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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For this Out Takes, we were doing our best Daft Punk impression and going around the world and back again looking at the line up for two international film festivals that are back on in Melbourne this July and August and the return of a film related program to the JOY airwaves that shares a lot in common with our show. First up, we turned the spotlight on full for the program announcement for the 2024 Melbourne International Film Festival (fondly known as MIFF in these parts) and were joined by Artistic Director Al Cossar to give us the scoop on what not to miss in cinemas and online this August. Then we were off to Finland to review ‘Light Light Light’, one of the many great Nordic features on offer at this year’s Scandinavian Film Festival and hear our exclusive interview with director Inari Niemi. We finished up this jam-packed show by speaking with Dave and Henry, the wonderful team behind ‘Strictly Soundtracks’ which returned for season 2 on JOY on Sundays from 11am and promises to  deliver a broad range of genres from a wide variety of local and international artists, with a diverse selection of music from the most beloved soundtracks and scores. Definitely one to add to your weekly list of shows to enJOY via Australia’s first only LGBTIQA+ community radio station, along with Out Takes of course!

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For this Out Takes, we highlighted two film festivals on in Melbourne this July and provided some great queer First Nations recommendations to enjoy this NAIDOC week. First up was the return of Marion Pilowsky to discuss her wonderful documentary ‘Isla’s Way’ that we first covered last year for MQFF and is now back screening as part of this year’s Melbourne Documentary Film Festival. We also revisited our interview with Rachael Antony, the director of the Bob Brown documentary ‘The Giants’ which is featured in the upcoming Environmental Accelerator Film Festival. We wrapped up this show with some recommendations for NAIDOC Week, putting the spotlight on some fabulous First Nation’s LGBTIQA+ content including ‘Bastardy’, ‘Marungka Tjalatjunu’ and more to celebrate this year’s theme – Keep the Fire Burning! Blak, Loud and Proud. 

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We go to great lengths to highlight the diversity and representation on offer in LGBTIQA+ cinema and for this program we looked at two very different films that showcase this perfectly. ‘Audrey’ is a new Aussie dark comedy coming to cinemas in November that will have you laughing and gasping at its in your face look at life in the suburbs for a family with big ambitions and a few queer secrets in its closet. We were joined by its director Natalie Bailey to talk about her extensive 25+ year career spanning theatre, music, film, and television, both as a performer and her reason for taking on this project as her feature film debut. We were also joined by special guest Stephen Soucy to talk about his educational and entertaining documentary ‘Merchant Ivory’ which is featured in this years British Film Festival. This film explores the legendary creative team behind Merchant Ivory Productions who in the 80’s and 90’s became synonymous with prestige arthouse cinema, known for its stunning cinematography, lush settings, elegant costumes, enchanting music, complex characters, and literary adaptations.  We hear from Stephen about his introduction and connection to Merchant Ivory, including his relationship with the man and legend himself, James Ivory, who is also an executive producer on this wonderful film.

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As has become tradition on Out Takes over the past few years, we used this show to rate, review and recommend a very diverse range of films and television for you to check out this winter on the big and small screen. From queer coded classic movies to brand new TV shows, there is literally something for everyone to enjoy. We also threw in an encore presentation of our June 2023 interview with the fabulously funny Nina Oyama and Tom Ballard to celebrate their three well deserved Logie nominations for ‘Deadloch’, the certified Out Takes favourite Aussie series of last year.

Also, to Electric Light Orchestra fans everywhere, we’d like to sincerely apologise for one of our hosts confusing the title of their classic tune ‘Evil Woman’ (as recently heard on the incredible season 3 opening of ‘Hacks’) with Cliff Richard’s ‘Devil Woman’. He has been reprimanded for this crime and will be listening to this wonderful Hacks playlist on repeat to avoid any further mistakes or embarassment for himself and the program. Let us know too what you rate and recommend this winter via email or on Instagram and follow us for updates on what’s coming up, giveaways and more!

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For this Out Takes Extra, Demetra spoke with Lesflicks CEO Naomi Bennett for our June 2024 Pride Month special and in this extended interview also covered a wide range of topics from favourite lesbian films, representation, the challenges of distributing and promoting a queer film and much more.

Naomi Bennett is the CEO of Lesflicks, the home to the largest collection of authentic sapphic stories of any online streaming service in the world.

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While our queer friends in the Northern Hemisphere are celebrating Pride Month in the sun, we’re shivering down under wishing we were there too and wondering what celebrating Pride in June means for us and what it means for what we’re seeing on our small and big screens. We’re pleased to let you know that this June we’ve found two new channels that not only bring you great queer content during Pride season but all year ’round. Our special guests were Hannah Barnes, the Director of Unscripted & Original Production for We Are Pride, one of YouTube’s leading LGBTQIA+ film and TV channels, and CEO Naomi Bennett from Lesflicks, home to the largest collection of authentic sapphic stories of any online streaming service in the world.

