Film Categories: Families

  • Marjoun and the Flying Headscarf

    An Arab-American girl tries to come to terms with her sexuality while balancing the mores of two different cultures. As she faces a series of trials on confrontations, will she shed her passivity, or will her spirit be broken? Arabic/Hebrew with English sub-titles. Selected Screenings: 2006 Sundance Film Festival, Park City, Utah

  • Finite, The

    “The Finite” lays bare the ephemeral nature of family, home and life on earth through a combination of home movies and archival footage from a science documentary. The two forms of imagery entwine along a common and inescapable course toward destruction, revealing the gravity of personal loss. Selected screenings: Toronto International Film Festival, 2004; CFC Worldwide Short Film Festival, 2006

  • Brian and Lazzio

    “Brian and Lazzio” playfully explores the awkward and funny development of a college romance between two young men.

  • Boy

    The visual poetics of Vancouver are brought to light as the filmmaker reflects on the cities she has lived in, motherhood and the birth of her first son. Image description: A blurry and rain-soaked streetscape as viewed through a car windshield.

  • Birdlings Two

    In this experimental documentary, an animation the filmmaker’s father made with Norman McLaren decades ago becomes a meditation on art, invention, fathers and daughters. “A delightfully personal short documentary.” – Bruce Kirkland, Toronto Sun “Sweet and observant, with a lovely conclusion.” – Eye Weekly, Toronto Selected screenings & awards: CBC Zed (broadcast); Toronto International Film Festival; Honorable Mention, Best Short Doc, Slamdance; Silverdocs Documentary Festival; Moving Pictures: MadCat Women’s International Film Festival. For more information: www.birdlings.com

  • What Grown-Ups Know

    Despairing of life on the run with his ailing and flamboyant mum, teenage Roy seeks solace in seducing the lonely manager of a desolate trailer park. “Not to be missed.” – Pasadena Weekly “Engaging and intelligent…heavy on heart, tinged with humor.” – Palm Springs Desert Sun Selected screenings & awards: Jury Award, Best Short, Mardi Gras Film Festival, Australia, 2004; 2nd Prize, Nextframe Film Festival, 2004; London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival, 2005; Slamdance, Park City Utah, 2005; Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Festival, 2004; Palm Springs International Short Film Festival; Inside Out Toronto Lesbian & Gay Film & Video…

  • Calling Nate

    Being a teenager isn’t easy, especially when you’re an 18-year-old gender rebel sorting out a kaleidoscope of conflicting advice and desires. Nadia Hluszko – a.k.a. Nate – comes by her confusion and transgender identity honestly: one of her moms used to be her dad, the other is addicted to the Osbornes. First-time documentary director Pamela Gawn chases the irrepressible Nate as she cycles through her part-time job at a used bike shop, suffers girlfriend turmoil, argues with both moms, and reveals a tragedy that changed her family forever. A poignant, sometimes achingly sweet coming-of-age story. Selected screenings and awards: Best…

  • hand-some

    As a lesbian relationship falls apart, this docu-failure unravels. Part of a series on beauty, the film began as an exploration of the filmmaker’s sister and the role that beauty plays in her life. It became instead a documentary about the sister’s relationship with her partner and the conflict between the making of the film and respect for the subject’s privacy. Selected screenings: British Film Institute Lesbian & Gay Film & Video Festival, 2005; Filmout San Diego, 2005; Women in the Director’s Chair, Chicago, IL, 2004; Inside Out Lesbian & Gay Film & Video Festival, Toronto, ON, 2004; New Fest,…

  • Cairo Calling

    Ahmed’s tranquil life in Montreal goes into a tailspin when his meddling mother visits from Cairo with a single purpose in mind… Selected screenings: Out Takes Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, New Zealand, 2005; Toronto Worldwide Short Film Festival, 2005; Hamburg Lesbian & Gay Film & Video Festival, 2005, Pink Apple Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, Switzerland, 2005 Audience Award at the 2005 Fresno Gay & Lesbian Film Festival. Audience Award at the 2005 Montreal Lesbian & Gay Film Festival

  • Fidanzata, La

    Just as Lolo, a gay Italian-Secondo, is getting ready to spend a romantic evening with his lover, his Italian Nonna makes an unexpected appearance. Un homosexuel d’origine italienne, Lolo, s’apprête à passer la soirée avec son amant. Or, voice que Mémé passe à l’improviste et met Lolo dans une situation épineuse.