Established to provide vital support to Australian LGBTIQ+ filmmakers and storytellers aligned with the organisation’s vision and mission, the fund has become a beacon for fostering creative endeavours that reflect the rich diversity of the community. Since its inception in 2016, the fund has awarded $162,000 to 27 screen projects.
“In our tenth round of the Queer Screen Completion Fund, we experienced arguably our most competitive selection process yet. The jury faced a challenging deliberation as numerous projects were considered. Ultimately, they awarded two world-class projects that couldn’t be more different but are of equal relevance and importance. At Queer Screen, we are incredibly proud to be able to assist these filmmakers in completing their projects,” said Lisa Rose, Queer Screen Festival Director.
This year’s independent jury consisted of Dr. Tania Chambers OAM (producer of Invisible Boys and How to Please a Woman), Spiro Economopoulos (artistic director of Europa! Europa Film Festival and former program director of Melbourne Queer Film Festival), and Julie Kalceff (writer, director, and producer of Danielle Laidley: Two Tribes and First Day). They selected two projects to receive funding.
$10,000 awarded to One Person Protest
Director: Christopher Amos
Producer: Christopher Amos, Chrysaor
Writer: Christopher Amos
Synopsis: Defying fear in the face of oppression: one person’s unwavering stand in solidarity with the Russian LGBTQ+ community as President Putin intensifies their repression.
Filmmaker Christpher Amos said, “We’re thrilled and immensely grateful for the Queer Screen Completion Funding Grant for One Person Protest. This support is crucial in helping us tell the story of Peter Tatchell’s brave protest against LGBTQ+ persecution in Russia. It’s a powerful affirmation of our mission to shed light on these critical issues. A huge thank you to Queer Screen for believing in our project.”
$10,000 awarded to Videoland
Director: Jessica Smith
Producer: Scarlett Koehne, Pikelet Pictures
Writer: Jessica Smith
Synopsis: While working at a video store in the late 90s, 17-year-old Hayley uses movies as her own lesbian how-to guides, but struggles to find any positive queer role models on the shelves.
Filmmaker Jessica Smith said, “We are thrilled to have been awarded completion funding from Queer Screen, an institution that is not only dedicated to celebrating queer storytelling, but one that actually puts their money where their mouth is and year after year provides financial assistance to the filmmakers trying to tell those stories. The importance of queer representation is at the very heart of Videoland and, with Queer Screen’s incredibly generous support, we cannot wait to finish it and share it with the world.”
About Queer Screen: Queer Screen is a non-profit charity based in Sydney and is dedicated to showcasing LGBTIQ+ screen stories, at Queer Screen Mardi Gras Film Festival and Queer Screen Film Fest, as well as running various industry funding initiatives like Queer Screen Pitch Off and the Queer Screen Completion Fund. The Queer Screen Mardi Gras Film Festival is one of its flagship events, providing a platform for diverse and thought-provoking storytelling.