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For this Out Takes, we showcased the diversity of our local cinema scene with a new queer independent release from a Sydney art collective and the return of one of our favourite film festivals. First up was our review and interview with Andre Shannon and Jen Atherton, the team behind ‘Grape Steak’, which is described as a “…wishfully ambient portal, a love-poem of trauma and humiliation set in Sydney, a slow comedy for a come-down, made resourcefully and communally over five years.” Then we caught up with Benjamin Zeccola, Palace Cinema CEO and curator of the HSBC Spanish Film Festival which is celebrating its 26th year of presenting a superb selection of the finest new and classic films from Spain and Latin America to Australian audiences this June and July.

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It’s no secret we love highlighting local queer cinema and for this show we looked at two new bold and highly impressive queer Australian feature films available for you to indulge in. ‘In The Room Where He Waits’ follows Tobin Wade, a theatre actor poised to perform in his Broadway breakthrough role, who must return home to Australia after the breakdown of his long-term relationship and the sudden death of his father. Stuck quarantining in a hotel room before the funeral, Tobin begins to unravel, not ready to confront a past long-left behind. The film stars critically acclaimed WA actor Daniel Monks (Sissy, Pulse) Susie Porter (Ladies in Black) and Anthony Brandon Wong (from Sequin in a Blue Room) and is written and directed by Timothy Despina Marshall who joined us to discuss the process of making the film and why it was important for him to share this story in his feature film debut.

We were also joined by director/producer team Gabriel Carrubba and Zane Borg along with Liam Mollica who is the lead actor in ‘Sunflower’ playing Leo, a seventeen-year-old boy who struggles to understand and embrace his sexuality as he comes of age in the working-class suburbs on Melbourne’s edge. Along with discussing the themes and drive behind each of them to tell this story we also find out more about the challenges and opportunities that come with making an independent feature film in Australia. For more great queer film and television content, subscribe to our podcast and follow Out Takes on Instagram.

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For this program, we were Out, Loud, Live and Proud from the JOY studios for a very special JOY Radiothon show! JOY Radiothon is back from 1-7 June 2024, and in celebration of 30 years of Australia’s LGBTQIA+ community media organisation helping our communities flourish, the theme this year is FLOURISH. We wanted to highlight the importance of community media and local film festivals supporting each other to thrive and flourish so we were joined by St Kilda Film Festival director Richard Sowada and Melbourne Queer Film Festival’s CEO David Martin Harris to tell us about their upcoming events in June and also discuss how their respective organisations continue to highlight our stories and create stroing community connections. We also encourage you to join and re-new your membership, make a donation or purchase an item from the new JOY Merch’ store and help support JOY 94.9 to remain a voice for our community and continue nto flourish for another 30 years!

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For this show we hit the runway and took an in depth look at the new documentary ‘High & Low: John Galliano’ that explores the controversial and very talented fashion designer’s rapid ascent, fall from grace after an antisemitic tirade, and rehabilitation. We spoke with the film’s Academy-Award winning director Kevin Macdonald who took us behind the scenes of the captivating and complex life of the flamboyant and iconoclastic designer. The film features intimate interviews with Galliano himself, offering a rare glimpse into his perspective and search for redemption, along with candid interviews from renowned figures in the fashion world such as Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss and Anna Wintour providing a multifaceted understanding of Galliano’s impact on the fashion industry.

We also revisited our interview from 2018 with Lorna Tucker, the director of WESTWOOD: PUNK, ICON, ACTIVIST, which offered an insiders take into the organised chaos of punk fashion designer Vivienne Westwood and her uphill struggle to success, looking closely at her artistry, activism and cultural significance.

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‘Lil Nas X: Long Live Montero’ is the latest in a long line of music documentaries that in this instance turns the spotlight on full to one of the biggest queer hip hop and popstars in the game. Zac Manuel is an award–winning, New Orleans bred-and-based filmmaker and his work in documentary and music video explores intimacy, Black masculinity, class, identity and inheritance. Zac was our special guest on the show to discuss his role as the co-director of this film, his insight in to the world of Montero Lamar Hill a.k.a Lil Nas X and much more.

We also revisited our interview from May 2022 with Bradley & Pablo, the directors of ‘Charli XCX: Alone Together’ which covered the production of Charli XCX’s 2020 quarantine album “How I’m Feeling Now” which was created in 40 days during the COVID-19 pandemic, including its semi-collaborative nature with her community of online fans.

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For this program, we looked at the latest iteration of a revamped vampire classic from Anne Rice and also celebrated the return of the German Film Festival in Melbourne this May and June. We were joined by special guest Claire Burger, the acclaimed French film screenwriter and director whose latest film ‘Langue Étrangère’ is screening direct from the Berlinale and is the centrepiece film for this year’s German Film Festival.

