from Blair and her growing feelings Willow – but she can’t ignore the strange things happening to her body.​

BOOK NOW: bit.ly/MGFF20-mqc

A NIGHT at SWITCH n’ PLAY | Australian Premiere
Mon Feb 24 8:30 PM at Dendy Cinemas Newtown
Screens with CANDY ROYALE film Love & Revolution
BOOK TIX: bit.ly/MGFF20-SNP

Forget about RuPaul’s Drag Race and dive into A Night at Switch n’ Play, the New York destination for queer culture and the art of drag.

The Switch n’ Play collective consists of burlesque performers, drag performers identifying as trans, femme and non-binary; a modern twist on drag houses and ballroom culture. In the spirit of John Waters and Divine, some of the performances are messy and gloriously trashy (particularly the gorgeous Divina GranSparkle), while others playwith the gender spectrum and others lip sync to perfection.This documentary spans several performances from the collective, with interviews giving us access to their inspirations and aspirations as queer people and as performers.

Be blown away by the talent of drag kings, K.James and Vigor Mortis and captivated by the friendship, the power of their performances and the all-round fantastic vibe of this fun, heartfelt documentary.

Screens with Love & Revolution, a short film tribute to Candy Royalle.

BOOK NOW: bit.ly/MGFF20-SNP

Presented with The Red Rattler Theatre

Label Me | Australian Premiere
Mon Feb 24 8:30 PM at Event Cinemas, George St
BOOK TIX: http://bit.ly/MGFF20-Label

In German filmmaker Kai Krueser’s debut feature, he delivers a touching film which explores the complex relationship we hold with ourselves and with other people.

Syrian refugee Waseem has arrived in Cologne seeking asylum, and to survive becomes a gay-for-pay hustler, with strict rules of engagement. When Waseem meets Lars, a wealthy German with a lavish lifestyle, what begins as a transactional relationship grows more intimate as Lars’ increasing personal interest in Waseem slowly begins to break down the wall Waseem has built for himself. An unexpected struggle between the two for power, friendship and companionship unfolds as both of their lives are upended.

Renato Schuch and Nikolaus Benda deliver compelling performances as the two men navigating the increasing complexity of their relationship and desires, taking the audience on a journey of self-acceptance and resilience.

BOOK NOW: http://bit.ly/MGFF20-Label

The Teacher | International Premiere
Tue Feb 25 6:15 PM at Event Cinemas, George St
BOOK TIX: http://bit.ly/MGFF20-Teach

A story about loving and living in a society that is slowly working towards acceptance.

Kevin is a passionate and at times painfully naïve romantic that has been swept off his feet by a reserved older man. As their relationship develops, he must face internal and external pressure while also trying to figure out the type of person he wants to be and how to be that person.

Set against the backdrop of the fight for marriage equality in Taiwan, The Teacher captures the friction of living in a country moving towards progressiveness while still grappling with conservative attitudes.
The Teacher shows how even as society takes huge steps forward, there are still painful realities at a personal level. A love letter to Taiwan, it explores culture, expectation and the occasional hypocrisy of love.

Co-presented with Taiwan Film Festival in Sydney

BOOK NOW: http://bit.ly/MGFF20-Teach

Unsound | Mardi Gras Film Festival 2020 | Tue 25 Feb 6:30pm Event Cinemas, George St. BOOK TIX: bit.ly/MGFF20-Unsound
Open Captioned

Unsound is a unique Australian movie that follows the lives of two young people; both at a crossroads in their lives.

Noah (Reece Noi) is a young guitarist in the UK, working with renowned Australian 90s sensation, Moniqua (Christine Anu). On the other side of the world in Sydney, Finn (Yiana Pandelis) is a young deaf trans man living with his father (Todd McKenney) and dealing with the recent death of his mother.

When Noah tires of the pub circuit with Moniqua, he quits and flees to his mother’s home in Sydney. Here he stumbles across The Deaf Club, a pounding nightclub run by Finn, for deaf people to feel music. And he and Finn find themselves embarking on a new relationship.

