A celebration of film and community

The Geelong Pride Film Festival has announced an exciting program of events ahead of its opening screening on April 18.

The festival, which platforms and celebrates contemporary and classic LGBTIQA+ themed films and stories, will feature 18 diverse events over 11 days.

Now headed into its 7th year, the upcoming film festival is also its most affordable, with reduced ticket prices starting at under $10 available.

Festival director, Stephen Ryan, said the event was about showing great films, but also creating a fun and inclusive community event.

“What I want audiences to take away from the festival is just the joy, or the great experience, of seeing a film together with other people,” Ryan said.

He said a key focus of the festival’s programming was screening films that are uplifting and have positive storylines.

“It’s important for people to be able to see their lives reflected on screen and to see a diverse range of stories on screen where those characters are the main character – they’re not the side character in a series.

“It’s also important to then be able to go and celebrate those stories with community and see them in a supportive environment.

“That’s what we try to create with the festival by having our special events and screenings, so people can come along and meet new people and see some great films.”

The festival’s program has been carefully curated by a committee of volunteers and includes 12 feature films and approximately 45 short films packaged into a variety of screening events.

Ryan said the committee reviewed more than 1,500 films from across the world to select this year’s program.

Highlights include Pedro Almodóvar’s “Strange Way of Life”, a western drama about two gunslingers, played by Ethan Hawke and Pedro Pascal, who reunite after 25 years, and the Australian premiere of the documentary “Hidden Master” which details the life and work of George Platt Lynes, one of the first openly gay American artists.

“Equal the Contest”, a documentary by filmmaker Mitch Nivalis that challenges the notion of what it is to play football, will also screen.

It follows the journey of Nivalis, a non-binary person, who joins a local women’s football team in regional Victoria and the challenges the diverse team face when they try to join the AFLW league.

The screening will be followed by a Q&A will Nivalis.

The Geelong Pride Film Festival will run from April 18-28, with events spread across the Pivotonian Cinema, Village Cinema Geelong and Platform Arts.

To view the full program, or to purchase tickets, head to gpff.ferve.tickets