We also did a deep dive into the fascinating history of ‘Interview With A Vampire’ in the lead up to the second season of the television adaptation coming to AMC from May 12. We discussed the original novel by Anne Rice from 1976 that went on to a successful but controversial film adaptation in the 1990’s, then on to the current television series that commenced in 2022. This latest version has embraced the original storyline of the intense relationship between Louis and Lestat and new characters in season 2 that directly explore the very queer world that they now inhabit in and around the Théâtre des Vampires in Paris and across Prague and New Orleans.

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For this show, we turned the Out Takes spotlight on Goran Stolevski, one of the most talented openly gay screenwriters and directors on the rise in Australia and worldwide. ‘Housekeeping for Beginners’ is Goran’s third feature film and explores the universal truths of family, both the ones we’re born into and the ones we find for ourselves.  We were delighted to welcome Goran back for his third time on the show to discuss the film plus check in on how he has been spending his time on the festival circuit and travelling around the US with his husband too.

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With spooky season upon us, we thought it was a good time to look at some of the latest supernatural and scary content on offer including a new First Nations lead Australian psychological horror that will be in cinemas from this Halloween. ‘The Moogai’ tells the story of Sarah and Fergus, a hopeful young Aboriginal couple who just welcomed their second baby into their family after a very traumatic birth. In what should be a joyous time in their lives becomes sinister when Sarah starts seeing a malevolent spirit that she is convinced is trying to take her baby which leads to a chain of events that show this young couple will do everything they can to protect their family. We reviewed the film and spoke to Jon Bell, it’s writer and director, about the importance of representation of First Nations people on screen and the connection of transgenerational trauma and systemic racism in telling this modern-day horror story.
We also dived into the wonderfully queer world of ‘Agatha All Along’ and its origin story and importance within the Marvel Universe plus we discuss ‘The Substance’, the word-of-mouth sensation that is sparking a lot of conversation and many incredible costume tributes this Halloween.

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For this Out Takes, we took a look at two very different projects that highlighted our interest in independent cinemas and quality Aussie TV; ‘The Sweet East’, a wildly original US indie film that has been described as Alice in Wonderland in the upside down world featuring an incredible cast including Jacob Elordi and Ayo Edebiri, and ‘Swift Street’, a new local television series from SBS that shines a spotlight on diversity and representation through a fast paced action packed crime drama that also deals with young love and family friction in inner city Melbourne.

We were joined by special guests Bernie Van Tiel, who plays the very cool and very queer Aisha in ‘Swift Street’, and Nick Pinkerton, the US based screenwriter of ‘The Sweet East’ who was in Australia when we spoke for a series of special screenings and Q&A’s across the country.

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As the heading states, this program was all about ‘Challengers’, the latest film from Luca Guadagnino (two times Out Takes guest and one of our favourite filmmakers) which is set in the world of professional tennis and focuses on an unconventional, dysfunctional and highly explosive love triangle.  Along with our very comprehensive review, we also heard from the three stars of ‘Challengers’ – Mike Faist, Josh O’Connor and Zendaya – from their recent media conference in Sydney where they officially launched the film and started a global press tour which saw Zendaya serving major looks on red carpets around the world. There was also quite a few tennis puns used in this one so you have been warned and it’s fair to say we loved this film a lot so that’s game, set and match to Luca, Zendaya and the boys for this one!

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For this Out Takes, we’re heading back to high school with the cool kids from Hartley High to look at season 2 of Heartbreak High which is on Netflix now.  We explored the entire HH universe, including ‘The Heartbreak Kid’ movie from 1993 and the spinoff original TV series that ran for seven seasons, on to the re-boot that dropped on our screens in late 2022 and introduced a whole new cast of crazy, cool and very queer kids navigating modern teen life in Western Sydney on to our screens.

All of your favourite characters are back plus a few new editions to the crew and there is a whole lot of new drama, laughs and chaos along the way.  We bring you our season 2 reviews and recaps (with no spoilers) plus a plea to the TV goddesses to bless us with a third season soon!

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For this Out Takes we looked at two new releases that have brilliant performances and innovative stories plus jump scares and action scenes that will literally have you on the edge of your seat.

First up was ‘Late Night with the Devil’, a new Australian made horror film that uses the backdrop of a late night U.S. talk show in 1977 called “Night Owls with Jack Delroy” to tell the story behind the infamous show that saw a young girl go on live television to talk about being possessed by a spirit and in turn unleashed a wave of evil into the lounges of viewers across the country and exposes the hidden secrets behind one man’s determination to become rich, famous and number 1 in the ratings. We were also joined by special guests Cameron and Colin Cairnes, the directors of ‘Late Night with the Devil’ which is in cinemas from April 11,

We then looked at ‘Monkey Man’, the new film from Dev Patel who wrote, produced, starred and directed this project which is his very personal and innovative take on the revenge story that sees him coming into his own as a leading man. It is set in Mumbai and features so much action and drama packed into it that it becomes a very bloody, very intense and very entertaining ride too.

