Desire Will Set You Free | Fri 17 Mar 10:15 PM | 92 mins | Germany | 2016 | Yony Leyser Ezra (director Yony Leyser), an Israeli-Palestinian writer sunk deep into Berlin’s artistic underground, has a passing fascination with Russian hustler, Sasha (Tim Fabian Hoffman), while his acerbic friend Catherine (Chloe Griffin) attempts to sex her way free of her straight-edged girlfriend (Amber Benson, Buffy the Vampire Slayer). Like the city that provides its intoxicating setting, Desire Will Set You Free is packed with influences (from Isherwood to Bowie) and is under the influence. Tick off your Berlin scenester cameos: look out for performances from Nina Hagen, Peaches, Sookee, Blixa Bargeld and beefcake-electro oddities Rummelsnuff. English and German/Arabic/Hebrew with English subtitles.
Haircut | Sun 19 Mar 6:00 PM | 2 mins | Israel | 2015 | Amir Stolar On the morning of his 29th’ birthday, Omer thinks back on his ex boyfriend Ori. This starts a journey of regrets and mixed emotions.
Barash | Mon 20 Mar 8:00 PM | 5 mins | Israel | 2015 | Michal Vinik ‘Israeli-Palestinian tensions deepen and complicate more familiar coming-out subject matter in Michawl Vinik’s vibrant debut’ – Variety
Seventeen year old Naama Barash enjoys alcohol, drugs and hanging out with her likeminded friends. When the suburban teen meets the cool, more experienced Dana they explore Tel Aviv’s nightlife and a hesitant relationship develops between them. Meanwhile Naama’s sister has gone missing from her post at a nearby military base, diverting her family’s attention away from the new developments in Naama’s life. Drawing favourable comparisons to Blue is the Warmest Colour, Barash is about the dizzy rush of first love, and an original, energetic drama that defies the stereotypes of life in Israel. Hebrew with English subtitles.
Who’s Gonna Love Me Now | Wed 22 Mar 6:15 PM | 85 mins | Israel | UK | 2016 | Tomer Heymann, Barak Heymann, Alexander Bodin Saphir “Who’s gonna love me now?” These words, spoken by an ex lover, resonate with Saar, who is HIV positive. After being barred from his Israeli kibbutz years earlier, and with his Orthodox family still unable to accept his sexuality, Saar established a new life in London, where the London Gay Men’s Chorus have become an extended family. Featuring some stirring performances from the chorus, Who’s Gonna Love Me Now? is a deeply affecting, intimate portrait of a man trying to balance his yearning for home with his desire to live life on his own terms. English and Hebrew with English subtitles
Cut | Fri 24 Mar 10:00 PM | 3 mins | Israel | 2015 | Dar Laor A quirky animation on the myths that surround what is normal and natural in the realms of gender and identity.
Fake It | Sun 26 Mar 3:30 PM | 23 mins | Israel | 2015 | Tzurit Hartzion Zohar needs more photographs for her exhibition and asks her ex, Ella, to recreate things that happened before the breakup so that she can photograph them. Is it real or are they, faking it. Hebrew with English subtitles.
Regretfully Aleph Melbourne will not be participating in the 2017 Pride March due to Midsumma keeping News Corp Australia as a sponsor. This breaks an annual tradition going back to 1997.
While News Corp journalists like Andrew Bolt, Mirada Devine and Rita Panahi are on a crusade to destroy transgender kids, the Safe Schools program and marriage equality, it is completely unacceptable for any LGBTIQ community organisation to accept money or in-kind support from them.
Thirteen-year old Tyrone Unsworth might not have had cause to take his own life if News Corp had not fuelled the fires of bigotry and intolerance. If Midsumma want to partner with News Corp then it must accept responsibility for Tyrone’s tragic death.
“This is the second year that News Corp have been a supporter of Midsumma (Herald Sun logo was used last year).”
Midsumma (Nov 25 2016)
Sadly this is the second year that Midsumma have had News Corp as a sponsor. Aleph Melbourne would not have participated in 2016 if this had become apparent at the time.
