“Matinee” Prevails Over Censorship

Last week, we reported that Jennifer Lyon Bell's "Matinee" had been banned from the Melbourne Underground Film Festival due to sexual content. This week, we're happy to report that, in spite of the ban, "Matinee" still took home an award.

Though the film was unseen by festivalgoers—the organizers deemed a civil disobedience screening too much of a risk—the official jury decided that it warranted the prize for "Best Short Film." It may not be quite the dramatic crumbling of Australian censorship that we were hoping for...but it's still nice to see Australians standing up for their right to view sex on film.

· "Matinee" (blueartichokefilms.com)