Program
Date/Time______________Event______________________________________________
Fri Apr 9th 8:00pm --- Session 1: Opening Night - Hollywood je T'aime
Sat Apr 10th 11:30am - Session 2: Boys Shorts
Sat Apr 10th 1:15pm -- Session 3: Girls Shorts
Sat Apr 10th 3:00pm -- Session 4: Hollywood je T'aime
Sat Apr 10th 5:00pm -- Session 5: OZ Shorts
Sat Apr 10th 6:45pm -- Session 6: Redwoods
Sat Apr 10th 9:00pm -- Session 7: And then came Lola
Sun Apr 11th 12:00pm - Session 8: Projecting the Body
Sun Apr 11th 2:00pm -- Session 9: Drool
Programs available:
- Bendigo Visitor Centre, High St, Bendigo
- La Trobe University Visual Arts Centre, 121 View St, Bendigo
- Hares & Hyenas, 63 Johnston St, Fitzroy
- Bendigo Hotel,125 Johnston St, Collingwood
- Ice Cafe & Bar, Cato St, Prahran
Hollywood je T'aime
Sponsored by 
Dir: Jason Bushman, USA, 2009, video, 97 min
English, French with English subtitles
Freshly dumped, Jerome swaps Paris for California in the hope of finding some sun, an acting job and men – anything to keep his mind off his cheating ex. When he arrives, it’s not the paradise he imagined, but he soon meets prostitute Kaleesha, who takes a real shine to our puppy-dog-eyed loner, and who introduces him to drag queen, Norma Desire, and with nowhere to stay Jerome crashes at Norma’s place. Things seem to be working out for our leading man when he meets gay pot dealer, Ross (Chad Allen, Save Me [MQFF 2008]), who introduces him to an agent friend and he soon scores an acting gig… on a microwave pizza commercial. Ah, the glamour of Hollywood!
Lovers of classic Hollywood films will have fun spotting the references to such films as Sunset Boulevard and Wizard Of Oz – with its fading from black-and-white to colour, to the ‘there’s no place like home’ maxim – and many more… one of the most popular films on the queer film festival circuit, Hollywood Je T’aime is plenty of fun. “(Director Jason Bushman’s) approach has a welcome Tales of the City-like vibe to it, using kooky characters and situations to project a positive yet honest depiction of gay life… a crowd-pleaser likely to rank among the year's more popular gay pics.” - Variety
Boys Shorts
NON-LOVE-SONG
Dir: Erik Gernand, USA, 2009, video, 8 min
On the last day of summer before heading off to college, two 18 year old best friends attempt to connect as adults and for the first time in their lives share a real moment.
HOUSEMATES
Dir: Lee Matthews, Australia, 2009, video, 5 min
Aashiq lives a happy life, sharing a home with his lover David and his best friend Aly. There’s just one thing he needs to do...come out to his mother.
THE GOLDEN PIN
Dir: Cuong Ngo, Canada, 2009, video, 15 min, English and Vietnamese with English subtitles
A young Vietnamese man must choose between his family obligations and his love for another man.
FREQUENT TRAVELLER
Dir: Patricia Bateira, Germany, 2007, video, 8 min, German with English subtitles
At the security control system of an airport, a man goes to great lengths to make a connection.
STEAM
Dir: Eldar Rapaport, USA, 2009, video, 16 min
Moving between anxiety, reflection and fear, two strangers try to make sense of their predicament...stuck in a sauna. What is this place and how did they get here? Winner Iris Prize 2009
LAST CALL
Dir: Nick Corporon, USA, 2009, video, 18 min
Gavin is killed in an accident before reconnecting with his ex-boyfriend. Sitting in limbo, can he convince Fate to give him a second chance at love?
SOMBRERO
Dir: Nathaniel Atcheson, USA, 2008, video, 12 min
An awkward blind date in a Mexican restaurant quickly takes a turn toward the absurd.Girls Shorts
THE LIGHT AND HER SHADOWS
Dir: Andrea Iannetta, India, 2009, 35mm, 11 min
Julia, an American painter, and Avantika, a young Indian girl develop an intimate friendship.
BACK TO LIFE
Dir: Desi Del Valle & Hollie Lemarr, USA, 2009, video, 12 min
Trista faces a moral crisis when she finds herself in an unexpected relationship with her married best friend.
TOOLS 4 FOOLS
Dir: Kate Brandt, USA, 2009, video, 8 min
Comedienne Julie Goldman stars as an infomercial huckster promoting recycled sex toys for girls in this ode to a greener sex life.
GIRL TALK
Dir: Jennifer Smith, USA, 2008, video, 6min
Three high school girls find out that their friend, Kelly, went on a hot date over the weekend. The identity of the lucky person is a surprise to everyone.
SON OF THE PREACHER
Dir: Jasmine Gervais, Canada, 2008, video, 5 min
Billy, the preacher’s son, secretly falls for a mysterious and pretty new parishioner. But it seems she has other things on her mind.
WHEN THE TIME IS RIGHT
Dir: Linda Andersson, USA, 2008, video, 11 min
A woman’s indecision to move in with her new girlfriend is aided by a possessed, time-travelling alarm clock.
FRESH AIR THERAPY (FRISCHLUFT THERAPIE)
Dir: Christoph Scheermann, Germany, 2009, video, 6 min, German With English subtitles
Two women maintain the rage at couple’s counselling. What the therapist tries for months, is achieved by a sudden incident in the dark.
BUTTERY TOP
Dir: Catherine Crouch & Kelly Hayes, USA, 2009, video, 4 min
A jug of wine, a loaf of bread - but wait - what kind of bread? A comedy about a first date with extra baggage.
