The Vancouver Queer Film Festival (VQFF) has announced the entire lineup for their 36th annual Festival, which will take place across Vancouver from September 11-22, 2024 this year. The program includes international film and episodic content authored by 2SLGBTQIA+ creators, centered on 2SLGBTQIA+ protagonists, and celebrating queer storytelling and joy. The Festival includes parties, performances, post-screening Q&As with filmmakers, and industry events.
VQFF’s Opening Presentation: Closer features a collection of short films that highlight the solidarity and brilliance of our diverse queer community. Familiar faces, such as beloved actor Ben Whishaw (GOOD BOY, US) and rising local talents like Oji-Cree-Saulteaux poet jaye simpson (I’LL TELL YOU WHEN I’M READY, Canada) star as queer heroes in this dynamic collection. First dates, beautiful friendships, and tender parent-child relationships round out this rousing call to action: be ready to party and love one another throughout this year’s Vancouver Queer Film Festival.
The 2024 Centerpiece Presentation will be the BC Premiere of Canadian director Julia Jackman’s BONUS TRACK (UK), which follows 16-year-old songwriter George who longs to break free of his parents expectations and the small English town they call home. Canadian feature film premiere highlights include: Tribeca favourite RENT FREE (Fernando Andrés, US) follows ageing millennials who launch a social experiment to spend an entire year living “rent-free” by couch-surfing in a rapidly changing Austin, Texas; IF I DIE, IT’LL BE OF JOY (Alexis Taillant, France) follows three rabble-rousers who contemplate and advocate for their right to recognition, love, and sexual liberation as older adults; and the powerful documentary LIFE IS NOT A COMPETITION, BUT I’M WINNING (Julia Fuhr Mann, Germany), which debuted at Venice and explores the achievements, challenges, and legacies of a group of trans, intersex, and queer Olympic athletes who create a radical utopia to challenge the rigid gender rules of competitive sports and envision a more inclusive future.
“I’m thrilled to follow up the success of last year’s festival with another lineup of outstanding films. It’s been a pleasure to witness the incredible calibre of work that 2SLGBTQIA+ filmmakers around the globe are creating,” says Charlie Hidalgo, Artistic Director, Out On Screen. “My respect to the programming team for all their dedication. This year’s festival is an opportunity for Vancouver audiences to discover urgent, innovative and empowering stories by us, for us and about us.”
Other VQFF 2024 feature film highlights include: winner of this year’s Grand Jury Award for Outstanding Documentary Feature at the Frameline: San Francisco International LGBTQ+ Film Festival, FRAGMENTS OF A LIFE LOVED (Chloé Barreau, Italy) a hypnotic film that explores the complexities of sex and relationships; PARADISE IS BURNING (Mika Gustafson, Sweden) which won two awards at the Venice Film Festival, captures the turbulence of three sisters growing up without a safety net among the margins of working-class Sweden; the critically acclaimed YOUNG HEARTS (Belgium, Netherlands) from Anthony Schatteman, a giddy ode to teenagehood with its winsome and warm-hearted exploration of fierce young love; and the hometown premiere of Harrison Xu’s EXTREMELY UNIQUE DYNAMIC (Harrison Xu, Ivan Leung and Katherine Dudas, US) in which a pair of twenty-something Asian-American creatives are determined to make a movie reflecting their experiences as best friends where one happens to be gay and the other, straight; A MOTHER APART (Canada) the award-winning NFB documentary from Laurie Townshend follows powerhouse Jamaican-American poet and LGBTQ+ activist Staceyann Chin and a deeply personal journey to uncover the mysterious past of her elusive mother. Another must-see film this year is the previously announced closing night film LAYLA (UK), which debuted at Sundance earlier this year and follows an up-and-coming British-Palestinian drag queen lighting up local clubs with impressive creativity in the London queer scene.
Episodic projects including series KIN., from directors Justin Ducharme and Theo Jean Cuthand, which will screen to BC audiences for the first time. The five-part scripted series is an honest and comedic exploration of the contemporary, urban queer and trans Indigenous experience, following a group of friends and their social media-engrossed lives starring Ta’Kaiya Blaney (Monkey Beach) alongside an all-Indigenous cast and crew. Giselle Miller’s NOVELETTE IS TRYING; Vancouver’s first Black queer web series will have its world bow and a duo of Australian series TOUCH will have its festival premiere & TRIPLE OH! its Canadian Premiere. French series SPLIT written and directed by feminist author Iris Brey, starring Alma Jodorowsky from Blue Is the Warmest Colour will have its first screening to a Canadian audience at the fest.
With 10 shorts programs this year, there are so many wonderful films to watch. The Coast is Queer program features local films made by and featuring artists in our neighborhood, like Rose Butch, Romi Kim (SKIM), and Persephone Estradiol (jaye simpson). THE BIRDHOUSE, a film that centers the titular queer and trans-run event space and the untold labour and love poured into creating a haven beyond physical walls from director Romi Kim will screen amongst other notable films including: DRAG IS FOR EVERYONE a film that reflects on the support, pride, and joy fostered at the Carousel Theatre’s Drag Camp from filmmakers David Ng and Jen Sungshine (Love Intersections). 12 ANGRY LESBIANS from Patrice Leung, Gabriel Souza Nunes’ PASSIFLORA, Olivia Marie Golosky’s PÎĶÎWÎ, lisa g’s ARTIST / AUTIST and DIRT PRIDE from Christina Rosetti will also play.
For the first time ever, the Vancouver Queer Film Festival’s dates will fall within the school year and will bring programming specifically to youth and school groups with The Future is Queer: Youth Programs co-presented by Out In Schools and The Cinematheque, two days of FREE youth programs that will increase young people’s access to transformative 2SLGBTQIA+ stories and support educators in building core competencies in many related subject areas. Troublemakers 8.0, the intergenerational film project returns to the big screen for the eighth year! Reel Youth and Out On Screen present four new films by youth filmmakers documenting the lives of local queer elders who inspire us through art and advocacy. This screening will be followed by a Q&A with the youth filmmakers.
The 2024 Festival program was curated by VQFF Artistic Director Charlie Hidalgo; Senior Programmers Daniel Crooke and Kathleen Mullen; Programmers Cole Forrest, Laura Arboleda, and Syriah Bailey; Associate Programmers Alayna Y, Chelsea Birks, Gavin K Somers, Jasmine “Audder” Monton, Lu Linares, Maria Cecilia Saba, Seán Maheux Galway; and Programming Consultant Shayna Maci Warner.
For the lineup of all the Short Films playing at VQFF and the entire 2024 program visit www.queerfilmfestival.ca.
Link to Awards Watch article
