From May 27th to June 3rd, Kensington’s own Plaza Theatre will be host to 47 award-winning and thought provoking films dedicated to exploring issues in GLBTQA culture. Promising to be “a lineup that is it’s most bold, beautiful, and inclusive selection of films yet,” The Fairy Tales Presentation Society has again outdone itself.
Jessica Dollard, Programming Director of Fairy Tales can only attribute this success to dedicated hard work by both herself and all the organizations and individuals that have given their time and energy to the annual festival. “This year has been busy, one big adventure, and I think the organization has benefitted from the renewed effort and energy of our new team.”
This is, in fact Dollard’s first year as Program Director with the departure of last year’s Program Director Matt Salton. Jessica stepped into Fairy Tales with a passion for film and a desire to expand the organization into more than it already was.
“I come from a theatre background, so I had a lot to learn about how the film industry works with distributors, negotiating screening fees, and creating a program guide – it has been quite an adventure for me. We have also done quite a bit of work rebranding the organization and beginning new programs, such as Reels on Wheels this year. I can honestly say that our team has found that outreach through Reels on Wheels and community partnerships are an integral part of what Fairy Tales is about, and we have found these endeavours very rewarding.”
Fairy Tales 12 has something for everyone. “Don’t be fooled or frightened by the GLBTQA acronym,” says Dollard. The Festival’s features encompass a large, international, societal, and cultural base. Not only are there film’s from such places as Canada, Australia, Sweden, China, USA, Israel, Peru, and Argentina, but there is also a “Bring a Straight Night” on Wednesday, June 2nd, with enticing 2 for 1 offers. This night features the film Beyond Gay: the Politics of Pride,” which is a documentary exploring pride festivals around the world. Following the film, there will be cocktails and discussions with Calgary’s Pride Board in attendance at Sam’s Bar and Grill, two minutes from the Plaza Theatre.
At the heart of the festival, and in conjunction with AIDS Calgary, Fairy Tales will be running AIDS As A Catalyst on May 30th and 31st which “promotes the understanding of media arts, cinema, visual arts, opera, and the placement of AIDS.” This project consists of screenings, art installations, and panel discussions that will work in tandem to keep the discussion of AIDS current and meaningful.
This two-day focus will be full of the works of John Grayson, Trevor Anderson, Keith Murray, Ted Kerr, and Sharon Stevens. There will be panel discussions on how art and film can work objectively to “make a difference.” Included will be a discussion of John Greyson’s new film Fig Tree, focusing on “challenges in making an age old art form accessible and relevant in order to tell stories to modern audiences.”
Rounding out AAC is a panel discussion on how AIDS and societal reactions to AIDS contribute to those who produce works combining art and activism. This follows General Idea: Art, AIDS, and the Fin De Siècle, a film by Ted Kerr who brings to Fairy Tales his work with HIV Edmonton and Exposure: Edmonton’s Queer Arts and Culture Festival.
All panel discussions are free with the ticket to the preceding film.
Each day of the Festival is in tandem with a general theme and corresponding community sponsor.
Opening night on May 27th will be host to the enigmatic film The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls, telling the story of Jools and Lynda Topp, New Zealand’s “only comedic, country singing, dancing, and yodeling lesbian twin sisters.” This film is guaranteed to win your heart, and make you laugh.
Immediately following the screening, guests are invited to join in at Dolce Sapori in Kensington for the Opening Gala. Free admission and refreshments are granted with a Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls ticket stub.
A unique addition to this year’s Festival is the Spoon Me Youth Gala being held on Saturday, May 29th. This program features shorts with young people ages 12-17 in mind. Within the nine shorts is an animated film depicting a love letter from a young boy to his father who has grown into a beautiful, strong woman. According to IMDB, it tells a story of “an exploration of memory, loss of innocence, growing up, and being who you are,” a definite familiar tale to many youth in the community.
Following Spoon Me, the theme continues into Eclectic and Electric Shorts. This is a definite must-see, with films that explore a number of gritty and humorous topics. If this isn’t enough, Ultimate Sub Ultimate Dom: Maria Von Trapp and Mary Poppins by title alone, will bring the crowds to the Plaza Theatre.
A staple in the GLBTQA community is Constable Lynn MacDonald of the Calgary Police Service’s Diversity Resource Unit. She will be leading a panel discussion at the end of the first screening at the Tuesday, June 1st Identification Please? Program. This evening is guaranteed to be both objective and subjective as the films deal with transexualism, transitioning, and the individuals that both oppose and approve. One such film being showcased this evening, Boy I Am, a USA made film from Sam Feder and Julie Hollar, examining the lives of young transitioning FTM’s (female to male) in New York City. Not only does the film look at their own processes, it also examines the impact of transexuality within feminist and lesbian culture. Feminist and lesbian varied degrees of non-acceptance of MTF’s (male to female) and FTM’s is perhaps the dirty little secret of queer culture. This film opens up this discussion and “challenges all viewers to rethink their concepts of activism and identity.”
When asked about the films that are part of the Festival, Jessica Dollard asserts that the theme this year is one we can all identify with. “I think the common thread here is love stories! The Festival is filled with stories of love - a universal and accessible theme in my estimation.” A strong part of this all-encompassing theme is Thursday, June 3rd’s evening entitled Love Stories, which tells the stories of the triumph of love over prejudice, and international and prehistoric law.
One feature this evening is Edie and Thea: a Very Long Engagement by Susan Muska and Greta Olafsdottir - the story of two women, their forbidden love through the ages, and their eventual marriage. They met in the early 60’s, became engaged, bought a house, took trips, and finally married in Toronto in 2007. This story will pull at your heart strings, yet will leave an undeniable feeling that love can, in fact, conquer all.
Rounding out the Festival, on Friday June 4th, is an evening entitled The Happily Ever After-Party brought to you by GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine! Kicking off the party is the screening of Violet Tendencies a film by Casper Andrea the director of The Big Gay Musical at the Uptown Theatre.
Violet, played by Mindy Cohn of The Facts of Life, is missing something. Her loving group of friends are all men, but none want to love her the way she wants to be loved. She is the quintessential and beloved staple in the gay male world - the fruit fly. The story of her search for love takes hilarious turns, and with all of her looking she may have just looked a little too far - the right love for her may just have been right in front of her the whole time!
Following the screenings this evening, The Marquee Room on the second floor of the Uptown Theatre will be booming with music of Vancouver’s DJ Lisa DeLux from The L Word, and local DJ’s mollyfi, DJ Fleur, and DJ Michelle C. Advance tickets for the screening and after-party are $20, and for just the after-party are $15.00.
Tickets for the Festival are sold at the door on a first-come, first-serve basis. To avoid lineups, and to guarantee yourself a seat, Festival passes are available. Dollard agrees. “Buy a festival pass, grab a program guide and then come to anything you like! It’s the easiest way to go, since having a pass means you stand in the Priority Member Line-up, have a guaranteed seat, and then you can just relax and eat popcorn.”
See page 42 for an official Fairytales Film Festival Guide with a schedule of films, panels, programmes, and social events.