With the mantle of being the largest and oldest LGBT film festival comes great responsibility. We don't need to worry, however, as Image+Nation does itself and the city of Montreal proud. Twenty-two years into it Image + Nation can pretty much do this with their eyes shut, but the great thing about the festival is that the insist on doing things with eyes wide open. And try, whenever possible, to open the eyes of the people attending.
Right off the top, in their constant effort to do things better, grow and evolve, the festival organizers are doing some things a little differently. They have moved the festival from its usual November timeslot forward to October. Figuring that the slightly warmer autumn temperature might be more conducive to people leaving their homes to venture out to the festival, the festival starts this the third week of October.
Over the course of the 11 days of the festival there will be films a plenty and in all formats. From shorts to features from documentaries to dramas, all the colours of the rainbow (pun intended) will be represented. Image + Nation shines its light on independent films allowing them to find audiences they might not have otherwise.
Plenty of films from around the globe will give filmgoers the opportunity to see the issues and viewpoints of the LGBT communities around the world. Films will be screened from the United States ("Zombies of Mass Destruction"), Germany ("Cowboy"), France ("Donne-moi La Main"), Mexico ("Rabioso Sol, Rabioso Cielo"), Philippines ("Boy"), and Sweden ("Patrik, Age 1.5") amongst others.
Opening the festival will be a film by American director Jason Bushman entitled "Hollywood Je T'aime" and the closing film is Nancy Kissam's "Drool". Not just focusing on features the festival is giving an equal amount of screen time to short films. One that is highly anticipated is the Toronto International Film Festival Honourable Mention in the Best Canadian Short Film category, Jamie Travis's "The Armoire". Travis has been called one of the most original voices in Canadian cinema, so make sure you catch this film.
Once again there will be a panel discussion and opportunities at Q+As with some of the directors and actors of the films being screened. One of the panels has a particularly Quebec slant to it in that it will be about how Quebec film people see their roles as the present generation of LGBT storytellers.
Additional Information:
-Website: www.image-nation.org
-Venues: Imperial Cinema – 1432 Bleury
JA de Seve Theatre (Concordia University) – 1400 deMaisonneuve West
Goethe-Insitut – 418 Sherbrooke East
-Ticket Purchase: Main box office: Imperial Cinema or www.image-nation.org
-Ticket Prices: Single Ticket: Adult: $11
Student and Senior: $7.50
Movie Buff Pass: 10 films @ $90