Out Takes

For this Out Takes, we shared three interviews for you that highlight some of the great talent and queer films on offer here and abroad this October and November. We recently reviewed the beautiful drama ‘On The Sea’ which is screening exclusively at Cinema Nova which is set in a remote fishing community in Northern Wales. The film begins with us meeting Jack, a mussel harvester, who expects his son to continue the family trade. Tensions arise when his son resists this expectation, and the arrival of Daniel, a new deckhand further complicates relationships within the community. Daniel is played by Lorne MacFayden who we had the pleasure of speaking with recently from London for a chat about the film, the importance of telling these late in life coming out stories and more. We also recently featured some of the great LGBTQ films on offer in this years Irish Film Festival which is on now across Australia in cinemas and online. One of the short film highlights is ‘Flirt’ which is written and co-directed by Louis Flanagan which follows a young man’s debs night which is turned on its head when a secret threatens to devastate his relationship and future plans. We caught up with Louie from his home base of Dublin to discus how he got started in filmmaking, his career in TV production and his wonderful film. We rounded out this show by speaking with Louise Lever, the recently appointed Festival Director for the Melbourne Queer Film Festival. With the MQFF program launch held recently, we got to see the fantastic line-up of feature films on offer this November for the 36th edition of the festival so who better to speak about the line-up then the person who helped pull it all together. As a filmmaker and film lover it was great to speak to Louise about her new role, the theme for this years festival and of course some of the many highlights on offer for MQFF 2026.

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It is fair to say that ‘La Bola Negra’ is one of the most highly anticipated films of 2026 and definitely one of the most keenly awaited queer films in years. Directed by Los Javis and featuring an incredible cast including Penélope Cruz and Glenn Close, alongside new Spanish talent including Miguel Bernardeau, Carlos González, Guitarricadelafuente and our special guest for this interview, Milo Quifes. At 25 years of age, Milo is a published author and ‘La Bola Negra’ is his first feature film acting role so he’s off to a great start. We caught up with him online recently as he was promoting the film and we had a great conversation about how he came to be in the film, the experience of working with Javier Calvo & Javier Ambrossi and the impact of being a part of this story that explores queer Spanish culture on a global scale. ‘La Bola Negra’ is in Australian cinemas now and is a must-see on the big screen.

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For this Out Takes, we finally got to discuss La Bola Negra, one of the most anticipated films of the year and definitely one of the best queer films we’ve seen in years. After sold out sessions at MIFF and the Sydney Film Festival, it is finally coming to cinemas across Australia from October 15 so we took the opportunity to review and discuss the film that the Queer Review gave five stars to and described as “a breathtaking queer epic”. The film features an incredible cast including Penelope Cruz and Glenn Close alongside exciting newcomers like Milo Quifes who plays Carlos in the the film. In real life, this 25 year old is a published author and La Bola Negra is his first feature film acting role so he’s off to a great start. We had the privilege of speaking with him online as he promotes the film around the world and got to find out more about his experience on set, what he learned in the role and how he feels being a part of the bigger discussions around Spanish queer culture and history. Our next review was for Chica Checa, a delightful film that is appearing in this year’s Czech and Slovak Film Festival which is celebrating fourteen years of creating a space where Czech and Slovak stories can be shared with Australian audiences through the universal language of film. Chica Checa tells the story of the recently widowed Zdena who lives a quiet life in a small Czech village. When her beloved son Lukáš returns home from France to say goodbye to his dying grandmother, his determination to make her seemingly impossible wish come true leads him to reveal a secret that challenges the values of the village: his queer life in Paris and his drag queen alter ego, Chica Checa (which translates to Czech Girl). This revelation in turn leads to Zdena re-examining her own beliefs and life and to the broadening of her cultural and physical horizons. We finished up this program by welcoming back Cerise Howard to Out Takes to discuss their involvement in the upcoming event called Queering the Music Video which is on Friday October 16 at the Capitol that will premiere three revolutionary d/Deaf-accessible music videos from The Legend of Queen Kong, followed by a star-studded panel exploring queer music, film and access. To get the full scoop on QTMV, we went straight to the source and spoke to Cerise who is not only the panel moderator for this special event but is also a member of the band.

