Wednesday, January 28, 2015

MARDI GRAS FILM FESTIVAL

MARDI GRAS FILM FESTIVAL
FULL PROGRAM RELEASED!


Our friends at Queer Screen are gearing up for their summer celebration, Mardi Gras Film Festival, which starts Thursday 19 February and runs until Thursday 5 March at Event Cinemas George Street. They have just released the full program for the festival and it's looking smoking hot.

We think the full program is outstanding. You can buy tickets for individual sessions, or you can buy a pass to save money and see lots of films.

Read on for some of the highlights of this year's festival, and be fast as half of their screenings sold out last year!
I AM HAPPINESS ON EARTH
A sexually charged odyssey of lust. Emiliano is a director and sex addict, and whilst shooting a film on dance he meets beautiful young dancer, Octavio. Will Emiliano be able to sustain his new relationship?

TIGER ORANGE
Pornstar-turned-actor Frankie Valenti (AKA Johnny Hazzard) leads this endearing drama of two estranged brothers. Chet and Todd are opposites; one is a closeted introvert and the other a out-and-proud spunk.

DROWN
World Premiere. Handsome young Len, the surfclub champion, is on a bender of jealousy and unrequited lust. He can’t stand new lifesaver, Phil, who he thinks is gay – but just how far will he take his rage? Followed by after party.
LIFE PARTNERS
A delightful comedy, Sasha (Gossip Girl’s Leighton Meester) is gay, her BFF Paige (Community’s Gillian Jacobs) is not. The longest relationship they’ve had is with each other, so with that in mind they try online dating. Followed by after party.

BFFS
In arguably the funniest film of the festival, BFFs Kat and Sam are gifted a weekend away to a couples retreat; the only problem is that they are straight and not a couple. Sigrid Thornton in attendance.

SKIN DEEP
Troubled university student Caitlin and straight-laced Leah are two lost souls – both hiding secrets and fears they don’t want to face. Queer Screen is excited to present the Australian Premiere of this locally made film, which is set in and around Newtown. Followed by after party.
MALA MALA
A wonderful celebration of the trans* community in Puerto Rico, featuring a diverse collection of subjects that include a boisterous group of drag performers one of which is RuPaul’s Drag Race contestant April Carrión.

DO I SOUND GAY?
This hilarious doco follows the journey of David Thorpe, a man confronting his anxiety about “sounding gay”. Including interviews with Margaret Cho, Tim Gunn, Dan Savage, George Takei and David Sedaris, it is great fun.

SHE'S BEAUTIFUL WHEN SHE'S ANGRY
This doco chronicles the events of the brilliant women who founded the modern women’s movement from 1966 to 1971 including lesbian figures such as Karla Jay and Kate Millett. Followed by panel discussion 'Still Angry'.

IRELAND’S BIGGEST STAR SET TO SHAKE UP MARDI GRAS

 

 

Accidental Activist Panti Bliss Comes to Sydney

 

Ireland's High Queen, Performance Giant, and Accidental Activist Panti Bliss is headed to Sydney, Australia for Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras to perform her smash hit comedy show, High Heels in Low Places at The Vanguard on Wednesday 04 and Thursday 05 March, 2015. Panti will also walk the Parade on Mardi Gras night of nights, leading the brand new Irish Australian float on Saturday 07 March 2015.

 

No stranger to the limelight, Panti landed herself in the middle of a media sh*tstorm christened ‘Pantigate’ that rocked Ireland in 2014. Soon after, she became a Youtube sensation when a speech she made about homophobia went viral, was broadcast around the world, debated in parliament and remixed by the Pet Shop Boys - sparking a powerful conversation about equality.

 

Presented by THISISPOPBABY, High Heels in Low Places is Panti’s riotous stand-up about life after ‘Pantigate’, which played to rave reviews and chock-a-block houses across Ireland. Critics called it “Hilarious” (Hotpress) and “a wickedly funny evening” (Irish Independent) with “impeccable one-liners” (The Evening Herald).

 

Charting brushes with infamy, near misses with fame, and adventures in the seedy underbelly of Ireland, Panti invites you in to her hyper-real, stiletto-shaped, Mardi Gras-tastic world, in a storytelling tour de force where she promises to ‘say the un-sayable’.

 

“I can't wait to bring my old lady glamour to Sydney for Mardi Gras and make a fool of myself over some cheeky Aussie bloke I meet at a barbie. That has been my lifelong dream! But before I elope to the Northern Territories with Bruce, I'll be taking part in the MG parade and doing some shows in The Vanguard, and I'm equally as excited about that. And so is Bruce. He's very supportive of my career.” says Panti.

 

Proudly supported by the Consulate General of Ireland, the Irish Australian float will be the first ever entry into the Parade to have first, second and third generation Irish Australians marching together. Helmed by Ireland’s “National F**cking Treasure”, Panti Bliss, and in a sea of green glitter, the float will be a representation of modern Irish love, and of what it means to be an LGBTQI person of Irish heritage in Australia. 

