MGFF24 Festival Guests

We’re thrilled to be joined by an amazing selection of festival guests from Australia and across the globe, participating in panels, discussions and Q&As throughout Queer Screen’s 31st Mardi Gras Film Festival.

Keep an eye on this page, socials and eNews for announcements of additional guests and events. All events have limited tickets so book now to avoid missing out, and who knows who you’ll see at MGFF24!

Sahela + Q&A

Tayyab Madni

Producer

Tayyab Madni, an Australian film professional with 15 years of experience in producing and developing content for screen. He is known for his financial expertise. Notable or his role in Hotel Mumbai and founding Picture Works Australia, Madni recently premiered the company’s latest venture Sahela at SXSW Sydney, Mumbai Film Festival, and Adelaide Film Festival in 2023.

Sahela will screen on Friday 16 February at Event Cinemas George St. Producer Tayyab Madni in attendance for a Q&A. Followed by an Australian Showcase after party in the Johnnie Walker Festival Bar. Film-only tickets are also available.

When Time Got Louder + Q&A

Connie Cocchia

Writer, Director, Producer

Based in Vancouver BC, Connie Cocchia is an award winning LGBTQ+ director, writer, and producer who began her film career in Los Angeles where she received her Bachelor of Arts in Film and Television at the University of Southern California. During her years in LA, she produced, wrote and directed a variety of short films including her award-winning film Awake. Returning to Vancouver, Connie received a Master of Fine Arts in Film Production from the University of British Columbia and founded her production company Cocchia Pictures. Recently nominated for 10 Leo Awards, her feature directorial debut When Time Got Louder has taken part in over 20 festivals and won various awards including best first time director, best feature film, and best female director. With a passion for authenticity, the LGBTQ+ and autism communities are highlighted in the film through the diverse hiring of crew and authentic casting, and was awarded the Reframe gender balanced award by Women in Film LA. She is currently in development on her second feature, a comedy titled Quarter Life Crisis and seeking direct for hire work as a proud member of the DGC.

Piper Curda

Actor

Piper Curda can currently be seen in the Todd Haynes feature May December opposite Natalie Portman, Julianne Moore and Charles Melton, produced by Gloria Sanchez Productions, which premiered at Cannes 2023 and was quicly purchased by Netflix. Previously, she was seen in a major recurring role on the CW hit series Legacies. In 2023, she was seen in a key supporting role in the film Back on the Strip opposite Wesley Snipes and Tiffany Haddish from director Chris Spencer as well as a co-lead in Showdown at the Odessa opposite Terrence Howard and Dolph Lundgren. Previously, she was a lead in the feature American Pie Presents’ Girls Rules, streaming on Netflix. Other recent feature projects include a flashy role in the independent feature When Time Got Louder opposite Willow Shields as well as the Wayfarer Studios’ project Never Better. Additionally, she was one of the leads of the Emmy-nominated YouTube Red series Youth & Consequences and is the female lead of the independent horror film The Wretched, which set box office records in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. Earlier in her career, Piper was a series regular on Disney Channel’s I Didn’t Do It and played a key role in Disney Channel’s Teen Beach Movie 2.

When Time Got Louder will screen on Friday 16 February at Event Cinemas George St. Writer-director-producer Connie Cocchia and actor Piper Curda in attendance for a Q&A.

Panel: Queer Tropes and Trauma On Screen – Should We Tell These Stories?

Patrick (Pat) Abboud

Moderator

Patrick (Pat) Abboud is a Walkley winning broadcast journalist, filmmaker, writer, director, presenter. Pat was awarded 2023 Freelance Journalist of the Year by the Walkley Foundation. He is a 3-time winner at the New York Festivals TV & Radio Awards, 4-time winner at the Australian Podcast Awards, a recipient of the SXSW Innovation Award, a Webby Award and 2-time LGBTQ+ Presenter of the Year finalist. Pat’s work has been nominated for the prestigious Rose D’Or in Europe, a duPont Colombia award and a coveted International Documentary Association award. In 2024, Pat brings his production company, Only Human into an exclusive partnership deal with leading content studio Dreamchaser (Australia) & Fifth Season (USA). Together they will co-produce his new slate of TV/streaming series for the international market, including Pat’s first foray into drama.