As Finn inspires Noah to write his own music, Noah supports Finn as he takes further steps in his transition and comes out as a trans man. Through a mutual love of music from two very different perspectives, a heart-wrenching love story unfolds.

Join us for a Q&A after the screening and Australian Showcase Party.

Party Note: If you have a Flexipass and wish to attend the Showcase Party, please purchase a Flexi Party add on. Film only (incl. Q&A) tickets are available.

BOOK NOW: bit.ly/MGFF20-Unsound

Presented with AGL and Deaf Rainbow NSW

Distance | Australian Premiere
Tue Feb 25 6:30 PM at Dendy Cinemas, Newtown
BOOK TIX: http://bit.ly/MGFF20-Dis

After five years living abroad, Liza returns to the Philippines and the life and family she left behind.

Her husband Anton is eager for things to go back to the way things were, but her daughters Karla and Therese aren’t so quick to forgive, and still have questions about where she’s been and why she left.

As Liza works to rebuild her family’s trust, she must also find her place in a world she thought she’d abandoned for good. While Liza grapples with memories of her past and the choices she made, eldest daughter Karla is struggling with decisions of her own over whether to pursue her secret crush on a girl at university.

Featuring beautiful, nuanced performances, Distance is a poignant film about lies, love, grief, and the power bottled-up emotions and buried secrets can have when they finally rise to the surface.

BOOK NOW: http://bit.ly/MGFF20-Dis

Aniara
Tue Feb 25 8:30 PM at Dendy Cinemas, Newtown
BOOK TIX: bit.ly/MGFF20-Ani

A microcosm of humanity as a whole, Aniara explores the personal impact of tragedy through a sci-fi lens.

With Earth now uninhabitable, luxury space cruise ships transport people to a new life on Mars. Aboard the Aniara, bisexual crew member MR (Emelie Jonsson) oversees a sentient computer that helps people stay calm by letting them revisit idyllic memories, but on a fairly run-of-the-mill voyage there’s little need for her services.

That is, until the Aniara is sent wildy off-course, with no immediate means of righting its path. As a brief jaunt becomes an ever-expanding expedition, and resource-saving measures are introduced, everyone fears an uncertain future. Overwhelmed by demands to help soothe people’s anxieties, MR must cope with her own stresses as she’s drawn to the beautiful but standoffish Isagel (Bianca Cruzeiro).

Offering a timely meditation on consumerism, mental health, love, and faith, this sometimes grim but gripping epic will stay with you long after the credits roll.

BOOK NOW: bit.ly/MGFF20-Ani

Presented with SciFi Film Festival

And Then We Danced | Sydney Premiere
Fri 21 Feb, 7:00pm & Tue 25 Feb 8:30pm
Event Cinemas, George St
BOOK TIX: http://bit.ly/MGFF20-Danced

One of the most acclaimed LGBTIQ+ films of 2019, And Then We Danced is a powerful film about rivalry, desire and defiance. Goal-oriented Merab (an astonishing Levan Gelbakhiani) wants nothing more than to dance with the National Georgian Ensemble and has trained most his life for the honour. But all this is thrown into chaos when he falls for the carefree and rebellious newcomer Irakli (Bachi Valishvili). Levan Akin’s film sparked wild scenes of protest outside cinemas in conservative Georgia when it screened and is a mesmerising film that’s not to be missed.

BOOK NOW: http://bit.ly/MGFF20-Danced

White Lie | Australian Premiere
Sun 16 Feb, 8pm & Wed, 26 Feb 6:30pm
Event Cinemas, George St
BOOK TIX: http://bit.ly/MGFF20-Lie

Why would anyone fake having cancer? Dance student Katie Arneson is a star on campus; she’s the brave girl who’s fighting melanoma and raising money for charity. Except it’s all a lie. When she’s told that her grant is in jeopardy, her loving girlfriend Jennifer offers to give her money. Katie turns to her father instead but he doesn’t believe her, hinting at a troubled history and past trauma. White Lie ramps up the tension as Katie digs in and her elaborate charade begins to publicly fall apart.

