image+nation LGBTQ2S+ Film Festival: Top Picks
Still from Titi, directed by Marzieh Fakhar, part of Iranian Shorts
image+nation is Canada’s first LGBTQ2S+ film festival, with this year being its 35th year. The festival provides a platform dedicated to sharing the stories and experiences of LGBTQ2S+ voices, and opened yesterday at Cinéma Impérial on Bleury – a cozy affair led with speeches from festival director Charlie Boudreau and programming director Kat Seltzer.
While in attendance at the festival, we were graced by the presence of Gail Maurice and a select cast from Rosie –the opening film of the festival and our first recommended film to watch! It was quite inspiring to hear Gail talk about the film’s development from a short—which was also selected and presented at image+nation in 2018—and its development to a full-length feature which is now getting recognition around North America.
For those who are curious about the festival, Also Cool is super excited to be able to share more of our top picks for what to watch this week.
image+nation began on November 17th, and runs until next Sunday, November 27th. They offer virtual screenings as well as in-cinema screenings at Cinéma Impérial, Cinéma Moderne, De Sève Cinema, & PHI Centre.
Still from Rosie, directed by Gail Maurice
Rosie
Set in 1980s Montreal, Métis writer/director/actor Gail Maurice’s debut feature follows a recently orphaned Indigenous girl, Rosie, as she finds chosen family in her artist (and recently unemployed) aunt Fred and her two gender-non-conforming friends, Flo and Mo. Already recognized as an Official Selection in a variety of festivals, including Toronto Queer Film Festival 2019, imagineNATIVE 2018, Dawson City International Short Film Festival, among others, it captures a unique, comedic and light-hearted image of a difficult situation. A true treasure of the film is title actor Aleah Hachey-Brown, who played Rosie with such genuine wonder and excitement that it felt infectious, despite the hardships that she faced.
Rosie screened in-person at Cinéma Impérial November 18th at 7pm, and is available online from November 19th-23rd.
Rosie
Still from “Sex” of Death, directed by Mohammad Hadi Jamal
Iranian Shorts
image+nation has made an effort to support the ongoing struggles of Iranian women by curating a selection of shorts directed by and for Iranian women. There are a few films that we are looking forward to seeing – in particular, the campy short “Sex” of Death, about a de-railed suicide attempt via the unexpected arrival of a guest. Another that stands out in the lineup is the gritty and heartfelt story Titi, which follows a woman who, along her path to undergoing a gender-affirming procedure, finds out that she is pregnant.
Iranian Shorts are playing online-only and you can watch the entire collection at the link below.
Iranian Shorts
Still from Falena, directed by Nancy Pettinicchio
Queerment Quebec - Shorts
Queerment Québec is a highlight of the image+nation festival each year, screening shorts from Quebec filmmakers and emphasizing the beauty and impact of queer culture right here where we are. We will be attending the in-person screening, and we’re specifically excited about Lèvres Bleues (Blue Lips) by director Philippe Hamelin – an animated film using synthetic images that shows a reconstruction of a loving memory. Another top pick is Falena, directed by Nancy Pettinicchio; this film tells the story of Leila, who explores her identity through nude photography and the re-analysis of a close friendship. You can watch the trailer for Falena here.
Queerment Quebec shorts are screening at PHI Centre on November 21st at 7pm, or you can find the entire collection online as of November 22nd.
Queerment Quebec
Still from You Can Live Forever, directed by Sarah Watts & Mark Slutsky
You Can Live Forever
You Can Live Forever follows ordinary grungy teenager Jaime, a transplant from Thunder Bay to Saguenay. The film follows Jaime as she discovers life within the Jehovah’s Witness community and explores her budding romantic relationship with Marike, who was raised a sister in the Truth. Already gaining recognition at festivals around Canada and North America, the film manages to convey the culture with respect while also being understanding of Jaime’s doubts as her relationship develops with Marike. A gentle and sweet depiction of love and rebellion, You Can Live Forever is not to be missed if you have the chance to catch it.
You Can Live Forever is screening at Cinéma J.A. de Sève tonight, November 19th at 9:15pm.
You Can Live Forever
Still from Standsinwater, directed by Jean-Michel Beaulieu
Indigiqueer / Voix Autochtones - Shorts
This series of shorts presents Two-Spirit and Indigiqueer perspectives and stories. We are particularly excited for the film Standsinwater, directed by Jean-Michel Beaulieu, which you can catch a trailer of here. The story follows Standsinwater Sutherland, a Two-Spirit Cree who describes her journey through Toronto back to her reservation, and what she has learned along the way. Another short film entitled Wherever You Are, Wherever I Am has caught our attention – the film chronicles two Métis-Chinese people engaging in hide-tanning together while their surroundings shift, offering a juxtaposition of industrial and natural landscapes.
The full collection of short films is available online at link below.
Indigiqueer / Voix Autochtones