 

“We want to celebrate the special relationship between Ireland and Australia with our Mardi Gras entry” says organiser of the float, Lorna Markey Hennessy. “We have so much shared history, and so much in common now as two forward - looking nations who want to celebrate equality and love for all, all around the world. And we want it to be a great party, obviously!”

 

Those who are interested in joining the Irish Australian float can register their interest via the groups Facebook Page (HYPERLINK TO PAGE)

 

What: High Heels in Low Places

When: Wednesday 04 and Thursday 05 March, 2015

Time: Doors open 6:30pm. 9pm show.

Tickets: $32.80 General Admission // $68.20 Meal & Show Packages // $123.60 Premium Package


 

For further information on the 2015 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras festival program and to buy tickets, visit www.mardigras.org.au.

 

EDITORS NOTES

 

PANTI BLISS
Former Tokyo club scene doyenne, PANTI is Ireland's foremost gender illusionist. She has run some of Dublin's most seminal club nights, and hosted and produced the legendary Alternative Miss Ireland pageant, which raised money over 18 years for HIV/AIDS charities in Ireland. She is landlady of Pantibar in Dublin, where she performs a weekly drag show -The Pantishow.

Panti
made her theatrical debut in 2007 with the critically acclaimed, sold-out In These Shoes? From there, she was invited to create All Dolled Up for The Dublin Fringe Festival. As a direct result, Panti was commissioned by Project Arts Centre and THISISPOPBABY to create a new piece for the Dublin Theatre Festival called A Woman in Progress. In July 2013, we created All Dolled Up Restitched, a reimagining of her three hit shows, which played at the Peacock Theatre in the Abbey, and went on to tour Australia.

 

Panti’s latest collaboration with THISISPOPBABY – High Heels in Low Places – is a response to the social, political and media maelstrom that erupted earlier this year known as ‘Pantigate’. The show played to packed houses in Dublin’s Vicar Street, Cork’s Opera House and Galway International Arts Festival this summer and we are about to embark on a further national tour in November. High Heels in Low Places is not about Pantigate, it is more about life after Pantigate, along with other brushes with infamy that Panti has had in a life well lived. It’s a comedy.


 

PANTIGATE

In January 2014, Panti appeared on the Saturday Night Show on Ireland’s national broadcaster RTE, where she asserted that journalists and organisations that actively campaign for LGBT citizens to have less rights than their straight counterparts, were in effect homophobic. Those named threatened to sue the broadcaster, and were subsequently paid €85,000 in damages. The payout resulted in public and media outcry in Ireland, with the affair promptly being named ‘PantiGate’. Support for Panti was expressed from the houses of parliament to the front pages of the national newspapers.


On 1 February 2014, in an act of solidarity, the Abbey Theatre invited Panti to speak after the final performance of historical drama ‘The Risen People’. She spoke about oppression and homophobia: “The word ‘homophobia’ is no longer available to gay people, which is a spectacular and neat Orwellian trick, because now it turns out that gay people are not the victims of homophobia – homophobes are.” A video of the speech was posted on YouTube, and within hours it had gone viral with celebrities including Graham Norton, Stephen Fry, Martina Navratalova, Alan Cumming, RuPaul and even Madonna all sending words of support and solidarity.

To date
Panti’s ‘Noble Call’ speech has been viewed over 700,000 times, reported about widely in international media, and was recently put to music by pop royalty, Pet Shop Boys.



 

 

SINCE PANTIGATE

 

February
"Team Panti" phenomenon - shops and cafes all over Ireland start putting up signs and posters in their windows that read I'M ON TEAM PANTI.

Panti was also the subject of parliamentary debate in Ireland and raised in European parliament.


March

Guest of Honour at St Pats For All Parade in Queens, NYC - The press go nuts as Mayor Bill de Blasio muscles in for a photo op with Panti.

March

Given proclamation by New York City Council at a ceremony at City Hall Manhattan.


April
Inspired by Panti's 'Noble Call' speech, Pet Shop Boys pen a dance track, using Panti's speech in its entirety as the vocal part. Named, The Best Gay Possible, they open their American tour with the track.


June

Special guest at Berlin Pride - Shares the stage with Eurovison winner Conchita Wurst.

June-July
Panti and THISISPOPBABY present High Heels in Low Places in Vicar Street Dublin, Cork Opera House and Galway Arts Centre. A second national tour of the show takes place throughout November and December.


August

Filmmakers launch crowdfunding campaign to complete their "Queen of Ireland" documentary about Panti. Campaign was successful and documentary will be completed in 2015.

