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The Gay Short Films of Stephen Cummins (18*) + Introduction by curator Alex Davidson

Experiments in Film

Two men stand topless in a dark room.

Discover the beautiful and haunting shorts of Australian filmmaker Stephen Cummins (1960-94) which portrayed beautiful, sometimes provocative depictions of gay men in the 1980s and early 1990s.

These nine shorts by Australian filmmaker, curator and artist Stephen Cummins (1960-94), newly digitised, restored and remastered by the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia and Cummins’ collaborator Simon Hunt, offer an evocative, provocative depiction of gay male lives in the 1980s and early 90s. From early student films to his later, mature works, which often embrace dance and movement, this retrospective celebrates the works of a great queer talent, whose films are almost unknown in the UK.

Highlights include Resonance, his award-winning short exploring the aftermath of a homophobic attack, featuring two gorgeous dance sequences, the unashamedly saucy Elevation, climaxing in a sex scene and a shower of champagne, and the jaunty and joyous Body Corporate, in which a construction worker trips the light fantastic – in heels.

Co-presented with the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia

Please note this programme includes depictions of homophobia.

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