After last year's online event, Geelong's annual celebration of LGBTQIA+ cinema is back with a new in-cinema lineup.
Back bigger, better and prouder than ever for its fourth outing, one of the largest regional LGBTIQ+ film festivals in Australia, the Geelong Pride Film Festival, is returning to cinemas to showcase a bulging program north of 50 LGBTIQA+ films from around the globe.
Spread over four weeks from April 14 to May 16, the festival will present a series of local cinema screenings, as well as online on-demand streaming options, following on from the success of its online event in 2020.
With an aim to bring more diversity to the region’s screens, the Geelong Pride Film Festival has curated an impressively broad program this year, spotlighting several fantastic queer-proud movies that are confidently pushing their way out of genre-niche territory and commanding worldwide attention.
From the lengthy selection of short films and feature films that you won’t see anywhere else, standouts include the opening night film, Supernova, a moving, romantic drama starring Colin Firth and Stanley Tucci; the passionate Georgian coming-of-age tale And Then We Danced; and the powerful documentary Ahead of the Curve, which traces the founding of best-selling lesbian magazine, Curve.
Further in the festival, guests will find six carefully curated short film sessions which promise to offer something for everyone. These include a dedicated package for documentary lovers, as well as a Youth Shorts package, two themed packages (“From Now On” and “Knowing Me, Knowing Her”) and feel-good crowd favourites “Happy Endings” and “Rainbow Shorts”, shining a light on positive representation.
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A highlight is of course the gay shorts package ‘From Now On’ which features the world cinema premiere of the short film ‘Lessons’ from director Sam Seccombe – a film that shows what happens when a one night stand turns into something much more. The men in all of these short films are on the verge of something new. Life won’t be the same, and will take a different direction after encounters with other men.
Another major highlight of the festival promises to be the Australian premiere brand new film ‘Hartenprins’ (Prince of Hearts) from Dutch director Zino Bakker, screening as part of the festival’s Rainbow Shorts package. A visual feast that creates a near-future fantasy metropolis that could be any modern city, the film is a modern fairytale about the search for love and validation, following young man Philip who inhabits a neon world where online dating leaves everybody drained. The film is an ultimately uplifting story of the importance of self-worth and love, and really, what’s not to love about that?
As for closing night, the Australian-made The Greenhouse will take to The Pivotonian Cinema, which takes viewers on a journey of time travel, fusing fantasy with domestic drama.
Ran by a group of brilliant volunteers, the Geelong Pride Film Festival aims to contribute to the development of a thriving and vibrant community in Geelong for those who identify as LGBTQIA+. It’s also perfect for film lovers who are yearning to see a movie on a big screen in a room filled with fellow cinephiles, bringing people together to witness the latest and greatest in LGBTQIA+ in our local cinemas.
“After the challenges of 2020, we are so happy to be back in cinemas,” festival president, Stephen Ryan said.
“The Geelong community has really embraced the event since its 2017 beginnings. With their and our sponsors support, we’re now presenting what may be one of the biggest festivals of LGBTIQ+ films ever staged outside of a capital city in Australia!”
The online festival will run from 14 – 28 April. Cinema screenings will be held from 22 April – 16 May at the Pivotonian Cinema and Village Geelong. You can check out the program and purchase your tickets here.
