Pride Winnipeg | 2015

When the curtains first went up on Reel Pride Winnipeg — the LGBT film festival’s earliest incarnation, anyway — there was a decidedly bigger void to be filled by those tasked with bringing queer cinema to a wider audience. Fast-forward 30 years and the landscape has changed dramatically, with representations of the LGBT experience in all corners of popular culture. But as Reel Pride prepares to unspool its birthday celebrations later this year, it’s clear the festival continues to play a crucial role in framing those experiences for viewers from all walks of life. First incorporated as a non-profit in 1985 (under its original moniker, the Winnipeg Gay and Lesbian Film Society), Reel Pride’s mandate was to showcase the best of the burgeoning LGBT cinema scene, while at the same time fostering public dialogue about queer culture. Still a few years away from the New Queer Cinema movement of the early 1990s — and decades away from such Oscar-approved mainstream fare as Milk, Brokeback Mountain or The Kids Are All Right — early festival organizers had their work cut out for them when it came to both program- ming and promotion. “Obviously there was a little bit of a different climate and a different cul- ture,” says current Reel Pride president Jason van Rooy of the mid- to late- 1980s, when the Film Society first began hosting monthly screenings. “A lot of people weren’t necessarily out to their families or their friends, so it made it that much more difficult to reach the public. I know they worked in conjunction with other community organizations to reach as many people as possible. And obviously they were successful — because we’re still around, 30 years later.” In keeping with this year’s Pride Winnipeg theme, Reel Pride has under- gone its own evolution over the decades, changing its name in 2000 to bet- ter reflect the diversity of the queer community, and widening the scope of its mandate (which now includes short films, commercials, and visual and performance art) to keep step with the changing times. “(The old name) didn’t encompass all the members of our community that we serve, and around whom we want to create a dialogue and bring better understanding,” says van Rooy. “As the years go on, the dialogue changes — even within our own com- Screening Room Celebrating 30Years of Reel Pride

munity — and the art and film that’s available grows and changes. Now we have films about issues well beyond just gay and lesbian rights. We have art and film that we can showcase that really shows all of the different facets and colours of the rainbow flag that we live under.” While LGBT filmmakers have never lacked for interesting stories to tell, the overall production values of their offerings — and queer cinema in gen- eral — have also improved with time, says van Rooy, citing as example the contrast between 2013’s high-gloss teen flick G.B.F. (Gay Best Friend) and the decidedly low-budget charms of the 1996 Canuck indie Lilies. “As acceptance grows in the mainstream media, the quality of materials we can present just goes up,” he says. “You can see the difference in the quality of filmmaking because people are now willing to fund these films about typically under- represented communities.” Now one of North America’s longest-running LGBT film festivals, Reel Pride returns this year with six days worth of programming, from Oct. 13– 18 at the Gas Station Theatre. In keeping with tradition, Reel Pride’s lineup won’t be released until a month prior. (This year’s release party on Sept. 19 — the same date of the Film Society’s debut as a non-profit in 1985 — will also double as a 30th birthday bash.) But eager audiences won’t have to wait that long to get their first taste of the festival. As part of Pride Winnipeg events, Reel Pride will again host a showcase of the year’s best LGBT commercials, with two screenings scheduled for June 5 at the Bandwidth Theatre on Ellice Avenue. As van Rooy and the Reel Pride team (about a dozen board members, plus a team of 20 or so dedicated volunteers) gear up for the festivities, they’re again excited — and yes, proud — to shine a spotlight on the LGBT community, and in doing so, to help enhance the lives of its members and allies, both present and future. “I truly believe the festival has changed peoples lives over its 30 years, and will continue to do so,” says van Rooy. “People will continue to be ex- posed to things they didn’t even know were there for them.” For more information on this year’s festival, visit reelpride.org. ◗

BEST INTERNATIONAL GLBTTQ COMMERCIALS

Celebrating 30 years of

extraordinary film – we keep evolving too!

TWO SHOWS!! June 5, 7pm & 9pm at The Bandwidth Theatre, 587 Ellice Ave. TICKETS $10 at the box office or email: tickets-reelpride@outlook.com

Fundraising Event in Support of Reel Pride Film Festival

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