Melbourne Queer Film Festival

The Melbourne Queer Film Festival (MQFF) has been running continuously since 1991 [1] [2] and is Australia's longest-running queer film festival. Considered one of the world's top queer film festivals it is also one of the largest, if not the largest, in the Southern Hemisphere [3] as well as being the second largest film festival in Victoria (second only to the Melbourne International Film Festival).

The Festival screens annually, during March, at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) at Federation Square in the centre of Melbourne and was the first film festival to use that facility. It also uses various other central Melbourne venues - each having excellent access to public transport and disabled access. The Program Launch, which is the official launch of the Festival, is held in February each year.

It is estimated that over 170,000 people have attended the Festival and other MQFF events.

MQFF is an Incorporated Association that is run by a Board of Management. There are a number of sub-committees made up of Board members and invited industry specialists that implement a large number of the operations of the MQFF. MQFF employs an Executive Director and Program Manager, with both positions being part-time. It also employs other support personnel including a Festival Operations Manager and Assistant and Finance Coordinators.

The Festival relies on more than 130 volunteers to help out at the annual Festival. Many thousands of hours are contributed by the Board as well as by event production crews, ushers and Festival Club volunteers. The volunteer base is made up of a wide cross-section of members of the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex (GLBTI) community, film buffs, film industry professionals and event production specialists. MQFF also relies on the skills and generosity of its Selection Panel. This volunteer role involves viewing all submitted films and videos then presenting recommendations regarding program selection and scheduling.

The Festival has about 500 financial members.

The core business of MQFF is film screenings, which accounts for over 95% of the business and includes the main Festival held in March each year. The annual Festival includes programs such as Queeries: Bent On Film Youth Program, International Shorts and Feature Films, Documentary Packages, Foreign Language Films, The City of Melbourne Emerging Filmmaker Award, and an experimental program, along with several forums and lectures. International filmmakers and guests attend the Festival each year and are encouraged to contribute to the Festival by their involvement in forums and interviews with the media about their films or programs.

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