Melbourne Queer Film Festival (MQFF) has announced Mohammad Awad and their project Flight Risk, as the 2025 winner of $10,000 cash funding through the annual Pitch, Pleez! competition.
Running since 2019, each year MQFF invites filmmakers to submit their short film idea, with a selection of finalists competing in a live ‘Pitch Off’ in front of an audience and panel of industry judges.
Since the prize’s inception MQFF has awarded $60,000 to Australian LGBTQIA+ filmmakers to create short fiction films, documentaries or web series pilots.
This year saw five talented film-making teams go head-to-head in a bid to win the $10,000 and the prestige of Pitch, Pleez! winner. In a historical first, the judges also decided to award $5,000 to a second outstanding project, Welcome To The Cyber Rodeo by Jim Muntisov and Mark Day.
This funding was made possible through the combined support of MQFF and two generous donors who were inspired to fund the project at the event, reflecting the incredible standard of this year’s entrants.
“We have been astounded by the diversity and artistic merit of the submissions this year – our finalists represent just a small portion of the remarkable talent out there. We are proud to be able to showcase work from LGBTQIA+ filmmakers and continue our work uplifting queer voices in Australia,” said MQFF CEO, David Martin Harris.
This year the industry expert judging panel comprised of Paul Horwell CEO of Victorian Pride Centre, William Duan award-winning filmmaker, Davey Thomson of VicScreen, Ava Grimshaw-Hall filmmaker and 2024 Pitch, Pleez! Winner and Ro Bright MQFF’s own Program Director.
“I am so eternally grateful to MQFF for supporting a story about joy, resilience and humanity,” said winning filmmaker, Mohammad Awad. “We rarely get to see these stories on our screens, and I am so excited for us to make it and you to see it.”
Flight Risk is a true story based on personal lived experience which highlights the absurdity and nuance of existing as a BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ person.
In addition to the $10,000 in cash funding, Awad’s short film Flight Risk will make its world premiere at the Opening Night event this November. Awad has also won an All-In Pass to the 2025 festival.
Each year, MQFF is deeply inspired by the quantity and quality of submissions received, and 2025 was no exception. MQFF would like to recognise the Pitch, Pleez! finalists for 2025 – Celeste Diep and Bryan Huang (Promise Me You’ll Tell Her), Max Pollard and Tavis Pinnington (Eagle) and Dax Carnay-Hanrahan, Matthew Bostock, Tinaye Nyathi and Willem Whitfield (The 6 Guys an Immigrant Trans Person of Colour Will Date in Melbourne).
The 2025 Melbourne Queer Film Festival will take place in November. For more information, visit: www.mqff.com.au for details.
Image: Mohammad Awad (centre) is the winner of Pitch, Pleez! 2025 (supplied)