Craig Boreham

Panellist

Craig Boreham is an accomplished Australian filmmaker known for his award-winning films Teenage Kicks and Lonesome. With a keen eye for human connections, his work often explores themes of identity, love, and self-discovery and has earned him critical acclaim, as a notable figure in the contemporary film landscape.

Natalie Krikowa

Panellist

Natalie Krikowa (she/they) is a media scholar and practice-led researcher at the University of Technology Sydney. Natalie’s research focuses on issues surrounding LGBTIQA+ representation in screen studies, popular culture, and transmedia. Natalie’s recent online interactive documentary Queer Representation Matters draws from interviews with queer screen media scholars, screenwriters and directors and film festival curators, to investigate storytelling tropes such as “bury your gays” and “cancel your gays” within an industrial context and highlight the importance of representation of queer people and stories in screen media.

Carl Joseph E. Papa

Panellist

Carl Joseph E. Papa is a software engineer by profession but being a storyteller has always been his passion. His short animated films and features have been recognised in the Philippines and abroad – at Annecy International Animation Festival, NETPAC, BIFAN, Asia Pacific Screen Awards to name a few. His most recent film, The Missing, made history as the first animated film to represent the Philippines for Best International Feature Category at the Academy Awards.

Monica Zanetti

Panellist

Monica Zanetti is an award-winning screenwriter and director. She is the co-creator of the SBS series While the Men Are Away of which she directed the bottle episode. Monica also wrote and directed the film Ellie & Abbie (& Ellie’s Dead Aunt) which was based on her stage play of the same name. The film won the 2021 AACTA award for Best Independent Film and is now playing on Netflix and other streaming services worldwide. She recently was nominated for an Australia Directors Guild award for her work on the SBS series Iggy & Ace. Her earlier work includes writing on the Netflix series Sister and the Acorn series My Life is Murder. Monica currently has several works in development including an American feature film with Billy Porter’s company Incognegro.

This panel discussion will take place on Saturday 17 February at the Library of New South Wales. Moderated by Walkley winning journalist, filmmaker and presenter Patrick (Pat) Abboud (Only Human Productions/Dreamchaser Studios), he will be joined by filmmakers Craig Boreham (Lonesome, MGFF23; Perfect Boy Next Door, MGFF24), Carl Joseph E. Papa (The Missing, MGFF24) and Monica Zanetti (Ellie & Abbie (& Ellie’s Dead Aunt), MGFF20; While the Men Are Away), and media scholar and researcher Natalie Krikowa (University of Technology Sydney, Queer Representation Matters), in what promises to be a captivating conversation on the nuanced use of trauma and tropes in LGBTIQ+ cinema.

Panel: Queer Awakenings – the Films That Made You Feel Seen

Alexei Toliopoulos

Moderator

Alexei Toliopoulos is a comedian, writer, podcaster, film critic and technically a critically acclaimed investigative documentarian. You know him from investigating mysteries on Finding Yeezus, being funny on Question Everything, talking about film on The Mix and on heaps of podcasts. Alexei owns over 3,000 Blu-rays and DVDs and three Blu-ray DVD players.

Su Goldfish

Panellist

Su Goldfish is a freelance producer, financial wrangler and filmmaker. Su’s doco The Last Goldfish (2017) premiered at Sydney Film Festival and is available on Stan. Su currently is the producer of Creation, a queer, insurrectionary, science fiction, climate change religion. A rollicking collaborative artwork instigated by artist Deborah Kelly.

Benjamin Law

Panellist

Benjamin Law is the author of The Family Law (2010), Gaysia (2013), the Quarterly Essay Moral Panic 101 (2017) and editor of Growing Up Queer in Australia (2019). Benjamin is also an AWGIE Award-winning screenwriter. He’s the co-executive producer, co-creator and co-writer of the Netflix comedy-drama Wellmania (2023), playwright of Melbourne Theatre Company’s sold-out play Torch the Place (2020), and creator and co-writer of three seasons of the award-winning SBS/Hulu/Comedy Central Asia TV series The Family Law (2016–2019). In addition to his on camera and radio work, he has also written for over 50 publications in Australia and beyond—including the Monthly, frankie, Guardian, Monocle and Australian Financial Review.

Sam Matthews

Panellist

Sam Matthews is a film director, editor and colourist with a passion for bringing queer stories to the screen. She edited A Portrait of Love (director: Molly Reynolds) premiering at this year’s Mardi Gras Film Festival, and co-directed Danielle Laidley: Two Tribes (co-director: Julie Kalceff) which launched on Stan last year. In 2018, her award-winning web series Unboxed profiled six gender diverse Australian artists on ABC iview and at festivals around the world.

