Out Takes

For this episode of 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.

The post ‘Leviticus’ with special guest Adrian Chiarella and John Cameron Mitchell for MIFF 2026 appeared first on Out Takes.

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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The post Geeks-Out-Out-Takes 2026 Radiothon Special! appeared first on Out Takes.

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.

The post Out Takes Extra: Adrian Chiarella for ‘Leviticus’ appeared first on Out Takes.

For this Out Takes, we put the spotlight on three queer filmmakers whose films are featured in this year’s Sydney Film Festival which is on now until June 14. First up, we spoke with Gregg Araki, the legendary gay filmmaker whose latest film ‘I Want Your Sex’ is a queer highlight in this year’s Sydney Film Festival program. Noted for his involvement with the New Queer Cinema movement, his filmography includes the Teenage Apocalypse film trilogy from the 90’s and his 2010 film Kaboom was also the inaugural winner of the Queer Palm at the Cannes Film Festival. His latest film stars Olivia Wilde, Cooper Hoffman and Charli XCX in what has been described as an enjoyably outrageous, risqué sex-comedy, set in the Los Angeles contemporary art scene. We jumped at the chance to speak with him and in this interview, we discussed his motivation for telling this story, his influence on the lead characters and how he feels now about being labelled one of the pioneers of New Queer Cinema. Next up, we took a look at ‘Joy Boy: A Tribute To Julius Eastman’ which is described as a prismatic, polyphonic tribute by six artists to the prolific visionary queer African American composer and noted as one of the unsung pioneers of 20th century minimalism. Created by a collective of Belgian-Congolese artists, this spell-binding film channels the radical energy of Julius Eastman, a Black, gay iconoclast who challenged the conventions of minimalism, fusing avant-garde techniques with pop and free jazz in 1970s and ’80s New York. Structured in four chapters, the film honours Eastman’s key works through incredible visuals, archival recordings and exuberant choreography. Two of the people involved in the project are curator, researcher, and artist Mawena Yehouessi who positions herself as a “collisionist,” stating she explores the frictions and assemblages between disciplines, formats, and narratives; and composer, artist, and performer Fallon Manyanja who in her work mobilizes different relationships with our environment and social, inter-relational, and self-reflexive ideas. W caught up with the real-life couple online from their Paris apartment to discuss the project in the lead up to it screening at this year’s Sydney Film Festival and we discussed how they first came to know about Julius Eastman and his work, their process in bringing these stories together to explore his prolific career and more.

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