This March Melbourne will host one of the largest queer film festivals in the world, screening films that celebrate and explore the diverseness of queer culture and identity.
The 23rd Melbourne Queer Film Festival (MQFF) has launched its official program with 146 films, 35 shorts and many other events on offer.
As part of this years line-up audiences will be able to find intriguing and entertaining queer films, being featured by both international and Australian filmmakers with films screening at various venues across Melbourne.
Amongst these features several prominent award-winning documentaries such as Call me Kuchu, I am Gay and Muslim, Turning, and The British Guide to Showing Off.
With plenty of great films making their premiere this year, ‘Monster Pies’ by local writer/director Lee Galea, is set to make its worldwide premiere. Being one of two Australian features.
‘Monster Pies’, filmed in and around Melbourne’s west is a romance story between two high-school boys making a monster movie based loosely on Romeo and Juliet.
The two lead characters who develop feelings for one another while completing a school assignment struggle to keep their romance alive amidst the many hardships in their personal lives.
Galea highlighting the lack of queer cinema coming out of Melbourne particularly films dealing with queer youth.
“Queer Cinema is virtually non-existent in Australia and these films are important, they bring awareness and education. This is what I was hoping to do with ‘Monster Pies’’’, he says.
“Festivals like the MQFF support younger Australian film makers – whether they are producing feature length films or shorts”.
MQFF director Lisa Daniel said she is committed to what the festival represents whilst it offers entertainment, it is also an important tool in education of the gay community.
“With two Melbourne based filmmakers being featured this year, we’re hoping audiences will be able to connect (more-so) to the local stories being told,” she says.
“We’ve only had about six Melbourne-made films in my 15 years, so having two was fantastic. We’re hoping next year we’ll be able to continue to show even more Australian produced films and documentaries.”
“MQFF looks set to enjoy a very successful run this year. We are expecting larger numbers than last year, and overall the number of sold out screenings and positive feed back from audience members has thrilled us”.
The Melbourne Queer Film Festival runs March 14-24.
Monster Pies Trailer from Lee Galea on Vimeo.
