By Anthony Stavrinos

Australia’s gay cowboys shouldn’t despair at reports that the latest
Heath Ledger flick, Brokeback Mountain won’t get a guernsey in the
cowboy-esque areas of North Queensland.

They just might have to wait a little longer than everyone else due to
a limited number of prints allocated to Australia, enough to service
about 10 per cent of the nation’s 400-odd cinemas.

In the meantime though, cowboys who dig other cowboys may want to share
their tales of outback romance on the Brokeback Mountain website where
there’s a special special section to do just that.

Erin Jamieson, spokeswoman for Village Roadshow which distributes the
film, said any suggestion there was something sinister behind the film
not showing in two northern Queensland cinemas was way off the mark.

She said that with a limited number of prints of the film, it was
logical that some cinemas would initially miss out. “No one has banned
anyone from playing it,” she told Crikey.

Crikey put in calls to cinemas in Rockhampton and Townsville to be told
there had been non-stop phone calls from locals not happy about missing
out on the film.

Chloe Akacich, the duty manager at Reading Cinemas said the decision on
whether or not to screen a film was not up to the cinema, but simply
whether it was available for screening.

“What I’ve heard is that they have got only 40 prints coming to Australia,” she said.

“We haven’t been told we are not getting it, we haven’t been told we are getting it.”

Kylie Burgess, the manager at Birch Carroll and Coyle cinemas in
Rockhampton said the number of calls she had received suggested the
film would be popular.

And she had good news for local cinema-goers.

“I can tell you we are getting it (the film) in a second run,” she
said, adding that it was not unusual for there to be limited prints of
a newly released film.

ENDS

SMH story: Brokeback Mountain not screening in Nth Qld

https://www.smh.com.au/news/film/brokeback-blackout-up-north/2006/01/13/1136956330948.html

Brokeback Mountain website

https://www.brokebackmountain.com/splash.html