Film Categories: comedy

  • Trailing Arbutus

    It’s 1975 and Toronto horticulture enthusiasts are buzzing with excitement; Dr. Timothy Arbutus, the famous British flower arranger, makes his Canadian début at Toronto’s O’Keefe Centre. Onstage he thrills the audience with his colourful bouquets and delightful banter. But all is not as beautiful in Arbutus’ world as his bouquets would suggest. Backstage in his dressing room, a dark drama unfolds. His devoted manservant, Fitzrooy, has just learned that he has been replaced by Larry, the hot young stage manager – and Arbutus’ latest fling. Distraught, the straitlaced Fitzrooy secretly follows the two lovers into Toronto’s gay underworld, determined to…

  • Dolly Cake

    A story-within-a-story. Dolly is a woman trapped and isolated in a house with her man and friends; their fantasy seems to be about a Russian philosopher, his wife, student and servant. The wife is rescued by a dying vampire. Dolly is advised by her female friends to leave but is actually abused by all. When she almost does leave, the helplessness of her man in his search for the Cheez Whiz stops her. A satire on stereotyped women, men, film and filmmakers in a 20-minute “tragi-comedy.”

  • Main Event, The

    A macho man romance, “The Main Event” is a dramatic short about two pro wrestlers, Righteous Ted and The Axe, who fall in love inside the ring.

  • First and Loveliss

    Lloyd and Jackie are best friends, but everyone wonders why they never married each other. Both are semi-retired high school teachers who live in rural Tennessee. Over the last three decades, they have traveled together to 117 countries. Lloyd obsessively collects souvenirs from his travels and objects he finds at rummage sales. “First and Loveliss” choreographs a series of glimpses into Lloyd and Jackie’s lives as they navigate their unusual relationships with each other, their sexuality and the material world–and as they confront their ailing parents’ and their own mortality. Winner of the Outfest 2009 Grand Jury Prize for Outstanding…

  • Don’t Bug Me

    Messy lives. Messy relationship. Messy sock drawers. This short and sweet animation will show you how to tidy it all up in less than one minute.

  • Domestic Shorthair Underground

    A seemingly normal subway ride across Manhattan transforms into a comic anthropological study of the local and exotic species of New York City’s gay “wildlife.” On this romp through the underground, filmed in mock National Geographic style, viewers will get to know such fabulous species as the Tiny Exotic, the Chelsea Thoroughbred, and the Upper Westsidus Reform Judaicus, among many others. A witty observation of the fascinating and diverse breeds that co-exist within one great city, “Domestic Shorthair Underground” brings a new definition to ‘underground’ guerrilla filmmaking.

  • Hens and Chicks

    Raised by her two moms, Hanna has always known that there are all types of families. But she’s never really thought about the logistics of it all until her friend Marco explains the process of creating chicks from eggs. Soon after, an educational trip through cyberspace has Hanna asking, “Who’s MY rooster?” “Hens and Chicks” is a short independent film that explores the meaning of family and the finding of self. Sweet and funny, this coming-of-age story plays with the universal questions we ask ourselves as parents, children, and human beings.

  • Les Nanas

    Shot on one reel of Super 8mm and edited in camera, “Les Nanas” is a visual interpretation of a piece of music by avant-garde musicians, the Artie Smudges Trio, which follows a day in the lives of three doll-like women.

  • Not So Subtle Subtext, The

    “The Not So Subtle Subtext” is a video piece that explores the sub-textual nature of Xena and Gabrielle’s relationship in the television series “Xena: Warrior Princess.” Clips are taken throughout the six seasons of the show and re-edited to create five different segments centred on subtext within the show. Without confirming or denying their relationship, the film addresses metaphor and subtext and creates meaning between the two characters by utilizing looks and words through repetition. Despite the shows neutral stance, the audience’s engagement with the text and passion remains almost ten years after the finale, proving there is more than…

  • Slow Burn

    In this hyper-stylized western set against a winterscape, a mysterious girl with a criminal past wants to make a fresh start and decides to symbolize this decision by getting her very first tattoo. She meets two tattoo artists who are immediately smitten with her, and in the time-honoured tradition of the western, the artists battle each other in a duel for the right to design the tattoo.