Brisbane Queer Film Festival 2016

Overview

Brisbane movie buffs, prepare to spend even more time at the movies, because the 2016 film festival season is about to officially commence. Brisbane Queer Film Festival is one of the first cabs off the rank, and they've unleashed an 11-day program brimming with cinematic excitement. It is their 17th year, after all.

BQFF 2016 gets things started with not one but two high-profile retrospective screenings, because film festivals are about looking back at those great movies from times gone by just as much as showcasing new cinema treats from around the world. Leading the lineup is opening night's '70s-set disco wonder 54: The Director's Cut — aka the Ryan Phillippe, Neve Campbell, Salma Hayek and Mike Myers movie done the way filmmaker Mark Christopher originally intended. And as a sneak peek of the program the day before the official kick-off, the fest is showcasing Fred Schepisi's controversial The Devil's Playground to commemorate its 40th anniversary, complete with star Simon Burke in attendance.

On the fresh flicks front, BQFF boasts local and international festival faves such as the Lily Tomlin-starring comedy Grandma, Sundance 2015 best director winner The Summer of Sangaile, Aussie surf fare Drown and Peter Greenaway's Eisenstein in Guanajuato. Everyone who was moved to tears by Holding the Man should bring tissues to documentary Remembering the Man, which similarly revisits the heart-wrenching tale of Tim Conigrave and John Caleo. The rest of the packed lineup includes everything from Berlinale Teddy award-winning doco The New Man to Swedish supernatural body swap effort Girls Lost.

Yes, it's all shaping up to be yet another great of queer cinema; however not everything at BQFF 2016 adheres to the business-as-usual model. This year, the film-focused companion event to Brisbane Powerhouse's MELT continues its game of musical chairs, having moved from Brisbane Powerhouse to Palace Centro in 2015, and now taking place at New Farm Cinemas. That's not really all that surprising; in the last six months, the Brunswick Street theatre has played host to the Queensland Film Festival, the Iranian Film Festival Australia, the Indian International Film Festival of Queensland, the Jewish International Film Festival and the Brisbane Asia Pacific Film Festival, among others, with the Brisbane Underground Film Festival also due to call the venue home this February.

Brisbane Queer Film Festival 2016 runs from February 18 – 28 at New Farm Cinemas. For more information, visit their website.