Dir: Travis Mathews, USA, 2012, HD Cam, 71min
Genre: Drama, Relationship, Sex
Identity: Gay
The debut feature from Travis Matthews is a breath of fresh air in queer cinema. Instantly notorious for its depiction of real sex on screen, the film displays an immediacy and authenticity in capturing the lives of a group of San Franciscans at a moment of significant change in their lives.
Performance artist Jesse has decided to move back to his Mid-western hometown due to the high cost of living in San Francisco. During his last weekend, as he questions his decision, plans are afoot for a final night party. As his friends gather for the celebration, including Ben, his ex-boyfriend, Jesse receives some unexpected news from his father, news that could change everything. (Paul Tonta MQFF)
"Intimate, sexy and unflinchingly honest, I Want Your Love is a bold film with rare insight into the uncensored lives of a generation of gay men."- Andrew Haigh (director of Weekend)
The MQFF are disappointed to announce that the 2 sessions of Travis Mathews' film I Want Your Love have been refused exemption from Classification by Classification Australia, meaning that the MQFF have been banned from screening the film. The Classification Board have refused the film because they state that it contains explicit sex scenes without the narrative context to support the sex scenes, and if the film were to be classified it would be given an X rating and therefore not available for the sorts of exemption processes the MQFF follow each year. The MQFF disputes that reading of the narrative of I Want Your Love and insists that the sex is in context with the narrative.
We're shocked that Classification Australia have taken this path. I Want Your Love has screened to critical acclaim at dozens of festivals around the world. Australia is the first film festival to have it banned. We're sorry our audience won't be able to make up its own minds about adult content.
The Saturday March 16 session of I Want Your Love has been replaced by Out in the Dark (booking code 3158). The midnight March 22 session of I Want Your Love has been replaced by Peaches Does Herself (booking code 6176).