For this week on Out Takes, Mardi Gras season was upon us so we decided to celebrate Sydney and the ways that it figures in queer Australian cinema.

Our first guest was pioneer of Australian film and television Rodger Ward, who joined us to talk about his iconic 1970s classic, THE SET. Released in 1970 and dubbed Australia’s first gay film, THE SET is a classic representation of camp 1970s Sydney subculture.

Our next guest was Tim Spencer, writer, creator and producer of DING DONG I’M GAY, a new web series funded by Screen Australia that shines a whimsical light on the gay Sydney experience.

We also looked back at the Mardi Gras Film Festival (MGFF) in Sydney, which wraps up tonight after two weeks of fresh queer content. MGFF kicked off earlier this month with ELLIE AND ABBY (AND ELLIE’S DEAD AUNT) – a moving coming out story that pays homage to LGBT activism in Sydney.