Queer Screen Announces Winners Of 13th Film Fest Competition

Queer Screen has officially announced the winners of the 13th Queer Screen Film Fest, a competition celebrating groundbreaking LGBTQ+ cinematic storytelling from around the world. While this year’s offerings were some of the sexiest yet, a very special few have come out on top.

TEST, Winner Of The Emerging Narrative Feature Competition

In first place in the ‘Emerging Narrative Feature Competition’ was TEST, directed by Sam McConnell. Taking home a cash prize of $2500 AUD, the film, written by and starring Brock Yurich, received widespread acclaim from the judges and the public alike.

“TEST is, on the surface, the story of an aspiring Ohio bodybuilder’s fight for a pro card,” wrote Club Esperance, a Sydney-based queer men’s film club. “But, unlike other erotic works centering muscle and masculinity, writer and star Brock Yurich refuses to use the film as an excuse to simply flex for the camera (as he so easily could have).

“[Instead], we see a mother and son who unequivocally love each other, but who are again and again placed at odds by mounting financial pressures, a shared loss, and a faith that looks upon their most sincere struggles and their truest desires and calls it sin, a faith that demands that they do not accept each other for who they are, no matter how desperately they want to.

“We see a lumbering, meaty, swollen man, the epitome of masculinity, and yet, we find only the word “boy” on the tips of our tongues. Brock’s true victory in this film is not his physique, but his ability to, despite it, channel the desperation, fear, and search for love of a little boy. A little boy who, I’d argue, this masterpiece is really about.”

The other six feature films competing in competition were Jim Queen (directed by Marco Nguyen & Nicolas Athané), Sweet Milk Lake (directed by Harvey Zielinski), Big Girls Don’t Cry (directed by Paloma Schneideman), The Education of Jane Cumming (directed by Sophie Heldman), and Montreal, My Beautiful (directed by Xiaodan He).

This year’s jury comprised Sydney-based writer and director Craig Boreham (Teenage Kicks, Lonesome), prolific Australian writer and director Alice Maio Mackay (The Serpent’s Skin, Our Effed Up World), and Ing Deickman, head of programming at Golden Age Cinema and founder of Pink Flamingo Cinema. 

While the competition was fierce, the jury’s verdict was fiercer; according to Craig Boreham (Teenage Kicks, Lonesome), Alice Maio Mackay (The Serpent’s Skin, Our Effed Up World), and Ing Deickman, head of programming at Golden Age Cinema, TEST earned it.

“A well-realised and authentically told character study with a distinct point of view,” the jury wrote. “We haven’t seen another film quite like TEST.” 

Floodcam, Winner Of Queer Screen’s ‘Pitch-Off’ Competition

Taking home gold in the The Pitch-Off Competition was Floodcam by Sam Carson. The film, which was awarded a cash prize of $10,000 AUD and Spectrum Films post services valued at $5000, explores a trans porn addict’s attempt to stop his idol from getting bottom surgery. 

The other finalists in this category included Smoother (Brandon Bentley, Andelys Aragon, Michelle St Claire), Riff Raff (Liam Coleman, Nicola Sercombe, Chhayly Moek), The Dildo (Cameron Manion, Grace Stevenson), Linger (Angie Kilsby, Angie Kilsby, Jon Bellebono, Matisse Laida), and Little Lime (Caris Bizzaca, Melissa Lee Speyer).

The jury, to whom the six finalists were required to pitch their projects, included Andrew Undi Lee, an AWGIE Award-winning Korean Australian writer and director known for Night Bloomers (SBS); Zaina Ahmed, a Scripted Development Executive at SBS working across TV series like The Airport Chaplain and Homebodiesr; and Dr. Pearl Tan, a multidisciplinary creator, Directing Lead at AFTRS, host award-winning podcast ‘Diversity Work’. 

“Sam did an exceptional job pitching the ambitious vision behind Floodcam,” the jury wrote. “Throughout the presentation, a unique, bold, and assured creative voice shone through, both in the storytelling and the proposed production approach. 

“We believe this short film has the potential to make a significant contribution to Australian queer cinema, offering a fresh perspective and a cinematic experience unlike anything we’ve seen before.” 

Jim Queen, Winner Of Queer Screen’s ‘Audience Award’

Queer Screen also announced the winner of the 2026 Queer Screen Film Fest Audience Award: Jim Queen, directed by Marco Nguyen & Nicolas Athané. 

In this chaotic adult comedy film, a horrific virus is sweeping the city of Paris, one that turns gay men into heterosexuals. According to Queer Screen, this subversively clever animated satire is as “unapologetically sexy, quirky, and funky as it is destined for cult-classic status”.

Thankfully, Australian audiences are not out of time to view these award-winning films. The 2026 Queer Screen Film Fest On-Demand season runs until 16 September 2026, allowing recipients to stream the collection of 12 features and 15 shorts from the comfort of their own homes.