Fleshbot
After a sold-out screening at the Melbourne Underground Film Festival, where it won Best Documentary, the Comstock Films flick "Damon and Hunter" was to be shown at QueerDOC, the world's largest gay and lesbian film festival held this September in Sydney. That is, until QueerDOC organizers were slapped with a cease and desist order from the OFLC (Office of Film and Literature Classification). Showing a film with explicit sex comes with a stiff penalty, a year in jail and a $20,000 fine. Here's where details get even more sticky. In 2004, Michael Winterbottom's "9 Songs", which depicted hetero actors engaging in actual sex, had its X rating reduced to an R because it was "art". Unfortunately the same consideration isn't being given to Damon and Hunter, which joins a long list of titles banned in Australia, like "Ken Park", "Baise-Moi", and even video games like "Grand Theft Auto" and (are you effing kidding us with this?) "Leisure Suit Larry". We tried to contact Damon DeMarco and Hunter James for a statement, but we just kept getting
·GayVN: "Damon and Hunter Banned" (gayvn.com)
·Hunter James Blog (notthatboy.blogspot.com)
·Damon DeMarco Blog (nakedcityboys.blogspot.com)
·Comstock Films (comstockfilms.com)
Previously: Those Boys, Hunter James in Vogue, Gay Porn Star Bloggers
Comments
This story gets weirder and weirder.
Earlier today we received a letter from the OFCL asking permission to retain our film for use in training OFCL censors. The mind reels.
Speaking of OFLC censors, we've re-cut DAMON AND HUNTER per their instructions to remove all graphical sexual imagery including erect penises, touch of each other's flaccid penises (don't worry guys, that's only in the very beginning) and butt cracks. The entire OFLC version of the film is available through our blogfeed at:
http://feeds.comstockfilms.com/ComstockFilmsVideoPodcast
Or directly from Libsyn, our podcast media host at:
http://tinyurl.com/zy84c
Also, the Melbourne Underground Film Festival is still in the jackpot on this. Because of the overflow crowd for the Melbourne screening, they put the film up on two screens, which potentially adds up to 2 years in jail and a $40,000 fine. If any of you would like to drop them a note of support, I'm sure they would appreciate it:
info@muff.com.au
Similarly, if anyone wanted to send a note to QueerDOC, I'm sure they could use some well-wishes too. They can be reached at:
info@queerscreen.com.au
And many many thanks to everyone who's sent us supportive notes. They help us more than you could ever imagine!
-TC
This story gets curiouser and curiouser.
Earlier today we received a letter from the OFCL asking permission to retain our film for use in training OFLC censors. The mind reels.
Speaking of OFLC censors, we've re-cut DAMON AND HUNTER per their instructions to remove all graphic sexual imagery including erect penises, touching of each other's flaccid penises (don't worry guys, that's only in the very beginning) and butt cracks. The entire OFLC version of the film is available through our blogfeed at:
http://feeds.comstockfilms.com/ComstockFilmsVideoPodcast
or directly from Libsyn, our podcast media host at:
http://tinyurl.com/zy84c
Also, the Melbourne Underground Film Festival is still in the jackpot on this. Because of the overflow crowd for the Melbourne screening, they put the film up on two screens, which potentially adds up to 2 years in jail and a $40,000 fine. If any of you would like to drop them a note of support, I'm sure they would appreciate it:
info@muff.com.au
Similarly, if anyone wanted to send a note to QueerDOC, I'm sure they could use some well-wishes too. They can be reached at:
info@queerscreen.com.au
And many many thanks to everyone who's sent us supportive notes. They help us more than you could ever imagine!
-TC
What is it with Anglophone countries and gay sex. Canada did this shit heavily in the 1980s and early 1990s.
Aussies. Get over it. It's a peg in a hole. Jesus. It's not like the holes are square, either--altough apparently you are.
This story gets curiouser and curiouser.
Earlier today we received a letter from the OFCL asking permission to retain our film for use in OFLC training seminars. The mind reels.
Speaking of OFLC censors, we've re-cut DAMON AND HUNTER per their instructions to remove all graphic sexual imagery including erect penises, touching of each other's flaccid penises (don't worry guys, that's only in the very beginning) and butt cracks. The entire OFLC version of the film is available through our blogfeed at:
http://feeds.comstockfilms.com/ComstockFilmsVideoPodcast
or directly from Libsyn, our podcast media host at:
http://tinyurl.com/zy84c
Also, the Melbourne Underground Film Festival is still in the jackpot on this. Because of the overflow crowd for the Melbourne screening, they put the film up on two screens, which potentially adds up to 2 years in jail and a $40,000 fine. If any of you would like to drop them a note of support, I'm sure they would appreciate it:
info@muff.com.au
Similarly, if anyone wanted to send a note to QueerDOC, I'm sure they could use some well-wishes too. They can be reached at:
info@queerscreen.com.au
And many many thanks to everyone who's sent us supportive notes. They help us more than you could ever imagine!
-TC
This story gets curiouser and curiouser.
Earlier today we received a letter from the OFCL asking permission to retain our film for use in OFLC training seminars. The mind reels.
Speaking of OFLC censors, we've re-cut DAMON AND HUNTER per their instructions to remove all graphic sexual imagery including erect penises, touching of each other's flaccid penises (don't worry guys, that's only in the very beginning) and butt cracks. The entire OFLC version of the film is available through our blogfeed at:
http://feeds.comstockfilms.com/ComstockFilmsVideoPodcast
or directly from Libsyn, our podcast media host at:
http://tinyurl.com/zy84c
Also, the Melbourne Underground Film Festival is still in the jackpot on this. Because of the overflow crowd for the Melbourne screening, they put the film up on two screens, which potentially adds up to 2 years in jail and a $40,000 fine. If any of you would like to drop them a note of support, I'm sure they would appreciate it:
info@muff.com.au
Similarly, if anyone wanted to send a note to QueerDOC, I'm sure they could use some well-wishes too. They can be reached at:
info@queerscreen.com.au
And many many thanks to everyone who's sent us supportive notes. They help us more than you could ever imagine!
-TC
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