Homosexuality: A Film for Discussion

A pioneering work of LGBTQIA+ representation that deftly punctures social myths around homosexuality in 1970s Melbourne.

Shot on super-8 primarily on the streets of Melbourne from 1971 to 1973, this gently inquisitive and slyly revelatory documentary features vox populi interviews with pedestrians about their attitudes to homosexuality, along with thoughtful and moving testimony about the difficulties of living in an intolerant society from same-sex-attracted individuals, their partners and their families.

Originally shown in 1975 at the Melbourne Filmmaker’s Co-Op – a collective that is discussed in more detail in MIFF 70 film Senses of Cinema – as part of a successful program of queer filmmaking, Homosexuality: A Film for Discussion later travelled into secondary schools for educational screenings. Today, it remains a hallmark work with the power to challenge preconceptions and change minds. Directed by pioneering feminist film theorist Barbara Creed, and emerging out of her activism with the student-led gay-liberation protest movement, this is a remarkable and moving historical record of a marginalised group on the cusp of instigating profound cultural change.