The 41st edition of the Reel Pride Film Festival is returning to the Gas Station Arts Centre on Sept. 16, screening nine 2SLGBTQIA+ films from around the world until Sept. 20.
Reel Pride, created in 1985 by the Winnipeg Gay and Lesbian Film Society, is the oldest 2SLGBTQIA+ film festival in Canada.
“It’s a celebration of queer culture,” said Greg Klassen, the director of marketing and sponsorships at the festival.
“Representation and queer culture [are] more important than ever. I think we got into a slightly apathetic phase and thought that we could be assimilated into the world and everything would be great. That doesn’t seem to have happened.”
According to Klassen, this year’s theme is “Reveal Your True Colours,” inspired by the 1986 song “True Colors” by Cyndi Lauper. The team watched approximately 50 films before narrowing it down to the final nine.
“It just felt like one of the themes that was coming up was just being authentic, being true to yourself, and what the price is of that, and also what the joy is in that,” he said.
The selected films, hailing from Japan, Spain, Canada and more, are outside mainstream cinema and difficult to get hold of, he also noted. Klassen hopes the diversity in film settings will bring new perspectives.
“You’re looking at a slice of life in lots of different places, and I hope that [people] see themselves reflected, but also see maybe a different side of queer life that they hadn’t considered before,” Klassen said.
One of the films Klassen highlighted is The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo, a film about an eleven-year-old girl living with a community of trans women in a mining town in northern Chile when a mysterious disease spreads among the townspeople.
Another film is Plainclothes, starring English actors Tom Blyth and Russell Tovey. It tells the story of a policeman who starts an affair with a man while on a sting operation to arrest queer men.
“I liked it because I feel that whole part of our history is not really widely discussed, where policemen surveyed washrooms and other public spaces to arrest men,” he said.
“It’s an interesting way to tell that story because I think a lot of younger people will be surprised at the persistence and the kind of nastiness of the police in that scenario.”
In addition, there is a short film competition at the Canadian Human Rights Museum on Sept. 19, screening 15 shorts by queer Canadian filmmakers. The shorts are awarded based on categories such as best short and top emerging filmmaker.
“It really is a cross section of queer community,” Klassen said. “[We] have artists like Shawna Dempsey and Lorri Millan, who are obviously very seasoned queer artists, their work has been seen all over the world, versus somebody making their very, very first film.”
The Gas Station Arts Centre is also displaying works by local artists during and after the festival, which festivalgoers can purchase.
Klassen noted that growing up, the only place to meet other queer people was in bars, but the world has now changed. Echoing the theme, his favourite part of the festival is creating a community where everyone can show their true colours.
“I love creating a space where queer people can come together of all sizes, shapes, ethnicities, ages, and just talk to each other and be a community,” he stated.
“I want queer people to be visible everywhere and to feel safe in public spaces, and to let our culture be something that we celebrate and not feel shameful about or hide.”
Festival passes are $65 and tickets are $10 per screening. For more information, visit reelpride.ca.
