Out Takes

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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For this program, we looked at the latest film from revered French filmmaker François Ozon film that is a very timely tale of secrets, murder, and mushrooms, plus we discussed some of the many queer films on offer that we’re looking forward to seeing in August at the Melbourne International Film Festival.

First up was our review of François Ozon’s latest film ‘When Fall is Coming’ which is in cinemas from July 31 and is set in rural autumnal Burgundy where we meet Michelle who leads an isolated life, foraging for mushrooms in the forest with her friend Marie-Claude. When her sharp-tongued daughter Valérie arrives unannounced to leave her son in Michelle’s care over the school holidays, Michelle sees a chance to repair their fractured bond. But a single mistake sets off a ripple of consequences, threatening her relationships and plunging her back into estrangement and guilt. This moody, atmospheric reflection on regret, redemption and the secrets that fester just beneath the surface (like mushrooms) was one that we enjoyed and encourage you to check it out too.

It’s no secret that we look forward to the Melbourne International Film Festival (a.k.a. MIFF) every year so we took this opportunity to pull out some of the films we’re most looking forward to seeing in cinemas this August. From high profile documentaries to queer independent features, there is literally something for everyone in this year’s program so let us know what you’re looking forward to seeing at MIFF in 2025 so we can add them to our very long lists as well!

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For this Out Takes, we reviewed ‘On Swift Horses’ which is screening now exclusively in Melbourne at Cinema Nova. Director Daniel Minahan’s queer period romance stars Daisy Edgar-Jones, Jacob Elordi, Will Poulter, Diego Calva and Sasha Calle. Set in the 1950’s, it tells the story of Muriel and her husband, Lee, who begin a new life together after he returns home from the Korean War. However, their newfound stability gets upended by the arrival of Lee’s charismatic brother Julius, a wayward gambler with a secret past. While its director is not a household name, his list of credit’s feature some of the best and most loved television shows from the past 20 years including 6 Feet Under, L Word, True Blood, Halston and Fellow Travellers. We spoke with Daniel Minahan from Toronto to discuss the making of the film, its incredible cast, his passion for telling queer stories without tragedy and much more.

We also welcomed the return of Tilde for a special short film screening event this July at ACMI celebrating Australia’s emerging filmmakers conveying trans and gender diverse experiences. We spoke with Ro Bright, the CEO of Tilde, and two of the filmmakers, Jamie Connor from Sapphic Flicks and Naavikaran, whose films will feature at the screening that looks to cross-boundaries by experimenting with form, music and the filmmaking process itself.

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For this Out Takes, we turned the spotlight on to a new gay romantic comedy that follows a gay Indian man who both dreams of – and fears – the big Indian wedding of their dreams with the love of his life and his journey to get there with Jonathan Groff by his side, plus we welcomed back the creative force behind ‘Girls’ who has teamed up with one of the standout performers in Hacks for a new must-see TV show on Netflix.

First up we reviewed ‘A Nice Indian Boy’ which is in select Australian cinemas now and it’s fair to say we loved this sweet and fun film that tells the story of Naveen who brings his fiancé Jay home to meet his traditional Indian family and sets off a chain of events to help them all to accept and connect with his white-orphan-artist boyfriend in the hope of them heading towards their dream Indian wedding. We were delighted to be able to speak to the films lead actor, Karan Soni, and its director, Roshan Sethi. who also happen to be a couple in real life to find out about the parallels in their own life with this very personal story and this project, the benefits of collaborating with someone who knows you so well and much more.

We also took a look at a new show from Lena Dunham, the creative force behind ‘Girls’, who is now back in front of the camera and behind the scenes on ‘Too Much’. This Netflix series has an incredible cast including breakout star Megan Stalter, Will Sharpe from season 2 of a little show called ‘The White Lotus’ plus Rita Wilson, Rhea Perlman, Richard E. Grant, Naomi Watts and a range of cameos that will blow your mind (we see you Rita Ora!). The show is described as an “ex-pat rom-com for the disillusioned” which follows Jessica, a New York workaholic who moves to London to isolate herself after a breakup but finds herself unexpectedly drawn to a man named Felix. Their connection, however, proves complicated, forcing them to question if they can bridge the cultural gap between them.

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For this program, we started off by welcoming back the 2025 Hurtigruten Scandinavian Film Festival this July and August which once again presents the best new cinema from the Nordic region . One highlight in the program that we were excited to review was ‘Odd Fish’, a tale of dreams, identity, and acceptance. This feel-good film follows childhood friends Hjalti and Björn, who run a seafood restaurant in their hometown during the summer. They dream of keeping the restaurant open year- round, and when an unexpected opportunity arises, Björn reveals to Hjalti that she is a transgender woman and will be known as Birna from now on. These changes test their friendship, and both must face life with a new perspective to preserve what matters most. We then turned our attention to ‘Here Comes the Dykes’, a brilliant and thought provoking short documentary that recounts the alternative history of photography by JEB (Joan E. Biren) with lesbians as central protagonists in The Dyke Show, produced by The New Yorker films. ‘Here Comes They Dykes’ is streaming for free so check it out and then do yourself a favour and dive into the world of Joan E Biren a.k.a JEB as well, you will not be disappointed. We finished up by highlighting some of the many diverse First Nations films on offer this NAIDOC Week. Running from July 6 to 13, NAIDOC Week marks a powerful milestone in 2025 with 50 years of honouring and elevating Indigenous voices, culture, and resilience. This year’s theme is The Next Generation: Strength, Vision & Legacy which celebrates not only the achievements of the past but the bright future ahead, empowered by the strength of First Nation young leaders, the vision of their communities, and the legacy of their ancestors. Along with a great selection of free content streaming on DocPlay and SBS on Demand, we also featured an encore presentation of our interview from October 2024 with Jon Bell, the writer/director of ‘The Moogai’, a ground breaking First Nation’s horror thriller film that debuted at the 2024 Sydney Film Festival winning the Audience Award for Best Feature, premiered globally at the Sundance Film Festival, and won the prestigious 2024 CinefestOZ Film Prize Award.

