About Us
Melbourne Queer Film Festival (MQFF) is a non-profit queer community organisation governed by a voluntary Board of Directors. It is staffed by a team of committed arts and community professionals as well as hundreds of volunteers who support our events each year.
MQFF is Australia’s oldest and largest queer film festival attracting tens of thousands of festival-goers annually. The Festival is recognised internationally as one of the most important platforms for Queer cinema in the world and plays a vital role in providing a forum for celebration, advocacy and visibility for queer communities.
Held in November, the annual Film Festival features over 140 feature films, shorts, and documentaries – MQFF curates an intersectional showcase of queer narratives along with a range of public programs, discussions, and events for the queer community and our allies to enjoy.
We work in partnership with the State and Local Governments to collaborate and activate the city, tour regionally, and foster community partnerships to ensure participation and access for all members of the LGBTQIA+ community.
Our Mission
Melbourne Queer Film Festival (MQFF) aims to engage the community with the best LGBTQIA+ content in order to educate, entertain and celebrate diversity.
We seek to change lives through the experience of shared stories – bringing the best of world queer culture to Victoria and nurturing the development of new Australian voices.
Our Values
• Excellence:
We work hard to deliver exceptional experiences to our community, our industry supporters, filmmakers and allies.
• Celebration:
We inspire our community to take joy and pride in queer history and the journey to visibility, equity, and equality.
• Diversity:
We give a voice and ensure access to the under-represented and showcase the diversity of gender identities and sexualities from across the world.
• Community:
We are an active participant and leader in the queer cultural landscape of Victoria. We provide social connections, safe and respectful spaces, a platform for issues relevant to the film and queer communities. We also provide employment opportunities, advancement and training.
• Respect:
We are professional, thoughtful, considerate and engaging. Through trust, respect and collaboration we enjoy positive interactions with others.
Our Vision
MQFF is dedicated to celebrating and giving a voice to the queer community by showcasing the unique perspectives of LGBTQIA+ people.
In line with our three strategic objectives, and building on our previous strategic plan, we have developed a vision of our future success.
MQFF’s three strategic objectives are:
• Healthy, sustainable MQFF:
To ensure the long-term sustainability of the organisation and provide for its future. This includes investing in our staff and supporters and acting in accordance with our values.
• Delivering a world-class MQFF:
To be recognised for curatorial excellence, delivering exceptional content, innovative experiences and a world class Melbourne Queer Film Festival.
• Social responsibility – giving back to the community:
To be an active participant and leader in the queer cultural landscape of Victoria, to build capacity for Australian queer filmmakers, advocate for our community, and ensure participation and accessibility for a wide range of community members.
MQFF’s Commitment to Diversity, Independence, and Non-Discrimination
MQFF is an independent, not-for-profit film festival dedicated to screening LGBTQIA+ stories and voices. We exhibit films by filmmakers from around the globe, hailing from diverse cultural and socio-political contexts. Our mission is to engage the community with the best LGBTQIA+ content in order to educate, entertain, and celebrate diversity.
MQFF curates films of merit and artistic quality for Melbourne audiences, including major premiere titles and historically significant films, culminating in a festival of variety in cultural experiences and perspectives across feature, short, and documentary films and related programs. Our program does not shy away from addressing pressing contemporary issues for queer communities, including LGBTQIA+ human rights within political and social contexts worldwide. Importantly, MQFF’s program strives to provide balance, including curating experiences of queer joy and affirmation for LGBTQIA+ communities.
We recognise how vital it is for filmmakers, artists, and creatives to have independence and agency to tell their own stories. We actively seek films that provide nuanced, on-the-ground perspectives on complex local and global issues. MQFF does not censor artists, filmmakers, or speakers. We encourage and respect the long tradition of artists engaging in and commenting on political discourse and aim to provide a safe forum for that to occur. Organizationally, we are committed to the principles of diversity, equity, inclusion, and freedom of expression.
Our commitment extends to maintaining a zero-tolerance policy against bullying, violence, bigotry, discrimination, homophobia, transphobia, biphobia, and all other forms of discrimination against LGBTQIA+ communities, as well as racism and sexism – across all MQFF platforms and programs.
We expect every participant, including guests, staff, artists, filmmakers, audience members, volunteers, partners, donors, and funders, to uphold these standards of non-discrimination, conduct themselves respectfully, and show respect to others.
MQFF remains dedicated to creating a space where diverse voices can be heard, and we are committed to fostering an environment of mutual respect and understanding.
If you would like to discuss this further, please contact us on info@mqff.com.au
