Melbourne Queer Mini Film Festival

Overview

Twelve months is a long time to wait between film festivals. Don't worry — the folks behind Melbourne's annual queer cinema showcase feel your pain. With the Melbourne Queer Film Festival hopping around in terms of dates and formats over the past few years due to the pandemic, the event is giving LGBTQIA+ movie buffs a little something extra in 2022, thanks to a three-day feast of flicks between Friday, April 29–Sunday, May 1.

Called Melbourne Queer Mini Film Festival, this bite-sized bonus festival will serve up 12 features and documentaries at Cinema Nova. And, while it's definitely a brief affair, it's all about quality rather than quantity.

MQFF's program includes Tramps!, which heads back to Britain's New Romantic scene in the 80s; Shall I Compare You to a Summer's Day?, a must-see for its blend of Arab folktales and Egyptian pop music; Canadian flick Wildhood, about a rebellious teen who runs away with his half-brother; and Benediction, a moving exploration of First World War poet Siegfried Sassoon's life by filmmaker Terence Davies (Sunset Song).

Also among the highlights: Taiwan's Fragrance of the First Flower, Hong Kong coming-of-age effort The First Girl I Loved, France's The Divide and Spanish docu-drama Sediments, with the latter about the lived experiences of six trans women who are actors.