Melbourne Queer Film Festival (MQFF) has announced that Ro Bright (they/them) has been appointed as our Program Director.
Bright’s artistic vision, creative passion and festival expertise will guide the next stage of MQFF’s ever-evolving program, starting with an exciting 2025 program for our 35th year.
“It’s an incredible honour to be joining the MQFF team. I’m so grateful to be a part of the film community here in Naarm, especially at a time when investment in queer cinema is growing, making way for new voices, continuing the mosaic of richly nuanced queer stories on our screens” said Bright.
Bright brings a wealth of festival and film experience, as CEO of TILDE (Trans and Gender Diverse Film Festival). In planning and producing the southern hemisphere’s only trans and gender-diverse film festival, Bright established an international screening agreement with TRANSlations Film Festival Seattle and built the first network of Australian trans filmmakers. Under Bright’s leadership, TILDE’s audience doubled in 2024.
New Zealand-born Bright is a multifaceted arts talent. Since 2013, they have been co-director with Kitan Petkovski of the Bullet Heart Club, a Scotsman Fringe First award winning theatre company creating fresh, innovative works with trans community.
Bright is also an acclaimed writer and has been a resident artist at the Michael King Writers Centre and the American Lyric Theatre. They wrote the screenplay for Daffodils – a feature film in 2019 that was selected for the Sydney and Melbourne International Film Festivals, Busan International Film Festival and Hawaii International Film Festival.
MQFF CEO, David Martin Harris, said Bright’s appointment brings an inspiring, fresh perspective that will only strengthen MQFF’s unique offering to audiences. “Ro has a brilliant track record of delivering multifaceted festival experiences that provide deep engagement for communities,” said David Martin Harris.
“Ro’s capacity to draw from personal experience as a filmmaker and knowledge of the global arts scene – especially as it relates to queer storytelling and creative agency – is exciting. We’re looking forward to curating an evolving program for the LGBTQIA+ community with Ro onboard.”
MQFF Board Co-Presidents, Anouska Phizacklea and Gail Veal, echoed MQFF’s enthusiasm around the appointment: “We are absolutely delighted to welcome Ro Bright as MQFF’s Program Director,” they said.
“Bright’s expertise within the film industry, coupled with proven leadership within the queer community, makes them uniquely qualified to curate MQFF’s program. We are excited to discover the diversity of Queer stories that will unfold at the 35th edition of the MQFF.”
For more information about the Melbourne Queer Film Festival, visit: www.mqff.com.au for details
Image: MQFF Program Director Ro Bright and MQFF CEO David Martin Harris (supplied)