Papi Chulo
Wed Feb 26 6:30 PM at Event Cinemas, George St
BOOK TIX: http://bit.ly/MGFF20-Papi

Terrific performances anchor this amusing tale of being caught on the borderline of love and loneliness.

After an on-air meltdown, gay Los Angeles TV weatherman Sean (Matt Bomer) is forced to take a sabbatical to get his life in order. But following the end of a long-term relationship the last thing he wants to be is stuck at home alone.

Hiring straight Mexican migrant day labourer Ernesto (Alejandro Patiño) to carry out some home repairs, he finds comfort in his company, and begins paying him to spend time together outside of work – much to Ernesto’s wife’s amusement. As the two come to learn about each other’s lives, hopes, and fears they soon form a charming, if unusual, friendship across language and cultural barriers.

With this heartwarming follow-up to Handsome Devil (MGFF17 Closing Night), writer-director John Butler has crafted a poignant buddy comedy about learning to look past stereotypes, and finally let go.

BOOK NOW: http://bit.ly/MGFF20-Papi

The Glass Room | Australian Premiere
Wed 26 Feb, 7pm
Event Cinemas, George St
BOOK TIX: bit.ly/MGFF20-Glass

A stunning love story of two women trapped by war and circumstance in Nazi-era Czechoslovakia. Shot on location at the historic Villa Tugendhat, this film captures the unwavering hope of love as seen through the eyes of Hana (Carice van Houten, Game of Thrones) and Liesel who share an intense friendship which frequently verges on more. Based on Simon Mawer’s Booker Prize-shortlisted novel of the same name, in turn based loosely on the lives of the Tugendhat family saga, this era-spanning film is an historical, visual feast.

BOOK NOW: bit.ly/MGFF20-Glass

Presented with ACON LGBTIQ Women’s Projects

Fireflies | Australian Premiere
Wed Feb 26 8:30 PM at Dendy Cinemas, Newtown
BOOK TIX: http://bit.ly/MGFF20-fire

A meditative character study of a young gay Iranian migrant in Mexico.

Ramin has landed in the Mexican port city of Veracruz, lost on his way to Europe after fleeing persecution in Iran. With a boyfriend back home, Ramin is desperate to return to Tehran, but with little money finds himself stuck in the transitory city. In between learning Spanish and working menial jobs, he meets the enigmatic Guillermo, whose scarred body and tales of gang life belie the growing closeness between the two men.

Expertly shot by cinematographer Benjamín Echazarreta (A Fantastic Woman), the city of Veracruz becomes a secondary character, drawing on its rich history to explore what it truly means to belong, in Iranian filmmaker Badi Khoshnoudi’s powerful second feature.

BOOK NOW: http://bit.ly/MGFF20-fire

Gay Shorts
Wed Feb 26 8:30 PM at Event Cinemas, George St
BOOK TIX: bit.ly/MGFF20-gay

Showcasing filmmaking at its most beautifully poetic and side-splittingly outrageous, each story offers a unique perspective on gay existence.

Featuring Iris Prize 2019 winner Black Hat, about a Hasidic man’s seemingly pious existence colliding with his hidden night life, and Queer Palm Short Film 2018 winner The Orphan, about a young teenager whose adoptive parents return him for being different, at their core each film in this collection grapples with the nature of perception and how we categorise people.

They’re accompanied by the stereotype-busting reminiscences of a man’s relationship with his father in Memoirs of a Geeza, the elaborate lengths someone will go to – with Céline Dion’s assistance – to surprise his boyfriend in Sparkling Candles, and the moving portrait of a dancer whose dreams come up against reality in early-’80s San Francisco in First Position.

Those films are followed by the not-so outlandish tale of a man fleeing his homeland seeking asylum at the Turkish border in The Foreigner, a random act of kindness that fills a man with joy in The Sweater, and finally the hilarious The Dawn of a New Gay, about a man’s sexual awakening in his university days.

BOOK NOW: bit.ly/MGFF20-gay

Presented with Star Observer