Stephen Cummins

In these sexy, fun and darkly entertaining boys shorts, we see the hilarious terrors of gay childhood, an Internet hook-up with unexpected motivation and what happens when you hate musicals. You might wonder if theres hope for a gay Lothario, and sometimes you'll see that when you go home, the end is just the beginning.

A wry commentary on the treatment of people with HIV, adapted from an uncompleted film by Stephen Cummins.

A stylized, wordless look at two men in Sydney: a gay man and a man who leads a gay-bashing gang. The gay man, recovering from his beating, practices dance that is sometimes tai chi, sometimes ballet, sometimes modern jazz. The man who rescued him from the beating is his teacher, his lover, and his dance partner. We also see his attacker, who, trapped in machismo, mistreats his own girlfriend as well. By the end, the male couple is joined by a third dancer, a woman, suggesting an artistic and social harmony

Construction camp! A film about routines and fantasies on a building site, shot at World Square and featuring the work of dancer and choreographer Mathew Bergan. Commissioned by the SBS program Carpet Burns.

A rhythmic study of the geography of the body. Flesh reduced to diagonals in frame. Tension, intent and the beat of the body.

Two men are on an elevator when fantasy intervenes. Going up? Going down?

An intimate look at the life and work of Stephen Cummins, who blazed a trail through the 1980s, examining desire, oppression and the politics of sexuality. Reacting against the environment of AIDS paranoia and ensuing homophobia, Stephen created films that are both bold in their politics and beautiful in their poetry.

The somnambulist caressed by shadows disappears into light. Doppelgänger in blue.

A series of visual experiments made in collaboration with the performers in the film.

A pan through the labyrinth of time and space, ever decreasing circles of focus, words, conversation. Who is this man, what does he want?

Referencing the then-current debate over the decriminalisation of homosexuality in Western Australia, the commercial aimed to “sell” gay sexuality, but was banned by the TV station manager. One of ten TV commercials commissioned for the “Personal Ads” group art project in Perth.