• Charles Sturt continues to advocate for the LGBTIQA+ community as a regional partner of Queer Screen for Queer Screen Film Festival – Best of the Fest

Charles Sturt University in Bathurst is loud and proud in support of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and queer community (LGBTIQA+), returning as a regional partner for the Queer Screen Film Festival – Best of the Fest.

The University will host a screening at Charles Sturt in Bathurst at 6pm on Thursday 21 September, featuring seven of the best and brightest queer films from this year’s festival, curated by Festival Director Ms Lisa Rose.

Charles Sturt Director of External Engagement in Bathurst Ms Julia Andrews said the University was a proud supporter of the Queer Screen Film Festival.

“We wholeheartedly embrace the festival each year and are delighted to be supporting it again on its 10^th Anniversary,” Ms Andrews said.  

“This is the first time the Queer Screen Festival will be hosted in the Bathurst community. It’s great to be partnering with Headspace Bathurst and Arts Out West to deliver such an important event.

“This festival is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate stories from the LGBTIQA+ perspective and highlight the importance of sharing queer stories with communities outside of the traditional metropolitan audiences.

“In sharing these stories, we’re starting conversations that save lives. Everyone deserves to know there is a place for them to grow and flourish and that includes in a regional community and while at university.”

The festival is held Australia-wide and the University is also hosting exclusive sessions at Charles Sturt University in Port Macquarie and Dubbo throughout September and October.

Queer Screen Film Director Ms Lisa Rose welcomed Charles Sturt as the regional partner for the 2023 festival.

“I am thrilled that Charles Sturt is our regional partner again because getting queer stories out to regional areas is such an important thing to do,” Ms Rose said.

The selection of films will cover heart-warming tales to powerful narratives exploring a variety of genres, including drama, comedy, romance, and more, all while celebrating the vibrant and diverse LGBTIQA+ community.

Doors will open at 5.45pm on Thursday 21 September with the screening to run from 6pm until 8.45pm.

Guests will also be treated to a special appearance by drag king Clint Taurus, who started out in an amateur drag competition in Orange before being asked to join the drag family of Bathurst’s own Betty Confetti.

By day, Cath is a theatre maker and performer who lives with her wife and dog in a tiny village on Wiradjuri country. By night, Cath transforms into Clint Taurus, a drag king delighting the people of the Central West as he explores gender identity, sexual subcultures, and non-toxic masculinity in his performances.

Festival tickets are available for $12 each, with $10 of every ticket sale going towards the Charles Sturt University Ally Network to fund LGBTIQA+ initiatives.

Guests will enjoy a complementary drink on arrival and popcorn for the screenings.

Tickets can be purchased here for Bathurst.

Charles Sturt University is committed to equity, diversity and inclusion.

The University was one of the first Australian universities to receive an Athena SWAN Bronze Institutional Award. Charles Sturt is also an Employer of Choice for Gender Equality from the Commonwealth Workplace Gender Equality Agency.

ENDS