Why do some films only screen once?
Film distribution companies or filmmakers we deal with sometimes limit to two or three the number of times we can screen their films at our festival, so we can only screen them once in each city where Out Takes is presented: Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.

In addition, many of the films are on a busy circuit of international film festivals, and we can only keep the 35mm prints or tapes in New Zealand long enough to screen in Auckland and Wellington once.

How are the films selected?
Reel Queer’s programmers in Wellington preview over 400 films and video each year. We scour overseas festival programmes, make personal contact with filmmakers and distributors we know and call for submissions through our web site and various mailing lists.

The programming sub-committee is made up of gay men and lesbians; all with long standing interest in cinema or involvement in film festivals.

Like everybody else, our tastes vary and we have a lot of fun debating the pros and cons of various films, but we do not expect to all agree on every film.

We look for films that have good production values, have queer themes and characters and that are available for reasonable rental fees. We try to ensure that the festival has a balance overall of genres (feature films, documentaries, shorts) and of lesbian, gay, transgender and other-themed films to reflect the diversity of our own queer community.

Where can I buy festival films on DVD?
The majority of films screened at Out Takes will not be released on DVD in New Zealand. Reel Queer generally does not provide referrals to DVD sales or rental outlets; rather, we publish our source list on our web site and you can contact the filmmaker or distributor directly to find out if a title will be available on DVD in New Zealand.

New Zealand’s film classification regime can have an impact on whether a title will get a release on DVD in this country. As a non-profit community festival, Out Takes is generally entitled to a 75% discount on the $1100 classification fee per film charged by the Government. [Reel Queer still pays $6500-7000 in classification fees each year.]

Private distributors, or DVD rental outlets, who want to release or stock titles we have screened must pay the full classification fee before they can do so. For many of those companies, that expense cannot be recovered from DVD rentals or sales in New Zealand’s small market.

How can I get involved in Reel Queer?
It’s a good idea to make contact with your local Out Takes 2008 coordinator (info@outtakes.org.nz) to see if there are opportunities to volunteer leading up to and during the festival. If you are interested in joining the Reel Queer team, and getting involved in running the Out Takes festivals and events, it is important to remember that organising the festival is a year-round commitment and that it does not only entail watching preview tapes at your leisure!

Input into sourcing and selecting films is welcome, but Reel Queer team members are expected to get involved in one or more other areas like publicity, writing, venue and ticketing arrangements, funding, advertising and sponsorship, freight and customs, censorship we could go on …). We have a number of new projects underway – like developing an online filmography of New Zealand queer films, and we could certainly use some help. Do contact us to find out more!