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With a longer than usual weekend for many of us, this program seemed like the perfect one to catch up on some reviews and recommendations for Easter and beyond. As always it is an eclectic mix of new movies and television we’re enjoying plus we through a You Tube recap series and an audiobook in the mix too so definitely something for everyone to check out. We also look at the latest film in the Ghostbuster franchise and reflect on how disappointed we were to see it use old tropes (lesbian villain alert!) to make up for a lacklustre plot and bad CGI… plus we celebrate the continued renaissance of Lindsay Lohan with her latest film, the so-bad-it’s-amazing ‘Irish Wish’. Enjoy!

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For this Out Takes program, we took a deep dive into the world’s largest Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer media advocacy organisation, who are so well known for their mission in increasing media accountability and community engagement that ensures authentic LGBTQ stories are seen, heard, and actualised that Taylor Swift name checked them in one of her biggest hits.

GLAAD formed in New York City as the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation in 1985 to protest against what it saw as the New York Post’s defamatory and sensationalized AIDS coverage and has transformed over the past 39 years into a high profile and well respected organisation that aims to ensure fair, accurate, and inclusive representation across the media landscape and create national and local programs that advance LGBTQ acceptance. We examined their latest  Studio Responsibility Index Report they put out annually that indicates how the distributors and networks are representing the queer community on our screens and behind the scenes too (spoiler alert – it’s a mixed bag, lots of room for improvement). We also looked at the nominees and winners at the 2024 GLAAD Media Awards and revisited our recent interview with writer/director Andrea Pallaoro who’s film ‘Monica’ won this year’s award for Outstanding Film – Limited Theatrical Release.

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The latest film from Rose Glass stars Kristen Stewart as Lou and Katy M. O’Brian as Jackie who meet in New Mexico in 1989 and their chemistry is immediate. They fall hard for each but their intense love ignites violence, pulling them deep into the web of Lou’s criminal family. Peter Travers from the ABC said that “it is unabashedly queer and winningly deranged” and we had a great time reviewing it plus we had an informal ‘Kristen Stewart Fan Club’ meeting at the same time!

We also spoke with Dr Sian Mitchell, the Festival Director for the Melbourne Women in Film Festival about this year’s program and the importance of the festival in advocating for a world where the voices, stories and creativity of women and gender diverse people are equally valued, recognised and celebrated on and behind the screen. It also aims to expand the vision of gender equality and diversity in the Australian screen industries and culture by creating dynamic and inclusive spaces that bring diverse practitioners and audiences together to be moved by compelling, provocative and entertaining cinema.

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It’s no secret we love the international film award season so we made the obvious choice to dedicate this entire program to THE ultimate event, the 96th Academy Awards. It’s been another interesting take on the ‘best’ in cinema over the past 12 months and recognising what that means in the film industry but as always we have our favourites and love to take the time to dissect and discuss who will win, who we wanted to win and who was snubbed (we’re looking at you ‘All Of Us Strangers’).

We also welcomed back our international correspondent Dion Blackler all the way from London to help us go through this year’s Oscar nominations and provide some great analysis to our chat. As always, we had a great time taking a deep dive in to the nominees and while we acknowledge the frontrunner in the race (hello ‘Oppenheimer’), we also made some big swings at a few categories that we hope could have a surprise or two for us all when the winners are announced Monday March 11 from 11am AEDT. Happy Oscars!

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If you listen to Out Takes regularly, you know we love a film festival and one at the top of our list is MQFF a.k.a the Melbourne Queer Film Festival. It returns this year 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 audiences will be treated to 42 features and 19 documentaries throughout the festival, and in what is becoming an annual tradition for Out Takes, we welcomed back MQFF Program Director Cerise Howard and MQFF Chief Executive Officer David Martin Harris to give us the scoop on this year’s festival and the incredibly diverse program on offer. We also revisited our review and interview from June with award-winning and proud Australian queer filmmaker Timothy Despina Marshall who’s feature film debut ‘In the Room Where He Waits’ is featured in this year’s Melbourne Queer Film Festival.

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When it was announced that the latest film from the incredibly talented Melbourne based Academy Award winning filmmaker Adam Elliot was the opening night film for the 2024 Melbourne International Film Festival, it was met with much excitement and the screening was incredibly well received by audiences and critics. With ‘Memoir of a Snail’ coming out in cinemas on October 17, we were delighted and honoured to speak with Adam about the film, his career and much more, along with reviewing this gorgeous and heartbreaking film that is in the running for one of our picks for the best films of the year.
We also checked in with Charlie, Nick and the gang from ‘Heartstopper’ with the arrival of season 3 on Netflix. Despite it missing an appearance from one of its most loved characters (come back Olivia Colman!), it is a return to form for this much beloved series and one that gets the Out Takes recommends seal of approval.

