The 12th annual Queer Screen Film Festival showcased a vibrant array of LGBTQIA+ stories from around the globe, awarding local filmmakers thousands of dollars for their innovative projects. Held at Event Cinemas George Street in Sydney from March 15 to March 19, 2025, the festival featured sold-out sessions and drew significant audience participation, highlighting its importance as a platform for connection and celebration within the LGBTQIA+ community.
The festival introduced the inaugural Emerging Narrative Feature Competition, where six exceptional films competed for the attention of a panel of distinguished judges, including award-nominated filmmaker Fadia Abboud, culture critic Michael Sun, and director Samuel Van Grinsven. On closing night, the competition concluded with a $2,500 prize awarded to writer-producer Alice Douard for her film Love Letters. This work, co-produced with Marine Arrighi de Casanova and Marie Boitard, builds on Douard’s César Award-winning short film, Expecting, and draws on her personal experiences navigating France’s adoption bureaucracy.
“Love Letters” expands on the pressures and joys of pregnancy and prospective parenthood while addressing the absurdities of adoption processes.
The film follows partners Céline and Nadia as they grapple with the emotional landscape of starting a family amidst bureaucratic hurdles. Douard’s narrative not only reflects personal struggles but also resonates with broader themes in LGBTQIA+ life, effectively blending the personal with the political.
The festival also featured the Pitch Off, a short film pitching contest that distributed a portion of a $20,000 prize pool. Newly appointed Programming and Industry Manager Andrew Wilkie emphasized the significance of independent cinema in telling authentic queer stories, stating, “Even as LGBTIQ+ representation has increased in mainstream film and TV, independent cinema is still where some of the most authentic and personal stories are being told by and for queer people.”
In a notable win, writer-director Michail Mathioudakis and producer Juliette Beck secured $10,000 in production funding for their project, cam?, which explores a closeted teenager’s journey of self-discovery through online interactions. Additionally, Celeste Diep was awarded the $5,000 Gender Matters Taskforce Professional Development Prize for her compelling proposal, which judges praised for its potential impact on her career. Under One Condition, a screenplay by Lilah Benetti and Maxine Ellah, also received a $5,000 award as the best screenplay.
Queer Screen CEO Benson Wu expressed optimism for the future of Australian LGBTQIA+ storytelling. “It is incredibly exciting to continue this legacy and support emerging local talent,” he said. “The creativity of this new generation makes me optimistic about the future of Australian LGBTIQA+ storytelling, and Queer Screen is proud to be one of the platforms nurturing and supporting these voices.”
The festival’s success underscores the importance of creating spaces for queer narratives in cinema, reinforcing the need for ongoing support and visibility for LGBTQIA+ filmmakers. As the festival concluded, it left a lasting impact on both the creatives involved and the audiences who celebrated their stories.
