Queer Screen
From horror to musicals to foreign fops, the gay cinema on screen at this year's Mardi Gras Film Festival will pop your corn for sure
Three's a crowd... King Size, the French gay musical about a threesome
As queer as they come, many of
these films have also played to mixed
audiences worldwide. From the cute
to the kinky, everyone is welcome.
(Keep your eyes peeled throughout
the film The Bubble for scenes filmed
in the office of Time Out Tel Aviv.
Here, Mardi Gras Film Festival programmer
David Pearce, gives Time
Out Sydney his pick of this year’s
Mardi Gras Film Festival.
Two Sides Of The Bed
“Spain has been producing some
really wonderful queer films over
the past few years. This year we are
showing three: the ebullient Spinnin;
the bisexual lesbian rock flic El
Calentito; and as our closing night
spectacular, the frothy, funny, sexy
bisexual musical Two Sides Of The
Bed (Los Dos Lados De La Cama). In
the latter, two guys are considering
marrying their girlfriends. Problem
is the two girls are in love with each
other. This is only one of many
complications that occur in this
freewheeling Spanish delight: there’s
a menage a trois, some bisexual panic
by the guys, and a number of pop
songs moving things along. A high
note to wrap up the festival.
Randwick Ritz Feb 28 7.30pm
The Bubble
Director Eytan Fox and producer
Gal Uchovsky (Yossi & Jagger, Walk
On Water) who are partners in real
life, have made a very sexy, modern,
queer Romeo & Juliet set in present
day Tel Aviv. Noam, a good looking
out gay Israeli record store clerk
who serves part time as a border
guard, starts a relationship with a
handsome brooding Palestinian guy
who crosses the border one day. At
first the relationship sizzles along
perfectly, but family and politics
bring some tension to their lives.
The Bubble has deservedly won high
praise at festivals worldwide.
9.30pm Friday Feb 15, Academy
Twin; 9.00pm Sunday Feb 17, Parramatta
Riverside Theatre
Clapham Junction
Condemned by some in Britain as too
negative a representation of gays,
this is a tough no holds barred look
at gay life in London today. Taking
place over 36 hours in an area around
Clapham Common, it features nudity,
drug taking, infidelity, gay bashing
and more. Based on recent events
in London, it could just as well have
been set in our own Oxford street.
Clapham Junction was written by
Kevin Elyot (My Night At Mauds)
and has a wonderful British cast
including Rupert Graves and James
Wilby who were an item in Maurice
but not this time.
Saturday Feb 16, 9pm Riverside
Theatre Parramatta
Saturday Feb 23, 9.30pm Academy
Twin Paddington
Love My Life
Asian queer filmmaking continues to
charm and delight. If you are looking
for a really sweet film, this lesbian
love story is the one. Eighteen year
old student Ichiko falls for the sexy
and mentally attractive Ellie. They
are hopelessly in love. Ichiko nervously
takes Ellie home to meet her
translator father only to find out that
her father is gay and totally supportive.
Everything looks perfect, until a
hiccup threatens the relationship. As
well as Love My Life check out the
festival favourite Spider Lillies from
Taiwan; the Singaporean film banned
in Singapore Solos; young Japanese
gay love in Hatsu Koi and young
Thai gay love in Right By Me.
Saturday Feb 16, 4.30pm Riverside
Theatre Parramatta
Friday Feb 22, 6.30pm Academy
Twin Paddington
You Belong To Me
Even before Brokeback Mountain
made bareback mountin’ cool for
straight cinephiles again, queer filmmakers
were giving a queer slant to
various genre films. We received six
queer horror films this year, (and are
featuring two – lesbian Vampire Diary
and the new Bruce La Bruce film
Otto). But in terms of a gay thriller,
nothing I have seen has come close to
the Hitchcockian suspense of You Belong
To Me. This film will have you
on the edge of your seat as architect
Jeffrey turns stalker and moves into
the same apartment as a guy that he
had a one night stand with, and now
madly lusts after.
Friday Feb 22, 7.30pm
King Size
We always have more American
films than any other, but the French
have given them a run this year with
gay gigolos (Before I Forget); gay
neighbours (The Man Of My Life);
gay filmmakers (My Super 8 Season);
and concerned parents (Times Have
Been Better). What we did not expect
this year was King Size, a French gay
musical set around a threesome. Vincent
and Nicolas have been together
for ten years when they meet up with
the younger and sexier Gabriel. All
it takes is a song or two and he has
moved in with the couple. This very
French fi lm is a real bon bon. And
it plays with a short called I HATE
MUSICALS.
Monday Feb 18, 7.30pm
Academy Twin
There are so many more films in the
program I’d love to rave on about,
including the update of Oscar
Wilde’s Dorian Gray, the absolutely
wonderful Finn’s Girl, the sexy surfers
of Shelter, and our terrific shorts
programs and so much more.
But I’ve got thousands of choctops
to wrap. For more details go to www.queerscreen.com.au