Winner of the Special Jury Award for Ensemble Cast at Sundance — our closing feature is the romantic thriller Plainclothes, the landmark debut from director Carmen Emmi.

We close MQFF with a cinematic deep breath inside the grandeur of Melbourne Town Hall — a night of queer excellence, exquisite vulnerability, and the shadow side of joy: desire and longing.

Set in the 1990s and opening with OMC’s How Bizarre, Plainclothes follows closeted undercover cop Lucas (Tom Blyth), who must suppress his anxiety from working in entrapment — arresting gay men in public toilets. When Lucas meets Andrey (Russell Tovey), their mutual attraction changes everything. Blending digital and lo-fi aesthetics, this raw, poetic vision of queer desire is a standout of 2025 and a future classic in queer cinema.

To hold us together in one final embrace for 2025, the evening will also feature a special live performance as well as the world premiere of Welcome to the Cyber Rodeo by Jim Muntisov — a meditative, tender queer fever dream, and the second film to emerge from MQFF’s 2025 Pitch, Pleeze! initiative.

MQFF closing night is fully catered thanks to our partners Showtime Events Group, Melbourne Gin Company and Squealing Pig Wines.

Dress Code: Queer Romance

*For content warnings, please see content advice.

*Contains flashing images/strobe lighting.

See full seating map below to help you select your best seat. Click on the section title on the left to choose seats in that section.