Writer-director Georgia Oakley’s impressive directorial debut Blue Jean is a compelling character study set in northern England in 1988, as Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative government is about to pass the notorious Section 28 of the local Government Act which stigmatized the nation's gay and lesbian population, stoking homophobia—both societal and internal—at the height of the HIV/AIDS... Continue Reading →
Two NYC galleries present Queer Love: Affection & Romance in Contemporary Art
Explorations of intimate queer relationships by 48 LGBTQIA+ artists are currently on show at a two-part New York exhibition at Lehman College Art Gallery in the Bronx and La MaMa Galleria in Lower Manhattan. Queer Love: Affection & Romance in Contemporary Art presents paintings, photographs, sculpture, video, and multimedia works that celebrate queer carnality, camaraderie,... Continue Reading →
Mardi Gras Film Festival 2023 Review: The Origin of Evil (L’origine du mal) ★★★★
Situations spiral out of control and the classes clash in the juicy lesbian drama, The Origin of Evil (L'origine du mal). Money, murder, and the design choices of the nouveau riche fill the screen in this darkly comic-thriller. Stéphane (a wonderful performance by Call My Agent’s Laure Calamy) works in a factory, packaging anchovies all... Continue Reading →
Mardi Gras Film Festival 2023 Review: Gateways Grind ★★★1/2
The Gateways Club, or the Gates as it was known, was the centre of lesbian London for decades. A watering hole in the heart of Chelsea, it one of the only exclusively lesbian venues in London, frequented by a mix of women of all classes, including the likes of author Patricia Highsmith. Running from the... Continue Reading →
Mardi Gras Film Festival 2023 Review: In Her Words – 20th Century Lesbian Fiction ★★★
Chronicling key figures in lesbian fiction from the 1920s to the 90s, Lisa Marie Evans and Marianne K. Martin's In Her Words: 20th Century Lesbian Fiction is an exhaustive walk through individual author's lives and works using a range of new and archival interviews. Without preamble, we are thrown into a discussion of Radclyffe Hall’s... Continue Reading →
The Queer Review 2022 – LGBTQ+ highlights of the year
As 2022 draws to a close, we ask some friends of The Queer Review, including prominent creators, performers, artists, and activists to share the LGBTQ+ culture or events that have sustained, stimulated, moved, inspired or brought them joy this year. We hope that you enjoy reading this eclectic selection of theatre, film, TV series, books,... Continue Reading →
Tribeca Festival 2022 Review: You Can Live Forever ★★★★
UPDATE: You Can Live Forever screens at Queer Screen’s 30th Mardi Gras Film Festival running in cinemas in Sydney and on demand Australia-wide from February 15th to March 2nd, 2023. Click here for tickets and more information. Sarah Watts and Mark Slutsky’s debut feature, You Can Live Forever, opens up the world of a Jehovah’s... Continue Reading →
Sydney Film Festival 2022 Review: The Longest Weekend ★★1/2
Australian indie film The Longest Weekend, which received its world premiere at the Sydney Film Festival 2022, keeps its focus tight on the lives of three adult siblings in Sydney's diverse Inner West, whose plans get ripped apart when their estranged father comes back into their lives. From the outside all seems well with the... Continue Reading →
Exclusive Interview: director April Maxey & cinematographer Melinda James on their Sundance Grand Jury Prize nominated short film Work
Writer-director April Maxey's Work was one of the queer highlights at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival, where it received its world premiere and was nominated for the Short Film Grand Jury Prize. Inspired by her own personal experience, Maxey set out to reevaluate the misconceptions and stigma surrounding sex work. The film, developed at AFI’s... Continue Reading →
Mardi Gras Film Festival 2022 Review: Mayfly (Efímera) ★★★1/2
Luis Mariano García’s Mayfly is utterly endearing. A coming-of-age story, sprinkled with magic realism that steps over many of the clichés to deliver a charming take on a well-worn genre. Emillia (Danae Reynaud) is a serious, studious high-schooler with her eyes on the prize of a place at a prestigious architecture school. In the library... Continue Reading →