Nina Oyama

Panellist

Nina Oyama is a comedian, writer, director and actress who scored her first TV writing job at age 19. As a stand up comedian and on-screen presence, Nina is best known former AACTA Award-nominated performances in Deadloch and Taskmaster Australia, playing ditzy receptionist Courtney on Utopia, doing comedic reporting on Tonightly with Tom Ballard and The Weekly and performing stand up on Just for Laughs Sydney. She has also racked up an impressive amount of writing credits including You’re Skitting Me, The Chaser’s Election Desk, Squinters, Love Me, Yolo Crystal Fantasy and Koala Man. Alongside Angus Thompson she co-created ABC Comedy’s The Angus Project, and with journalist Emma Myers they created SBS Digital Original Latecomers, a groundbreaking disability-led rom-com.

This panel discussion will take place on Saturday 17 February at the Library of New South Wales. Moderated by comedian, writer, podcaster and film critic Alexei Toliopolous (Finding Yeezus, Question Everything), he will be joined by producer and filmmaker Su Goldfish (The Last Goldfish, MGFF18; Creation), writer and broadcaster Benjamin Law (The Family Law, Wellmania), director and editor Sam Matthews (Danielle Laidley: Two Tribes; A Portrait of Love, MGFF24), and comedian, writer and actress Nina Oyama (Deadloch, Taskmaster Australia). This enlightening conversation promises to celebrate the diverse array of films that have become beacons of understanding and affirmation for queer individuals across the world.

Who’ll Stop the Rain + Q&A

Su I-Hsuan

Writer, Director

Su I-Hsuan is a Taipei-based writer and director. Her 2018 TV Film Where the Sun Don’t Shine won Best TV Film, Best Lead Actor, and New Actor in the 2018 Golden Bell Awards. Her First feature film Who’ll Stop the Rain was selected for the 2018 Talents Tokyo, Produire au Sud workshop Taipei and the 2022 Venice Gap-Financing Market.

Who’ll Stop the Rain will screen on Saturday 17 February at Event Cinemas George St. Writer-director Su I-Hsuan in attendance for a Q&A.

A Portrait of Love + Q&A

Molly Reynolds

Director

Molly Reynolds specialises in documentary and digital media production. She has directed, written and produced seven feature documentaries. Her work includes A Portrait of Love; My Name is Gulpilil; Running with Crutches; The Waiting Room (VR); Another Country; Still Our Country; What Makes Me; Twelve Canoes; Peter Churcher; and The Balanda and the Bark Canoes. Molly’s films have played and exhibited at leading film and arts festivals domestically and internationally including Telluride, IDFA, Hot Docs, True/False, Cannes, Dark Mofo and the Samstag Museum of Art.

Roberto Meza Mont

Subject

Roberto is a person of many talents, if only he could attach himself to one of them. Instead Roberto dances through life. He studied Business Administration and worked in banking for three years in Lima before renouncing it all to travel to the other side of the world – Australia. In Australia he discovered his passion for the arts, making several short films and working as an actor (God’s Favourite Idiot, Top of the Lake, Candy).

Sam Matthews

Editor

Sam Matthews is a film director, editor and colourist with a passion for bringing queer stories to the screen. She edited A Portrait of Love (director: Molly Reynolds) premiering at this year’s Mardi Gras Film Festival, and co-directed Danielle Laidley: Two Tribes (co-director: Julie Kalceff) which launched on Stan last year. In 2018, her award-winning web series Unboxed profiled six gender diverse Australian artists on ABC iview and at festivals around the world.

A Portrait of Love will screen on Monday 19 February at Event Cinemas George St. Director Molly Reynolds, subject Roberto Meza Mont and editor Sam Matthews in attendance for a Q&A. Followed by an Australian Showcase after party in the Johnnie Walker Festival Bar. Film-only tickets are also available.

The Missing + Q&A

Carl Joseph E. Papa

Writer, Director

Carl Joseph E. Papa is a software engineer by profession but being a storyteller has always been his passion. His short animated films and features have been recognised in the Philippines and abroad – at Annecy International Animation Festival, NETPAC, BIFAN, Asia Pacific Screen Awards to name a few. His most recent film, The Missing, made history as the first animated film to represent the Philippines for Best International Feature Category at the Academy Awards.

