POOFTA

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posted on 2025-05-30, 04:28 authored by ANDREW BLOGGANDREW BLOGG

POOFTA is a short dramatic film that explores the enduring effects of homophobia and internalized trauma in post-marriage equality Australia. Set against the backdrop of seemingly progressive legal reform, the film interrogates the psychological and emotional landscapes of queer identity, revealing the lingering fear, anxiety, and social conditioning that shape the everyday experiences of LGBTIAQ+ individuals. The narrative is structured around a sudden public confrontation, through which past and present tensions surface, reflecting on the cost of visibility in an environment that remains, in many ways, hostile to queer expression. Key Festival Selections and Awards (2022–2023): • Melbourne Queer Film Festival (AUS) – Official Selection, Attended as panellist • Reel Pride LGBT Film Festival (USA) – Official Selection, Attended as panellist • Damn These Heels Queer Film Festival (USA) – Official Selection, Attended as panellist • Pride Queer Film Festival (AUS) – Official Selection, Keynote speaker on industry day • Vesuvius International Film Fest (Italy) – Winner, Best Film • Fishnets and Film Festival (USA) – Winner, Best Direction (Andrew Blogg), Best Performance (Tom Farrah) • Sweden Film Awards, London International Web & Shorts FF, Changing Face IFF, Multiple Finalist and Semi-Finalist placements Further Official Selections: International and national recognition includes screenings at: • ImageOut Rochester LGBT Film Festival (USA) • SF Queer Film Festival (USA) • Silicon Valley Queer Film Festival (USA) • Out & Loud Queer FF (India) • OMOVIES Queer Film Festival (Italy) • Queerbee LGBT FF (UK) • Stuff MX FF (Mexico) • Muskoka Queer FF (Canada) • Boden International FF (Sweden), and others.

History

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NTRO Output Type

Original Creative Work

NTRO Output Category

Original Creative Work : Other

Place

Melbourne, Australia

Medium

Short Narrative Film

Research Statement

POOFTA explores how homophobia continues to shape queer identity in post-marriage equality Australia. The film asks: How do LGBTIAQ+ people navigate the tension between public safety and self-expression in a legally progressive but socially ambivalent society? Drawing on queer screen studies, trauma-informed practice, affect theory, and autoethnography, the film uses personal and community narratives to examine the act of “reading the room” a survival tactic in public space. As practice-led research, the project blends oral history and consultation to shape tone and narrative. It addresses a gap in post-equality discourse, revealing how legal reforms often mask the quieter, ongoing presence of queer erasure and anxiety. The film creatively visualises the internal effects of systemic homophobia, centring queer affect (fear, vigilance, shame) over externalised conflict. This shift challenges traditional narrative forms and introduces an innovative approach to queer storytelling. By merging personal insight with narrative structure, the project models how autoethnographic and community-based research can inform screenwriting. The film is both creative work and cultural critique, showing how heteronormative norms continue to shape queer self-regulation. POOFTA has screened at prominent festivals including Melbourne Queer Film Festival, Reel Pride (USA), Damn These Heels (USA), and Pride Queer Film Festival (Australia). It won Best Film at Vesuvius International Film Fest and multiple awards at Fishnets and Film Festival. It is now used in university curricula and queer advocacy programming and has generated critical dialogue through keynotes and panels. The film is both art and impact, advancing public scholarship and creative practice.