Smart, successful, and charming, Elsie is the perfect girlfriend; she also happens to be a serial monogamist, with a long history of broken hearts. When Elsie breaks up with her long-standing girlfriend to pursue another woman, she faces her mother’s disapproval, conflicting advice from friends, and the nagging suspicion that she may have made a big mistake. Set in the Parkdale neighborhood of Toronto, Portrait of a Serial Monogamist invites audiences to peek behind the curtain to a world of smart, funny and relatable queer characters, dealing with the universal complications of modern relationships. Not another coming out story, this is a fresh coming-of-middle-age romantic comedy.
Romantic Comedy. 2015. Canada. 84min. Directed by John Mitchell & Christina Zeidler
Toronto, 1955. In the heart of Chinatown, a new bar opens: The Continental. It’s dark, grimy, and attracts an unusual clientele. Local tabloids scream in 20-point font: “Sapphos overflow Chinatown!” The bar becomes the meeting place for two of Toronto’s marginalized communities: Chinese-Canadian men and lesbians living “the life” full time.
Recounting this forgotten piece of Toronto queer history, artists Hortie and Reynolds tell the story of Toronto’s first long-standing lesbian bar using original shadow puppets, overhead projector animation and archival images. Pull a stool up to the bar and watch lesbians and Chinese men stand side by side, battling crooked cops, fractured families, tabloid rumours, and the wrecking ball of “progress”.
The Screening Room (120 Princess St.)
PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL MONOGAMIST
Smart, successful, and charming, Elsie is the perfect girlfriend; she also happens to be a serial monogamist, with a long history of broken hearts. When Elsie breaks up with her long-standing girlfriend to pursue another woman, she faces her mother’s disapproval, conflicting advice from friends, and the nagging suspicion that she may have made a big mistake. Set in the Parkdale neighborhood of Toronto, Portrait of a Serial Monogamist invites audiences to peek behind the curtain to a world of smart, funny and relatable queer characters, dealing with the universal complications of modern relationships. Not another coming out story, this is a fresh coming-of-middle-age romantic comedy.
Romantic Comedy. 2015. Canada. 84min. Directed by John Mitchell & Christina Zeidler
Preceded by: Midnight at the Continental
Lauren Hortie & Sonya Reynolds. 2015.Canada. 9:47min
Toronto, 1955. In the heart of Chinatown, a new bar opens: The Continental. It’s dark, grimy, and attracts an unusual clientele. Local tabloids scream in 20-point font: “Sapphos overflow Chinatown!” The bar becomes the meeting place for two of Toronto’s marginalized communities: Chinese-Canadian men and lesbians living “the life” full time.
Recounting this forgotten piece of Toronto queer history, artists Hortie and Reynolds tell the story of Toronto’s first long-standing lesbian bar using original shadow puppets, overhead projector animation and archival images. Pull a stool up to the bar and watch lesbians and Chinese men stand side by side, battling crooked cops, fractured families, tabloid rumours, and the wrecking ball of “progress”.
Filmmakers In Attendance
Community Sponsor: The Kingston Canadian Film Festival
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Kingston, Ontario K7L 5M6 Canada + Google Map