The Missing will screen on Wednesday 21 February at Event Cinemas George St. Writer-director Carl Joseph E. Papa in attendance for a Q&A.

F.L.Y. + Q&A

Rafael Albarran

Writer, Director, Actor

Rafael Albarran is a Puerto Rican actor and writer trained at The New School for Drama MFA Acting program in New York City. Credits include leading roles in the films: HBO Max’s Lupe (2020), and Party Time: The Movie! (2009). As a writer, his play, I Catch You Dreaming was produced Off-Broadway at The Flamboyan Theater in Lower East Side (2015), and his play, Checkmate, was part of the first Fuerza Fest LGBTQ Theater Festival in the Upper East side (2016). His book Little People: Fifty Poems (2018), is available on Amazon.

F.L.Y. will screen on Friday 23 February at Ritz Cinemas, Randwick. Writer-director-actor Rafael Albarran in attendance for a Q&A.

Sunflower + Q&A

Gabriel Carrubba

Writer, Director

Born and raised in the South Eastern suburbs of Naarm/Melbourne, Gabriel realised his passion for the arts from a young age. At the age of seventeen, Gabriel left school to pursue a career in acting. After graduating from acting school, he landed his first guest role in the Sci-Fi, Netflix drama Glitch. Two years later, Gabriel took the plunge into filmmaking, graduating from the arts school JMC Academy with a Bachelor in Film & Television Production. Recently, Gabriel has teamed up with Zane Borg at Pancake Originals, where they aim to push untold Australian stories. His directorial debut feature film Sunflower was selected by Queer Screen to take part in the Goes to Cannes showcase at the Marché du Film program in 2023.

Zane Borg

Producer

Zane Borg is an award-winning writer, director and producer in Naarm/Melbourne, Australia. After dropping out of film school, Zane founded Pancake Originals, an independent production company aiming to empower local filmmakers to tell personal stories. In 2023, he was listed on MovieMaker Magazine’s ‘Top Screenwriters to Watch’ list. His directorial debut feature film The Library Boys took home the Comedy Vanguard Award at the Austin Film Festival in 2022.

Liam Mollica

Actor

Liam Mollica began his foray into acting as a teenager while studying at the NIDA Young Actors Studio in Naarm/Melbourne, Australia. In 2016, he received his first recurring role in the television series Nowhere Boys as the character Warren Rawson. After high school, Liam moved from Melbourne to Sydney where he studied acting at the Academy of Film, Theatre and Television. During his time at AFTT, he appeared in numerous stage productions. Recently, Liam starred in a guest spot on the TV series Triple Oh!, directed by Poppy Stockell. Sunflower is his feature screen debut.

Sunflower will screen on Saturday 24 February at Event Cinemas George Street. Writer-director Gabriel Carrubba, producer Zane Borg and actor Liam Mollica in attendance for a Q&A. Followed by an Australian Showcase after party in the Johnnie Walker Festival Bar. Film-only tickets are also available.

Shape + Panel Discussion

Mon Schafter

Moderator

Mon Schafter is a Walkley Award winning journalist who leads the content for ABCQueer – the ABC’s home of stories and advice for young LGBTQIA+ Australians. An experienced presenter and reporter, Mon co-hosts the Mardi Gras parade on ABC TV and has told countless stories for the 7.30 program and Hungry Beast. They also host the ABC podcast Innies + Outies, featuring uniquely Australian stories about coming out or staying in.

Demon Derrierre

Panellist, Director (FA(C)TS)

Meet Demon Derriere, the sensational force of body positivity, neo-burlesque wizardry, and the brains behind the sizzling extravaganza known as Big Thick Energy. Picture this: a body liberating festival that’s so hot it earned a nod for ‘Best Arts Program’ at the FBi SMAC awards in 2022. Demon, a powerhouse activist, is on a mission to flip society’s script on ableism, kick fatphobia to the curb, and set all bodies free. A POC, hard-of-hearing, queer dynamo, she’s all about channeling the essence of music through the pulse of vibrations. Get ready for a tantalising ride as Demon delves into her experiences of “otherness”, weaving a spellbinding tapestry of dance, Egyptian Belly Dance, Burlesque, Auslan, and the art of tease. Oh, did we mention she recently took the stage to present Lizzo’s latest album at the Metro Theatre? This is not your average performer; this is Demon Derriere, the saucy sorceress of liberation and a true maestro of shaking up the status quo! Watch out, she might bite.

