Australia’s First LGBTIQ Film to Be Released by Bounty Films

This right here is exciting news. Bounty Films – the Australian company who has released a wide array of LGBTIQ films, amongst many other lesser known flicks – are staking helping bring history back to life with the re-release of Australia’s first LGBTIQ film, The Set. Based on an unpublished book by the great Roger Ward (Mad MaxTurkey Shoot), this film caused a stir way back in the seventies when it was released.

Let’s check out the press release to find out more:

The celebrate Australia passing same sex marriage laws, Bounty Film is delighted to release the trailer for their upcoming release of The Set which is Australia’s first LGTB film. The trailer has remained unseen since The Set’s theatrical release in 1970 and the film itself only been screened a handful of times since. The Set will be released for the first time ever on DVD and VOD in March 2018.

The Set caused nations-wide controversy at the time of its release with its depiction of non-heteronormative relationships and drag performers. It was also the first Australian film to have graphic nudity and sex scenes.

A young working-class man who sells shirts at a Sydney department store, Paul Lawrence, dreams of going to art school. When his girlfriend Cara leaves for London, Paul becomes the protégé of renowned designer Marie Rosefield. Marie belongs to ‘the set’, an upper-class clique whose members include Mark Bronoski, an influential artist. Bronoski commissions Paul to design a set for flamboyant British stage director John L Fredericks. Helping Paul is Tony Brown (Rod Mullinar), a handsome student who is dating Paul’s cousin, Kim Sylvester. As Paul becomes part of ‘the set’, he begins a homosexual relationship with Tony. Meanwhile, Kim’s mother, Peggy (Hazel Phillips), is bored with her marriage and has an affair with Bronoski. As the deadline for the set approaches, Paul starts to question his values and those of his new friends.

Keep an eye on Bounty Films in 2018 for more info regarding release dates and the like. In the meanwhile, check out the trailer below:

Andrew F Peirce

Andrew is passionate about Australian film and culture. He is the co-chair of the Australian Film Critics Association, a Golden Globes voter, and the author of two books on Australian film, The Australian Film Yearbook - 2021 Edition, and Lonely Spirits and the King. You can find him online trying to enlist people into the cult of Mac and Me.

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