screening

Biidaaban

Amanda Strong, 2018, 18:15min

Accompanied by a 10,000-year-old shapeshifter and friend known as Sabe, Biidaaban sets out on a mission to reclaim the ceremonial harvesting of sap from maple trees in an unwelcoming suburban neighbourhood of Ontario. This mesmerizing stop-motion animation weaves together multiple worlds through time and space, calling for a rebellion.

I’m Not Your Inspiration 1: NATHAN GALE*

Sandra Alland, 2013, 7:25min

The first in a series of short documentaries by Sandra Alland about queer and trans D/deaf and disabled artists in Scotland. Writer and photographer, Nathan Gale, discusses the intersection of their queer, trans and crip identities. They also give the low-down on 'inspiration porn': using disabled people or performers to make non-disabled audiences feel good about themselves. San's interview is intercut with Nathan's visual art and live performances. CN: reclamation of transphobic language.

Call Tony*

Mée Rose & Wy Joung Kou, 2018, 9:00min

Call Tony is an experimental documentation of queer kinksters exploring safety, healing, belonging, and play.

Dear Lou Sullivan

Rhys Ernst, 2014, 6:34min

Commissioned by Visual AIDS for Day With(out) Art 2014: ALTERNATE ENDINGS

This work by LA-based artist Rhys Ernst invokes the story of Lou Sullivan, trans man and AIDS activist largely responsible for establishing the distinction between gender identity and sexual orientation. Cut with images of Ernst’ own examination of this figure and trans history, the video is structured by the search for and desire to identify transmasculine elders and an intergenerational exploration of gay transmasculine identity. Utilizing interview footage, excerpts of Sullivan’s book “Information for the Female-to-Male Crossdresser and Transsexual,” VHS gay porn, and Grindr chats, Dear Lou Sullivan is a meditation on the life of the late trans man and AIDS activist that explores the bodily intersection of transmasculine gay and HIV+ identity.

PAISA

Dorian Wood and Graham Kolbeins, 2019, 8:00min

Inspired by artist Dorian Wood's song of the same name, PAISA is an immersive fever dream that celebrates the beauty of queer brown sensuality, body positivity and individuality. Says Dorian: "We have been marginalized and painted into tight corners for far too long. But even in our darkest times, we make room to celebrate ourselves and others within our communities. With PAISA, I wanted to create a permanent reminder for us queer, trans and non-binary folks of color that our beauty stretches within and far beyond our times, in either direction. We embrace individuality and respect, even when the rest of the world struggles with these 'radical' concepts. We exist and we don't need for the rest of the world to get wise to our existence. We are sensual beings, in all forms and flavors. Even the sexual moments we share with those on the 'downlow', we find love and positivity there, and we acknowledge the fact that these secretive moments are taboo because of an oppressive morality that has decimated humans for decades. Sex positivity grounded in mindfulness and consent. We are wiser than this world gives us credit for. We are powerful and plentiful. We are forever."

You Were an Amazement on the Day You Were Born*

Emily Vey Duke and Cooper Battersby, 2019, 33:00min

You Were an Amazement on the Day You Were Born is a visually rich film that follows a woman through a life characterized by damage and loss, but in which she finds humor, love, and joy. With a score that follows the span of Lenore’s life, from her birth in the early 70s to her death in the 2040s, the film takes us from moments of harrowing loss to those of poignancy and dark humor. Her life is told through voice over, narrated by performers who range in age from nine to sixty-nine, and is beautifully illustrated with images of animals (including humans), insects and landscapes.