MARDI GRAS FILM FESTIVAL
MARDI GRAS FILM FESTIVAL CELEBRATES 21 IN STYLE
Tickets go on sale for ten teaser films
Documentaries about transgender porn stars, biopics of famous lesbian poets, evocative coming-of-age dramas and witty
indie teen comedies, are just some of the queer-tinged viewing treats that audiences can expect when the 21st
Mardi Gras Film Festival hits Sydney next February.
Tickets for ten teaser films went on sale today as event organisers promised one of the most diverse program lineups
in the Festival’s 21-year history.
Running from
Thursday February 13 to Sunday February 23 2014 at Event Cinemas George Street,
the Festival will offer up an eclectic selection of classic and
contemporary LGBTIQ films from across Australia and around the world –
showcasing multiple world
and Australian premieres, critically-acclaimed international titles and
some of the most groundbreaking queer flicks of all time.
“Turning
21 is a huge achievement for an event that has come from such humble
beginnings. To celebrate this milestone,
we wanted to deliver a program that truly captures the many facets and
realities of LGBTIQ communities – both today and throughout history,”
says
Mardi Gras Film Festival Director, Paul Struthers.
“From
the funny, spirited and fabulous to the poignant, confronting and
sometimes heartbreaking – we’ll be bringing audiences
a very real and rounded snapshot of LGBTIQ themes, stories and films
from across the globe. Get ready to experience a massive celebration of
pride, creativity and culture under one roof next February.”
The Festival will kick off on opening night with the Australian premiere of REACHING FOR THE MOON, a biographical
drama directed by Oscar-nominated Brazilian filmmaker
Bruno Barreto. Set in Petrópolis during the Fifties and starring Australian actress Miranda Otto in a career-best
performance, the film chronicles
the love affair between acclaimed American poet
Elizabeth Bishop and famed Brazilian architect Lota de Macedo Soares.
Friday February 14
will see audiences treated to another Australian premiere when
evocative drama FIVE DANCES hits the silver screen. Directed in
collaboration with groundbreaking choreographer Jonah Bokaer and
co-starring Australian dancer Reed Luplau
(formerly of Sydney Dance Company), the film
tells the story of Chip, a gifted teen dancer who embarks on a journey
of self-discovery and first-love when he joins a contemporary dance
company in New York.
Exploring
notions of sexual-discovery later on in life is the
critically-acclaimed feature CONCUSSION, which
premiered at Sundance Film Festival and went on to snag a Teddy Award
at the 2013 Berlin International Film Festival. Screening on
Friday February 14, the film is a powerfully erotic tale about a
fourty-something housewife who opts to shake off her everyday boredom by
becoming a high-end sex worker.
Sure to bring the laughs on
Saturday December 15 is G.B.F, a hilarious gay teen comedy about being
“outed” from JAWBREAKER director Darren Stein.
With a cast including Rebecca Gayheart, Natasha Lyonne and
Will and Grace’s Megan Mullally as an over eager mother, the film
takes a campy and quirky look at what it means to be a ‘gay best
friend’ in the treacherous world of high school.
Aside from features, there will be plenty of documentaries on offer to keep discerning film-buffs well satisfied.
Self-proclaimed
“Man with a Pussy”, transgender activist and porn pioneer, Buck Angel,
is the subject of
MR. ANGEL – an uplifting and empowering documentary that chronicles the
childhood, modeling career and extraordinary journey of one of the
world’s most unlikely political heroes. Angel will be a special guest of
the Festival, introducing the film on
Sunday February 16 and participating in an interactive Q&A session following the screening.
Also placing a lens on the real world is the award-winning documentary CAMP BEAVERTON: MEET THE BEAVERS,
which provides a fascinating insight into the only all-women, trans-inclusive community camp at Burning Man arts festival.
Documentaries from Australian filmmakers will also go under the spotlight when Martin Fox’s FRIENDS OF DOROTHY
world premieres on Wednesday February 19. In his second film in
as many years, prolific photographer William Yang shares his personal
tales, traversing the history of queer Sydney – from the gay underground
of the late 60s and the 80s AIDS crisis, through
to the 90s party scene and beyond.
Another
highlight of the Festival program will be Shirley Clarke’s seminal
classic PORTRAIT
OF JASON, a 1966 avant-garde documentary that invites audiences into
the world of Jason Holiday, a gay African American hustler who
challenged notions of sexuality and race in the Sixties. Once recognised
as “the most extraordinary film I’ve seen in my life”
by internationally-acclaimed director Ingmar Bergman, PORTRAIT OF JASON
sees Holiday narrate his troubled life story
to the camera, sharing his wild experiences and divulging his darkest
feelings to create a viewing experience that is both captivating and
thought-provoking.
Presented
by Queer Screen, the Mardi Gras Film Festival is Australia’s leading
selection of LGBTIQ
films, offering audiences a carefully curated program of queer-tinged
features, documentaries, short films and retrospectives over eleven days
and nights.
2014 will also mark a new partnership between Mardi Gras Film Festival and the Los Angeles Tourism and Convention Board.
Los Angeles Tourism and Convention Board have
come on board as a major sponsor to promote both LA and Outfest, the
world’s longest running Queer film festival.
Stay tuned when the full program for the 2014 Mardi Gras Film Festival is revealed on January 15.
Tickets for the Mardi Gras Film Festival teaser films can be purchased at
www.queerscreen.org.au
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