Reece Georgas

Panellist

Reece (he/him) is a passionate advocate for creating a more inclusive society. He works as a Peer Worker for the Butterfly Foundation where he utilises his lived experience of Anorexia and complex mental illness to foster hope and empower others in their own recovery. As a man of transgender experience, he has a particular interest in exploring the complex relationship that individuals who identify as LGBTQIA+ have with their bodies. It is his belief that the process of recovery is about embracing authenticity and returning to inherent worth.

Roger Ungers

Panellist, Director (Shape)

Roger Ungers is a Melbourne-based independent documentary filmmaker and video content creator. His work spans directing, producing, shooting and editing documentaries aired on SBS to co-creating streaming content for clients such as World of Wonder Presents Plus.

Shape will screen on Sunday 25 February at Event Cinemas George Street. Preceded by the short film FA(C)TS, it will be followed by a panel discussion expanding the conversation to include a broader cross section of the LGBTIQ+ community. Moderated by journalist Mon Schafter (ABCQueer), they will be joined by producer, director and performer Demon Derriere (Big Thick Energy; FA(C)TS, MGFF24), peer worker Reece Georgas (Butterfly Foundation), and director and producer Roger Ungers (Shape, MGFF24).

In the Room Where He Waits + Q&A

Timothy Despina Marshall

Writer, Director

Timothy is an award-winning queer writer/director. In 2013, his short film Gorilla won the Iris Prize. His next short, Followers, screened at Sundance, SXSW, and MIFF in 2015. Timothy has been selected to attend Screen Australia’s Talent USA program and the 2018 Film Independent Directing Lab. In The Room Where He Waits is his first feature.

Bec Dakin

Producer

Bec Dakin is an award-winning queer independent producer championing Queensland stories on screen. She is also an experienced animation and VFX producer, having worked with some of Australia’s leading post and animation houses. Bec is always on the lookout for interesting ideas, new talent, and technologies that can deliver viewing experiences in new and exciting ways.

In the Room Where He Waits will screen on Sunday 25 February at Event Cinemas George Street. Writer-director Timothy Despina Marshall and producer Bec Dakin in attendance for a Q&A. Followed by an Australian Showcase after party in the Johnnie Walker Festival Bar. Film-only tickets are also available.

Power Alley + Q&A

Loro Bardot

Actor

Loro Bardot, 25, is a Brazilian non-binary actor-musician who began their career at 18 with the debut EP “Café dos Pássaros”. This album garnered attention, securing placements in magazines and TV show soundtracks. After that, Loro got into scoring for films, TV, and plays, transitioning seamlessly in front of the cameras. In 2023, they made their acting debut at the Cannes Film Festival as the co-star of the feature Levante (Power Alley), earning over 20 awards, including Fipresci at Cannes, Best Ibero-American Film at Palm Springs, Best Movie in Havana, and the Youth Jury Award at the Rotterdam Film Festival. Moving to Perth, Australia, Loro now showcases their piano skills at jazz clubs, facing challenges as an immigrant.

Power Alley will screen on Monday 26 February at Ritz Cinemas Randwick. Actor Loro Bardot will be in attendance for a Q&A.

Closing Night Gala: Housekeeping for Beginners + Q&A

Goran Stolevski

Writer, Director

Goran Stolevski has written and directed three features which have played at more than 80 festivals worldwide. You Won’t Be Alone premiered in official competition at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival, while Of an Age opened the 2022 Melbourne International Film Festival and Housekeeping for Beginners won the Queer Lion at the 2023 Venice Film Festival. Focus Features released all three theatrically in the US, with Universal Pictures handling international distribution. Before shifting to features, Goran made twenty-five shorts, with Would You Look at Her winning Best International Short at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival and being selected for the Criterion Channel. Named one of Variety’s top 10 Directors to Watch in 2022, he’s also been profiled in the Guardian, Vogue, IndieWire, the Age and Sydney Morning Herald.

Housekeeping for Beginners will screen on Thursday 29 February at Event Cinemas George Street. Writer-director Goran Stolevski will be in attendance for a Q&A. Screening will be followed by a Closing Night Gala after party in Gold Class. Film-only tickets are also available.