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Out Takes is the home of queer cinema and television on JOY 94.9 and once again we went around the world for this show, reviewing films from Ireland, Greece and Northern Wales. Never let it be said that when it comes to covering LGBTQ+ cinema that we shy away from going to all the corners of the globe to do so! Our first review was for one of the many great films featured in this year’s Irish Film Festival which is back on in Melbourne from October 22 – 25. ‘Girls & Boys’ tells the story of rugby player Jace who crosses paths with aspiring filmmaker Charlie at a college party. Both attend the same university but their worlds couldn’t be more different; Charlie is trans, her circle full of queer artists and creatives, while Jace sticks with the more strait-laced camaraderie of his rugby teammates. When the party is suddenly shut down by the police, the two find themselves wandering the streets of nighttime Dublin sharing secrets, dreams, and fears about life after college, a surprising revelation from their shared past threatens to upend their fragile connection. This beautiful and engaging story is the feature film debut from Dublin-based writer / director Donncha Gilmore who joined us to discuss the film, the all important casting of the lead two roles and much more. We then returned to the Greek Film Festival for a review of another look at one of the world-class queer titles on offer in this year’s program. ‘Bearcave’ is set in the Greek mountain village of Tirna and follows Argiro, a free spiriti farmer, and her best friend Anneta, the village “it” girl. Once Anneta admits that she’s pregnant and planning to leave town with her lame cop boyfriend. Argiro challenges Anneta to embark on an adventure to find the mystical bear cave. Before Argiro has a chance to confess her love, Anneta leaves for her new life in the city. Argiro is left broken, however, in Anneta’s new home with her clingy mother-in-law, she quickly realises her destiny lies elsewhere. Left behind in their rural hometown, Argiro loses everything so when Anneta returns and tries to win back her first love, the two friends ultimately navigate loss, love and euphoria once more. Our final review for this program took us to the northern coast of Wales for the tender and confronting ‘On The Sea’. The film begins with us meeting Jack – a mussel harvester – who expects his son to continue the family trade. Tensions arise when his son resists this expectation, and the arrival of a new deckhand further complicates relationships within the community. As personal and familial dynamics unfold, the story explores themes of identity, desire and belonging.

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For this Out Takes, we went global reviewing films from Greece, Italy and a filmed staged production from the West End in London. We kicked off with the 31st Greek Film Festival which returns from October 13 – 25 in Melbourne, continuing its mission of celebrating the richness, creativity and diversity of Greek cinema while connecting Australian audiences with compelling stories from Greece and the Greek diaspora. Our first review was the powerful and touching ‘Mahi’ which tells the story of an 80-year-old trans woman who was a former military officer who became an acclaimed singer. Half a century later, she returns from Germany to Greece to reconnect with her daughter and rebuild their relationship while confronting their secrets and fears that led them to leaving their former life behind. We followed that with another highlight from the Greek Film Festival called ‘Maya & Samar’, a tense and engaging Greek – Canadian production that tells the story of Samar, a queer Afghani women who lives in Athens, dancing in a strip club for cash, following an escape from the Taliban. After meeting Maya, a Canadian journalist, at a rave, their worlds collide in an affair that exposes their conflicting cultures. As the story unfolds, we see Maya’s professional ambitions collide with her strong feelings for Samar who is caught between two worlds with no clear future ahead of her without some drastic action on her part. We then left Athens and traveled to Rome for the chaotic and highly enjoyable ‘Love Divine’ which is screening in this years St Ali Italian Film Festival. The film chronicles the romantic destinies of eight people across the course of four seasons from varied walks of life who are linked together by love, loss, passion, and betrayals, forming a network of entangled relationships and chaotic emotions. We finished up by heading to the National Theatre in London for the latest staged modern adaptation of ‘The Misanthrope’ from the National Theatre. Award-winning actor Sandra Oh plays Alice, the title role in this razor-sharp reimagining of Molière’s classic dark comedy. Telling the truth isn’t always that simple. Alice, a brilliant novelist, despises the carefully constructed lies of modern society. But the more she challenges those around her, the fiercer the backlash becomes. Soon, she must confront the price of speaking her truth in a world that would rather silence her. This production is exceptional as are the performances plus we are begging for someone to please release a clothing line based on the costumes in this play!

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