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Festival coverage

NewFest

23 October – 29 October 2019

A Dog Barking At The Moon
A Dog Barking At The Moon

The 31st edition of NewFest opened with Mike Doyle’s romantic comedy Sell By and closed with Rodrigo Bellott’s award winning film Tu Me Manques. It featured a diverse international line-up with films from 32 countries and several galas and special screenings.

The festival runs from 23 to 29 October.

View complete schedule

Other years (7)

Box office and information

Latest reviews

  • Queer Japan
    Review preview for Queer Japan

    Particularly intriguing here is the overlap between hentai and art.

    Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
    Trailblazing artists, activists, and everyday people from across the spectrum of gender and sexuality defy social norms and dare to live unconventional lives in this kaleidoscopic view of LGBTQ culture in contemporary Japan.
  • Siberia And Him
    Review preview for Siberia And Him

    Stunningly beautiful cinematography dominates a film in which the dialogue is sparse.

    Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
    Two men have an affair in a remote Siberia.
  • Bit
    Review preview for Bit

    There's a heavy helping of genre clichés in Brad Michael Elmore's pacy, energetic teen thriller, but he succeeds very effectively in updating the old stories for a modern audience.

    Jennie Kermode · 3 out of 5
    A teenage girl on summer vacation in Los Angeles fights to survive after she falls in with four queer feminist vampires, who try to rid the city's streets of predatory men.
  • All We've Got
    Review preview for All We've Got

    Clements discovers a story that is diverse, inclusive and profoundly optimistic.

    Jennie Kermode · 3 out of 5
    A personal exploration of LGBTQ women's communities, cultures, and social justice work through the lens of the physical spaces they create, from bars to bookstores to arts and political hubs.
  • Billie And Emma
    Review preview for Billie And Emma

    There are fine performances throughout and the two leads are both excellent.

    Jennie Kermode · 5 out of 5
    A pregnant teenage girl falls in love with the new girl in school.
  • Drag Kids
    Review preview for Drag Kids

    There's a sense of joy around the kids' participation that has at least as much to do with their parents.

    Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
    A documentary about four pre-teens who enjoy competing in drag pageants.
  • Jonathan Agassi Saved My Life
    Review preview for Jonathan Agassi Saved My Life

    Jonathan is an ideal subject because he's completely open to the world.

    Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
    Behind the scenes with Israeli global gay-porn sensation and self-admitted mama’s boy Jonathan Agassi during his first eight years in the business.
  • A Dog Barking At The Moon
    Review preview for A Dog Barking At The Moon

    Lisa Zi Xiang's astutely written début uses the familiar formula of a multi-generation family saga as a launchpad for thematic and structural experiment.

    Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
    A Chinese family saga, told in different periods of time, commencing with the wife’s discovery of her husband’s homosexuality.
  • Brief Story From The Green Planet
    Review preview for Brief Story From The Green Planet

    Whatever you expected to happen is not about to do so.

    Jane Fae · 3 out of 5
    When Tania finds out that her grandma has spent her final years in the caring company of a cute purple alien, she embarks on a journey through small-town Argentina with two close friends to deliver the creature back to its origins.
  • Queen Of Lapa
    Review preview for Queen Of Lapa

    Taking its time and drifting lightly from one scene to another, this beautifully composed film really gets under the skin of its subjects, who seem marvellously at ease with the camera.

    Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
    A proud transgender sex worker since the age of 11, Luana Muniz, now 59, shapes a new reality in her 'hostel' by housing a new generation of transgender sex workers in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

A–Z of NewFest 2019 reviews

Features

  • Out in the rising sun
    Graham Kolbeins on capturing the passions and politics of outsider communities in Queer Japan
  • Documenting the rainbow
    The non-fiction highlights of this year's NewFest
  • In dreams
    River Gallo on Ponyboi, telling intersex stories and the importance of fantasies

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