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At Out Takes, it’s no secret we love highlighting local queer cinema and the talent behind it, so for this program we were delighted to spotlight one of our very own team members who’s new film is having its Australian premiere at this year’s Greek Film Festival. Demetra Giannakopoulos is not only our co-host but also a talented filmmaker and with ‘Love Rewind’, she brings her debut feature film to the big screen this October. This heartfelt story was made in Melbourne and is set against the backdrop of the same-sex marriage postal vote with the film focusing on the relationship between Penny and Althea. Penny wants to revive the love in her long-term relationship with Althea, but when Althea suffers a stroke and her hidden affair is revealed, Penny is forced to discover what true love means to her.  We were delighted to speak with Demetra and the two leads in the film, Ruth Katerelos, who plays Penny, and Maria Papas, who plays Althea, to discuss the film, their experiences and contributions in getting it made, and the importance of seeing our stories and our community being represented on screen.

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With so much content coming our way on our small and big screens, we took this opportunity to put together a mixed bag of reviews and recommendations for some new releases and welcomes the return of a film festival that is all about accessibility and celebrating people with a disability. We started off with ‘Will & Harper’, a new Netflix documentary that has received a lot of attention due to the involvement of Will Ferrell and the subject matter, specifically looking at the friendship between him and Harper Steele and what happens after her transition which is explored on camera as they go on a road trip across the U.S. Then we took a trip back to the future with ‘My Old Ass’, a queer coming-of-age story that is in cinemas now about free-spirited Elliott (played by Maisy Stella) who after an 18th birthday experience with her besties on a mushroom trip, brings her face-to-face with her wisecracking 39-year-old self (played by Aubrey Plaza). But when Elliott’s “old ass” starts handing out warnings about what her younger self should and shouldn’t do, Elliott realises she has to rethink everything about family, love, and what’s becoming a transformative summer. Next up, we celebrated the return of The Other Film Festival which is back in 2024 with a fantastic selection of shorts and features that celebrates 20 years of disability-led storytelling. Their free program of international and Australian films is screening via ACMI Cinema 3 from October 3 – 16. All films are made by Deaf and Disabled people either as key creatives, collaborators, and/or performers and all films are free to watch, audio described and captioned. From the festival program, we highlighted ‘Leilani’s Fortune’, a documentary feature film that follows Witch Prophet, a queer, immigrant Ethiopian-Eritrean musician, as she navigates newfound momentum in Canada and stands true to her unique voice while on the verge of a major international breakthrough. Finally, with the release of ‘The Critic’ in cinemas from October 3, we took the opportunity to celebrate the incredible professional career and advocacy work of Sir Ian McKellen and look at his latest film that sees him tackle the role of Jimmy Erskine, an extravagantly malicious theatre critic who strikes fear into the thespians of 1930s London.

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For this Out Takes we said Ciao to the St Ali Italian Film Festival which is returning to cinemas this September and October across Australia. We took a look at some of the films on offer, including the gorgeous coming-of-age story ‘The Beautiful Summer’ that follows Ginia, a young working-class woman in Turin navigating the throes of burgeoning adulthood amidst a tumultuous backdrop of pre-WWII Italy, and ‘Gloria!’, which tells the music-fuelled story of an overlooked maid at a Venetian refuge whose hidden talent helps inspire an uprising. We featured an exclusive interview with Italian actress, singer-songwriter and filmmaker Margherita Vicario who directed ‘Gloria!’ who was a special guest of the festival and in Australia to premiere the film. We also caught up with the festival’s program director Elysia Zeccola to find out about the diverse range of films on offer in this year’s program plus her personal recommendations for you to check out too.

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When we got the press release about ‘Buried’ it ticked so many boxes that we knew we needed to feature it on the show. This five-part Melbourne-based series brings us the school run drop-off from hell; after single mum Abi accidentally kills a cyclist on the morning school run, her to-do list gets a lot more complicated as she tries to juggle the battle of everyday parenting with the disposal of a corpse. Over the course of one not-so-average school day, Abi must navigate a suspicious rival parent, avoid the police, and hide the evidence – all before 3:30pm pick-up. Other than the murder and disposal of a body, this series rang very true for our co-host with kids so we were delighted to be joined by the series co-writer, co-creator and director Charlotte George to give us the origin story behind this innovative series, the incredible cast involved and more.

We were also inspired by our recent review and interview with the team behind ‘Videoland’ to revisit some of the queer films from the 90’s, a few classics and some personal favourites, that we rented over and over again back in the day and that we recommend you revisit or check out for the first time.

