Out Takes – Détails, épisodes et analyse

With MQFF 2024 in full swing, we took the opportunity to do our final round of reviews and recommendations including spotlighting a great new local film that is screening now around Australia. ‘Strange Creatures’ tells the story of Nate, a proud pansexual man who used to be close with his big brother Ged but something bad went down and the siblings haven’t spoken in years. Summoned to suburban Melbourne to celebrate their mum’s birthday, she promptly dies overnight, and they’re forced to work things out while on a road trip back to the remote northern NSW town where they grew up, so they can scatter her ashes. Our first special guest for this show was Riley Nottingham, one of the leads in the film, who discussed his career and involvement in the project including the importance of carpooling in getting to know your co-stars. We also were joined by Janet Anderson, an up and coming trans actress and creative who the Casting Guild of Australia recently crowned as one of Australia’s top emerging talents of 2024.  We discussed her road from singing to studying to being a working actor, the impact of social media on performers and how this accolade could potentially impact her career.

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The Melbourne Queer Film Festival is Australia’s oldest and largest queer film festival and returns from November 14 to 24 with a program that celebrates the way sound and vision have been a source of inspiration and transformation for LGBTQIA+ communities and everyone across the world. MQFF Program Director Cerise Howard and MQFF Chief Executive Officer David Martin Harris joined us on the show in October to give us the scoop on this year’s festival and the incredibly diverse program on offer, so with this show it’s now our turn to look at some of the films we’ve seen in advance and let you know what we’re recommending at MQFF 2024. From musical documentaries to First Nations sports dramas, experimental science fiction and more, there really is something for everyone at this year’s MQFF. We also revisit our interview with David Charles Rodrigues from earlier this year who’s beautiful and timely documentary ‘Gay Chorus Deep South’ is screening again after its debut in March 2020 before COVID locked us down. Happy MQFF to all who celebrate, we look forward to seeing you out and about and in the cinema this November!

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For this Out Takes, we went back to the future to focus on a new local lesbian coming of age rom-com series set in a video store in the 90’s that has just hit Netflix and we took a look at the legacy of an Australian queer film classic about drag queens, fabulous frocks and a bus in the desert.

First up was ‘Videoland’, a very funny, quirky and queer Aussie production that centres on teenage video store clerk Hayley who is furtively working her way through a handwritten list of queer films in the hope of helping her navigate her way in to lesbian life while managing her relationships with her best friend, her boss and a potential love interest in mysterious customer Jennifer. We were delighted to be joined by the series writer and director Jessica Smith and lead actor Emmanuelle Mattana to talk about how this wonderful series came to be, the incredible attention to detail in the production design and much more.

We were also joined by Stephen Gaunson, Director of Higher Degrees Research in the College of Design & Social Context at RMIT who is hosting a special introductory panel discussion at the Capitol Theatre on Wednesday September 11 for a special 30th anniversary screening of ‘The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert’. We took this opportunity to discuss the enduring legacy of Priscilla in the Australian cinematic landscape, explore the film’s significant impact on society and how it became internationally renowned as a symbol of freedom and expression for the LGBTQIA+ community.

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In this episode of Out Takes we bring you two extended highlights of interviews with a filmmaker and a distributor in the LGBTIQ filmmaking space. First up is Onir, a fearless gay Indian filmmaker. Onir has been making queer films in India for over 20 years, including My Brother…Nikhil which was one of the first mainstream Hindi films to deal with AIDS and same-sex relationships, and the films I Am, and Pine Cone. Our interview with Onir arose from a short film he co-directed titled Nandini which was screened in the recent Indian Film Festival in Melbourne [see Out Takes episode 13 August 2024]. Our extended discussion covered many more topics including challenging the classification of his films and responding to his film script being banned by the military. Our second interview was with Naomi Bennett, CEO of Lesflicks, an online streaming platform dedicated to sapphic stories on film. We interviewed Naomi in celebration of Pride Month [see Out Takes episode 26 June 2024]. Naomi generously shares her insights about how the LGBTIQ community can and should support its queer filmmakers, and how filmmakers can learn more about connecting their films to their audience.

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For this Out Takes we review AMERICAN PARENT which is screening as part of this year’s QueerScreen Film Festival in its online offerings. AMERICAN PARENT is a tender, heart-warming film about a lesbian couple raising a toddler amid financial and professional uncertainty. We are delighted to interview one of its lead actors KRISTEN BUSH. We review I SAW THE TV GLOW which stars JUSTICE SMITH and BRIDGETT LUNDY-PAINE as two troubled high school students whose connection to their favourite TV show drives them to question their reality and identities. We also speak with the film’s writer and director, JANE SCHOENBRUN, about what makes I SAW THE TV GLOW a queer film.

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In this Out Takes we are all about the Melbourne International Film Festival with two in depth interviews. First up we chat with TRACIE LAYMON the writer and director of the film BOB TREVINO LIKES IT which is a gorgeously touching film that tells the story of lonely 20-something Lily Trevino, who unexpectedly forms a close bond with a grieving, childless man named Bob Trevino, who shares the same name as her self-centred father, and how this unexpected friendship, filled with encouragement and support, has the potential to change her life for the better. We also speak with SIMON HUNT, creative collaborator of STEPHEN CUMMINS to talk about the retrospective or their queer experimental films.

