2013 Annual Report
TABLE OF CONTENTS Message from the board chair
2
IMPACT: Vancouver Queer Film Festival
3
Highlight | Focus on India
4
Highlight | 25th anniversary focus: inventing the past and future
5
Highlight | The kiss-in: Sandy + Linda’s story
6
IMPACT: Out in Schools
7
INVEST: The importance of queer arts & communities
9
SUSTAINABILITY: What we’ve learned
10
TREASURER’S REPORT
11
OUR SUPPORTERS
15
1
if we don’t tell these important stories, who will? Each year, the film festival offers our city a brief yet powerful event that illuminates the transformative stages in the lives of queer people – telling stories of the journeys we have taken to find ourselves, each other and our place in the world. We discover pieces of our own stories through the stories of others that are shared through this intimate cinematic experience. And for just a small, punctuated moment in time, away from a world still fraught with fear, uncertainty and hate for what is different and misunderstood, we see ourselves on screen, in motion and alive in a way that depicts us as an integral part of a world from which we oftentimes feel disconnected. In 2013, Out On Screen achieved milestones that, even a decade ago, would have seemed close to impossible. We celebrated the film festival’s 25 th anniversary, showcasing the best in queer cinema and bringing together 11,000 attendees. Our Out in Schools program reached 10,000 students through 30 of the 60 school board districts in the province with floods of encouraging feedback from educators, parents and students who see the difference we can make together in solidarity. We are on the move and experiencing the difference we are making as we continue to create social change through film, education and dialogue. Every time someone takes a seat at the festival, we are breaking the strongholds of isolation, bullying in schools, homophobia and transphobia. We, as a collection of many different queer and allied communities, are choosing to tell these important stories because if we don’t, no one else will. “You were at my son’s school. He spoke with you and shared that he was transgender. He has had a rough ride. Bullied, sexually assaulted. As I am sure you know, the life of a trans kid is not easy… he recently came out to his class. He was so impressed with both of you today. He told me that he got his power back.” – Excerpt of a thank you note from a parent whose teen participated in an Out in Schools presentation.
Our hope is to continue to be the relentless voice that advocates for our queer communities through the unique artistic expression of film, where one screening can speak to thousands, and to each so differently; and where one high school film presentation can change the course of a LGBT student’s future because on that day they got their power back.
JAMES ONG Chair, Board of Directors
2
IMPACT Vancouver Queer Film Festival OUR 25TH WAS A BIG DEAL
The Vancouver Queer Film Festival knows how to put on an anniversary party – and an 11-day one at that! Joined by 11,000 festival goers, we celebrated a significant milestone in achieving what might have been unthinkable 25 years ago: a cornerstone event that brings together thousands of people – queer and straight alike – to unapologetically celebrate our city’s queer culture and be bold in expressing our individual and collective identities as part of this incredible journey towards social change. When people attend the festival and watch our films, they are given a unique opportunity to see their world with open hearts and minds, bringing this back to their lives, families, workplaces, and schools. Our ongoing commitment to creating visibility for queer lives is essential to bringing disconnected communities together under the umbrella of queer artistic expression and education.
3
HIGHLIGHT | FOCUS ON INDIA
Still from Rituparno Ghosh's film, Chitrangada: The Crowning Wish
Our first-ever Focus on India came in the year touted as the 100 th year of Indian cinema. It was also a year marked by the devastating loss of Bengali filmmaker Rituparno Ghosh (Chitrangada: The Crowning Wish). At age 49, Ghosh had amassed an impressive boy of work and shone as a “I've come here to become a guiding light woman, which is why I’m to queers in going through these series of operations. You know that. It India. His own requires much mental gender fluidity preparations. If you keep was the calling me 'Sir', it becomes all subject of the more difficult for me to prepare myself.” much commentary, - quote from Chitrangada even though his films sought to open hearts and minds to queenress and issues of violence against women. International cinema lost a
director with a big heart and an eye attuned to the cruelty and beauty in every story. Chitrangada is perhaps Ghosh’s most personal work – a broadly resonant meditation on the illusion of fixed identities, and the inevitability of transformation. Staging a revival of Tagore’s 1892 dance drama about the princess Chitrangada – a figure from the Mahabharata who is happy being raised by her father as a male warrior and heir until she meets the prince Arjuna – director/choreographer Rudra (Ghosh) falls in love with the heroin-addicted troupe drummer, Partho (Jisshu Sengupta) and life begins to echo art. Indian law does not permit two men to adopt a child together, leading Rudie – already inclined toward a feminine gender presentation – to contemplate “technically” becoming a woman. By embedding the central story as extended flashbacks within the frame of Rudie’s stay in hospital preparing for the last stages of gender reassignment surgery, Ghosh creates a beautifully prismatic narrative that explores the complexities of living an alternative gender identity with in the dictates of heteronormative society. This is a film for all of us for whom gender makes far more sense as a verb than as a noun. Along with Chitrangada: The Crowning Wish, the film festival featured In-between Days, an indie gem that introduced a tightknit community of transgender teens, and Queens! Destiny of Dance, a sprawling colourful, fantasy refuge where, at least for a time, all hijras are safe from the outside world.
