Film Categories: Politics + Policy

  • ON COLOR II: blind spotting

    The sentence “Du mußt dein Leben ändern” (“You must change your life”) appears on screen written in the Braille system. Referencing the book by cotemporary German philosopher Peter Sloterdijk, “ON COLOR II: BLIND SPOTTING” questions Sloterdijk’s call to change oneself, rather than the world. Oscillating colors contrast in an attempt to translate a message that remains untouchable to the blind, and undecipherable to the sighted.

  • Northland: Long Journey

    A film about environment, family and justice. “Northland: Long Journey” is an evocative meditation on filmmaker Edie Steiner’s quest for new truths regarding her father’s death from occupational illness three decades prior. The film revisits an early National Film Board of Canada film, where her mining father is posed as a heroic worker. He later died from exposures to workplace toxins, but his death was officially denied to be related to his work environment. A generation later, new scientific evidence amended the original legal and medical judgments, and the process of making the film became an appeal for justice. Filmed…

  • I’d Rather Be Looking At Porn

    An anthem for the disenchanted. When the respectable and desirable activities of modern society have turned to rot and stupidity, one voice calls out for a retreat to that which is supposed to be so disreputable.

  • Welcome Stop

    “WELCOME STOP” is a 25-minute narrative film that explores issues of relationship and boundaries among three disabled characters. It follows Morag along the first steps of her path to self-discovery, as she dumps her oppressive boyfriend at a motorway service station and hitches a ride with Gerry, a recovering sex-and-love addict. An unconventional road movie, “WELCOME STOP” radiates a sense of freedom and adventure. Attempting bold transformations in their lives, the characters don’t always succeed gracefully, but at least they try. The journey towards self-discovery and the struggle to self-actualize are themes that, in “WELCOME STOP”, cross boundaries of race,…

  • Our Future Is Bright

    This atmospheric short film alludes to a catastrophic event that has left two women grief-stricken and isolated in a barren snow-covered wilderness. Their intimate life together is shaken when they discover a man lying unconscious in the frozen terrain. For Bria, the older of the two women, he represents hope for the future and the possibility of a child. For Renee, he threatens to disrupt a life that has given her refuge from the traumas of violence. Renee must ultimately decide between having a child and her personal desire to remain free from emotional attachment. Canadian Society of Cinematographers Award…

  • Batty Boys Revenge, The

    Recording artist Troy Jackson calls for sassy, irreverent voices to join a chorus of queers, who demand justice and equality for all.

  • Believe it.

    “Believe it.” is an experimental work exploring the relationship between Christianity and homosexuality, inspired by the perspectives of queer people living in South Australia. Movement has been generated as a response to the findings of audio interviews and is presented through a hybridization of film, dance and documentary.

  • Marionettes, The

    In November 2008, Californians narrowly voted to abolish equal marriage rights for same-sex couples. Throughout the campaign, Proposition 8 advocates repeatedly claimed that marriage equality harms children. This film is a creative response to that contention. “The Marionettes” uses striking marionettes, ornate miniatures, and stylized chiaroscuro lighting to tell the story of a little girl’s puppet show and a fantasy world where parental disapproval casts an unseemly pall.

  • What’s the Ukrainian Word for Sex? A Sexual Journey Through Eastern Europe

    “What’s the Ukrainian Word for Sex? A Sexual Journey Through Eastern Europe”, the first-ever Canadian film about East European queer identity, began with the director’s realization that there’s no language for sex in her culture. A humorous montage begins the video, “What’s the Ukrainian word for sex?” We follow the director to Ukraine and see extreme contrasts between family, queer life, and the postcolonial culture of Ukraine. Interviews shot in Vancouver, Toronto and Kyiv tell the story of sexual and cultural changes in the east, and update us on the current troubled situation of queer rights in Eastern Europe. Dramatic…

  • Kaden Later

    The sequel to Harriet Storm’s “Kaden” (2006), “Kaden Later” follows Kaden and his partner, Monika, as they explore life after Kaden’s top surgery. For Kaden, a trans guy in his early thirties, top surgery gave him the body he wanted. Now, as he and his partner plan their wedding, he must figure out how he fits into society, not as female or male but in a space in between.