THE STORY OF ECCO HOMO

ECCO HOMO is a psychological detective story about Peter Vanessa ‘Troy’ Davies, an artful raconteur who charmed his way through a lifetime of secrets, lies, abuse, incest and prostitution, HIV and gender subversion. It is the story of ‪‎a transgender and LGBT (Lesbian-Gay-Bisexual-Transgender)‬ pioneer, artist, masterful trickster and chameleon, who against all odds blazed a singular and vivid path for the freedom of sexual expression and the exploration of 'being'.


'Troy' grew up when the laws governing the right to be openly homosexual were strict and punitive. His father was violently homophobic and yet against all odds Troy became an intensely creative and inventive survivor. His subversive and courageous 'art' of being, provoked and challenged the limitations society places on our most intimate of expressions of who we are. Ecco Homo is an intricate web of escalating intrigue and pathos that takes us into the vivid labyrinth of an ingenious imagination and the pain and poignancy of the closed and secret world of family.


From obscurity, a young man without the benefit of care or guidance, education or wealth set out to conquer the world with his wits alone. Along the way he became a pop culture muse/genius for a variety of other writers, artists, filmmakers and musicians amongst them Michael Hutchence of INXS and Bono from U2. A wild and witty confabulist, Troy mastered the art of self-reinvention; from suburban tough boy, young Peter Davies, to the transgender candidate; glamorous forties siren, Vanessa Bianca Harrow, and then the many exuberant guises of 'Troy', Peter Vanessa Troy Davies honed his true gift as charming chameleon, until his past caught up with him.


ECCO HOMO is a feature length documentary directed by Lynn-Maree Milburn & Richard Lowenstein that explores the nature of truth, fiction and the imagination, revealing that 'TRUTH' often lies in the obsessive strategies employed in its evasion

Nothing should stand in the way of a dazzling tale; a tale too good to remain untold.

RL & LMM : We have been working on this project for many years and for the last 18 months we have been shooting and editing continuously. We were dedicated to making this film and are now dedicated to getting this story out to a cinema audience because we believe ECCO HOMO is an important contribution to the conversation around the freedom of expression of sexuality, of identity, and diversity, a unique story from the often hidden voices. ECCO HOMO invites people to extend their imagination and tolerance and to celebrate lives less ordinary. 

While ECCO HOMO is set to screen for the first time at the Melbourne Film festival we are looking for support to secure world rights to the film's beautiful music score. Also to fund the marketing and costs of an Australian cinema release and to help launch the film onto the international festival circuit and support a cross-platform International distribution and publicity. All of this would be impossible for a film of this kind without your support to help make it happen. We want to ensure the film is seen widely as we believe it has the potential to challenge, inspire and to change hearts and minds.

ECCO HOMO is an ode to chaos and anarchy, to boundless creativity and the imagination. It celebrates the courage to be truly yourself against all odds and the artistry of those who transform pain into art. It is also about the darker mysteries that lie at the heart of this story, the tall tales and true. Perhaps every city has a Troy. Only sometimes we don’t have the good fortune to meet them.

The funds will be used to help secure world sync rights to the film's beautiful music score. They will also be used to fund the marketing and costs of an Australian cinema release and also to help launch the film onto the international festival circuit and support a cross-platform International distribution and publicity. All of this will be impossible for a film of this kind without your support to make this happen. We want to ensure the film is seen widely as we believe it has the potential to challenge, inspire and to change hearts and minds.