The Makers: Louise Weard and Alice Maio Mackay

Louise Weard is a Canadian filmmaker known for her transgressive contributions to underground horror and transgender cinema. Weard has centred her recent work on authentic portrayals of trans life, most notably through the Castration Movie series, a multi-part epic, shot on consumer-grade video equipment, that examines themes of loneliness, online tribalism, kink, and gender dysphoria via raw, long-take aesthetics and semi-improvised narratives. The series has drawn acclaim for its unpolished intensity and empathy toward marginalised archetypes, positioning Weard as a bold figure in contemporary DIY and queer independent film.

Australian filmmaker Alice Maio Mackay is one of the most prolific emerging voices in independent queer genre cinema, having written and directed multiple feature films and shorts since her teens under her production company One Manner Productions. She’s known for her horror and horror-adjacent features like So Vam, Bad Girl Boogey, T Blockers, Satranic Panic, and Carnage for Christmas. Maio Mackay made her on-screen acting debut in 2024 in Louise Weard’s Castration Movie, playing the character of Alyssa.

Hosted by Jaye Hudson, a film programmer and historian specialising in transfemininity in the archive. She runs the project “TGirlsonFilm” and serves on the selection committee for BFI Flare.

This event is free and open to all (subject to age restrictions).

Ticket booking opens on Thursday 12 March at 12pm midday.

Tickets for free events are over-allocated to account for no-shows. Tickets do not guarantee entry and work on a first-come, first-served basis – arrive early to avoid disappointment. Doors will open 15 minutes before the advertised time. Seating is unallocated, unless otherwise stated.

Please bring your booking confirmation and collect your ticket at the event entrance.