Soft pulses onto the screen with a genderqueer narrative whose cinematic brilliance is rooted in lived experience. Unfolding like a mosaic, Soft captures the complex and tender threshold between adolescence and adulthood. This Midsumma, we celebrate the cult filmmakers of the future with director Joseph Amenta’s powerful and poetic cry for freedom. Set in Toronto, the film follows Julian, Otis, and Tony as they drift through summer—stealing cigarettes, picking pockets, and trying to slip into their local queer nightclub. But when their de facto caregiver, Dawn, disappears, the fragile world that held them together is suddenly upended. Featuring remarkable performances from its young cast, Soft echoes the spirit of The 400 Blows with a touch of The Florida Project, creating a raw and exuberant portrait told through the eyes of queer youth on the edge.     * Audiences are advised this film contains drug use. Further information about content and age-appropriateness for specific films can be found on CommonSenseMedia.org, IMDb.com and DoesTheDogDie.com.

MQFF proudly unveils Drax, a seductive reimagining of the vampire myth through a boldly queer lens. Drax, a centuries-old vampire hiding in plain sight, spends his nights painting and resisting the urge to feed. But when he meets Marcus, a magnetic young skater, the lines between hunger, desire, and connection begin to blur. Director James Demitri reinvents the classic Anne Rice–style vampire confession, grounding it in the streets of Sydney. Drax was shot on location in spaces marked by the history of violence against gay men, now reclaimed in a story where the hunter is unapologetically queer.   * Audiences are advised this film contains violence and gore. Further information about content and age-appropriateness for specific films can be found on CommonSenseMedia.org, IMDb.com and DoesTheDogDie.com.

Director Avalon Fast’s wild, emotional, genre-bending sophomore feature arrives fresh off its Best Feature win in Fantastic Fest’s Next Wave competition. Camp follows Emily, a young woman reeling from a self-inflicted tragedy, who takes a counselling job at a remote religious camp in an attempt to outrun her guilt. Instead, she finds a crew of equally messy counsellors who pull her into their chaotic coven. Fast smashes taboos with lush visuals and intimate, confessional storytelling, that at every turn offers the unexpected. A frequent collaborator of MQFF favorites and trailblazers Alice Maio Mackay and Louise Weard, Fast delivers Gen Z’s answer to The Craft while hinting at a Lynchian heir in the making.   * Audiences are advised this film contains drug use/overdose and discussion of self-harm. Further information about content and age-appropriateness for specific films can be found on CommonSenseMedia.org, IMDb.com and DoesTheDogDie.com.

Queer culture has always embraced the wild outsider, and director Rosanne Pel leans right in with her darkly funny second feature, this sharp and eccentric riff on women-centred family sagas in the spirit of Grey Gardens. If family warfare is an art form, Donkey Days is destined to be a future cult classic. Anna and Charlotte, two lifelong rival sisters, have spent years competing for the affection of their mercurial mother, Ines. When Anna returns home with frustrations simmering and her queer relationships unravelling, old conflicts flare fast. Soon the trio is knee-deep in bizarre family secrets, from mysterious ashes to Mum’s unsettling fondness for a donkey. As revelations pile up, the lines between grief, love, and absurdity blur in the best possible way.

Hollywood’s openly gay director James Whale is cinema’s master of horror! Bold and proud in the 1930s, Whale never bothered to hide his queerness or his artistry. He infused his films with queer-coded monsters, crafting a love letter to outsiders. This Midsumma, we celebrate Whale’s enduring contribution to cinema on the altar of the big screen. A rare sequel whose reputation surpasses that of its predecessor, The Bride of Frankenstein is considered Whale’s magnum opus and stars screen icon Boris Karloff. Picking up immediately after the events of the original, the story expands on a subplot from Mary Shelley’s novel, in which Frankenstein creates a mate for his monster.

Tapping into full-colour emotion and romantic anarchy in the vein of iconoclastic auteur Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Night Stage is the hyper-sensual melodrama electrifying the film festival circuit. A one-night stand between aspiring young actor Matias and charismatic mayoral candidate Rafael veers dangerously off-script when their craving for public sex draws the attention of powerful figures who prefer desire to stay in the dark. Directing duo Filipe Matzembacher and Marcio Reolon bring unapologetic gay intimacy to the screen, resurrecting the erotic thriller and reimagining it for a contemporary queer era.   * Audiences are advised this film contains strong sexual content, nudity, and violence. * Contains flashing images/strobe lighting. Further information about content and age-appropriateness for specific films can be found on CommonSenseMedia.org, IMDb.com and DoesTheDogDie.com.

One-of-a-kind provocateur Divine, was a Baltimore misfit who traded playground ridicule for high heels, sequins, and global infamy. Partnering with the king of cinematic sleaze, John Waters, Divine laughed in the face of boring norms. Largely crowdfunded through the power of social media, I Am Divine is a loving and definitive biographical portrait, made by and for the fans. Body image, gender, sexuality, beauty, Divine spat on them all and made it fabulous. MQFF presents I Am Divine, paired with a Fed Square free screening of Divine in John Waters’ Hairspray.   * Audiences are advised this film contains explicit sexuality, homophobia, transphobia, drug use, swearing and eating of dog shit. Further information about content and age-appropriateness for specific films can be found on CommonSenseMedia.org, IMDb.com and DoesTheDogDie.com.

As wholesome as it is subversive, Hairspray, written and directed by iconoclast John Waters, brought his signature style to the big screen with big hair, big personalities, and a burst of Baltimore dance-show energy. This love letter to anyone who dares to dream big and stand up to injustice is a landmark classic and essential Midsumma viewing, whether it’s your first, second, tenth, or one-hundredth time. Featuring iconic performances by Ricki Lake, Sonny Bono, Debbie Harry, and of course the one-and-only, absolutely divine Divine. Set in 1962 Baltimore, the story follows Tracy Turnblad, a self-proclaimed “pleasantly plump” teen with big dreams of dancing on a local TV show. As she rises toward stardom, she takes a stand against racial segregation in her community. They may tease her hair, but as the film reminds us, “there’s no bugs on our baby.” The impact of Hairspray has lasted for decades and remains deeply loved across communities. Ricki Lake changed cinema history by portraying a big girl as the hero. As John Waters noted on the film’s 35th anniversary, at the first auditions only a few big girls showed up. Four screen versions later, thousands auditioned for the role. We return to Hairspray again and again because we all see a bit of ourselves in Tracy Turnblad. This is a FREE public event. Please register your interest for updates.