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The press run for this film has been epic and with Wicked finally in cinemas we took the opportunity to celebrate part one’s release with a look at all of the elements of this much loved book and musical that has led to it finally being delivered as the movie musical that many queer people will tell you they’ve been waiting for their whole lives that will have you singing, dancing and defying gravity this November and beyond. We explore the history of the story from its connection to the Wizard of Oz book and 1939 film through to its triumphant arrival on Broadway in 2003 through to the development and delivery of the highly anticipated film version. We also discuss the importance of its casting, performances, and representation along with the incredible attention to detail provided through the sets, cinematography and of course, the music.
We also looked at the return of The Sex Lives of College Girls with season 3 just arriving on streaming. All of your favourites are back for their second year at Essex College and delivering lots of laughs, more personal drama, and plenty of s-e-x.

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For this Out Takes, we reviewed three films that explore very different themes including chosen family, intergenerational relationships, artistic redemption, persecution, and propaganda.  First up was ‘The Wedding Banquet’, the highly anticipated remake of Ang Lee’s 1993 classic which updates the original with a fresh take on the romantic comedy genre featuring an acclaimed and hilarious cast of multigenerational talent including Bowen Yang, Lily Gladstone, and Academy Award winner Youn Yuh-jung. Our special guest was Andrew Ahn, the co-writer and director of this refreshed adaptation who spoke to us about the journey of this remake, it’s Korean glow up and incredible cast plus my wish for a sequel to ‘Fire Island’, his big gay hit film from 2022.

We then took at the return of the 2025 HSBC German Film Festival which returns to Australian cinemas this May with a stellar line up of premieres, special guests and more. We reviewed ‘John Cranko’, Joachim A. Lang’s biopic about the brilliant dancer and choreographer who left the Royal Ballet in London in the early 60’s after he was entrapped by an undercover police officer into arrest for ‘homosexual activity’ and found fame in Stuttgart as its great dance creator. We also looked at the documentary ‘Riefenstahl’ that explores Leni Riefenstahl’s artistic legacy and her complex ties to the Nazi regime, juxtaposing her self-portrayal with evidence suggesting awareness of the regime’s atrocities. We were joined by special guest of the festival Andres Veiel, the film’s writer, and director, to delve into her complex relationship with the Nazi regime and her extraordinary career and life.

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For this Out Takes, we literally have something for everyone with three interviews and six reviews of queer films from around the globe.  First up we looked at ‘Daughters of Darkness’ from 1971 which is appearing at this year’s Cinema Reborn Film Festival and is described as a surreal, stylish take on the vampire myth that blends gothic horror and psychological drama with camp eroticism. Restored to 4K by the Royal Belgian Cinémathèque, this updated print is having its Australian Premiere on May 9th at the Lido in Melbourne. We also heard from Dr Janice Loreck who is a Senior Lecturer in Screen Studies in the School of Culture and Communication and her research expertise centres on cinefeminism, women’s filmmaking, screen violence, transgression and global art cinema and she is presenting the film at the Melbourne screening.  We were also delighted to welcome back Dion Blackler to the show in his official capacity as our London Film Correspondent to recap the films he saw at this year’s BFI Flare, London’s premium LGBTQIA+ Film Festival that is billed as a springtime celebration of queer cinema that ran from March 19 to 30. As one of the co-hosts of the podcast ‘In the Mood for Film’ and a lifelong lover of cinema, Dion knows his stuff and brought us five great reviews for films to keep a look out for in film festival’s in 2025 down under. We finished up with an interview from Erika Addis,  the National President of the Australian Cinematographer Society and is the first ever female national president in the society’s history. With Helen Grace, she made ‘Serious Undertakings’ in 1982, an early example of independent filmmaking by Australian women, and at the beginning of her career as part of the camera crew, she also worked on iconic Australian films including ‘Storm Boy’ and ‘The Year My Voice Broke’. We had her on to discuss ACS Credit Maker 2.0 and the importance of this program in the Australian film industry.

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The on demand program kicks off soon for the 2025 Mardi Gras Film Festival so we looked at two of the fabulous films on offer that will be available to stream nationally from February 28 to March 10.

First up was ‘Unusually Normal’, a heartwarming documentary spanning eight decades that follows the lives of two lesbian grandmothers, four lesbian mothers and one lesbian granddaughter, all in the same family. Through interviews, archival footage and viral TikToks, this extraordinary family shares their journey from hidden relationships to living proudly and openly, highlighting the similarities (and differences) between three generations of gay women. Then we reviewed ‘Drive Back Home’, a dark comedy road movie showcasing the distance that can grow between two brothers amidst the vastness of the Canadian countryside. In 1970s Toronto, Perley (played by festival favourite Alan Cumming) is arrested for having sex with a man in a park. His estranged brother Weldon (Charlie Creed-Miles) is called on to bail him out. With only each other for company, the quirky Perley, his stoic brother and a taxidermied pug are trapped in a car together as they drive cross country back to small town Stanley. Inspired by a true story, this heartfelt film is about reckoning with the past and learning to forgive.

