Scheduling my queer film festival...

Fucking Different (Thurs 9th March)

To help various on-line friends coordinate, and in case any of my anonymous stalkers want to know where to find me at a given time, here's a rough guide to what I'll be seeing at the 16th Melbourne Queer Film Festival over the coming 10 days. It's an ambitious list, and certainly I won't end up seeing all of these films, but I'm gonna give it my best shot.

And if you don't know what you want to see yet, in a fit of rampant generosity I've posted links to homepages, critical reviews (as opposed to the uniformly glowing festival program notes) etc for all of the films where possible, to help you make up your own mind about whether you would be interested in watching them or not.

If you've never been to the festival before, all sessions are held at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image at Federation Square. You can buy your tickets at the box office or at www.melbournequeerfilm.com.au - note that sessions will sell out, so if you're buying at the box office, check the website for ticket availability or turn up early.

If you're still confused as to what to see, or you're a first time festival-goer, I'd recommend starting with a shorts program (the OzShorts competition, Short & Girly, or Cocktales are usually a good place to start, although word is the quality of the OzShorts is a bit weak this year); then grab a doco or two, and then finally a couple of features - perhaps something safe, but also something that might challenge and suprise you...

See you at the movies!

FRI 3rd March
Queens - 6.15pm
Boob Tube - 8pm
HellBent - 10.15pm (I've already seen this one and its a stylish, sexy splatter flick, though I thought it could have done with more gore...)

SAT 4th March
Queeries 1 - 12pm (this is the queer youth program, but there's an Oz doco in it I'd like to see)
Two Girls - 2.15pm (enhances the director's rep as a sympathetic observer of the disaffected)
Hate Crime - 4pm
Gypo - 6.15 ("one of the best british films in years..." - The Scotsman)
Unveiled - 8.15
Three Dancing Slaves - 10.15pm

SUN 5th March
Queeries 2 - 12pm
100% Human - 2pm ("a crowd-pleaser" - Variety)
Short & Girly - 4.15pm
A Love To Hide - 6pm (I previewed this for MCV - it's magnifique... "an elegant, deeply felt story" says Washing DC's MetroWeekly)
Loggerheads - 8.30pm ("its mood of quiet sadness is deepened by the calm even-handed performances." - The New York Times)
Open Cam - 10.30pm (The world needs more gay thrillers!)

Mon 6th March
Third Man Out - 6.15pm ("The Third Man meets Beautiful Thing" - IMDb user comment)
Sevigne - 8pm
Gay Sex in the 70's - 10.15pm ("a lively, empashioned, well-structured documentary" - The Onion AV Club)

Tues 7th March
3 Needles - 6.15pm
Unconcious - 8pm ("delightful Spanish comedy of manners..." - European Film Review)
Yaji and Kita: The Midnight Pilgrims - 10.15pm ("two solid hours of jaw-dropping fun" - Filmbrain)

Wed 8th March
I'm having a night off...

Thur 9th March
Hard Pill - 6pm ("has an intuitive grasp, much like Miranda July's You and Me and Everyone We Know, of how people in Los Angeles actually live" - Variety)
Fucking Different - 8pm ("15 x Queer Crossover" - why, oh why is this a Thursday night so that I can't actually see it? It sounds great, and a couple of the festival programmers have raved about it to me!)

Fri 10th March
Hilde's Journey - 2pm ("A touching tale about friendship, personal integrity and death." - Eye Weekly)
Short & Burly - 6pm (Boy's short films package - always worth a look)
A Year Without Love - 8pm ("epic, erotic, daunting and inspiring" - MQFF program)

Sat 11th March
Gay Republicans - 12pm ("communicates respect for how a person's convictions can be simultaneously contradictory and firm." - Eye Weekly)
Do I Look Fat? - 2.15pm (film followed by panel discussion about gay male body image)
Like A Brother - 4pm ("a short, sharp and scary glimpse at a gay right of passage" - MQFF program)
Oz Shorts - 6pm (the best in local queer film-making - winner announced at this session)
Adam & Steve - 8.15pm ("delivers plenty of well-timed slapstick, a brace of oddball zanies and a couple of show-stopper musical numbers." - Variety)
Cocktales - 10.15pm (More boys shorts)

Sun 12th March
Pursuit of Equality - 2.15pm (Queer marriage doco followed by hopefully fiery panel discussion - me, I don't want to get married: why should we ape heterosexual traditions?)
When I'm 64 - 4.15pm ("intimate yet crowd-pleasing character drama" - Variety. Another film I've already previewed, and highly recommended!)
Take A Deep Breath - 6pm
Happy Endings - 8.30pm (Closing night film at RMIT Capitol Theatre, followed by the closing night party at F4)

Then I collapse into a small quivering heap and don't go near a cinema for several weeks...