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The 15th annual Reelout Queer Film Festival was held January 20th- February 8th, 2014 where we “REELived” stories past. Our RBC/Reelout opening gala film was Anna Margarita Albelo‘s comedy WHO’S AFRAID OF VAGINA WOLF? Guests this year included Eric Henry (Seek), Chase Joynt (I’m Yours), Jason Sharman(Happy Birthday Chad!) , various guests for the IN YOUR POCKET: WHAT’S YOUR SEX? shorts program curated by Marcin Wisniewski at the Union Gallery, Sarah Rotella and Adrianna DiLionardo (Gay Women Will Marry Your Girlfriend and My Lesbian Friends), Dayna McLeod (Ultimate Sub Ultimate Dom, That’s Right Diana Barry You Need Me, Nothing Compares To You), Thirza Cuthand (Helpless Maiden Makes an “I” Statement, Boi oh Boi), Mark Pariselli (Severed), Myriam Fougere (Lesbiana: A Parallel Revolution), & Laine Newman (You’re Not My Target Audience).
The 9th annual Reelout Queer Film Festival was held January 24th-February 3rd, 2008. The theme this year was Coast to Coast. The opening gala film was Nina’s Heavenly Delights and the short film No Bikini by Claudia Morgando Escanilla based on a short short by Ivan E. Coyote with Coyote in attendance. The after-party was held at The Grad Club featuring food catered by Paulina’s Curry Mix. Filmmaker Gwen Haworth engaged with audiences after her film screening She’s A Boy I Knew; Halifax filmmaker Jacob Owens presented his heart-warming Copain Trilogy; former Reelout collective member Matt Salton, at this time, the Festival Director of Calgary’s FairyTales Film Festival curated a shorts package called Fairies From The Prairies; Loree Erikson (Want), Alexis Mitchell and Chelsey Lichtman (Rubb My Chubb: Fat Activism and the Fat Femme Mafia), Michelle Pearson Clarke (Black Men & Me) Roewan Crowe (Queer Grit) were in attendance for their shorts in the program “Sugar & Spice & Everything Naughty” with a panel discussion at the Agnes Etherington Gallery.
The 8th annual Reelout Queer Film Festival was held January 25-February 4, 2007. It was the first festival helmed by Festival Director, Pam Thompson and Directors of Programming Lenny Epstein and Carla Henderson. The opening gala film was The Gymnast and was screened at the Empire Capitol 7 cinema (another first). Filmmaker Tori Foster was in attendance with their film 533 Statements; Rowan Ramsay presented their doc Coming Out Again about lesbians living with cancer; filmmaker Denis Langlois presented his feature film Amnesia: The James Brighton Enigma. Shorts compilations included “Rug Burn” (women’s shorts); “Queer and Abroad” (local and international shorts). There was also a Gender Blender party after a screening of Filthy Gorgeous, The Trannyshack Story at Shay Foo Foo.
The 7th annual Reelout Film Festival took place January 26th to February 5th, 2006. The festival was split up into two weekends, the first was held on Queen’s University campus and the 2nd weekend was held at the downtown movie theatre, The Screening Room. Visiting filmmakers in attendance included Maya Gallus whose film Erotica: A Journey Into Female Sexuality was followed by a panel discussion lead by Dr. Sue Hendler that also included Toronto artists Lisa Foad and now bestselling author Zoe Whittall. The opening gala film was Neil Jordan‘s Breakfast on Pluto with the gala party at The Grad Club with DJ Tiger Stylez with the 2nd floor featuring a cabaret by the Education on Queer Issues Project (EQuIP). We had our first digital youth project workshop instructed by Colleen Ayoup and James Greatrex with help from Modern Fuel Artist-Run Centre. We had a shorts program called “Canadian Beaver Tales” with filmmakers in attendance Martha Newbigging (Solo), Thomas Rogers (Janice), Alexis Mitchell (Gender ProNone), and Carla Henderson (Love Without Limits) followed by a cheesecake reception in the Biosciences Atrium. Justine Pimlott came to the festival to present her documentary Fag Hags: Women Who Love Gay Men; Scott Berry and Chris Kennedy from Pleasure Dome presented archival queer classics on 16mm and Super 8 at the Kingston Public Library (When We Were Very Young); there was a focus on shorts from South Africa, filmmaker Richard Bell presented his feature narrative Eighteen; we threw a Midnight Moustache Masquerade where everyone got a fake moustache with admission and we had our version of The Dating Game; we screened a shorts compilation called “The Hung & The Restless” and we shone the spotlight on the works of Cassandra Nicolaou including her feature thriller Show Me and other short works including Interviews with My Next Girlfriend.
The sixth annual Reelout Film Festival took place January 27-February 5, 2005. This would mark the first time the festival moved to our current time of year in the dead of winter. This would also be the first post-reelout collective and first festival as a non profit with a paid Festival Director – Lenny Epstein and paid Programming Director – Matt Salton. The opening gala film was the Canadian feature Everyone by Bill Marchant (in attendance) with an after-party at Shay Foo Foo Martini Lounge & Dance Bar. Short film compilations included “Lust, Love & Laughter” (a lesbian Triple “L” adventure), Sex, Guys & Videotape (sexy guy shorts) which included the jaw-dropping short The Milk Man by Ken Takahshi. The festival amped up its feature presentations over shorts programs featuring the horror film Hellbent, the comedies Eating Out, Merci Docteur Rey and Goldfish Memory and documentaries that included Let No One Put Asunder with filmmaker Alexis Fosse Mackintosh in attendance.