4
th
HIGHLIGHT | 25 ANNIVERSARY FOCUS: INVENTING THE PAST AND FUTURE
This focus took festival-goers back in time in honour of the Festival’s 25 th anniversary – and also took us forward to our futuristic present in which individuals and communities are truly inventing new realities and a better world. Understanding our community’s immense power, we asked: how would you invent the next 25 years?
SHE SAID BOOM: THE STORY OF FIFTH COLUMN Kevin Hegge’s energizing portrait of the allfemale punk band Fifth Column took audience members on a trip to the ‘80s and back again, heralding the group’s widespread influence in music, zine and film culture, and the near-eclipsing birth of the riot grrrl movement. Hegge’s upbeat, busting documentary doesn’t shy away from nostalgia or bitterness, and remains brightly alive with the hopeful anythinggoes spirit that emanates from the legacy of Fifth Column.
THE OUTS
Films featured for the Anniversary Focus included: Lesbiana: A Parallel Revolution; Lot in Sodom; She Said Boom: The Story of Fifth Column; The OUTS; Love Free or Die; and My Other Me: A Film About Cosplayers
For its refreshingly authentic and humourous take on urban gay life, Adam Goldman’s The Outs managed to do something that seems simple enough, but is still a rare achievement: it became a huge online hit, backed by $22,000 in Kickstarter-fuelled support. The show grew by one webisode every six weeks, and developed its following as its season progressed. Meanwhile, in just seven episodes, it developed a satisfying story arc and more fully realized gay characters than most broadcast TV has offered thus far.
5
HIGHLIGHT | THE KISS-IN: SANDY + LINDA’S STORY Last year, two long-time Out On Screen supporters shared their story including the magical moment when they had their very first kiss at a movie theatre in front of hundreds during the film festival. The audience celebrated by giving a smooch or two to their loved ones. This soon became what we now call the “kiss-in”, to honour the global kiss-in rally that took place just a couple of weeks following the film festival. Below is Sandy and Linda’s speech. Linda and I love movies. We love renting them, we love going to them, and we love sharing them. We can’t always remember what we’ve seen or what the titles were but usually five minutes into it, it dawns on us that we’ve already seen it. We have a confession to make... Linda and I come from an era where public displays of affection by gays and lesbians were not safe. Yesterday, prior to the opening gala film, we had our very first kiss in a movie theatre, with the lights on, and hundreds of others doing the same! And we loved it! 25 years ago, Louise Pohl, one of the founding members of Out On Screen asked her friends to support a new project. She asked us to donate. To
support a 24-hour marathon where she and a few others were going to sit in the dark and watch gay and lesbian films. This was to be the precursor to Out On Screen. My immediate reaction was that she was nuts (sorry, Louise). Firstly, a 24-hour marathon? Really?? Secondly, where were they going to find 24 hours of gay and lesbian films that were worth watching? I donated anyway, basically because I liked Louise (and still do). Well, surprise, surprise, surprise. Look what’s 25! Now the Out On Screen programming committee has so many films to consider, they go into lengthy, heated deliberations. We love this festival!!! We have had a love affair with Out On Screen for years. We love: Sitting in a theatre with our community watching our lives being depicted on the big screen. Sitting in a theatre and laughing together, crying together, and sometimes wondering what the “f” that was all about? We love the things that we learn and appreciate the things that maybe we didn’t care to learn. We love the people that we see every year and celebrate together in a country where we can. We love watching younger people come to Out On Screen and being confident and proud in their sexual orientation. We talk about Out On Screen with our friends, some of whom are here and some of whom don’t quite get why we would spend 10 days in a dark movie theatre. But year after year we do the entire festival. So people, make an investment in your future. And fall in love too!
6
Schools, the key findings were staggering. Among them are the following: 70% of all particiating students, LGBTQ and nonLGBTQ, reported hearing expressions such as “that’s so gay” every day in school and almost half reported hearing remarks such as “faggot” and “dyke” every day in school. 74% of trans students reported having been verbally harassed about their gender expression. More than one in five LGBTQ students reported being physically harassed or assaulted due to their sexual orientation.
IMPACT Out in Schools INVESTING IN OUR RESILIENT FUTURE The high school experience can go by swiftly for students who look forward to seeing their friends, playing their favourite team sport or learning more about their favourite subject. But time can seem to go much slower for LGBT students who are bullied. In Égale Canada’s 2011 Final Report on the First National Climate Survey on Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia in Canadian
Out in Schools responds to these issues by providing innovative and thought-provoking film-based school presentations throughout BC. To date, the program has reached more than 50,000 students. Educators tell us that there is an increased awareness of homophobic language and behaviour as a result of our workshops. In response to this success, we are committed to deepening our presence both in the Greater Vancouver Area and in BC’s rural regions. We continue to be inspired and “We are getting more youth coming out and not encouraged by the afraid to be couples in front stories we hear of peers.” every day of – Educator, 100 Mile House, LGBTQ students BC who gain strength and hope from our presentations and from non-LGBTQ students who realize that their words and actions have the power to heal and empower.