RUNNER
Dir: David Meadows, Australia, 2009, video, 15 min
Futuristic drama about sexy Atalanta who runs the rooftops of Interval City, an industrial metropolis ruthlessly governed by religious ferver.
Redwoods
Sponsored by
 |  |  |  |
** Complimentary copies of DNA and AXN National will be given to patrons attending "Redwoods" courtesy of Media Partners DNA Magazine and Eevolution Publishing.
Dir: David Lewis, USA, 2009, video, 82min
Winner of the prestigious 2009 Iris Award for Best Feature, Redwoods is a gorgeously photographed romantic drama, set amidst the lush redwood forests of California.
Everett and Miles live in relative seclusion in a small town with their learning disabled son, Billy. Their relationship is passionless and they seem to be held together by their shared loved of the child. When Miles and Billy take a trip out of town to visit family, Everett is thankful for some time to be by himself. However his peace is interrupted by the arrival of a handsome stranger, Chase, a writer who has taken a wrong turn on the way to his B&B. Their mutual attraction is instant, and they start spending time together. Openly flirtatious and carefree, Chase tries to seduce the more serious Everett, who is torn between risk and responsibility. Will he embrace the chance for true love, or will his commitment to his family hold steady?
And then came Lola
Sponsored by
 |  | |
** Complimentary copies of Cherrie will be given to patrons attending "And then came Lola" courtesy of Media Partner Eevolution Publishing.
Dir: Ellen Seidler & Megan Siler, USA, 2009, video, 73 min
Owing a huge (tongue in) cheeky debt to 1998’s Run, Lola Run, the film that put Tom Tykwer’s firmly onto the world cinema map, this first feature from the do-it-all duo (credited for writing, directing, producing and operating the camera) Seidler and Siler (who on her own made The Midwife’s Tale in 1995) is as light as a soufflé and frothier than a cappuccino. It’s also as delicious as both, but much sexier than either.
Ashleigh Sumner displays buckets of charisma as the eponymous Lola, a somewhat shiftless and perpetually unpunctual photographer who doesn’t like to be tied down, but is on the cusp of finally uttering the C word (we’re talking about commitment – keep yourselves nice) with her current squeeze, Casey (Jill Bennett). The film’s plot revolves around Lola trying to get some photographic prints to Casey in time for an important job opportunity. Said opportunity is being offered by Casey’s silky smooth ex-girlfriend (Cathy DeBuono), so there’s a little more at stake than simply a graphic design contract. And did we mention that Lola has to run through the whole rigmarole several times? With different obstacles and outcomes on each occasion?
OZ Shorts
BOMBSHELL
Dir: Kim Farrant, Australia, 2008, video, 15 min
A loaded bombshell is thrown into the laps of two Greek-Australian brothers forcing them to question their traditional beliefs and machismo identities as men.
LASH
Dir: Elka Kerkhofs, Australia, 2008, video, 6 min
Celine discovers that religious persecution cannot kill the power of love.
THE HUMAN PRISM
Dir: Ariel Crellin, Australia, 2008, video, 8 min
Like the light through a prism, Adrian's life is split in two as his choices take him on two different paths in the search for love.
NEON SKIN
Dir: Grant Scicluna, Australia, 2009, 35mm, 5 min
A young man finds a connection with his blind friend that is unexpectedly sensual.
TRIXIE CLUB
Dir: Kyle Van Heerden, Australia, 2008, video, 16 min
Jack is an average bloke out for his bucks night. His world is turned on its head when he stumbles into the Trixie Club.
DISARM
Dir: Nathan Keene, Australia, 2009, video, 18 mins
Two men meet online for a hook up, but after an initial confrontation, they fall into conversation and have something they didn’t expect: a connection.
BREEDERS
Dir: Douglas Brook, Australia, 2009, video, 9 min
In a surreal all-gay world, the fight for heterosexual rights has begun.
SORRENTO
Dir: Simon Larkins, Australia, 2009, video, 15 min
Sorrento explores the bond between 3 close friends who discover a secret that will change their relationships and their understanding of each other forever.
Projecting the Body
Dir: Walter McIntosh, Australia, 2008, 60 min
Projecting the Body is an intimate look at Stephen Cummins’ life and career, bringing together his film and photographic work, rare home movies and snaps as well as interviews with friends, family, collaborators and film critics/commentators. “Stephen Cummins was a talented, acclaimed and much loved gay filmmaker and his promising career ended way too soon.” Margaret Pomeranz, ABC TV Australia.
Film session introduced by the director, Walter McIntosh, who will conduct a Q&A session at the end of the film.
Drool
| |
** Complimentary copies of Cherrie will be given to patrons attending "Drool" courtesy of Media Partner Eevolution Publishing.
Dir: Nancy Kissam, USA, 2009, video, 88 min
Hands up all those of you who have been waiting impatiently for Laura Harring to return to the fold? It’s eight years since Harring (then credited as Laura Elena Harring) joined Naomi Watts to create one of cinema’s greatest ever Sapphic pairings in David Lynch’s masterpiece Mulholland Drive. And now she’s back. Drool is a very, very different movie – although it does also turn on Harring’s character being rescued from an untenable position by a wonderful woman. Written and directed by first-timer Kissam, Drool is a gleeful black comedy wearing a technicolour dreamcoat. Anora (Harring) is a downtrodden wife with a fairy-tale fantasy life, who gets to live it for real when the effervescent Imogene (Jill Marie Jones) knocks on her door and invites her for coffee. What transpires includes an accidentally disposed of husband, a couple of disgruntled children and a cross country trip to meet the queen of a beauty products empire, a woman fabulous enough to have popped straight out of a John Waters movie. As an aside, Harring has also recently played Alla Nazimova (the lesbian silent screen star) in the long gestating Return to Babylon, but don’t hold your breath waiting to see that any time soon. Pity!