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BUTTERED & BOTHERED: In 1989, the Vancouver Gay and Lesbian Film Festival was born. In those early years, creating a cultural celebration around queer film was a bold act of love. This August, the Vancouver Queer Film Festival marks 25 years of celebrating queer lives and queer stories. Vanhattan’s second largest movie festival after the Vancouver International Film Festival — and largest queer arts festival in Western Canada — screened more than 70 films over 11 days, from Hollywood to Bollywood, drama to documentary, and indie cinema to big-budget offerings. Movie buffs literally got hot and bothered at the festival opener of

Ferzan Ozpetek’s award-winning Italian film Magnificent Presence. Prior to curtain, with humidity inside the Vancouver Playhouse reaching Toronto-like conditions, the capacity crowd of 700 participated in a spontaneous “kiss-in” to protest anti-gay laws in Russia instituted just months ahead of the Sochi Winter Olympic Games. Festival programmer Shana Myara and executive director Drew Dennis invited attendees to pucker up in solidarity with gays in Russia and around the world. Yogi

Omar, organizer of a similar kiss-in outside the Russian consulate earlier this month, led the mass display of affection. Sponsored by alumni UBC and the university’s Faculty of Education, the festival’s silver anniversary also marked the city’s first queer PechaKucha-powered event, reflecting on the past 25 years of queer films and cinematic portrayals of gays and lesbians in movies. “Why do we always die?” questioned presenter Emilio Rojas, one of eight guests artists speaking to a series of 20 slides, shown for 20 seconds each. Joining Rojas were filmmakers Aerlyn Weissman and Gwen Haworth, screenwriters

Peggy Thompson and Adam Goldman and community leaders Isolde N. Baron, Romi

Chandra Herbert and Emma Kivisild. The festival concludes tonight with the German chick flick Frauensee and a closing gala party at Celebrities Nightclub.

SUNDANCE NORTH: Ahead of Whistler’s 13th annual cinematic celebration, Whistler Film Festival founder Shauna Hardy

Mishaw and second-year festival programmer Paul Gratton greeted guests to their annual benefit, a $150-a ticket standup soiree and elbow-rubber. One-hundred and fifty industry insiders gathered at Jack

Evrensel’s Blue Water Café to support the festival’s continued commitment to creative independence, a hallmark of the made-inCanada movie festival that many dub Sundance North. Yours truly emceed the social mixer, which aimed to raise $30,000 in support of the burgeoning festival and emerging filmmakers.

Filmmaker Carl Bessai, a longtime supporter and board member, was lauded with the festival’s inaugural Maverick Award. One of the country’s leading directors of independent films, with 14 features to date — including last year’s Sisters & Brothers, starring Cory Montieth — Bessai was toasted and roasted by good friends actors Ben Ratner, Jay

Brazeau and Gabrielle Rose. Other heavyweights in attendance included Brightlight Pictures’ Shawn Williamson, North Shore Studios’ Peter Leitch and Directors Guild

of Canada’s Paul Atilia. One of the world’s top 30 film festivals, as declared by industry bible Variety magazine, the little-film-fest-that-could continues to draw leading Canadian and international filmmakers and prominent actors to its five days of screenings, forums, and white-carpet romps. Notables who have graced the Whistler scene include Atom Egoyan, Norman Jewison, Donald Sutherland, Bruce Greenwood, Michael Shannon and Katie Holmes. Joining the esteemed group this year will be Beverly Hills 90210 original Jason Priestley, whose road movie Cas & Dylan will open the 90-film five-day celluloid celebrations Dec 4.

MP Hedy Fry and West End Slo-Pitch Association’s Justin Mui got hot and buttered at the 25th Vancouver Queer Film Festival opener.

Brooklyn-based writer Adam Goldman, creator of The Outs, and Queen of East Van Isolde N. Baron shared slides and stories of how queer culture shaped them.

Programmer Shana Myara, left, and executive director Drew Dennis held the festival’s first ever PechaKucha-powered event reflecting on the past 25 years of queer film.

Jeff Sodowsky, Vancouver Opera director of development and film festival director, and his husband, Midhath Mahir, celebrate the festival’s 25 years of telling queer stories.

Out On Screen’s Out in Schools youth outreach co-ordinator Jen Sung welcomed MLA Mable Elmore to the pink carpet romp.

At the opening gala, Everett Blackwell and Yogi Omar puckered up in protest of new anti-gay laws in Russia.

Kibitzing and canoodling in the private wine cellar were actress Tara Wilson and filmmaker Stephen Huszar.

Venerable actors Ben Ratner, Gabrielle Rose and Jay Brazeau helped raised a reported $30,000 for the Whistler Film Festival.

WFF guests Peter Gall and Brightlight Pictures’ Shawn Williamson shared news of their latest project, The Interview, starring Seth Rogen and James Franco, which starts filming in town this fall.

Filmmaker Carl Bessai accepted the first Maverick Award from Whistler Film Festival founder Shauna Hardy Mishaw. The 13th festival runs Dec. 4-8.

Ready for their close-ups at the film festival benefit were Hulo Films’ Chantele Francis, agent Paul Christie and news anchor Norma Reid.

Festival hypesters Almira Bardai and Lindsay Nahmiache announced opening film details and other highlights at the fete.

Filmmakers Warren Franklin and twins Sam and Kailey Spear celebrate the festival’s creative independence and Canadian storytelling.