August 28, 2006 | Sex & Society

Aussies ban Damon & Hunter

By reputation, documentary films are supposed to contain small subtitles, flat narration and hours of amateur footage. But hardcore gay sex? That's exactly what one documentary has, according to GAYVN News, which reports that "Damon and Hunter: Doing It Together" has been banned from a gay film festival down under for its racy sex scenes.

"Damon & Hunter" is a behind-the-scenes look inside the relationship of adult film stars Damon DeMarco and Hunter James, courtesy of director/producer Tony Comstock. The film, which features explicit sex scenes between the two young men, was named Best Documentary at Australia's Melbourne Underground Film Festival (MUFF) last month.

Following its success at MUFF, "Damon & Hunter" was invited to take part next month in Sydney's QueerDoc, billed as the world's premiere gay and lesbian documentary film festival. That invitation was withdrawn last week, however, at the behest of Australia's Office of Film and Literature Classification (OFLC), which said screening the film would violate Section 8 of the government's Film Festival Guidelines.

Among other things, Section 8 prohibits the screening of films with explicit sexual content; each violation of the law is punishable by up to a year in jail and a $20,000 fine.

"In Australia, the government can tell you what you can and can't show at a film festival," Comstock said, adding that QueerDoc is in negotiations with OFLC to see if it can show the movie in edited form. Whether MUFF organizers, who showed the film on two screens despite OFLC guidelines, will face charges remains to be seen, he said.

  

"Of all the films the OFLC might target for censorship, 'Damon & Hunter' seems like a particularly inappropriate target," Comstock continued. "Aside from the recognition the film has so far received as an outstanding work of cinema, it's also been recognized for its value as a life-affirming and educational document."

While Australia is often considered more liberal than the United States, here's an instance, unfortunately, where it isn't!

• "Damon & Hunter" banned from Australia's QueerDoc Fest [GayVN]
• Damon & Hunter: Doing It Together [Comstock Films]