Celebrating queer film with Scott for MQFF

Anyone who has met Scott, a Yooralla client, at his day program or his home at a Yooralla residential service knows all about his infectious passion for film and film stars.

With the Melbourne Queer Film Festival (MQFF) being held in November, it;sthe perfect time for Scott to share his passion for film and make some recommendations of his favourite queer films below.

My passion for film: by Scott

My passion for film began in my childhood about 4 or 5 years old when I went to see Snow White. I just saw my first movie and became instantly hooked. I really liked it. I loved going to the movies. I adored the experience. I loved every one of them...and to this day I still do.

My favourite genre of film is Romantic, Drama and Horror!

I can write about a film I saw in my young adult years that left a big impression on my conscience. It was called Shelter around 2009, 2011? My gay group at the time, YOUTH CONNECTIONS in Box Hill, invited me to watch this movie about two men who fall in love with each other.

It was really exciting to see a movie that portrayed love between two men in a sexual way.

The possibility of gay movies surprised me, in fact it blew me away.... I didn’t know they existed at the time!

Later I remember seeing a movie called “I am Michael”, a series on Netflix (that I have never finished) about a man who came out…it was based on a true story [of] a gay activist who renounces his homosexuality to become a pastor.

I liked the movie because it portrays the many struggles of being gay, the bits I have seen are really good...the story is really riveting.

I also want to recommend, “Behind the Candelabra”, the Liberace story about Scott Thorson and Liberace.

It tells the story of how the pianist meets a young boy called Scott and they fall in love and start a secret homosexual relationship and move in together. It is a really exciting movie to watch if you are into Hollywood films. The visuals are really great because they glamourise the celebrity lifestyle with all its glory, passion and society.

The saddest thing about their relationship was that at the end of Liberace’s life. There is a scene, a fabrication of Scott looking at Liberace playing the piano from the audience one last time that chokes you up. Liberace dies of AIDS related illnesses. It is really important to talk about AIDS because back then it was a taboo subject that impacted the LGBTQIA+ community.

Although I have not been to the queer festival yet, I am planning to go in the next weeks to see a series about ‘coming out’ it is an Australian drama about someone coming out. I don’t know the full story of the movie but it sounds like it will be a good one.

These festivals help us learn more about the LGBTQIA+ community and gives all of us a chance to reach out and speak up about issues that would otherwise be unseen/unheard by other people.

You can join Scott at the screening of Single, Out on Saturday 12 November at Cinema Nova in Carlton.

The Melbourne Queer Film Festival is an annual LGBT film festival held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. This year, the Queer Festival will be held from 10 – 21 November 2022.

The festival is regarded as the largest queer film event in the Southern Hemisphere. The festival attracts around 23,000 attendees at key locations around Melbourne.

Learn more https://mqff.com.au/