Genres: documentary

  • Gloriously Free

    “Gloriously Free” is one of the first documentaries to explore the world of gay immigration, and the desperate search of five young men to find welcoming arms outside their countries of birth – where persecution and hatred of alternative lifestyles may lead to torture or death. What they find is Canada, leading the world as the safest haven for persecuted gays and lesbians. “Gloriously Free” is a powerful profile of gay immigrants to Canada. Among them are Al-Hussein from Jordan; Julian, blackmailed and blacklisted in his homeland of Mexico and a resident of Canada for three years; Bruno, who immigrated…

  • you wash my skin with sunshine

    With few childhood memories of her mother’s affection, Mullen mines old home movies for evidence. When she doesn’t find exactly what she’s looking for, she sets out to create a new family movie of her own, starring her surprisingly willing mother. A reflection on memory, loss, reconciliation and love.

  • Observatory, The

    An ambient track of evening sounds accompanies rephotographed sketches of the night sky by Jerry Spevak. “The Observatory” turns the heavens on its head: the blackness of space becomes the white of the page, the stars and galaxies precise points of black graphite. The pages of Spevak’s sketchbook are animated to capture the rotation of and movement through a vast, spectacular universe. Selected screenings: Toronto International Film Festival, 2004; Best of the LIFT $99 No Excuses Film Festival, Toronto, 2004

  • Players

    Fieldstone Secondary School has a junior boys’ basketball team unlike any other. The trials and tribulations of high school life are revealed through the team, known as the Sultans. “Every game has its memories, you decide whether they’re good or bad. I’ve seen players grow into and out of sports and they all seem to forget about one thing: loyalty” (Coach Fernando Neves).

  • Living Space

    “Living Space” is a film about the relationship between architecture and illness which follows the construction of a new cancer care centre designed by architect Frank Gehry. It traces the process of creating a space specially designed for people affected by cancer, a patient-centred approach which attempts to counter the alienating atmosphere of the hospital. This was Gehry’s first commission since the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao and his first building in the U.K.

  • Miracle

    The risks and complications of postponing pregnancy are the starting point for this 36-year-old’s anxious journey down the long road to reproduction. In seven jam-packed minutes, our intrepid filmmaker falls in love, struggles with infertility, gets pregnant, worries about miscarriage, takes a holiday, tries to be a good pregnant person and inevitably goes into labour. Be prepared for an emotional rollercoaster ride in the lo-fi, heartfelt, high stakes tale of the miracle of life.

  • Brian and Lazzio

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

  • Liselda’s Birthday

    The death of her friend Corin spurs Liselda, a trans MTF, to recall her existence in Mexico. Her quest is to gain legal refugee status in order to obtain a sex change operation, acceptance and happiness in her adopted home of Toronto. In Spanish and English with English subtitles. Selected screenings: Inside Out Lesbian & Gay Film & Video Festival, Toronto, 2005; AluCine Latino Film & Video Festival, Toronto, 2005

  • 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.

  • Maricones

    Set in the marginal neigbourhood of Corongo and the cobblestone streets of Lima, Peru, “Maricones” unveils the many paradoxes and advances of a sexual revolution that is sweeping the world at the dawn of the 21st century. The documentary was inspired by the contradictions and preconceived assumptions of a machista society. Director/producer Marcos Arriaga challenges local beliefs by asking whether another world is possible. “Maricones” introduces us to Eusebio, 58, a gay man from the popular neighbourhood of Corongo where Marcos grew up. A former male prostitute and cabaret dancer, Eusebio is a neighbourhood personality who supports his deceased brother’s…