Out Takes, the organisers of this year's Reel Queer Film Festival have failed to respond to allegations made by their Gold Tiara sponsor, the New Zealand AIDS Foundation, that they banned the presence of safe-sex health promoters at certain festival screenings. Out Takes has gone to ground since the festival ended in Christchurch two weeks ago, and, despite several requests for information, they have neither responded to criticisms or released attendance figures for this year's event. Out Takes became embroiled in controversy on a number of fronts this year, including their offer of a prize trip to Fiji, a country that bans HIV positive visitors, and continues to enforce anti-gay laws, in spite of these being declared unconstitutional by Fiji's highest court. In a May 31 press release, Out Takes said they “share concerns raised about the Fiji prize” and would “ensure the prize winners are fully aware of the risks”, but to date, they have not addressed the issue of the appropriateness of offering a prize to a country that bans entry for HIV positive people. Jeremy Lambert, NZAF Chair, called the prize “inappropriate” and said he “would have thought the organisers would have exercised better judgement.” Te Herekiekie Herewini, NZAF's National Manager of Health Promotion, further accused Out Takes of attempting “to limit or even ban the presence of our health promoters” at certain opening nights and festival screenings. GayNZ.com understands this included the Christchurch opening night, where Jack magazine was distributed, but NZAF paraphernalia was banned. Out Takes has not responded to the accusation. Furthermore, Lambert has said he was “disappointed” the NZAF was “denied speaking rights” at any Out Takes screenings, even though these rights were not negotiated as part of their sponsorship agreement. NZAF Executive Director Rachael Le Mesurier said the Foundation was “surprised” at being denied the opportunity to back-up their new “Love Is… (always wearing a condom)” campaign, with “a hard-hitting verbal message.” The NZAF say their focus is addressing the HIV epidemic, which Le Mesurier has labelled “the greatest health issue facing gay men by a country mile.” She says “no time is inappropriate for us all to be reminded about it” and the “rapidly growing HIV epidemic among gay and bisexual men should be a deep concern for every organisation that works with, serves and supports the gay community.” Out Takes has not addressed the NZAF's concerns, instead saying, they will not discuss sponsorship agreements through the media, but are happy to enter into a post-festival debrief with the NZAF. The NZAF say they are now “in the process of engaging in positive discussions with the organisers about how we can continue our relationship for next year” but are mindful to ensure their “ability to deliver the safe sex message is in proportion to the amount of money we're spending with that event.”