Jaden Bowen is a Brisbane based film producer who is currently producing a short queer film titled Lumber.
He said Lumber is the passion project of Harry Sabulis, a queer filmmaker, which aims to showcase and break down gay stereotypes. The story centres around a Lumberjack living in rural Queensland who goes to a gay bar for the first time to find love. Here is the Facebook Page with further details: https://www.facebook.com/lumbershortfilm
Jaden said, “This project was written, directed, and co-produced by Harry, who has been driven to tell this story for a few years. With the finishing of filming back in December 2021, Harry will have a great retrospective view on how the process went, and where he hopes the film will go. This will be a great opportunity to showcase Harry’s passion as a storyteller, and the importance of spotlighting queer-centric films.”
Harry said, “Lumber is a story that is very dear to me, because it tells a universal story that myself and many other gay men can relate to – a story about belonging and finding our place in the world. Growing up I often struggled finding where I fit into the identity of what a gay man ‘should’ and ‘shouldn’t’ be, and even more broadly into what it means to be a ‘man’. I’ve never been particularly sporty, and I can’t change a tyre to save my life, but I’ve never considered myself to be particularly feminine either.
“I’ve been both accused of seeming ‘not gay enough’ and ‘not straight enough’ and I believe this warped idea of how gay men should fit the societal expectation of masculinity is something many more people than just myself can relate to. Lumber uses a symbol of gay cliché, The Lumberjack, to delve into the ideas around masculinity within and outside of the gay community, allowing us to watch a character who is both strongly masculine and homosexual discover what it means to fit into both of these labels.
“Through Lumber, I wanted to tell a story that is engaging and one that brings out a strong sense of empathy from viewers, both within and outside of the LGBTQIA+ community. I wanted
to tell a story that helps other gay men realise that no matter what version of ‘gay’ you are, all that matters is your own happiness; not the image put onto you by the outside world. Most of all, in making Lumber, I wanted to show audiences everywhere that gay stories matter, regardless of if they fit the expectation of what a gay story should or shouldn’t be – and gay characters deserve to be leading their own stories on screen.
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