WELCOME TO THE 2012 QUEER FRUITS FILM FESTIVAL

ABOUT THE FESTIVAL :: ABOUT THE STAFF
 
Welcome to the Fourth International Queer Fruits Film Festival

Queer Fruits Film Festival was established to provide a vital regional screen culture event
to enable the GLBTIQ communities and wider community to participate in the celebration
and innovation of international queer filmmaking culture.

The 2011 festival screened in the Grand Auditorium, Lismore & District Workers Club
(Lismore, NSW - Australia), a wonderful Festival venue, filled to capacity with gorgeous,
supportive and loudly cheering audience from the GLBTIQ and wider community, all
celebrating the diversity of our community in this signature regional queer event. The
overwhelming responses from the audience, filmmakers and Distinguished Festival Juror
was that the festival delivered a world-class program of films. Filmmakers travelled from
around Australia to attend the Premiere screenings of their films. Opening night was a
huge celebratory affair, with a GLBTIQ parade through the streets of Lismore to the
Theatre and opening night welcome from the Lismore City Council Mayor and special
guest MC's queer/burlesque artists Fancy Piece. The opening night and Festival program
received wide publicity and media coverage, including radio and in daily newspapers. At
the packed after-party,Festival patrons mingled with filmmakers, in an exclusive per-New
Year's event

Established as an independent queer film festival, Queer Fruits Film Festival seeks to
complement the screen culture and outreach events of major urban film organisations,
whilst also providing significant career development opportunities for regional GLBTIQ
filmmakers locally.

Queer Fruits Film Festival pays homage to its community roots in the fabulous and famous
Tropical Fruits Inc. one of the longest running grassroots GLBTIQ organisations in
Australia, established in 1988. In 2009 the time was felt ripe to extend the event to an
exciting new phase; with Queer Fruits Film Festival as a signature umbrella event
screening in the days leading up to New Year. The annual Tropical Fruits New Years eve
extravaganza, is attended by over 3,000 local, national and international guests. After
three years of enormously successful Festivals, Queer Fruits Film Festival has captivated
the hearts of these guests and is now a must do in everyone's diary pre-New Year.
In 2012 we are broadening our horizons to enable greater interaction with filmmakers year
round, so keep in touch as the exciting developments unfold.

The festival is open to the GLBTIQ and wider community to attend, with priority online
ticketing from September 1st. With the new venue providing s full Festival experience, with
bistros and bars for between session, an opening night gala and after-party, the 2012 film
festival will again be a popular event with those visiting for New Year and locals alike, a
place to meet and greet, whilst experiencing an enticing program of queer cinema.
Queer Fruits Film Festival is inclusive. Welcoming innovative, entertaining, intelligent and
celebratory films of all lengths from queer filmmakers and films with queer themes; from
short films, to selected features. Films which uplift and inspire; films which explore the
serious realities and issues that confront the GLBTIQ communities.
Fabulous films, which exude a charisma.

Since 2009, queer filmmakers from 36 countries around the world and from every state in
Australia have entered. We welcome you to be part of this most exciting queer film festival.

Festival Jury
Queer Fruits Film Festival will announce the 2012 Distinguished Festival Jury during the
year.

Awards
Awards will be presented in all film categories, with two special prizes :

. Local Filmmaker Incentive Award (open to Northern Rivers' region filmmakers)
. Jury Prize - awarded to be the film which best exemplifies innovation, celebration and pride in queer
culture.

PRESTIGIOUS NEW AWARD

In 2012, all Australian GLBTIQ films entered with a production date within the calendar
year (from December 1st 2010) and 27 minutes or less in duration (including credits) will
automatically also be eligible to be considered as Queer Fruits Film Festival's nomination
for the National Film & Sound Archive acquisitive award The NFSA Lesbian, Gay,
Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex Short Film Award - which carries a $5,000.00 cash
prize and which will be awarded annually.

A heartfelt thank you to all the talented and dedicated queerfolk who worked on the third
event, making it a wonderful success - and thank you to the creative team who have
enthusiastically returned to create the fourth festival; many are internationally award
winning filmmakers and multi-media innovators celebrated for their art in the wider screen
and digital communities. In this regard, an especial thank you to Zan Hammerton, Festival
Supervisor,Virginia Barratt, Web Producer and Elka Kerkhofs, Animation Director. Thank
you to the entire QFFF Team.

As you come and celebrate the diversity of the queer community in cinema may you have
a gorgeous and inspiring feast of Queer Fruits.

Festival Director
Akkadia Ford

QFFF
P.O. Box 2101
Byron Bay
NSW 2481
Australia
+61 2 6687 1984
email : info@queerfruitsfilmfestival.org