FROM THE DIRECTOR'S CHAIR

2009 Gay Flambé

The movies, the celebrities, the controversies - There’s no question that the Toronto International Film Festival monopolizes the city for the first two weeks of September.

We wanted to take part in all of the festivities by throwing an event ourselves, one that would serve as a meeting place for international queer filmmakers and industry individuals visiting Toronto, but most importantly an opportunity to gather with our community four months after our Annual Festival.

Hence, the grand return of Gay Flambé!

On September 13th, over four hundred flocked to the National Ballet School to see old friends, make new ones, and have a drink while grooving to the beats of DJ Deko-ze.

The night began with a catered (patron+ members) VIP event, (courtesy of Urban Source Catering) where Mark Bonham presented the eighth Mark S. Bonham Scholarship for Queer Studies in Film and Video to Jordan Tannahill and Scott presented a sneak peak of our 20th Anniversary plans:

And at 9pm the party began! Under the backdrop of some movie installations was some serious networking, libation, and dancing with a couple of surprise numbers by drag Diva Sasha Montenegro to boot!




It was a delightful evening and we’re thrilled so many of you came out on a Sunday school night to be with us as we officially begin our 20th Anniversary season and Festival. A special thanks to our partners Xtra!, our caterers Urban Source Catering, wine sponsor Barefoot and beer sponsor Steam Whistle.

Click here to see all the sexy pics from the night.

Stayed tuned for more screenings and member events over the course of the year.

Till next time,

Kimahli

LATEST NEWS

On Sunday September 13, among 400 guests at Inside Out's annual Gay Flambé party, Scott Ferguson, Inside Out's Executive Director and Mark Bonham officially announced Jordan Tannahill as the eighth recipient of the annual Mark S. Bonham Scholarship for Queer Studies in Film and Video. Jordan is entering his fourth and final year in Ryerson University's film program.

Jordan was also the winner of the 2008 Video Virgin Award in Ottawa, presented by SAW Video and Inside Out. "This spring I was very fortunate to receive the inaugural Video Virgin Award from SAW Video and Inside Out for a short performance/documentary film I'm creating about demolition derbies," stated Jordan. "The grant allowed me to attend various screenings and functions at this year's Toronto festival and exposed me to a tremendous bevy of exciting filmmakers and programmers. I was thrilled to find there was an entire world of Canadian queer cinema I knew so little about."

As a young filmmaker Jordan already has an impressive repertoire of work. He is not only interested in film but is also dedicated to theatre and live performance. He credits a great deal of his early artistic education to Buddies in Bad Times Theatre. Jordan developed one of his pieces, Squashed (2007) the story of a young gay boy coming to terms with the death of his brother in Afghanistan, through Buddies' Young Creator's Unit and was later debuted at the 2008 Rhubarb! Festival. This year Jordan started a performance company called Suburban Beast dedicated to the creation of "documentary theatre."

"While not restricted to documentary, my films and performances generally concern themselves with non-fictive material, the use of non-performers, and the interaction with current, often unfolding, socio-political events," states Jordan in describing his work. "Recently in my film/video work I've explored issues surrounding the ban of organ donations by gay males in Ontario, the dichotomy of homophobia and homoeroticism inherent in fraternity culture, and the harrowing story of 20 year old Private Skyler James, a soldier who defected from the American military after suffering months of sexual abuse on account of her lesbianism. "

Jordan explains that the scholarship will be used to complete his final thesis film project which he has been working on for almost three years. His thesis explores the lives of five queer youth in Iqaluit, Nunavut.

The annual deadline for the Mark S. Bonham Scholarship is May 30 and complete information is available here.

UPCOMING EVENTS & CO-PRESENTATIONS

BoY
Saturday, Oct 17 2009, 9:00PM
Al Green Theatre
WARNING: 18+ This film has graphic sexual content.
Co-Presented by Inside Out Film Festival and Xtra!

2009, Phillipines, 80 min, Digital Beta, Filipino and English, Canada Premiere
Director: Kanakan Balintagos

While nursing a drink in a quiet Manila gay bar, a young poet is seduced by the slow, sensual dance of one of the club's male performers. Captivated, he surreptitiously takes his newfound lover home where his single mother prepares New Year's dinner.