7
8
INVEST The importance of queer arts & communities OUR POWERFUL + CREATIVE VOICE In a recent issue of Plenitude Magazine, Theodosia Henney, writer and poet, wrote an article called, The Importance of Writing About Queer* Sex. In it, she thoughtfully writes, “Representing a range of sexuality not only helps us build community with other queer folk by recognizing common experiences, struggles and desires, but also reminds the world that each human is different, and hey, LGBTQ folks have their own individual practices and preferences, just like any other homo sapien. And bonobo chimpanzees.”
We are of a generation that has been endowed with a plethora of information, communications and technological resources that can enable queer arts and communities to tell their stories and make them a part of everyday life with phenomenal reach, pace and depth.
Out On Screen is a key player in a larger ecosystem of stakeholders – community organizations, civic leaders, businesses, donors – who have a shared vision of a future that is free from homophobia and transphobia. For every film festival or classroom presentation our organization is able to produce and show the world around us, we are pushing society forward that much closer to acceptance and understanding. We are effecting transformative social change that a hatefree future requires us to undertake and champion. “The greater the diversity of content we make available, the greater the chance a young person has of finding experiences that speak to them and confirm that the feelings they have are not wrong or unnatural. How cool is that?” – Theodosia Henney
9
SUSTAINABILITY What we’ve learned SMALL BUT NIMBLE Out On Screen is a small but nimble organization, making it highly responsive and adaptable to shifting trends in its environment. We are also uniquely positioned to incubate and test new innovations in festival programming and film-based education delivery to ensure we are current and relevant. While our eye is always on healthy growth and positive change, this year marked key learnings on the value of focusing on organizational sustainability towards long-term social impact. The Directors Guild The Directors Guild has been a critical component to both the immediate and future sustainability of our organization in more ways than one. The 3-year financial commitment of our Directors Guild members allows Out On Screen to plan for the future and develop its programs accordingly. Directors Guild members are our organizational visionaries – individuals
who are integral to creating deep, meaningful relationships with new and existing supporters, championing Out On Screen’s goals and emerging ideas. The Directors Guild is the first of many steps our organization is taking towards the sustainability of our program delivery. Our intent is to ensure that we actively engage our stakeholders in the organization’s success through their meaningful participation.
BC Safer Schools Coalition We are greater than the sum of our parts and our relationships with our vast number of supporters and allies are making our goals possible to achieve. Recently, Out in Schools joined the BC Safer Schools Coalition, a newly formed coalition composed of organizations and individuals who believe that “all students, staff, and family members have the right to feel safe and welcome at school, regardless of race, class ability, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression.” The Coalition was formed in response to a small but organized and vocal group of parents in opposition to the Vancouver School Board’s Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity policy. We cannot take for granted the immense milestones we have achieved to create safe learning space for all youth and how potentially quickly progress can be undone. Programs such as Out in Schools are vital to our future if we are to one day live in a society where sexual and gender diversity are embraced.
10
TREASURER’S REPORT
11
12
13
14
OUR SUPPORTERS We couldn’t have done it without you. Reel Patrons + Endowment Donors We treasure our Legend, Academy, Mogul, Director, Producer Star, Cameo and Ingénue Reel Patrons, as well as our Directors Guild and Legacy Endowment Fund donors. Thank you so much for your support and your belief in our work. (All individual donors are proudly noted in the 2013 festival guide)
Out in Schools Supporters We are proud to acknowledge the following contributors to Out in Schools for the 20122013 year: Principal Partners ($10,000+) Arc Foundation Fillmore Foundation Friends & Company TD Vancity Honour Roll ($5,000 - $9,999) BC Nurses’ Union Coast Capital Savings CKNW Orphans’ Fund RBC Foundation Telus Community Board Vancouver School Board
Credit Roll ($1,000 - $4,999) British Columbia Teachers’ Federation City of Vancouver Dignity Memorial Hamber Foundation Modo Vancouver Foundation Worksafe BC
Festival Supporters The following businesses sponsored at the Gold Reel or above level for the 2013 Vancouver Queer Film Festival: (All 2013 festival sponsors are proudly noted in the festival guide)
Premiere Partners Cineplex B’stro Founding Media Partner Xtra! Media Partners The Beat, 94.5fm CTV The Vancouver Courier WE Vancouver Festival Funders BC Arts Council Canada Council for the Arts Canadian Heritage City of Vancouver Creative BC Province of British Columbia
Youth Focus Partners IBM TD Diamond Reel Sponsors Caya, powered by TELUS HSBC Platinum Reel Sponsors Detours Travel Granville Island Nixey Communications OUTtv UBC Alumni Affairs Gold Reel Sponsors AIDS Vancouver Celebrities Downtown Vancouver BIA Here TV McCarthy Tetrault Plum Living Shortt and Epic Productions Steamworks UBC Critical Studies in Sexuality Vancity
Thank you! Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this listing. In the event of any inadvertent oversight, please accept our apologies and contact us at 604-844-1615 for correction.
15