Out Takes

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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For this Out Takes, we dedicated it to the return of MDFF aka Melbourne Documentary Film Festival, which is celebrating its 10th year this July in bringing quality films online and in cinema for Melbourne cinephiles that amplify marginalised voices and share stories from here and around the world.

One of the LGBTQIA+ documentary’s on offer this year is ‘Out Laws’ which follows three queer activist-litigants – Friedel from Namibia, Rosanna from Sri Lanka and Raven from Barbados – as they take their governments to court over the colonial-era laws that still criminalise same-sex intimacy across 60+ countries. The film premiered at BFI Flare in March to a standing ovation and five-star reviews in Screen Daily and will be screening with a selection of queer short films on Sunday July 12 from 5.15pm at Cinema Nova. Our special guest was James Lewis online from London who is the codirector of ‘Out Laws’ and the co=founder of The Good Side and Head of Productions, where he steers the agency’s film work. James has 20 years of experience as a producer in TV news, branded content and impact documentary filmmaking. ‘Out Laws’ is James’ first feature documentary and is a result of a decade working to support the decriminalisation movement and provided excellent insight and context into this must-see documentary.

We followed that up with reviews of two fantastic short films that are also on offer at this year’s MDFF; “Sheesh, A Taylor Love Story” that documents Filipino Taylor Swift impersonator Taylor Sheesh and explores how her drag performances have transformed Swiftie fandom into a movement of joy, empowerment, and belonging; and ‘The Last Closet’ which is directed by Reese Leigh and explores why the AFL remained the last major sports league without an openly queer male player, and examines inclusion within Australian sports.

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For this Out Takes, we were very excited to bring you our review and interview with Adrian Chiarella, the writer and director of ‘Leviticus’, a new gay horror-supernatural film that is in cinemas now and is already being hailed as one of the best Australian films of the year. Set within a Christian community in regional Victoria, it takes the already-terrifying reality of conversion therapy and magnifies it into something supernatural: a haunting demon, visible only to its victims, which takes the shape of the person they most deeply desire. With a fantastic cast and an excellent premise that is explored specifically from a queer lens, Leviticus is one to definitely see on the big screen this Pride Month. Adrian Chiarella is a local award-winning screenwriter and director who has made his mark in television and delivered highly acclaimed short films at festivals around the world. We caught up with him recently on the promo trail for ‘Leviticus’ to discuss all aspects of the film including the development of his original idea into a feature film, his cinematic inspirations, the casting process and more.

Also, with the recent announcement of the return of John Cameron Mitchell for the 2026 Melbourne International Film Festival for a special 25th anniversary celebration of ‘Hedwig and the Angry Inch’, we revisited our 2018 interview with the queer auteur to discuss the ongoing impact of this defiant and uncategorisable cult classic.

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JOY 94.9’s Radiothon maybe officially over but you can still relive the magic of the 2nd annual ‘Geeks-Out-Out-Takes’ two hour crossover quiz extravaganza which was broadcast live from the JOY studios and proudly supported by FOMO Cinemas. You can also continue to support JOY by making a donation and becoming a member which keeps this incredible independent LGBTQIA+ media organisation growing and thriving.

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With the Australian cinema release finally here, we were delighted to speak with ‘Leviticus’ director Adrian Chiarella about this homegrown queer horror feature film that caused a stir at Sundance and is about to be unleashed here and around the world. Set within a Christian community in regional Victoria, ‘Leviticus’ takes the already-terrifying reality of conversion therapy and magnifies it into something supernatural: a haunting demon, visible only to its victims, that takes the shape of the person they most deeply desire. Led by incredible performances by Joe Bird and Stacy Clausen, this film is also a celebration of local gay talent courtesy of its very talented writer / director and definitely one of the must-see Australian films of this year. For this Out Takes Extra exclusive, we spoke with Adrian about his career and the film, including finding out more about his inspirations, how his sexuality and experiences growing up shaped the story and much more.

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