Out Takes

For this Out Takes, Out Takes, we featured two films that delve into the world of experimental filmmaking from a queer perspective. First up, ‘Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma’ has been one of the most anticipated films of 2026 and it is finally coming to Aussie cinemas from August 6. Described as a new kind of horror remake from Jane Schoenbrun starring Hannah Einbinder and Gillian Anderson, the film picks up on the Camp Miasma slasher film franchise after years of slapdash sequels where it has been handed over to an enthusiastic young director for resurrection. But when she visits the original’s star, a now-reclusive actress shrouded in mystery, the two women fall into a blood-soaked world of desire, fear, and delirium. We confirm if this film lived up to the hype and whether or not it received the Out Takes Recommends seal of approval (spoiler alert – it did!).

Then we were joined by Brisbane-based writer / director Adam C. Briggs whose latest film ‘Phillip Philadelphia’ is having it’s world premiere at MIFF on Friday August 7 and an encore screening on Sunday August 9. Briggs has often worked closely with non-professional actors to craft narratives whose blends of fact and fiction are as riotous as they are discomforting; he previously garnered acclaim for his 2024 feature ‘A Grand Mockery’ which took out top honours at SXSW Sydney as well as the Best Director prize at Sitges. With ‘Phillip Philadelphia’, he captures the garish, grubby beauty of the Gold Coast on 16mm while also extending his own distinctively homegrown, eloquently vulgar style. In this discussion, we discussed his career, influences and his thoughts on being a queer filmmaker and what makes a film queer.

Finally, we were joined by Mitu Bhowmick Lange AM, the founder and festival director of the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) which is the largest annual celebration of Indian cinema outside of India. This year the program has an expansive lineup of over 130 films in 38 languages screening from August 13 – 24 so we went straight to the source to find out more about what they have in store for the 2026 IFFM.

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In this episode of Out Takes we speak with Kate Jinx, senior programmer at Melbourne International Film Festival about the retrospective of German avant-garde filmmaker Ulrike Ottinger, titled Radical Travels. We hear from Screen Australia COO Grainne Brunsdon about their new innovation the Private Investment Toolkit to encourage more investment in Australian film. We also encore our interview with Bina Battacharya, the writer and director of From All Sides, which is now streaming on SBS On Demand.

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For this Out Takes, we speak with Jill Bilcock, the acclaimed editor of some of the most iconic films of Australian cinema, including Strictly Ballroom, Romeo + Juliet, Muriel’s Wedding and Head On, which are all currently screening at ACMI.

We follow that up with our review of Heartstopper Forever, the final instalment of the much loved YA series, we talk Obsession and why it’s this year’s phenomenal box office hit, and we make a first attempt at highlighting some of the queer- themed films in this year’s Melbourne International Film Festival.

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For this Out Takes, we were very excited to welcome back MIFF a.k.a the Melbourne International Film Festival which is back in cinemas and online this August. Our special guest was Al Cossar, the Artistic Director of the Melbourne International Film Festival, who discussed with us many of the queer highlights and special events on offer for this year’s festival. We also heard from Dr Patrick Kelly who has curated two films, My Own Private Idaho’ and ‘Scorpio Rising’, that are coming to the Capitol Theatre on Tuesday July 21 for ‘The Best Films You’ve Never Seen: Queer Edition’.



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For this Out Takes, we were excited to feature an up-and-coming queer filmmaker whose first feature film will be in Aussie cinemas soon plus we acknowledged NAIDOC week by spotlighting an award-winning short film that celebrates the queer First Nation’s experience on country.

We started off by reviewing ‘First Light’, a new Australian-Filipino co-production that is in cinemas from July 9. It is the debut feature film from acclaimed Melbourne filmmaker and photographer James J. Robinson. The film centres around Sister Yolanda who has spent her life as a servant to God and the people in her community working as a nurse at the local hospital and living at an old convent in the mountains, Yolanda’s grace and selflessness make her a quiet but valued figure in her town. When Yolanda is called to perform last rites on a young construction worker on his deathbed, suddenly things aren’t so simple. The unusual circumstances surrounding the boy’s death begin to weigh on her conscience. Swept up in the lives of the people around her, including a young novice nun Sister Arlene, the affluent Linda Dela Cruz, and the father of the construction worker, an unavoidable question in the back of Yolanda’s mind begins to resonate louder and louder: Has she spent her life dutiful to the wrong thing?

The films writer and director then joined us while he was in Tokyo. James J. Robinson is a 29-year-old Filipino/Australian artist based in Los Angeles. With a successful career in photography and filmmaking, he is published regularly by the likes of The New York Times and Vogue, shooting the world’s biggest names including Kylie Jenner and Rihanna, while directing campaigns for brands like Apple and Maison Valentino. Despite a successful career in this world, James is also a talented filmmaker whose work has covered music videos, short films and now ‘First Light’ which is his feature film. Our long form discussion covered his career and how he got into filmmaking along with a great chat about what constitutes a queer film.

We ended this program by highlighting NAIDOC Week 2026 which takes place from July 5 to 12. This year’s theme, “50 Years of Deadly,” celebrates five decades of the NAIDOC movement, honouring the Elders, activists, artists, and leaders who have proudly shaped Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and history. In February 2024, we featured the beautiful documentary ‘Marungka tjalatjunu (Dipped in Black)’ that deservedly garnered well deserved praise and accolades around the world including being the first ever film to win the Silver Bear Jury Prize (Short Film) and the Teddy Award for best queer short film at the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival and will finally be available to stream from July 9 thanks to DocPlay. This short documentary tells the story of Aboriginal man Derik Lynch who leaves behind the oppression of white city life in Adelaide and embarks on a road trip back to Country for spiritual healing, as memories from his childhood return. Both Derik and his co-director / collaborator Matthew Thorne joined us in February 2024 when the film was screening as part of the AIDC to discuss the film, their professional and personal relationship and more.

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