Out Takes

One of the queerest, campiest and funniest films of 2026 is about to land in Australian cinemas and we jumped at the chance to speak with its director Adam Shankman and two lead stars Jujubee and Ginger Minj in the lead up to its release. From the producers of RuPaul’s Drag Race comes STOP! THAT! TRAIN!, a cinematic experience not to be missed that celebrates the kitsch, glamour and tongue-in-cheek humour of drag queens. Drag Race icons Ginger Minj and Jujubee star as train stewardesses faced with a catastrophic “Stormaganza” threatening to derail their train, leading them to join forces with RuPaul as President Gagwell. Celebrity cameos abound in this camp comedy, such as gay icons Lisa Rinna, Sarah Michelle Gellar and many, many more. For this Out Takes Extra, we discussed how they got involved with this project, their favourite cameos in the film, whether the sequel could be made in Australia and much more.

STOP! THAT! TRAIN! will be released in Australian cinemas on August 13, 2026.

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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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