Australia gay movies
Isaac Crawley and Leigh Smith (Supplied)
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FEATURED: Sacrifice | Instagram
A new Australian film currently in production will main attraction a powerful gay affection story set within the military.
Sacrifice, starring newcomers Leigh Smith and Isaac Crawley, details the relationship between soldier Blake Robinson (Crawley) and humanitarian lawyer James Hunter (Smith) in the early s. Smith also penned the story which featured as a concise film on streaming services such as Amazon Prime.
Highlighting a queer relationship within the Australian Army and the level of ‘sacrifice’ encountered, the film has gained back through the Defence Oblige Lesbian Gay Bisexual Trans person and Intersex Information Service (DEFGLIS).
“It’s not just a gay love story, but a unique love story that is yet to be seen and honoured,” says Smith.
“Same-sex relationships within the Australian Army own rarely been shown in Australian film and I think this story has value, not just within the LGBTQIA+ community, but for highlighting all relationships within the bounds of military life.”
“Sacrifice is an important film because it possesses character dynamics a
10 great Australian gay films
While same-sex marriage was only made legal in Australia in , the region has a fairly powerful record on LGBTQIA+ rights, and Sydney is one of the most gay-friendly cities in the world.
Australian cinema has had a rather strange relationship with male homosexuality. Before the s, the sexuality of probable gay characters was not made explicit, for example the effeminate sales assistant in Dad and Dave Come to Town (). The Set () is the first Australian film with homosexuality as a core theme, while gay men appeared in sexploitation favourites such as Australia after Dark () and The ABCs of Love and Sex: Australia Style (), in which H was for homosexuality.
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By signing up to emails you are indicating that you have read and agree to the terms of use and privacy policy.Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior () featured a gay villain (the leather-clad Wez, enraged by the slaying of his lover), while more sympathetic gay characters appeared in prison drama Stir () and family melodrama Mull (). The s were a golden era for homosexual Ozzie films, while the new millenni
Stephen Cummins’s moving films about gay Australian life possess been restored to their glory, 30 years after his death
Two men brush passionately, the camera so close it's almost a third party eager to join. We pan to their profiles, two men in suits, the words "Taste The Difference" appearing overlaid while they preserve at it. Effectively banned from airing on television in , maybe this mock ad proved a little too tempting: Now, three decades later, you can find out for yourself.
Taste The Difference is one of nine compact films by late Australian director Stephen Cummins that have been recently restored by the National Motion picture and Sound Archive (NFSA).
The kiss between performers Chris Ryan and Herb Robertson was commissioned as part of a series of Australian artists making second films for late-night Perth television. Given that, in , Western Australia was amid its fifth (ultimately successful) attempt to decriminalise homosexual acts, Cummins and his friend and collaborator Simon Hunt (better famous by drag persona Pauline Pantsdown) decided to form a mock ad selling homosexuality.
"We were laughing about it," says Hunt. "It [was] all very serious:
Last night I went to the weekly Mongay cinema night at Kino International in Berlin. Every week they show a homosexual film at the film theater. For € entrance, sometimes it’s the only way to see many of these gay & lesbian films from around the world.
So, last nighttime, showing up just before 10pm, I was there to see Drown—a unused film out of Australia based on the achieving (and popular) theater compete by Stephen Davis. The well-produced movie tells the story of three lifesavers (lifeguards, in American English) in Sydney. Themes attention on jealousy, homophobia and bullying. It was an intense film. But a good one.
Like any wonderful gay film, the production began with plenty of gratuitous shots of muscular lifeguards in skimpy swimsuits. Tensions quickly arose between one of the long-time lifesavers, Lenny, and a novel one on the scene, Phil. Phil is same-sex attracted, though discreetly, and his lifesaving skills were instantly a threat to Lenny’s masculinity.
Watch the trailer:
Drown surprised me with a lot of strong emotions, intense scenes and quality acting. It was challenging at times to figure out the story—how would it end, what was going to happen. Th
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