ON-LINE TICKETS – September 22 – October 18 www.imaginenative.org

BY PHONE – September 28 – October 18
TIFF Box Office
Monday – Friday, 12:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Saturday & Sunday, 12:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Tel: 416 967 1528

IN PERSON
TIFF Box Office
September 28 – October 18
Monday – Friday, 12:00 pm – 7:00 pm
2 Carlton Street, West Mezzanine
Tel: 416 967 1528

Al Green Theatre, Miles Nadal Jewish Community Centre
October 15 – 18
750 Spadina Avenue
Tickets on sale at theatre 1 hour before each screening

Admittance to screenings is restricted to those 18 years of age or older

AROUND TOWN
LGBT Philanthropy Conference 2009

LEARN. GROW. NETWORK.

The LGBT Giving Network with presenting sponsor TD Waterhouse are proud to announce that registration for the November 6-8 LGBT Philanthropy Conference (at University College - University of Toronto) is now open! Register today at www.lgbtgiving.com.

With more than 24 workshops/panels and additional guest speakers and plenary, this affordable conference is value-packed. Do not miss this unique opportunity for comprehensive professional development in Fundraising, Marketing and Non-Profit Management for organizations that serve the LGBTTIQQ2S community.

Ideal for community volunteers, donors, allied professionals, non-profit staff and board members - and anyone that believes that we can do better in serving our community.

Workshops include:

• Increasing LGBT Giving
• How to Get the Board You Need
• Funding in Uncertain Economic Times
• The Do's and Don'ts of Seeking Corporate Support
• Online Fundraising for Small Charities
• And many many more…

For a full schedule and to register now visit www.lgbtgiving.com. Pass it on!

Presenting Sponsor: TD Waterhouse
Hotel Sponsor: Sheraton Centre Toronto
Founding Media Sponsor: Xtra!

Conference Host: Mark S. Bonham Centre for Sexual Diversity Studies
Network Sponsor: Community One Foundation

Canwest-Hot Docs Funds

The Canwest-Hot Docs Completion Fund is a grant program that will provide financial support of up to $100,000 (limited to a maximum of 20% of a project's budget) for production companies to complete specific projects. The Completion Fund is open to producers who have attracted demonstrated market interest in their documentaries.

The Canwest-Hot Docs Development Fund is a loan program designed to help producers get specific projects developed, researched, written and/or packaged and ready for market. The Fund will provide non-interest loans averaging between $10,000 - $15,000 in the early development stage, when projects are at the highest risk and may have not yet secured a market partner.

Applications will be available online in early October. The application deadline for both funds is Wednesday, October 28. More information can be found here.

LIFT's Fall 2009 Workshops

Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto (LIFT)
FALL 2009 WORKSHOPS

We have over 45 workshops this season on Super 8mm, 16mm, 35mm and HD filmmaking; including a special focus on Darkroom Practices and the Bolex Camera.

Registration is open now at our new facility located at 1137 Dupont Street (at Gladstone Avenue), Toronto

Space is limited! View the complete workshop schedule online

WORKSHOPS INCLUDE:
- Grant Writing for Arts Councils
- Starting a Small Business
- Black and White Still Photography and Darkroom Processing
- Documentary Financing, Contracts and Rights
- Introduction to Lighting Techniques
- Voice Over Technique and Performance
- The Beauty of 35mm Filmmaking
- HD Production with the EX1
- Final Cut Studio
- Introduction to Flash CS4
- Handmade Emulsion
- Designing an International Festival Strategy
... and many more!

LIFT Performative Screening: IN THE DARK / October 10th

The Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto (LIFT) presents "Strategies of the Medium III: In The Dark" featuring a live film by Vancouver's Alex MacKenzie.

