16 | 10 | 2025
Melbourne Queer Film Festival celebrates 35 years – Searching for Queer Utopias
Wednesday 15 October 2025 – Melbourne Queer Film Festival (MQFF), Australia’s flagship celebration of queer film, proudly marks its 35th anniversary this year with the theme Searching for Queer Utopias.
Running from 13 to 23 November 2025, the festival invites audiences to explore a program filled with moments of queer joy, connection and liberation – spaces where the LGBTQIA+ community and allies can exhale, be themselves while celebrating freedom, solidarity and creative expression with the best and latest cinema.
With major events at Collins Place, Melbourne Town Hall and The Capitol Theatre, the festival presents its hub this year at Cinema NOVA in Carlton. Presenting 100 sessions of over 130 features, documentaries and short films, MQFF’s curated selection highlights First Nations artists and Australia’s emerging stars alongside the best releases from around the globe.
“There’s an incredible lineup of award-winning and premiere cinema for the audience for our milestone 35th season. We’re bringing back premium events for our opening and closing night in what is a purely contemporary program that looks at the current and future for LGBTQIA+ communities in Australia and globally,” says MQFF Chief Executive Officer, David Martin Harris.
The program features 35 Australian and 15 Victorian Premieres, promising to immerse audiences in the breadth of queer cinematic talent, including releases direct from Venice, Cannes, Berlinale, Sundance, Newfest, Framelane, SWSX, and InsideOut festival.
Special events in the program include a takeover of Collins Place for an Opening Night Extravaganza with an after-party for the Victorian Premiere of Queen of the Dead – a dazzling queer apocalyptic zombie comedy directed by visionary debut filmmaker Tina Romero, the rightful heir to horror-film legend George A. Romero.Lead actor and star of the hit FX series Pose, Dominique Jackson, is a special guest of the festival and will travel from New York to Melbourne to accept MQFF’s inaugural Tribute Award. The award celebrates her remarkable impact on queer cinema and culture, which will be celebrated during the evening’s program.
On Saturday, 14 November, An Audience with Dominique Jackson will feature the international star in conversation with best-selling author, media presenter and astrologer Lillian Ahenkan (aka FlexMami) for an inspiring conversation about advocacy, creativity and her groundbreaking career that has reshaped LGBTQIA+ representation on screen.
MQFF welcomes leading Australian Director, Sophie Hyde (Good Luck to You, Leo Grande and 52 Tuesdays), to present a Keynote address ahead of the Victorian Premiere of their new film Jimpa, starring Academy Award winner Olivia Colman and Golden Globe winner John Lithgow, on Saturday 15 November.”
“On Friday 21 November, a double-bill presentation dedicated to First Nations film and voices culminates in Indigiqueer Voices and The Ramon Te Wake Collection at The Capitol Theatre. With short films from Australia, Canada and Aotearoa – the evening is dedicated to celebrating Indigiqueer excellence through the work of filmmakers who speak from their whenua, their ancestors, and their bodies.
The MQFF Australian Shorts & Awards returns, presenting boundary-pushing storytelling and the remarkable vision of both emerging and established filmmakers who are redefining Australia’s cinematic landscape. The winner of the City of Melbourne Award for Best Australian Short will also qualify as MQFF’s official selection for the Iris Prize – the world’s largest prize for LGBTIQ+ short films.
For the Closing Night Gala, MQFF takes over Melbourne Town Hall for a fully catered romantic evening where audiences will enjoy the Victorian Premiere of Plainclothes by Carmen Emmi – Winner of the Special Jury Award for Ensemble Cast at Sundance. Starring Russell Tovey and Tom Blyth, the 1990s-set feature blends digital and lo-fi aesthetics for a raw and poetic vision of queer desire that will soon become a classic in the queer cinema canon.
“This year, we’re seeing more filmmakers, particularly Indigenous, define, and tell their own stories. We’re getting to see joy, tenderness, resilience and complex lives on screen, told by the people who are living those experiences. Everyone knows what it feels like to want to be seen, validated and loved as your full self – that’s not only a queer experience, it’s a human one. Film gives us that mirror,” says MQFF Program Director, Ro Bright.
As part of MQFF’s commitment to inclusivity, the festival is presented in 100% wheelchair accessible venues, offers discounted concession tickets, Blaktix, free entry for Companion Card holders and an online platform MQFF+ for home viewing, with Closed Captions, English Subtitles and Audio Description across a growing number of sessions.
Melbourne Queer Film Festival is proudly supported by the City of Melbourne, VicScreen, and the Victorian Government.
MEDIA ENQUIRIES:
Kim Lewis: pr@kimlewis.co | 0423 479 719
Tessa Ogle: tessa@odetteandco.com.au | 0488 015 277