Aleph Melbourne calls on Midsumma to hold News Corp to account for their words and actions, along with returning any cash sponsorship or in-kind support.
We have cancelled our registration in the 2017 Pride March due to @midsumma accepting @newscorpaus sponsorship. First absence since 1997.
Transgender teen becomes youngest, and first ever LGBTI person to receive prestigious ADC Making a Difference Award
November 15, 2016
16-year-old transgender teen Georgie Stone, who has campaigned for transgender rights and for greater tolerance, has become the youngest, and first, LGBTI person to win the prestigious Anti-Defamation Commission’s (ADC) Making a Difference Award given to individuals who through their actions champion social change, confront hatred, and empower others to create a more inclusive, respectful society.
Dr. Dvir Abramovich, Chairman of the ADC issued the following statement:
“Georgie is a remarkable young woman. Her courageous advocacy for the LGBTI community, and her unwavering, uplifting dedication to create a kinder and more tolerant Australia perfectly mirror our core mission of combatting discrimination and bigotry. She is a one-of-a-kind inspirational advocate for social change and a positive role model foryoung people to stand up to hatred and bullying. Her passionate voice reminds us that we all have a duty to bring greater awareness to the impact of bias, to advance equality and opportunity for all people and to build bridges of understanding.”
In accepting the award Georgie Stone said:
“It was an honour to receive the Making a Difference Award from the Anti-Defamation Commission. We have made so much progress in the fight for transgender rights, but there is still a long way to go. Our combined efforts will hopefully bring about the change in laws and acceptance that we need to progress as a society.”
The Anti-Defamation Commission, founded in 1979, is Australia’s leading civil rights organization fighting racism through educational programs that combat bigotry, prejudice and all forms of hatred.
For further information please contact Dr Dvir Abramovich on (03) 9272 5677.
A selection of responses to Bill Leak’s “Waffen-SSM“ cartoon that were published in the Australian Jewish News. Click on each to enlarge.
“Leak’s SS and SSM comparison ‘repulsive'” by Yael Brender (Sep 30, 2016)
Letter by Geoff Bloch (Oct 14, 2016)
Letter by Paul Winter (Oct 21, 2016)
Letter by Gregory Storer (part 1) (Oct 28, 2016)
Letter by Gregory Storer (part 2) (Oct 28, 2016)
Protecting minorities
IT’S a bit rich for Paul Winter (AJN 21/10) to talk about society only protecting noisy, aggressive minorities subverting democracy.
Part of our democratic society is to protest about things we see as wrong. Signalling disapproval to a supplier, such as a hotel, is a legitimate way to make it known that you disapprove of their business practices. Threatening people is never acceptable and every protest has those on the fringe. It’s unfair to suggest that all protesters hold the same opinions or use the same actions. Similarly, overlooking that a vast majority of Australians support marriage equality and that it’s a small minority of religious people who object is to ignore reality.
As a society we must look after our minorities and listen to their needs so that people aren’t simply ignored or regarded as insignificant. The gay population is about two per cent, while the Jewish population is around 0.5 per cent.
Minorities always struggle to have their plight seen as important by the larger population and struggle to gain recognition and relevance in a world that mostly considers minorities unimportant.
In his letter, Geoff Bloch (AJN 14/10) downplays the obvious Nazi connections with the Leak cartoon. He said that the cartoon did not depict marriage equality advocates as Nazis, seeming to avoid the only words written on the cartoon “Waffen-SSM”.
Speaking as a man who is gay, I found Leak’s cartoon to be in extremely bad taste and Bloch’s letter equally objectionable.
Title: Aleph Melbourne – Celebrating 20 Years Duration: 9:54 (full specs below) Date of completion: 26 July 2016 Place of production: Melbourne, Australia Facebook: aleph20project
Logline
The amazing story of the group that changed the face of LGBTIQ acceptance in Jewish Australia.
