And The Winners Are…
JURY AWARDS // I+N32
LONG MÉTRAGE / FEATURE
And Then We Danced | Levan Akin | 2019 | Georgia / Sweden / France
DOCUMENTAIRE / DOCUMENTARY
Madame | Stéphane Riethauser | 2019 | Switzerland
COURT MÉTRAGE CANADIEN / CANADIAN SHORT
Biidaaban (The Dawn Comes) | Amanda Strong | 2018 | Canada
COURT MÉTRAGE INTERNATIONAL / INTERNATIONAL SHORT
Dark Hearts | Maria Neheimer | 2019 | Germany
And That’s a Wrap! Canada’s Original LGBTQ Film Festival Amplifies More New Queer Voices Than Ever!
image+nation, Canada’s first LGBTQ film festival and pioneering platform of queer stories has just wrapped up one of the finest years the festival has ever enjoyed. image+nation 32 produced a series of unforgettable cinematic highlights and delivered an unparallelled program of new queer stories that defied the conventional LGBTQ narrative across 10 incredible days!
“With image+nation 32 we continued our exploration of new queer stories and storytelling. I am most proud this year that we added new voices to that queer storytelling, from countries we have not heard from before within queer cinema,” states Programming Director, Kat Setzer. “This couldn’t be better evidenced than by our opening night film, now the Jury Prize winner, And Then We Danced. A whirlwind of brilliant stories, wonderful exchange and discussion with our beloved audience over these last 10 days, I couldn’t be more pleased with the outcome!”
“Our 32nd edition brought us together to discover, explore and share new stories of contemporary queer lives in our changing world – the first LGBTQ+ voices from Georgia through our Jury Grand Prize winner And Then We Danced (also Oscar 2020 nominated), our 19th Queerment Québec with local filmmakers, voices from our youth, and honouring our elders. Truly a year that showed the world what a great and diverse community we are, and how we are an integral part of all social landscapes,” adds Charlie Boudreau, Festival Director.
New Dates for 2020!
image+nation is delighted to anounce that edition 33 will be held on the all-new dates of 21 – 31 October, 2020. Programming planning is already under way for what’s sure to be another wonderful edition of the festival, and the perfect way to wrap up LGBT History Month 2020!
What the Jury Said About the Winners
Feature: And The We Danced
In this coming of age, the main character’s terms for romantic and professional risks and failures leave the audience with an inebriating sense of empowerment. The dedicated lead performances tie together a bold cinematic style and build complex characters that outlive their time onscreen.
Documentary: Madame
An intimate account of self-discovery that can only be realized with a rigorous deconstruction of the limiting foundations of formal and familial education, this compelling documentary succeeds at peeling away the mechanisms of heteropatriarchal performativity embodied by both men and women of different generations…The result: a love letter from a gay activist grandson to his grandmother that invites us to look at our families with empathy and to be patient when walking the radical walk of introspection with our loved ones.
Canadian Short: Biidaaban
This short’s remarkable use of stop-motion drives Anishinaabe writer, Leanne Betasamosake Simpson’s words to a powerful conclusion with a lyrical, but potent call for rebellion.
International Short: Dark Hearts
Pour moi tout est excellent dans ce récit, les actrices sont convaincantes, l’histoire est bouleversante et la conclusion est satisfaisante! On aurait aimé voir l’histoire d’amour exister mais il est plus fidèle à la réalité qu’elle ne se passe jamais!
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ABOUT IMAGE+NATION
A pioneer of LGBTQ cinema for over 30 years, image+nation is dedicated to sharing the stories and experiences of LGBTQ people. image+nation is an inclusive annual 11-day festival, the oldest of its kind in Canada, featuring award-winning locally and internationally produced films that strives to preserve the authenticity and diversity of LGBTQ voices.
image+nation’s mission is to represent, protect and prepare the present and future generations of queer storytellers and media makers while building empathy through sharing stories with audiences here in Canada, and throughout the world with our new online initiatives.
Currently, image+nation is also developing a series of educational and mentoring programs dedicated to nurturing emerging content, such as the I+N ProLab inaugurated in 2016.
Now into its fourth decade of showcasing LGBTQ culture, image+nation explores New Queer Storytelling and the uniqueness and universality of these stories; striving to promote diversity, inclusivity and the many intersectional aspects of queer voices and communities.