With special screenings of ‘Moonlight’ coming to IMAX this February, we took the opportunity to revisit our interview with the film’s co-writer and director Barry Jenkins. In 2017, Out Takes was in its first year on JOY and we were offered the opportunity to review a new queer independent film from the U.S. that was generating a lot of buzz in the lead up to the 2017 Academy Awards. ‘Moonlight’ is the searing story of a young black man from Miami struggling with his identity and trying to find his place in the world that Rolling Stone called ‘a masterpiece’ and Vanity Fair called it ‘timely and timeless’.  We loved this film and knew it was something special so we were honoured to speak with its very talented writer and director in January 2017 about his ground breaking film and some of its more critical themes: representation, identity and masculinity.

We also announced a special giveaway for our Aussie listeners to win a double pass to the hilarious comedy ‘One of Them Days’ starring Keke Palmer and SZA , in cinemas March 6. Check out Out Takes on Instagram and Facebook for more details. #OneOfThemDays © 2025 CTMG. All Rights Reserved.

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For this Out Takes it was a mixed bag of reviews and interviews to celebrate the arrival of a new Aussie series based on a much loved queer coming of age novel, the latest release from Italian auteur Luca Guadagnino and the return of the Australian International Documentary Conference. First up we reviewed ‘Invisible Boys’, the new LGBTQ coming-of-age Australian series set in the unforgiving Western Australian coastal city of Geraldton, with the 2017 plebiscite on same-sex marriage as the backdrop, It follows a quartet of gay young men trying to figure out how to navigate family, friends and the expectations put on them and is adapted by director Nicholas Verso from Holden Sheppard’s award-winning 2019 novel of the same name. We always love shining a light on new local queer productions and it’s fair to say this latest offering is a promising start to the year ahead for local LGBTQ content on our small screens. Next up we turned we’re turned our attention to ‘Queer’, which is directed by Out Takes favourite Luca Guadagnino and based on the 1985 novella by William S. Burroughs. Set in 1950s Mexico City, the film follows an outcast American expatriate played by Daniel Craig who becomes infatuated with a much younger man played by Drew Starkey and it features Jason Schwartzman and Lesley Manville in supporting roles. Director John Waters ranked Queer second on a list of his favourite movies of 2024, writing that Craig “may be queerbait for taking on the gay beatnik role of William Burroughs’s alter ego, but I’m all for it’ – we couldn’t agree more! Finally, we welcomed back the return of the Australian International Documentary Conference aka AIDC which is back on in Melbourne in early March. The 2025 AIDC program includes over 40 sessions, more than 115 speakers and 90 industry decision makers and is inspired by the theme “Future Telling: New Horizons in Documentary & Factual Storytelling”. One of the key elements of delivering a successful conference is the program and we were delighted to be joined by AIDC Programmer Alice McShane to get the full scoop on how they’ve pulled together this phenomenal line up for 2025 and some of the many highlights on offer at this year’s conference.

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For this Out Takes, we’re going back to the Queer Screen Mardi Gras Film Festival to look at ‘I’m Your Venus’, a powerful film from the U.S. that is described as a vital companion piece to Jennie Livingston’s legendary 1990 ballroom documentary ‘Paris Is Burning’. One of the iconic trans stars of that seminal film, Venus Xtravaganza, was murdered before its release and thirty-five years later, her two families – the biological Pellagattis and ballroom Xtravaganzas – unite to honour her legacy and seek justice. Old wounds are reopened as her cold case is reexamined, amidst a fight to posthumously amend her birth certificate to finally reflect her actual name and gender. Overflowing with love for its subject, this cathartic documentary is a moving ode to Venus’ life and impact, and the power of the ballroom community. We were honoured to be joined by the films director, New York based trans filmmaker Kimberly Reed, and two of the executive producers on the film, Jonovia Chase and Dominique Jackson, to discuss their involvement with the film and the importance of continuing to tell Venus’s story and the importance of ballroom on queer culture. We also reviewed ‘Indigo Girls: It’s Only Life After All’, a comprehensive documentary about the Grammy-winning folk-rock duo that explores their lives, music, and activist projects over the course of their incredible 40+ year career.

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It’s no secret that we love highlighting local film festivals and the talent behind it and for this Out Takes we were delighted to welcome back Artistic Director Spiro Economopoulos to tell us about the 2025 Europa Europa Film Festival which is returning for its 4th year in Melbourne and Sydney from February 12 to March 12. Spiro shared many of the program highlights including three queer films on offer with one being ‘Sebastian’ which we gave the full Out Takes review treatment too and agreed it is one to check out at Europa Europa and at the Queer Screen Mardi Gras Film Festival. We also continued our reviews for this years Mardi Gras Film Festival with a look at the fabulous new documentary ‘Liza: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story’ that is having it’s Australian premiere this February in Sydney and is a dazzling profile of an enduring gay icon and Hollywood survivor. We concluded the program with reviews of three new releases that we’ve been very much looking forward to for very different reasons – Babygirl, Maria and Companion.  We also gave you a big update about the future of Out Takes; it may come as a shock to you but this is the last time you will hear the show live on a Saturday… because we’re moving to Monday nights! We’ll still be bringing you the latest in queer film and television reviews, interviews and more but in a new time slot on JOY.94FM, DAB+ and online at 8pm on Mondays so spread the word and thanks for listening!

