A weekend of highlights from Queer Screen’s 25th Mardi Gras Film Festival is coming to Canberra.
The National Film and Sound Archive, Arc Cinema will show three days of LGBTIQ film that is not to be missed, on Friday 23 to Sunday 25 March.
Witches and Faggots, Dykes and Poofers is the story of the very first Mardi Gras told by those who were there – now proudly known as ‘the 78ers’. Celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras with this timely 2K Digital Restoration as part of the NFSA Restores program of one of this country’s most important documentaries. Screening Friday 23 March 7:00pm.
Brace yourself for a multicultural lesbian love story about mother-daughter relationships and women’s wrestling in Signature Move. The story of Zaynub, a Pakistani-American lawyer whose mother wants her to find a husband, but Zaynub has other ideas and escapes to the world of Mexican lucha libre. When she begins a romance with loud and proud Alma, Zaynub finds herself embarking on a journey of self-acceptance in this delightful romantic comedy. Screening Saturday 24 March at 6:00pm.
The splendour of a Finnish midsummer and the rush of an intense love affair, A Moment in the Reeds tells the story of Leevi and Tareq, who develop an intimate relationship while renovating the cottage of Leevi’s estranged father. This summer romance is a feast of Finnish Cinema and promises to be one of the more electrically charged films of the festival. Screening Saturday 24 March at 8:00pm.
Discover the story behind one of the most enduring queer tales of our time, Tales of the City. The Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin paints a vivid picture of queer life in San Francisco during the 70s and 80s. Joined by his many friends – including Sir Ian McKellan, Olympia Dukakis and Laura Linney – this hilarious and moving documentary sheds new light on Maupin’s work, and on the warmth and generosity of the author himself. Screening Sunday 25 March at 4:00pm.
A blossoming friendship leads to a ‘will they, won’t they?’ in this comedy about friendship and bacteria. In Sensitivity Training, Australian actress Anna Lise Phillips stars as Dr Serena Wolfe – a ruthless misanthropic microbiologist, whose acidic wit and boundless negativity sends people scurrying. But when Serena’s venomous wit results in the death of a colleague, it falls to bubbly and optimistic Caroline to provide the sensitivity training Serena needs. Screening Sunday 25 March at 6:00pm.
More info and tickets here.
