There have been lesbian and gay film festivals in Sydney since 1978. They were initially run by the Australian Film Institute (AFI). In 1986, the AFI partnered with what was then the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, to present the annual "Sydney Gay Film Week". The film festival was taken over by commercial companies in 1991, but was still projected as a highlight of the Mardi Gras festival. In 1993, a group of Sydney filmmakers, students and queer supporters approached the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras to create an independent organisation. whose focus would be queer cinema and screen culture. This organization was Queer Screen. Their main aim was to reclaim Sydney's LGBTIQ film festival as community-owned and operated. Since that time, Mardi Gras has been Queer Screen's primary funding body. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay This arrangement ended with the 2001 Mardi Gras Film Festival. The Mardi Gras Film Festival has grown considerably since 1993. It is now one of Australia's largest film festivals of any kind and one of the top five queer film festivals in the world. It is highly regarded by filmmakers around the world and is the most important platform for promoting LGBTIQ titles to distributors and exhibitors in this territory. For ten years, Queer Screen's documentary festival, queerDOC, has been the first and only LGBTIQ documentary festival in the world. world.The annual My Queer Career competition pioneered queer short film competitions exclusively for locally produced work. Both events are now part of the Mardi Gras Film Festival. In recent years, new initiatives have grown to include special events and curated programs across Australia and with strong connections around the world. Queer Screen is now one of the few LGBTIQ screen organizations in the world to run a national, continuous program of events throughout the year. Since 2013, a new film festival, the Queer Screen Film Fest, has become a major event offering the latest LGBTIQ news. film hitting Sydney screens in September. Queer Screen's vision is based on the promotion of diversity of sexualities and gender identities through queer storytelling on screen, by inclusive and respectful communities, full of creativity, inspiration and pride, and on the transformation and engagement of individuals and communities through queer storytelling on screen. The 5th Queer Screen Film Fest was held at Event Cinemas in Sydney from 19 to 24 September, will continue in the Blue Mountains: at Mount Vic Flicks: from 6 to 8 October and in Adelaide at GU Filmhouse Adelaide from 3 to 4 November .Keep in mind: This is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a custom essay Sydney's Incarnation features 20 films from four continents, including 16 Australian premieres, the Queer Screen Film Fest features a wide range of LGBTIQ stories through narrative features and documentaries and shorts, as well as a free outdoor screening of Rainbow Families from the Disney animated film Moana? at Sydney Park.