There was a time when queer artists had to “scream loud” to make their voices heard in the public space. Diversity in all its forms is now taking its place in popular culture, despite protests by a vocal minority against drag queens or attacks on the rights of transgender people in the United States.
Until November 26, the 36e edition of the Image + Nation festival presents 175 films featuring the LGBT2SQ+ community. These works show characters embodying the vast spectrum of what we call “diversity”. But these are “normal” films, even if they feature lesbians, trans or bisexual people, rejoices Charlie Boudreau, director of the Image + Nation festival.
“I have said for a long time that these are films for everyone,” says this long-time activist in Montreal’s queer community, met in a café in Plateau-Mont-Royal.
“They become truly universal stories. We’re just part of the furniture. It’s not negative to say that. That means we’re right here. This is very good news,” she adds.
Charlie Boudreau joined the Image + Nation festival team during the early years of the event, which began in the 1980s. She remembers the heaviness of the first editions, at a time when queer voices struggled to be heard.
They become truly universal stories. We’re just part of the furniture. It’s not negative to say that. That means we’re right here. That’s very good news.
“We had to take our place in the public space. We agree that we had to shout louder at that time,” she says.
Opening on the world
The closing evening, dedicated to the phenomenon House of Venus, will celebrate these pioneers of queer culture, who shake up the cage with their costume parties to a backdrop of music. An “immersive” show and a party by the art/performance platform Wiggle are also on the menu for the evening.
The festival opens with the film Marinette, dedicated to one of the first high-level French sportswomen to display her homosexuality. Actress Garance Marillier plays Marinette Pichon in this docufiction adapted from her 2008 autobiography, Never give up.
The 175 films on display come from 27 countries, including South Africa, Bulgaria, Romania, Nigeria, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Mexico, Denmark, Norway, from Argentina, Azerbaijan, Iran, Ireland, Ukraine, Portugal, Brazil, as well as Germany, the United States and here, in Quebec and in Canada.
Montreal audiences will have the opportunity to attend in-person screenings, round tables and a series of events. Online programming is also offered throughout the 11 days of the festival.
Antidote against intolerance
Despite the progress made over more than three decades, Charlie Boudreau agrees that intolerance is making a comeback. The Trump years have uninhibited people allergic to difference, she notes. The queer activist is, however, convinced that a vocal minority is behind the demonstrations against the presence of drag queens in public spaces, particularly in libraries.
The very definition of what a queer person is remains complex. “That’s a big question. We can stick to the first definition from the 1990s, which was to not necessarily follow the norms of patriarchy or society,” suggests Charlie Boudreau.
It evokes diversity and inclusion, “overused” words despite their real social significance. Queer culture aims to “show the different human components of a society and to give a place to lives that do not “fit” within the narrow framework of the norm, if you will”.
People who have never met a queer person may be intrigued. We are afraid of what we don’t know. Queer films or discussions with artisans in the field allow us to “generate empathy,” notes Charlie Boudreau. The public will be able to see that they are human beings. Quite simply.