OUTRAGEOUS: THE QUEER HISTORY OF AUSTALIAN TV, 60min., Australia
Directed by Andrew Mercado
Every LGBT milestone happened on Australian TV in the 1970s, years before the rest of the world. And nobody ever saw it, because the nudity, adult stories and queer themes from these TV series could never have been tolerated on commercial TV anywhere outside of Australia. This documentary event, which includes a specially edited episode of Number 96 to highlight several queer stories, will finally set the record straight.

https://www.instagram.com/outrageousdoco/

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film

On the 50th anniversary of Stonewall in 2019, I kept seeing articles that detailed the biggest LGBT moments in pop culture history ever since , and Australian TV never got a mention. I started rolling that idea around in my head, and by the time of the first COVID lockdown, I was deep into it. Originally I wrote it as a book, but quickly realised it would work best as a documentary.

2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?

Three years

3. How would you describe your film in two words!?

World Firsts

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?

Ideally, we were hoping that this would be something that an Australian network or streaming service would be proud to make. Sadly, that didn't happen, but we still got to make it thanks to crowdfunding. I will always be grateful to those people who donated money to make it happen.

5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?

Outrageous was something I wrote so that young Aussies, along with the rest of the world, could learn about this important history. So it is so thrilling for me to now hear from an international audience with so many queer voices and different accents. Thanks for watching everyone!

6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?

I never wanted to be a filmmaker, but I did always want to work in TV. I started off as a location manager and then became an entertainment reporter. That led to me writing my first TV history book, so I have often been blessed with being in the right place at the right time. And for having a passion.

7. What film have you seen the most in your life?

Hmm, that's a hard question. I love having all my friends sitting in my backyard watching a movie under the stars, and they would probably tell you I would want to play Female Trouble, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Welcome To Woop Woop or the movie version of Number 96 lol.

8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and other festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking career?

9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?

So far, so good. I found it really helpful to be able to pitch to different film festivals through one portal.

10. What is your favorite meal?
Roast lamb and lots of roast vegetables

11. What is next for you? A new film?
My current priority if to lay out the book of Outrageous, which will be coming out later this year through Australian Scholarly Publishing