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For this Out Takes, we welcomed the return of the 2025 Queer Screen Mardi Gras Film Festival which is now in its 32nd year in Sydney from February 13 to 27 with highlights from the program available on demand around the nation from February 28 to March 10. We caught up with Festival Director Lisa Rose to discuss this year’s program, her career highlights in the lead up to her delivering her final program as Festival Director and more.

We also delivered an encore presentation of our interviews with incredibly talented local filmmaker Demetra Giannakopoulos (who also happens to be one of our very own Out Takes crew) and the stars of her film ‘Love Rewind’, Maria Papas and Ruth Katerelos, in the lead up to two very special events celebrating the film at this year’s Midsumma Festival.

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The latest release from award winning Irish film and theatre director John Crowley is called ‘We Live in Time’, starring Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield, which is in cinemas now. These two incredible actors are brought together to tell the story of Almut and Tobias, two young Londoners who are brought together in a surprise encounter that changes their lives. Through snapshots of their life together – falling for each other, building a home, becoming a family – a difficult truth is revealed that rocks its foundation. As they embark on a path challenged by the limits of time, they learn to cherish each moment of the unconventional route their deeply moving love story takes them on.
For this Out Takes Extra, we had the opportunity to speak with the film’s director John Crowley about this incredibly moving film plus we got to touch on some of the many highlights of his career. Many thanks to StudioCanal and Ned & Co Marketing and Publicity for their support with this interview.

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Midsumma Festival is back in 2025 with an explosion of queer events that centre around hidden and mainstream queer culture, involving local, interstate, and international artists including a fantastic range of film events across the Midsumma season. We caught up with returning guest and friend of the show, Melbourne Queer Film Festival’s Program Director Cerise Howard, about many the fantastic films on offer in this year’s MQFF Midsumma program and we also review a few of them too. We also spoke to Jas Brooks, Tammy Burnstock and Brimbank Youth Services Youth Support and Inclusion Officer Jacob Tiauli about Scented Cinema, two interactive and sensory experience films screenings that are presented by Brimbank City Council in collaboration with Snivure and Scented Storytelling that will leave your noses and eyes having the time of your life! We moved on from Midsumma and finished up this show by speaking with multi-award-winning Irish film and theatre director John Crowley whose latest film ‘We Live In Time’, starring Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield, is in Australian cinemas now.

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Now that award season has officially kicked off with the Golden Globes, we thought it was a good time to take a look at how it all went down; from the surprises (yay for Demi Moore!) and the major wins (looks like ‘The Brutalist’ is one to watch) to the films that are likely to be in the running for more nominations in the upcoming awards in the lead up to the 2025 Oscars. That includes Emilia Perez, Sing Sing, The Room Next Door and Anora; all films generating buzz and in some cases, a lot of controversy too, particularly around the stories they tell and who is telling them as well. So come for the glitz and glamour of the Globes and stick around for the Out Takes reviews of this years potential award winners!

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Happy New Year! With our first show for 2025, we took a look at ‘Teaches of Peaches’ which is streaming now on DocPlay. This frenetic and audacious film celebrates the world of gender-punk icon Peaches in this Teddy Award–winning documentary that screened at MIFF and MQFF in 2024. Following the 20th anniversary tour of her album ‘The Teaches of Peaches’, this film features stunning live performances from that tour and delves into her beginnings with archive footage plus interviews from Feist, Chilly Gonzales and Shirley Manson, which celebrate Peaches’ impact in music and pop culture. Co-directed by Judy Landkammer and Phillip Fussenegger, we had a chance to speak with Philipp during his skiing holiday in Austria to find out more about how they worked their way into Peaches world and got her to tell her incredible story in her own words plus we give our full review on this wild and wonderful music documentary too.

We also celebrated the incredible BRAT year that Charli XCX had in 2024 by revisiting an interview from May 2022 with Bradley Bell and Pablo Jones-Soler a.k.a. Bradley & Pablo, who co-directed the ‘Charli XCX: Alone Together’ documentary. The film chronicles the recording of Charli’s album ‘How I’m Feeling Now’, which she decided to record during lockdown in 40 days. Described as a “love letter between Charli and her fans’ (many of whom are LGBTQIA+), it’s an insight into her world, her creative process and a time capsule on what went on during the COVID pandemic lockdown in 2020.

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