Fabulous new Australian queer short films to watch this Mardi Gras season
Image: There's rarely been this much accessible content from local queer filmmakers on offer.
If you can’t make it to Mardi Gras this year, there’s still a great way for you to immerse yourself in Australian-made LGBTI stories with the new short film programs from the ABC and SBS.
‘Love Bites’, which debuts on ABC iView Arts channel on Sunday February 25, features 10 original documentary short films telling a wide range of rainbow stories.
贵谤辞尘听Club Arak, a fascinating exploration of of the same name, through to聽Dani Boi, in which Dani Weber explains the origins of her drag king alter-ego, these shorts display the true diversity of the Australian LGBTI community.
Other highlights include Fez,聽a doco about聽Briefs creator Fez Fa’anana, an exploration of the radical queer party聽Monsta Gras, 补苍诲听Wicked Women, an account of the eponymous radical ’80s and ’90s magazine co-founded by Jasper Laybutt.
All the ‘Love Bites’ shorts are under 10 minutes long, making all of them an easy weekend binge alongside the premiere of Mardi Gras telemovie聽Riot and later聽Black Divaz, which airs on NITV on March 1.
Over on SBS On Demand, the ‘Queer for Short’ series features six films from emerging LGBTI filmmakers from around the country.
罢辞尘驳颈谤濒听centres on a young Australian-born Filipino man who forms a friendship with Norman, a cross-dresser in the Bakla tradition.
Black Lips follows a lonely Chinese abalone worker who is awakened by a longing he’s never felt before, while聽Concern for Welfare聽looks at the work day of Ali, a queer Lebanese-Australian police constable.
Based on a true story,聽Joy Boy explores the impact of evangelical religion on a man’s emerging sexuality, while both聽Cherry Season聽补苍诲听Disco Dykes look at young women coming to terms with their identities.
Combined with the focus on short films and emerging Australian filmmaking talent at both Mardi Gras Film Festival and Melbourne Queer Film Festival, there’s rarely been this much accessible content from local queer filmmakers on offer.
The ‘Queer for Short’ program is , and the ABC ‘Love Bites’ series on February 25.
