Lesbian and gay film festivals have been held in Sydney since 1978. Initially, they were organized by the Australian Film Institute (AFI). In 1986, the AFI joined forces with what was then the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, to present an annual "Sydney Gay Film Week". The film festival was taken over by commercial companies in 1991, but it is still projected as a highlight of the Mardi Gras festival. In 1993, a group of Sydney filmmakers, students and queer supporters approached the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras to form an independent organization. whose focus would be queer film and film culture. That organization was Queer Screen. Their main goal was to reclaim the Sydney LGBTIQ Film Festival as community owned and run. From this time on, Mardi Gras was the main funder of Queer Screen. Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayThis agreement ended with the 2001 Mardi Gras Film Festival. The Mardi Gras Film Festival has grown significantly since 1993. It is now one of Australia's largest film festivals of any kind and one of the top five queer film festivals in the world. It is highly appreciated by filmmakers around the world and constitutes the most important platform for promoting LGBTIQ titles to distributors and exhibitors in this territory. For ten years, Queer Screen's documentary festival, queerDOC, was the country's first and only LGBTIQ documentary festival. world.The annual My Queer Career competition pioneered queer short film competitions exclusively for locally produced works. Both events are now part of the Mardi Gras Film Festival. In recent years, new initiatives have grown to include special events and programs held across Australia and with strong links across the world. Queer Screen is now one of the only LGBTIQ film organizations in the world to offer an ongoing, national program of events throughout the year. Since 2013, a new film festival, the Queer Screen Film Fest, has become a major event showcasing the latest LGBTIQ releases. films on screens in Sydney in September. Queer Screen's vision is based on promoting the diversity of sexualities and gender identities through queer storytelling on screen, by inclusive and respectful communities full of creativity, inspiration and pride and to transform and involve individuals. and communities through queer storytelling on screen. The 5th Queer Screen Film Fest was held at Event Cinemas in Sydney from September 19-24, will continue in the Blue Mountains: at Mount Vic Flicks: October 6-8 and in Adelaide at the GU Filmhouse Adelaide from November 3-4 . : This is just a sample.Get a personalized article from our expert editors now.Get a personalized essaySydney's incarnation features 20 films from four continents, including 16 Australian premieres, Queer Screen Film Fest presents a range diverse range of LGBTIQ stories through narrative features and documentaries. and short films as well as a free outdoor Rainbow Families screening of the Disney animated film Moana? at Sydney Park.