September

A sold-out TEDx talk given in September was released on Youtube in January 2015, a year after her appearance on the Saturday Night Show that started the whole shenanigans. The video lights up the internet again - racking up 75K hits in five days...and counting.

 

October
Attitude Magazine Award - Panti hangs out with Graham Norton, Conchita Wurst and Jonathon Ross - she is the highlight of the awards ceremony. Acceptance speech online  


November

Writes a bestselling book – A Woman in the Making. Reaches number 4 in the Irish book charts and is listed as the 3rd best book of the year on RTE's Joe Duffy's Books of the year. 


December
Irish Person of the Year Award - Stephen Fry flies to Dublin to present Panti with award.

 

 

ABOUT SYDNEY GAY AND LESBIAN MARDI GRAS

Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras is the non-for-profit member-based organisation that produces the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade and Festival as well as number of other events throughout the year. SGLMG exists primarily to develop the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras for the benefit of Sydney’s LGBTQI community, the enjoyment of a wider audience and as a global beacon of diversity, acceptance and LGBTQI rights. 


 

THISISPOPBABY
A dynamic and ground-breaking Irish theatre and events production company, THISISPOPBABY events have played to over 70,000 people in the past seven years.


In that time, the company has had fourteen sold-out theatre shows, won four major awards (including Best New Play in the Irish Times Irish Theatre Awards 2011 for Trade by Mark O’Halloran) and been nominated for sixteen more; successfully toured to the UK and Australia; ran an alternative late-night arena at Electric Picnic Music Festival from 2008-2010; created Queer Notions, Ireland’s queer arts festival at Project Arts Centre; and regularly rips up history with performance art club WERK (Best Night Out, Sunday Times 2010).

 

Recently, THISISPOPBABY toured to Australia with Panti’s All Dolled Up Restitched, culminating in an epic WERK club at Melbourne Festival; and electropop musical Alice in Funderland, produced by the Abbey Theatre, was nominated for Best Production and Best Set Design at the Irish Times Irish Theatre Awards 2013.

Monday, January 19, 2015

Progressive Dining Walk event

THE SYDNEY CONNECTION

PRESENTS

 

Progressive Dining Walk event

 

SYDNEY GAY AND LESBIAN MARDI GRAS 2015

 

Thursday 26th February & Thursday 5th March

 

Bar H / MahJong Room / Love Tilly Devine Baccomatto Osteria / Berta / The Food Society

 

#SydneyMardiGras #mardigraspassion #progressivediningwalk #thesydneyconnection

 

The Sydney Connection is delighted to announce we are once again part of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Festival. Staging another fabulous Progressive Dining Walk event in the official summer 2015 programme! Press Release PDW MG Festival 2015 programme.

 

For two nights only guests will eat their way across Sydney’s Gay Miles - accompanied food guide extraordinaire Miss Maree Sheehan. Enjoying Sydney’s top inner-city bars and restaurants in Surry Hills & Darlinghurst, meeting fellow foodies, tasting the latest flavours and learning the gay local history of each precinct.

 

The Sydney Connection primarily conducts inner city walks of Sydney in Surry Hills, Darlinghurst and Potts Point. Focused on innovative food, fashion and design. Accompanied by a local guide, our walks are aimed at visitors who want to the experience the lifestyle of 'the locals' in their natural habitat of inner city Sydney. We are gaining a name for ourselves in staging highly innovative food events in our favourite precincts – Darlinghurst, Surry Hills, Potts Point and Pyrmont on a regular basis.

 

The most recent event Llankelly Laneway Degustation Dinner was a successful part of the Good Food Month (2014) and Kings Cross Festival. Past events include: Pyrmont Festival of Wine, Food & Art (2013 & 2014) and Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras Festival (2014).

 

Guests’ feedback on last years’ event:

My partner and I were in town for Mardi Gras and wanted to do something a little different, so we booked one of the Sydney Connection's famous progressive and historic dinners. What a treat! Maree was the perfect host, the progressive dinner was extremely well organized, flawless even! Great value and great fun. Thoroughly recommend.

- Bruce – Trip Advisor Review – March 2014

 

Surry Hills Rice Hipster walk will celebrate the diverse range of eastern delicacies on offer in one of the oldest pockets of inner city Sydney. Japanese/Chinese dishes to Modern-Australian versions of traditional recipes.

Bar H / MahJong Room / Baccomatto Osteria

Darlinghurst Rustic European will re-visit a fine collection of new and established European-style dining rooms. Tasting the latest version of the classics from French to Italian with some Eastern European thrown in for good measure.

 

Love Tilly Devine / Berta / The Food Society / Baccomatto Osteria

§  Ticket price point: $150.00 +BF

§  SGLMG Members $145 + BF

§  Includes all food & alcohol

§  Maximum of ten people per walk

§  6:30 – 10:30pm - Bookings www.thesydneyconnection.com.au/bookings