By Benjamin Millar
One of the Australia’s only trans and gender diverse film festivals returns to Footscray this week.
The tilde film festival returns to Footscray Community Arts Centre from Thursday to Sunday, bringing a packed program spanning a range of genres.
Creative director Louise Malcolm, who has been involved in tilde since 2014 and took on her current role in 2016, said the festival was inspired by film festivals overseas.
“There is a bit of interest in the mainstream at the moment, but there tends to be quite a narrow representation of trans and gender diversity,” she said.
“It’s important to fight the stigma and stereotyping, we are interested in expanding the variety of stories that get told. These are films that add nuance and depth to the kind of depictions we usually get.”
Highlights include Transblack, a local documentary series that delves into the lives of Brotherboys and Sistergirls, as well as the tilde Youth Shorts program featuring local film First Day, which amplifies the voices of young trans people seeking the right to education.
The festival includes Opening and Closing Night celebrations, a free community party on Saturday night and post-film Q&As.
Ms Malcolm said the social aspect of the festival is also important.
“This is a safe place for trans and gender diverse people to come together and communicate with the community,” she said.
“Footscray Community Arts Centre has been very supportive from the start, we have similar values and are both interested in social justice and inclusivity and access, so it’s a really good fit for us.”
Program and further details: tildemelbourne.com
