We continue celebrating the return of the Melbourne International Film Festival this August with two special guests and a look at a wonderful homegrown queer short film, a retrospective from a revered Belgian auteur, and the return of a lesbian cult classic to the big screen that spotlights the heady heroin-chic days of the 90’s New York art scene.

First up we reviewed ‘I’m the Most Racist Person I Know’, a fantastic short film that follows Lali and Ana who go on a date where they bond over their shared experiences as queer women of colour and also force Lali to confront her prejudices. We also spoke with its creator Leela Varghese to discuss her process, inspirations, love of the Adelaide film scene and more.

Then we heard from MIFF senior programmer Kate Jinx who took us through two highlights in this year’s program. We started with looking at Chantal Akerman: Traces, an expansive survey of the queer filmmakers output, many of which are newly restored Australian premieres. That was followed by a discussion about ‘High Art’ which was recently restored in 4K that is described as a psychosexual lesbian love triangle drama featuring Melbourne’s own Radha Mitchell, along with Ally Sheedy and Patricia Clarkson.

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