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For this Out Takes we review two short films. NANDINI one of the short films within the 2024 INDIAN FILM FESTIVAL OF MELBOURNE opening night film MY MELBOURNE, an anthology of four unique diverse stories based on true incidents themed around the four pillars of diversity – sexuality, gender, disability, and race. NANDINI is a story about Indraneel, a queer Indian man and his estranged father who reunite in Melbourne to complete a ceremonial ritual, exploring their fraught relationship and the power of forgiveness amid grief.

We speak with Indian filmmaker ONIR, the co-director of NANDINI, as well as director of MY BROTHER…NIKHIL, and PINE CONE about his films and navigating making queer films in India.

We also chat with Melbourne filmmaker AARUSHI CHOWDHURY about her short film CLOWN, which is screening in the 2024 MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL in the Accelerator shorts 1 program. CLOWN is about 8-year-old Sami who can’t wait to play “serial killers” with her older sister Jiya, but her sister-time is threatened when Jiya’s cool new bestie arrives. We speak with Aarushi about making Clown and themes of belonging.

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We are known for celebrating representation and diversity on Out Takes so we embraced the chaos and threw everything in to this one! We turned a very queer eye to the 2024 Olympics and celebrated the record number of LGBTIQA+ athletes competing this year along with the glitz, glamour and Gaga/Celine of the opening ceremony. Then it was our review of Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman’s latest screen collab’ that has the world turning out in droves to enjoy the camp spectacle of ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’.

We then changed pace for an in-depth interview with David Charles Rodrigues, the award-winning Greek-American-Brazilian filmmaker and equal rights activist. He was in Melbourne recently for the Australian premiere of his latest film ‘The Official Genesis P-Orridge Documentary ~ S/HE IS STILL HER/E’ so we caught up with him to discuss this project and his previous film ‘Gay Chorus Deep South’, the impact his films have on our community along with a broader discussion about his process and the importance of sharing these stories globally.

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For this Out Takes, we reviewed two documentaries that looked at the long-term cultural impact of the mid 90’s films ‘Showgirls’ and ‘Kids’ which continue to spark discussion nearly 30 years after their release and the controversy they unleashed on the world. First up was ‘You Don’t Nomi’, which looks at Paul Verhoeven’s ‘Showgirls’ which in 1995 was met by critics and audiences with near-universal derision and then traces the film’s redemptive journey from notorious flop to cult classic, and even masterpiece. Then we discussed ‘We Were Once Kids’ that came out in 2022 and explores the aftermath of the young people involved in the film ‘Kids’ in the mid 90’s who were thrust into the mainstream spotlight only to be then left adrift under the bright lights. While some discovered transcendent lives and careers, others were abandoned and unequipped to handle fame, with some going on to suffer fatal consequences. We were joined by Australian filmmaker Eddie Martin who directed ‘We Were Once Kids’ and presented the stories of the now adults who as the original ‘Kids’ were mainly unknown teens actually living this life who’s likeness and stories were taken and worked into this film that won awards, made millions of dollars and turned them in to overnight celebrities without any of the skills or support needed to handle it. He shared why he wanted to tell this story, how he connected with the subjects in the film and the many challenges and surprises that have come with sharing this story with the world. Both of these films are streaming now on DocPlay. 

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For this Out Takes, we were excited to herald the return of the Melbourne Documentary Film Festival by turning the spotlight directly on to three local filmmakers presenting queer focused short films in this year’s program that offer further proof of the high quality content being produced around Australia.

Our first guest was delsi who’s film ‘FEMME’ explores what it means to be a queer femme person in modern Australia through the perspectives of 13 queer people and looks at some of the unique challenges femme people face and the beautiful parts too. Our second guest was Clementine Lloyd with ‘SYSTEM ERRORS’ which delves into the diverse experiences of online sex workers, seeking to humanise those who are frequently dehumanised by societal norms . Last but not least was ‘THE END IS THE BEGINNING IS THE END’ which is directed by Yilin Xie and is a portrait of Horis Chen who sees homosexuality through the lens of Buddhism, introducing an Eastern approach that all beings are equal regardless of gender or sexual orientation. All three films are part of the MDFF Shorts Session 5 which is selling fast so don’t miss your chance to see these films on the big screen this July.

We also reviewed the latest feature documentary from David Charles Rodrigues in the lead up to the Australian premiere of ‘S/He Is Still Her/e – The Official Genesis P-Orridge Documentary’ on Saturday July 27 and features an exclusive Q&A after the screening with the director in person hosted by Melbourne Queer Film Festival’s Program Director Cerise Howard. Co-presented by MQFF and ACMI, ‘S/He Is Still Her/e’ is an authorised documentary portrait of one of the most singular – yet profoundly plural – and tirelessly radical artists of the 20th and 21st century, made during the final year of their life. The film interweaves archival footage of Genesis P-Orridge with raw, reflective interviews conducted while wholly cognisant they hadn’t much longer to live. It is like no other film you’ll see this year and with an in-person Q&A with the director on offer it is definitely not to be missed.

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