High school and hook-up apps go hand-in-hand in this provocative debut queer feature, an adventurous exploration of technology and young sexuality, and winner of the Sydney Film Festival Audience Award.

AFTRS graduate Samuel Van Grinsven emerges with a stylish and accomplished first-time feature with the erotic story of 16-year-old student Sequin (newcomer Conor Leach), who is exploring his burgeoning sexuality through an obsession with anonymous, no-strings sexual encounters. Distant to those around him, one night at a sex party the boy develops an attraction to a mysterious stranger, while also becoming the object of another man’s obsession.

An atmospheric take on the queer coming-of-age drama, this evocative independent film intelligently incorporates text messaging, Grindr-surfing and other smartphone functions into its design. Recalling the bold and vibrant queer stories of recent years like Hard Paint (MIFF 2018), Sequin in a Blue Room is a film for those interested in the ways today’s youth are exploring a newly queer world.