Reviewed by GREG KING Documentary Director: Sue Thomson. Closing the 2018 Melbourne International Film Festival was the poignant, bittersweet observational documentary The Coming Back Out Ball Movie. In October 2017 the Coming Back Out Ball was held in Melbourne Town Hall to celebrate the elders within the LGBTI community who had paved the way for today’s generation of out and proud queer youth. Many of these elders led the ground-breaking movement to advocate for human rights, acceptance and tolerance back in the “dark ages” of the 60s and 70s. But many who Continue reading
THE COMING BACK OUT BALL MOVIE – interview with Sue Thomson
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by GREG KING In October 2017 a party was held at Melbourne Town Hall for the elders of the city’s LGBTI community. The Coming Back Out Ball was a celebration for many of the now ageing people who’d lived through the “dark ages” of the 60s and 70s when their sexual identity was often treated as a crime. Filmmaker Sue Thomson made this poignant documentary about the preparations for the event and the actual ball itself. Sue spoke to Greg about the three years she spent working on the film and the reaction to many of Melbourne’s gay community to seeing their stories on Continue reading
I USED TO BE NORMAL: A BOYBAND FANGIRL STORY
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Reviewed by GREG KING Documentary Director: Jessica Leski. To most of us, boy bands like One Direction are bland, formulaic, mass produced cheesy groups that appeal to teenaged girls attracted more by their pretty looks than the depth of their lyrics. The mass hysteria with which hordes of obsessed, screaming fans greet their idols is a pop culture phenomenon that is extraordinary. This documentary looks at the cultural phenomenon of fandom and obsession. I Used To Be Normal spans three generations of obsessive, tragic boyband fans, but this is also a universal Continue reading
BACKTRACK BOYS
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Reviewed by GREG KING Documentary Director: Catherine Scott. A favourite on the film festival circuit, this inspiring and humane and heart-warming documentary shows that there are very real and effective alternatives to juvenile detention in helping turn around the lives of troubled teenagers. In the northern NSW town of Armidale, jackaroo Bernie Shakeshaft has established a community-based organisation called Backtrack, which works with troubled boys who are on the path to crime and drugs and tries to turn their lives around. The boys are paired with dogs Continue reading
