We’re less than a month away from the start of Queer Screen Film Fest, a national celebration of cinema made by and for the LGBTIQ+ community. This year’s line-up of 40 movies has everything, from documentaries heralding queer icons you’ve never had the pleasure of meeting, to finely curated dramas, comedies and everything in between.
The only downside is that we can’t experience it IRL, in a packed cinema of laughing and reacting fellow viewers. But Queer Screen Film Fest has done a great job of being COVID-conscious, organising a killer lineup that’s small-screen friendly. Tickets are now on sale, for a lineup that can be watched on demand all over the country from September 16 to 26.
Over half of the festival’s 2021 selections are Australian premieres (22 movies!), making QSFF the first place you can check out the compelling, intersectional migrant romance Beyto, or Lola, a tender drama about a trans teen going on a family road trip to scatter her mother’s ashes.
There’s an impressive spread of projects from around the world, snatching viewers out of their homes and transporting us to places like Germany (lesbian comedy Kiss Me Before It Blows Up), Taiwan (slow-burning heartbreaker Dear Tenant), and France (retro first-love rollercoaster Summer of 85).
Eighteen different spoken languages are represented, including in the festival’s must-see shorts programs, which are categorised into handy collections of gay, lesbian, and trans and gender diverse stories (as well as my favourite gender/sexuality, ‘comedy shorts’).
We’ve barely skimmed the surface of QSFF‘s online program; maybe the best directive is to just say that you should check out the festival’s exciting program yourself—via their official website. That’s where you can buy tickets for either one film that catches your eye, a three movie pass, five movie pass, or a $99 ‘All-In’ pass to see everything on offer.
Then, once you’re done watching, get involved with Queer Screen Film Fest‘s number of engaging live events. There are filmmaker panels to witness, the Halfway Hangout forum “where people can meet virtually to chat about the films”, and the illustrious Queer Screen Pitch Off, giving the next bold queer voice a chance to pitch their own vital short for a chance at $10k funding. Who knows: your story could be amongst next year’s lineup.
