Tropfest winning short film criticised for 'using homosexuality as punchline'
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Version 0 of 1. A short film about transgender relationships which took out first place at the Tropfest film festival on Sunday has been criticised by commentators claiming it uses homosexuality as a punchline. The seven-minute film, Bamboozled, examines the relationship between a transgender man and his ex-boyfriend. The film’s creator, Matt Hardie, has defended it as a critique of homophobia. But various commentators have taken issue with the winning film this year. Tasmanian film-maker Briony Kidd tweeted: “#Bamboozled could have been a great little film with different ending. If that ending is *satirising* homophobia it badly misses.” “Queer and trans people are not punchlines,” tweeted Jessica Alice. Alice Croggon, a Melbourne-based writer, also tweeted” “Just watched #Bamboozled and finding it very hard to see the joke, let alone why it won #tropfest.” But Hardie said those criticising the film have missed the point. "The punchline really is a comment on media and how the world may have homophobia, but the lead character, and what I was saying, he was completely willing to go with either gender, he was in love with the person," he said. Hardie, who starred in his film, also took out best actor along with his co-star Aaron Tsindos. He was also a finalist in the previous Tropfest, and takes away $10,000 and a car for winning first prize. “I thought this one wasn’t going to do as well to be quite honest,” Hardie said. “We did it so quickly. We thought it was good but I really didn’t think it was going to go all the way.” The controversy is not the first for Tropfest, with several films being accused of plagiarism in recent years. The other prizes this year went to Makeover, a romantic short film by Don Percy, which came in second, and third prize went to Tom Abood for Honi Soit Qui Mai Y Pense, a film about an Australian soldier. Each year Tropfest film-makers must use a Tropfest signature item that must be included in each film entry. The signature item for this year was “change.” Tropfest founder John Polson announced that next year’s signature item will be “mirror”. The festival this December is the second one held in 2013. The date of the festival has been changed from February to December, and it has moved from the Domain in Sydney’s CBD to Centennial Park, in the city’s eastern suburbs. Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning. |