Australian LGBTQIA+ Filmmakers Shine At Queer Screen Film Fest
LGBTQIA+ stories from around the world were spotlighted at this year’s Queer Screen Film Fest, with thousands of dollars awarded to local creatives for their prospective films.
The 12th Queer Screen Film Fest took place at Event Cinemas George Street over five high-energy days, with four sold out sessions and strong audience engagement proving the festival remains a vital platform for connection, celebration and exchange between filmmakers and audiences.
2025 marked the inaugural Emerging Narrative Feature Competition, with six outstanding works facing a trio of acclaimed judges in award nominated filmmaker Fadia Abboud (House of Gods, Here Out West), culture critic Michael Sun, and director Samuel Van Grinsven (Sequin in the Blue Room, Went Up The Hill).
On closing night, the $2,500 prize was awarded to writer-producer Alice Douard’s Love Letters, created alongside producers Marine Arrighi de Casanova and Marie Boitard.
Inspired by Douard’s own experience with France’s adoption bureaucracy (she completed the legal adoption of the child her wife gave birth to in 2018), Love Letters expands on her César Award-winning short film Expecting (QSFF24) to highlight the constant blurring of the personal and political in LGBTQIA+ life.
It follows partners Céline and Nadia as they navigate not only the stresses and joys of pregnancy and prospective parenthood, but the absurdity that comes with the endless bureaucracy of adopting a child that should already be yours.
The film also took home the Audience Award, a top honour of the Queer Screen Film Fest, beating out another ten features.
Finalists leave CEO “optimistic” for Aussie LGBTQIA+ storytelling
The festival also saw the Pitch Off- a short film pitching competition with winners awarded a portion of a $20,000 prize pool.
“Even as LGBTIQ+ representation has increased in mainstream film and TV, independent cinema is still where some of the most authentic and personal stories are being told by and for queer people,” said newly appointed Programming and Industry Manager, Andrew Wilkie at the contest’s announcement back in May.
“This competition will allow us to uplift these unique and groundbreaking voices, and bring their films to Sydney audiences as part of Queer Screen Film Fest.”
Writer-director Michail Mathioudakis and producer Juliette Beck took home $10,000 in production funding for their project cam?, which follows a closeted teenager attempting to cope with his emerging sexual identity through internet chat rooms and cam-sex.
Filmmaker Celeste Diep won the $5,000 Gender Matters Taskforce Professional Development Prize, with the judges praising her proposal as “comprehensive” and recognising its strong potential to support her practice and career; while Under One Condition, written by Lilah Benetti and Maxine Ellah was awarded the $5,000 Gender Matters Taskforce Best Screenplay Prize.
“It is incredibly exciting to continue this legacy and support emerging local talent, giving them the opportunity to bring their ideas to the stage,” said Queer Screen CEO Benson Wu.
“It takes a lot of effort to turn an idea into a pitch and then deliver it through the often-scariest form of public speaking in front of so many people. But the experience is invaluable, building a foundation to take projects to the next stage while creating opportunities to connect with other like-minded creatives.
“The creativity of this new generation makes me optimistic about the future of Australian LGBTIQA+ storytelling, and Queer Screen is proud to be one of the platforms nurturing and supporting these voices.”
