The 17th annual Brisbane Queer Film Festival program has launched with 16 feature films and two Queer Shorts sessions to be screened at the historic New Farm Cinemas

The program features films from all over the world, with highlights including the Australian documentary Remembering The Man – a documentary focusing on Holding The Man’s Tim Conigrave and John Caleo; Opening Night Gala film 54: The Director’s Cut by Mark Christopher; The 40th-anniversary screening of Australian classic The Devil’s Playground; and a double documentary session celebrating the butch lesbian identity.

Festival Programmer Shannon King’s vision for the festival is for everyone to find a film that they connect with. “I wanted Brisbane audiences to explore what it means to be LGBTIQ in other cultures as well as our own. These films show the true identity of queer: never hiding always searching and striving.”

This year the festival will be held at New Farm Cinemas, a choice that Producer Adam Gardnir is excited about. “We really like the fact that New Farm Cinemas is locally owned and it has that history with New Farm. Its 1970s décor is perfect for our Opening Night film 54: The Director’s Cut, which is set in the hedonism of the 1970s.”

The festival program includes films from Kenya, Lithuania, Chile, Uruguay, Venezuela, USA, Spain, Mexico and Australia, with films featuring well-known actors like Lily Tomlin, Laverne Cox, Mike Myers, Ryan Phillippe, Salma Hayek, Simon Burke and Patricia Velasquez.

Brisbane Queer Film Festival follows on from MELT: A Celebration of Queer Arts and Culture as part of Brisbane Powerhouse’s Queer Month.