Synopsis (25 words)
The amazing story of Aleph Melbourne, the support group that changed the face of LGBTIQ acceptance in Jewish Australia, from inception in 1995 to 2015.
Synopsis (37 words) The amazing story of Aleph Melbourne, the controversial support group that changed the face of LGBTIQ acceptance in Jewish Australia. Rich with archival material, take a captivating and nostalgic journey from inception in 1995 through to 2015.
Synopsis (long) Aleph Melbourne was founded in 1995 as a social and support group for gay Jewish men. Over the next 20 years this tiny organisation would have a huge impact on the Jewish community in Victoria.
Come on a roller-coaster ride and look back on the achievements and set-backs faced by this amazing group that has transformed the level of acceptance of LGBTIQ people in one of Australia’s biggest Jewish communities.
Includes interviews with key members and friends of the group, radio and TV interviews, and a fascinating collection of media and other nostalgic items.
The story is beautifully woven together with the music of Melbourne Klezmer band Klezmania.
A unique view of one of Australia’s most interesting and diverse communities.
Director Biography
Michael Barnett was born in Melbourne in 1969 to English-speaking immigrant parents of Eastern European Jewish tradition. He attended a combination of government and Jewish day schools, attended an orthodox synagogue with his family in Doncaster and was a member of the Jewish scout troop.
At the age of 26 he broke open the closet doors and accepted himself as a gay man, embarking on a journey that would set him up to be a controversial activist. Combining his skills as a photographer, radio announcer, blogger and computer geek he propelled himself head-first into fighting for equal rights for LGBTIQ people, combating youth suicide and challenging religious oppression and influence in government.
He also found himself heading up a social, support and advocacy group for queer Jews in Melbourne. He did this to raise awareness of the marginalisation and vilification he and others faced from within the Jewish community, along with wanting to provide a safe space and a voice for this sub-community.
Director Statement Aleph Melbourne turned 20 in 2015 and it felt appropriate to commemorate this milestone by making a documentary. Having played a pivotal role in much of the group’s history, together with having amassed a huge archive of material about the group I was well placed to coordinate such a project.
Funding a documentary was going to be the first hurdle to cross. We received a small community grant which kicked things off and additional funds were raised through crowd-funding. With finances in the bank I met with YouthWorx Productions, who were very happy to help tell our story.
I had a mammoth job ahead of me, as my archives were all in the one place but not very organised. I meticulously sifted through 20 years of newspaper clippings, photographs, radio and TV interviews and a variety of other miscellaneous items.
Working closely with the production team, we came up with a broad storyline. The frustrating part for me was working out what to include in the short amount of time available to us. We had enough material to fill at least an hour, so it was going to be a case of picking the absolute highlights and being extremely judicious.
It’s not often I was grateful to be unemployed, but this project might not have come to fruition if I hadn’t had the spare time available to commit to it due to having been out work for several months on end. I made the most of this time to coordinate meetings, shoots, working with the editing team and so forth.
As the finished product came together, my dream started taking shape. I wanted to provide the community with a tangible record of our journey, for posterity. I want future generations to be able to see the struggle LGBTIQ people faced in the Jewish community, from being completely taboo to being broadly accepted in the mainstream.
We now have a record of our 20 years, from 1995 to 2015. We’ve unearthed amazing archival material and brought together the people who helped make this journey possible. I’m proud to be part of this story, shared with so many amazing people, each who have made such an important contribution.
Hi-Res Image gallery (Click on individual gallery image and follow link below to hi-res image)
Interactive Online Screener / Hi-Res download (1920×1080 2.25GB MPEG-4 file)
NOTE: This cut is for cinemas that find the 591MB file too compressed (Available on request)
Credits
Director: Michael Barnett Production: YouthWorx Productions & Michael Barnett Cast: Shaun Miller, Michael Barnett, Elizabeth Syber & Dr Maria Pallotta-Chiarolli Music: Klezmania
Technical Specifications General
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Australian Jewish News, October 28 2016
