reelout 2009

reelout 10 queer film + video festival
January 29 – February 8, 2009

Welcome to reelout 10!

Wow! Reelout is turning 10! This small little film festival that we have all come to love and cherish is starting to grow up. 10 years ago a handful of awesome activists and dedicated community organizers gathered out of Kingston’s OPRIG with the dream of creating a queer film festival - and it’s obvious that the community was thirsty for it. Our passion for film, our desire to see ourselves on screen, and our belief that we can make a difference to our community are the fuel that keep the wheels turning on this little festival that could.

This past year has seen some significant growth within the reelout organization, and admittedly some growing pains… Our reelout in schools project was launched this past fall, and was met with great success as we presented a dozen anti-homophobia workshops to youth four different schools! At reelout 9 we launched our first Friends of the Festival donor program (which we invite you to sign up for!) to help make reelout more self-sustainable. And whenever we have stumbled in our past, our strong base of dedicated volunteers was there to get us back on our feet! 

So as we uncork the bubbly to celebrate this significant milestone, I would like to acknowledge all of the amazing individuals who have contributed to and nurtured reelout over the past ten years! To the daring founding members, to the many devoted collective members, board, and volunteers, festival staff, Friends of the Festival donors, sponsors and advertisers, and of course the artists – we thank you all!

It’s our 10th Anniversary! Enjoy the ground breaking and inspiring film, chat with our talented visiting filmmakers, vote for your audience favourite, dance up a storm at our infamous parties and come celebrate with us!

From the reelout staff, board and collective – enjoy the festival!

Programmer’s Message

In order to bring you this exceptional program for our 10th Anniversary festival, our dedicated group of reelout programmers met regularly throughout the summer and fall to find those special films that will make you remember them for years to come. As part of our programming for this year’s festival, reelout sent a number of our program volunteers to queer film festivals across the country, including Toronto’s Inside Out, Calgary’s Fairy Tales, and Vancouver’s Out on Screen. Thanks to Canada Council Travel grants, and the lovely organizers of these festivals for providing us with this experience.

It has always been reelout’s goal to create a program that will represent our community in all its diversity. You may be surprised by where you see yourself reflected this year: a gay man who has lost a friend only to discover another, a teenager working hard to create diversity in their school through a GSA, a French boxer trying to find a sperm donor, a black trans man exploring the different facets of his identity, an intersex youth faced with a big decision, or a small town drag queen and local hero!

Speaking of representing the diversity of the Kingston queer community… Don’t miss out on your chance to see some of Kingston’s home grown talent in action at the Kingston’s Still Burning Centerpiece Gala! See your friends and local favourites take over the screen in this retrospective of local shorts featuring some of the greatest talent from Kingston, including James Fowler, Brian O’Neill, Jim Verburg, Ryan Crouchman, Thomas Rogers, Rafaela + Faryl, Matt Salton, Sandra Jass + Miss Tyffanie.

With dozens of cutting edge and groundbreaking independent queer films from across Canada and around the world, combined with a handful of amazing parties that you won’t want to miss – reelout 10 is worth coming out for!

Enjoy!
Carla Henderson
Director of Programming


Become a Friend of the Festival

As reelout turns 10 we have a lot to celebrate! We have spent the past decade showcasing 100s of cutting-edge independent queer films from across Canada and around the world. We’ve had the opportunity to meet dozens of exciting filmmakers from Kingston across the country. And we have raised awareness of queer issues, both at the festival and through our new reelout in schools project. Help reelout continue to support, create + educate, by becoming a Friend of the Festival.

Top 10 Reasons for Becoming a Friend of the Festival
10. It’s a reel deal!
9. You’ll meet new and interesting Friends
8. Queer filmmakers from around the world will thank you
7. We’ll invite you to special Friends of the Festival events
6. Local artists will get opportunities to create new film + video
5. You’ll help reelout work with youth in secondary schools
4. You can claim it on your taxes
3. You’ll help promote cutting edge films that won’t be seen anywhere else in the city
2. Together we will celebrate reelout’s 10 years as the little festival that could
1. It’s a friendship with benefits!

To all our Friends of the Festival, on behalf of the reelout Board, Staff, and Collective, we would like to say Thank You for your generous support!

Christina Clare, Jackie Davies, Mico Devos, Mary Ann Higgs, Carloyn Johanson, Karen Parsons, Rebecca Taylor, Ben Tollestrup, Emily + Alice Woods, Marney McDiarmid, Wendy Luella Perkins, Elinor Rush, Irene Zouros, Marc Shaw, Bob Burge, and John Freeman

copyright © 2009 reelout