• Charles Sturt University advocates for the LGBTIQA+ community as a regional partner of Queer Screen for Queer Screen Film Festival – Best of the Fest
• The Queer Screen Film Festival screens in Port Macquarie on Thursday 21 March
• Special guest Ms Abbie Jane of the Rainbow Shoelace Project, now a Port Macquarie resident and award winner for her volunteering advocacy for the LGBTIQA+ community, will attend

Charles Sturt University continues to be loud and proud in support of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer community (LGBTIQA+) as a continuing regional partner for the 2024 Queer Screen Film Festival – Best of the Fest.

The University will host screening events at Charles Sturt in Port Macquarie, Dubbo and Bathurst during March and April featuring six of the best and brightest queer films from this year’s festival, curated by Festival Director Ms Lisa Rose.

The Port Macquarie event takes place on Thursday 21 March from 6pm until 9pm (doors opening at 5.45pm) at the Charles Sturt University Theatre on campus.

Charles Sturt Director of External Engagement (Port Macquarie) Ms Kate Wood-Foye (third from right, above) said Charles Sturt was a proud advocate of the Queer Screen Film Festival and encourages film lovers from the community to be part of the event.

“We fully embrace the film festival each year and are excited to bring together the community to share in the incredibly diverse cinematic talent, colour, fun and storytelling as we support the sharing of queer stories and experiences from across the globe,” Ms Wood-Foye said.

“This is the third Queer Screen Best of the Fest event we will host in Port Macquarie in the Charles Sturt University Theatre and it’s fantastic to partner with the teams at headspace Port Macquarie, Out Loud and Proud Port Macquarie, and Arts Mid North Coast to deliver such an inclusive and important event.

“This year award winning LGBTQIA+ advocate Abbie Jane from The Rainbow Shoelace Project will join us to share her story at the opening of the festival.”

Ms Wood-Foye said sharing stories starts conversations that can save lives.

“Everyone deserves to know there is a place for them to be included, grow and flourish, and that includes in a regional community and while at university,” she said.

Queer Screen Festival Director Ms Lisa Rose said they were thrilled to have Charles Sturt as its regional festival partner once again.

“The University’s commitment to spotlighting diverse LGBTIQ+ narratives in areas craving communal cinematic experiences is truly commendable,” Ms Rose said.

“This year’s selections, spanning five countries, offer a rich tapestry of stories, genres, and perspectives, embodying the essence of inclusivity and celebration.”

The film festival screens at the Charles Sturt University Theatre on campus, building 802, carpark 3, 7 Major Innes Road, Port Macquarie. Tickets for the Port Macquarie event can be purchased here.

Festival tickets are $10 each, which includes a drink on arrival, popcorn and Soul Sisters grazing table. Unclassified 15+. Anyone under 15 must be accompanied by an adult.

Festival special guest Abbie Jane who initiated The Rainbow Shoelace Project will share her story.

Abbie is from Broken Hill and now lives in Port Macquarie. She founded the Rainbow Shoelace Project in 2022 when she was just 12 years old. What started with Abbie giving away free rainbow beads for people to wear on their shoelaces to show their support for the LGBTQIA+ community is now a global movement, with more than 220,000 packets of beads given away in Australia alone.

Abbie has received multiple awards for her advocacy for the LGBTQIA+ community. Just some of these include being awarded the Regional and Rural Entrepreneur of the Year at the Teens in Business Awards in 2023; and being acknowledged as the NSW Volunteer of the Year in 2021. Abbie is also receiving an award for ‘One to watch’ this month through the NSW Government’s Women of the Year awards.

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.