We’ve sorted through the stack of films lined up for Queer Screen, and these ones top the list.
Queer Screen's Mardi Gras Film Festival is one of our favourite annual events. It's the only time of year the cinema is packed with fellow queers and allies. Carol (2015) got close, but was foiled by Cate Blanchet's charm over the conservative oldies (Harold, they're lesbians).
Anyway, here are the best of the bunch, guaranteed to treat you to a fun night of positive, queer centric representation.
- Desert Hearts
The film that launched lesbians onto the big screen, Desert Hearts is a classic romantic drama, about an English professor who travels to Reno for a quickie divorce and meets a spunky change girl with whom she falls in love. With its nostalgic 1950's music soundtrack, free-spirited Southwestern aesthetic, and a glimmer of a happy ending, Desert Hearts is the lesbian Notebook: Unmissable.
- Signature Move
A new romance with Alma forces Zaynab to confront her relationship with her recently widowed mother who escapes to TV dramas and finding her daughter a husband. In this coming-of-age Muslim melodrama, Zaynab copes by taking up Lucha-style wrestling. This award-winning romantic dramedy has been met with nothing but positive reviews worldwide. This new flick is quickly solidifying its permanent place in lesbian culture.
- Jade of Death
A fun diversion from run-of-the-mill lesbian Romeo and Juliets, Jade of Death is dark, funny and hot as hell. Jade has a powerful ability. She can hear when and how people are going to die. She ran away from her hometown and gets by working at a seedy freak show carnival as the “Fortune-Teller of Death”, but now people are after her. There’s more to her past than she lets on, and more to her abilities than she knows. Jade of Death is a six-part short form series.
- Dusk
Inspired by the true story of 70-year-old man who, making peace with the confines of society, lived his life as a woman, Dusk’s series of flashbacks through the life of Chris reveal the gravity of the choices we make, and the impact of cis-normative culture. Dusk is seriously powerful, and gets extra points for being an authentic trans story directed by a trans guy
To check out the rest of the program, and for ticket info, head to queerscreen.org.au/mardi-gras-film-festival-2018
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