Strategies of the Medium III: IN THE DARK
"the wooden lightbox: a secret art of seeing"
Cinematic live performance by Alex MacKenzie
Co-presented with Pleasure Dome

Saturday, October 10, 2009
Starts at 8:00pm
Cinecycle, 129 Spadina Avenue (down the alley)
Suggested donation: Members $5, Non-Members $8

In this performative screening, LIFT continues with its medium-specific programming series to explore work produced through chemical manipulation in the lab. Alex MacKenzie's "the wooden lightbox: a secret art of seeing" is a vivid example of the possibilities of self-sufficient filmmaking. "the wooden lightbox: a secret art of seeing" is an exploration and reconfiguration of cinematic apparatus and emulsion. Full Event details

The "Strategies of the Medium" series is supported by the Canada Council for the Arts.

Cat City

Did you know there are over 100,000 lost, abandoned and feral cats that roam the streets of Toronto? Former Board Chair Justine Pimlott tackles Toronto's cat overpopulation in her latest documentary Cat City.

National Broadcast Premiere Friday October 9th at 8pm/ET/PT Global TV's "Currents"

• Join the Facebook group
• See the trailer
• Visit the official web site

IT'S A WRAP...

TIFF gets political, but nails its programming

Montréal’s World Film Festival commits
an unforgivable gaffe…

As promised, I'm delivering my report on TIFF, which spilled more ink this year than the 2010 IKEA catalogue (more on the controversies later…).

In industry circles, the Festival de Cannes is seen as TIFF's only serious competition on the world festival stage. However, as far as logistics, classiness and respect for the general public go, the Berlin International Film Festival takes the cake. Of the 19 films I saw at TIFF, I disliked only one title (the insufferable Spring Fever from China), which leads me to believe that TIFF has one of the best programming teams on the planet.

I Am Love

Let's start with my top three films at TIFF: I Am Love (Italy), Eyes Wide Open (Israel) and Le Refuge (France), in that order. I Am Love was a flawless exercise in style and substance, featuring Tilda Swinton as a well-to-do matron in Milan faced with a choice between duty and freedom, finding inspiration in her lesbian daughter's escape to a London art school. Eyes Wide Open was the most gut-wrenching queer film of the festival, shedding light on ultra-Orthodox Jewish traditions and the danger of reconciling faith with homosexuality. Le Refuge is François Ozon's come-back film about a pregnant recovering junkie and her dead lover's gay brother as they deal with loss on the French seaside. It was simple, unadorned cinema at its best.

The Topp Twins was my runaway favorite documentary (disclosure: I'm a twin). The Vietnamese film Adrift was touted as having lesbian cred, but the Sapphic storyline was too little, too late to truly engage a queer audience. J'ai tué ma mère (I Killed My Mother) by precocious first-timer Xavier Dolan came with high expectations after racking up awards at Cannes and got the most vocal response of any film I saw at TIFF. To Die Like A Man (Portugal) was definitely the art-house hit amongst my friends. The puss-oozing breast scene was particularly memorable (I was stuck in the front row, so it felt like The Blob…). A Single Man by fashion designer Tom Ford needs no further publicity, but it was an impressive first film and it's slated for wide release.

The Tel Aviv controversy, sparked by John Greyson's pull-out in protest of his short Covered, triggered an international debate. It's interesting to note the number of Canadian queer artists and filmmakers who joined the Toronto Declaration, including Richard Fung, Reena Katz, Kathy Wazana, Jess Dobkin, Elle Flanders, Dionne Brand and Noam Gonick. Although Jane Fonda flip-flopped, stating that she should have read the letter more carefully before signing (duh), there was a less publicized change of heart by Roger Ebert.

I have yet to find an in-depth article in English on the controversy that smacked the Montreal World Film Festival on closing night when it awarded an unjuried prize to Jun Gu, director of the borderline propaganda doc The Everlasting Flame: Beijing 2008. If you can read French, check out Odile Tremblay's article in the separatist and always smart Le Devoir. It really horrifies me to see WFF stoop so low (a large Chinese government delegation sat proudly in the front rows), but it's no surprise considering that egomaniac Serge Losique is still at the helm of the festival (and the president of its board!). WFF's identity was foreboding, to say the least…

Except for a few exceptions, WFF is slowly becoming a repository for films no other serious international festival will touch. The Everlasting Flame is only the tip of the iceberg. One must wait for the Festival du Nouveau Cinéma for more enlightened (and ethical) programming.