LGBTQ+ film fest embraces all-virtual format
Image + Nation LGBTQ+ film festival embraces opportunity to expand access with online event
Here's a new one. As other cultural events scramble to adapt to virtual formats due to changing health guidelines under COVID, Montreal's Image + Nation is embracing the change.
Organizers of Canada's longest-running LGBTQ+ film festival have been talking for ages about wanting to switch from a once-a-year incarnation to a year-round series of events, with a heavy focus on online. The pandemic provided the perfect excuse to get started.
“We're not stuck to (showing films in) venues,” said Charlie Boudreau, Image + Nation's executive director. “It gives us the opportunity to select a lot more films. It's fantastic. It really allows for a better representation of the great diversity that is LGBTQ+ cinema. There's a story for everyone — everyone can see themselves on screen this year.”
With more than 100 films on the menu, Image + Nation's 33rd edition runs from Thursday to Dec. 6. The virtual format has made room for the festival to screen 30 per cent more movies than last year, according to programming director Katharine Setzer.
“What's most exciting for both of us is that in terms of programming, we don't have the constraints of putting bums in seats,” Setzer said. “So we don't have to think about the bottom line in the same kind of way.”
This year's all-virtual format has made for a steep learning curve, which Setzer sees as “a launch pad into the future of LGBTQ film festivals in Montreal. It's a window into the array of different ways we can see and share movies.”
Setzer admits she will miss the communal experience of the physical festival.
“I had to process the sadness of the fact that I'm not going to be congregating in the dark, sitting with my tribe, all laughing together.”
To compensate, Image + Nation has come up with novel ways to make the online viewing experience more social. One is a virtual date night, in which ticket buyers can share their access to an online screening with up to two friends (each watching from different URLS). Another is “dinner and a movie,” in which tickets for films are paired with suggestions for a takeout meal at an LGBTQ-owned Montreal business.
One big upside this year is that, while Image + Nation has traditionally been accessible only to those who can physically show up at the theatres, the festival will now be available to anyone in Quebec.
“There are restrictions to the traditional physical model, in terms of who can come and who can't,” Boudreau said. “We're sharing stories about LGBTQ lives; it's important that they be seen by as many people as possible. This model comes because of terrible reasons (the pandemic), but it's a very good thing. We want to keep doing this forever.”
Although Image + Nation hopes to return in a hybrid format next year, the online component of the event is here to stay.
To help attendees wade through the expanded programming, the film lineup has been arranged thematically into categories.
Under the heading Made in Canada is Emma Seligman's Shiva Baby, a black comedy about a particularly eventful shiva.
“The lead character is a bisexual woman who comes across two of her exes — one man and one woman,” Setzer said. “It's about family and culture, filled with sarcastic humour.”
Another Canadian offering is Sarah Fodey's Sex, Sin & 69, about the decriminalization of homosexuality in Canada.
“It's our history,” Boudreau said. “I was quite compelled.”
Among the films in the First Voices category, featuring films by first-time directors, is Future Drei, by Germany's Faraz Shariat, which won the Teddy Award for best LGBTQ film at this year's Berlinale; and Kazakhstan filmmaker Assel Aushakimova's Welcome to the USA.
“It's an amazing film about how people exist within a culture or society, in a country in movement,” Boudreau said of the latter. “Do you stay and be part of the country's future, or leave to live a fuller life?”
A standout in the documentary category is P. David Ebersole and Todd Hughes's House of Cardin, charting the life and career of Italian-french fashion designer Pierre Cardin.
In the Latinx section is Brazilian filmmaker Gil Baroni's Alice Júnior, a coming-of-age story about a young trans woman adapting to a new environment.
“It's a wonderful film that uses a different kind of cinematic language,” Setzer said. “The target audience is 15- to 18-year-olds, so a lot of the dialogue takes place through texting, with emojis filling the screen. Everyone rallies to support this young girl, and what happens is not what you expect; I love it for that.”
Another notable offering is Ian Watson's Unsound, a love story with several twists.
“There are a number of layers,” Setzer said. “It's told very much from the perspective of the deaf community. The lead character is a deaf trans guy who is coming into his own. He falls for a hearing gay man who is involved in the deaf community. So there's lots going on there.”
The same could be said of Image + Nation, where there will be no shortage of films to see over the next three weeks — the extended duration of the festival being another perk of the online format.
The fun continues in December, as Boudreau and Setzer are planning a month-long celebration of short films. More surprises will follow in the coming months, as Image + Nation continues to embrace the freedom of showing movies online.
“It means we can show films throughout the year,” Boudreau said. “Instead of just being gay three weeks a year, why not be gay every single damn day?”