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The cold weather has well and truly settled in down under so for this Out Takes we presented a Winter Warmer edition of recommendations and reviews to get you through  the next few motnhs of this chilly Melbourne winter.  We started off by looking at ‘We Were Liars’, a new TV series streaming on Prime Video that brings a much loved book from E. Lockhart to our screens that explores revenge and redemption for a very wealthy American family torn apart by tragedy and their self-imposed drama. No spoilers here but needless to say that despite a beautiful setting and some stand out cast members, in this instance, not all reviews are recommendations…

We then turned our attention to a selection of TV shows, films and more that we wanted to recommend, review or rant about (yes, we’re looking at you ‘And Just Like That’ season 3!). As expected, it was an eclectic offering from the OT crew including season 2 of a popular lesbian dating show, the latest film from Celine Song that has got everyone talking about modern love, a beautiful documentary about the first US woman to fly in space and the same-sex relationship that kept her grounded, the return of M3GAN, plus much more.

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As you know, Out Takes is the home of queer cinema and television on JOY 94.9 but for this show, we dived into the world of gay literary fiction to spotlight an Aussie author who is doing great things on the page that has also been making waves on our screens. When we heard Holden Sheppard had a new book out and was available for interviews, we jumped at the chance to speak with him. From the author of ‘Invisible Boys’, now a hit original series on Stan that we reviewed earlier this year and loved, comes a new novel; ‘King of Dirt’, Holden’s first novel for adults. Described as a gritty and heartfelt gay coming-of-age story set in the world of FIFO workers and tradies in Western Australia, the story follows Jack who by all accounts, including his own, is a mess. He works piecemeal construction gigs in remote WA, drinks himself to oblivion and is estranged from his family and friends. He’s consumed by a self-loathing all too common for closeted men who have grown up in a world of hate and shame. But then Jack returns to his regional hometown of Geraldton for a family wedding. He hasn’t been back since he fled at the age of eighteen, and his past soon catches up with him… It was a delight to speak with Holden Sheppard about his latest book and we hope you think so too.

We also celebrated the arrival of ‘I’m Your Venus’ on Netflix with an encore presentation of our fantastic interview from February with the film’s director Kimberly Reed, and two of the producers, Jonovia Chase and Dominique Jackson a.k.a Elektra Abundance Evangelista from Pose.

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For this Out Takes we celebrated Pride Month with the return of a special selection of queer films from MQFF, a new short film showcase coming to Melbourne’s west, and a review of a classic stage play that is returning to cinemas for a limited season this June.

Our first guest was the recently appointed MQFF Program Director Ro Bright to discuss the upcoming selection of films for Pride Month from MQFF plus we found out more about their extensive career as a writer, producer, and programmer. We then caught up with Mat and Courtney from Pride of Our Footscray to discuss the call for submissions for a special showcase of queer short films for a one-night-only event at PoOF on Thursday August 28 plus we find out more about their monthly Pride Movie Nights. We finished up with a review of the film version of ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ that won acclaim and awards for it’s 2014 run in the West End from visionary Australian director Benedict Andrews. Gillian Anderson, Vanessa Kirby and Ben Foster lead the cast in  Tennessee Williams’ tense and timeless masterpiece which is returning to Australian cinemas for a limited run from June 19.

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For this Out Takes, we welcomed the return of two of our favourite film festivals that will be entertaining us in cinemas over the winter months here in Melbourne. We started with looking at one of the many fantastic films on offer at this year’s Spanish Film Festival which will be bringing the fiesta to cities around Australia this June and July with a curated selection of thirty films from Spain and Latin America. ‘Baby’ is from Brazilian writer and director Marcel Caetano and is described as a vibrant queer drama that is a colourful, empathetic ode to found family, and a superb homage to the city of São Paulo and the people who struggle to survive in it. The film looks at the life of 18-year-old Wellington a.ka. Baby, who after being released from a juvenile detention centre finds himself alone and adrift, without any contact from his parents and lacking the resources to rebuild his life. He encounters Ronaldo, a mature and handsome sex worker, who takes him under his wing and teaches him new ways of surviving. We spoke with Marcelo Caetano who shares more about the making of this beautiful film and how it is bringing representation for queer Brazilian life to the world.

We then turned our attention to the Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) which returns from August 7 to 24 to bring some of the most talked about films arriving hot from Cannes, Berlin, Sundance and across the globe. We welcomed back MIFF Artistic Director Al Cossar to look at the first glance announcement for this year’s festival which is celebrating its 73rd year with a theme that challenges us to ‘Look Closer’ which we dis aa we discussed some of the many fantastic films and events that will be on offer.

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On our June 2nd program, we reviewed ‘The Karamazovs’, a US independent film that is available to view via VOD now which updates Dostoevsky’s final novel into a contemporary queer tale of family drama that is part murder mystery, part spiritual quest. Queer writer/director Anna Brenner, well established in the world of theatre, makes her feature film debut, working with a primarily LGBTQ+ team on this award-winning film, which begins with the long-estranged Karamazov siblings returning home to become reacquainted with both their dying father and each other. But when the unkind and spiteful patriarch is found murdered, they must finally face the truth about their family’s dark past … and each other. We had a jam packed show on June 2nd so we were only able to run a small section of our interview with ‘The Karamazovs’ writer and director so here is the full version of our interview with Anna Brenner for this Out Takes Extra.

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