13 PICKS FOR THE 31ST LGBTQ FILM FESTIVAL
How do you follow up a 30th anniversary? For organizers of Montreal’s (and Canada’s) longest running LGBTQ film festival, you get to work programming another killer lineup. Image + Nation kicks off Thursday and runs to Dec. 2. To help you pick and choose, we asked the festival team for 13 highlights of Image + Nation’s 31st edition. Katharine Setzer, programming director
OCTAVIO IS DEAD! (FRI., 7 P.M., CONCORDIA’S J.A. DE SÈVE CINEMA)
“The second feature from prolific CBC Radio host and multidisciplinary artist Sook-Yin Lee is a visceral, gender-bending psychosexual fever dream. Starring Rosanna Arquette, Alias Grace’s Sarah Gadon and Montreal legend Marie Brassard.”
A MOMENT IN THE REEDS (FRI., 7 P.M., IMPERIAL CINEMA)
“Set against a midsummer Finnish landscape, A Moment in the Reeds casts the long-marginalized voices of sexual and ethnic minorities centre-stage in a story about the search for freedom, acceptance and a place to call home.”
THE CAKEMAKER (SAT., 7 P.M., IMPERIAL)
“A quietly moving tale in which cooking and eating drive the seductive dance between characters, The Cakemaker is Israel’s Best Foreign Language film entry to this year’s Oscars. This film gets under your skin — in a good way.”
BAD REPUTATION (SUN., 5 P.M., J.A. DE SÈVE)
“A great documentary about Joan Jett, who is just remarkable. She has been a queer culture champion since (her first band) The Runaways. And she really helped a lot of queer artists that came after her by going into producing.”
MARIO (SUN., 7 P.M., IMPERIAL)
“A heartfelt film about the love affair between two rising European football stars. With great performances set against a backdrop of the pressures of high-level sports and the homophobia inherent on the pitch, this is a love story in its purest form.”
WE THE ANIMALS (WED., 7 P.M., IMPERIAL)
“Called this year’s Moonlight, and based on the bestselling novel of the same name by Justin Torres (who is at the festival to take part in Q&A after the film), this is a story of three brothers, told through the lens of one’s burgeoning artistic and sexual awakening.”
EVA + CANDELA (COMO TE LLAMAS?) (NOV. 30, 7 P.M., J.A. DE SÈVE)
“The first lesbian feature from Colombia at Image + Nation, Eva + Candela traces a relationship beginning at the end, and dropping the viewer into multiple timelines throughout. Some riveting, poignant Latina drama.” Charlie Boudreau, executive director
PLAIRE, AIMER ET COURIR VITE (SORRY ANGEL) (THURS., 8 P.M., IMPERIAL CINEMA)
“Our opening film, French director Christophe Honoré’s latest, tells the touching love story of two men who meet, and one of them has AIDS. It’s about how you use time and how you live with the time that you have.”
POSTCARDS FROM LONDON (NOV. 29, 7 P.M., IMPERIAL)
“This year for the first time, we’re working with the Musée d’art contemporain. They ’re co-presenting this clever, beautiful film about a young man who is recruited by an upscale escort agency where what happens between the sheets is as important as the intellectual conversation that follows. It’s really about art and the place it can have in our lives.”
KANARIE (NOV. 30, 7 P.M., CONCORDIA’S ALUMNI AUDITORIUM)
“A brilliant film from South Africa set in the army in the ’80s, where there is a roving choir that goes around the outposts and sings. For gay boys, it’s a way to be OK in the army. There’s a gorgeous mix of music, including Boy George. A fun, wonderful film.”
LAS HEREDERAS (DEC. 1, 3 P.M., J.A. DE SÈVE)
“One of my favourite films in the lineup. One of very few films from Paraguay, and there are no queer films from Paraguay. Las Herederas has gone around the world and won awards at many festivals. It’s a story we never hear, about older women, desire and what can still happen in your life at 70.
GRIMSEY (DEC. 2, 3 P.M., ALUMNI AUDITORIUM)
“One of the most interesting films I’ve seen this year, about two Spanish guys from Madrid who break up. One moves to Iceland, and the other goes looking for him. Most of the story is told through voice messages. A sparse, cold, magnificent love story told in a different way.”
UN COUTEAU DANS LE COEUR (KNIFE + HEART) (DEC. 2, 7:30 P.M., ALUMNI AUDITORIUM)
Our closing film has got Vanessa Paradis in a lesbian relationship, running a gay porn company and trying to deal with the murder of one of her actors. That should be enough to get people here.”