Top 10 Comments – a look back at #VQFFHome

Our Program Logistics Manager Sam reflects on this past Festival

The 2021 Vancouver Queer Film Festival was our second during the global COVID-19 pandemic, and it was as challenging as it was rewarding. Digital delivery of film content is already a challenge when so much of what we do as a film festival is rooted in sharing these artistic experiences together. Moreover, this year, we have continued to strive to program art that responds to and amplifies ongoing calls for social, racial, and gender justice and equity.  Our work programming and streaming art created by queer, trans, and Two Spirit people, many of whom have multiple intersecting marginalized identities, has been all the more important. 

When we look back at the work we’ve accomplished over the past year—yes, a full year, our 11-day festival doesn’t just come together overnight!—we could stop at the numbers:

These are accomplishments in their own right, particularly as our team, like many in the communities we serve, struggled to balance health and personal needs while working remotely. We do this work to meet the very real need our communities have to see themselves authentically and beautifully reflected on screen, but it isn’t always easy.

Today, as I reflect on my first year as Program Logistics Manager, and prepare myself for the long grey West Coast winter ahead, I wanted to focus on the intangible successes of the Festival. We do this work for our communities, for the people—friends, family, artists, and strangers alike—who provide the vibrancy and verve of our collective experience as 2SLGBTQIA+ people. So many of you took to social media this year to share your thoughts and feedback on #VQFF2021 and #VQFFHome, and I wanted to highlight my Top 10 (+2 bonus) picks for comments we received during this year’s VQFF.

1. “I feel so exposed and seen at the same time. What do you know: there’s someone out there that understands.”

2. “Every night I have watched excellent queer film. Today I was [working] late in the garden and thought I might take the night off of films; but I am sure glad I didn’t.”

3. “I’ve been enjoying the festival immensely. I noticed someone adding all the films (including mine) to TMDB, and turns out it’s a friend of mine, preserving the entire historic catalogue of the festival in their free time! I feel that shows it’s importance. As my friend said: ‘there are so many gay short films… more than we will ever know.’”

4. “I have almost never ‘seen myself’ on screen, so this was good for me. There’s lots of trans programming, of course, but I’m kind of old-school like the women in [Sedimentos], and I appreciated this cast.”

5. “I did not expect to be moved in so many ways. I also didn’t know there would be so many.”

6. “What a joy to spend my Friday evening revelling in the feelings of kinship and lineage I got from watching Rebel Dykes at [the VQFF] – it made me long for a time when it’s safe to gather with all those gorgeous rebels again!”

7. “So many excellent films in [the VQFF] this year! Wonderful to see all these docs about people embracing their joy, being passionate in their art and their activism.”

8. “Seeing you at work duing [The Coast is Queer-Live!] was really inspiring and it was so clear how much love and heart you put into this festival, and it’s such an important part of our queer community.”

9. “Thank you so much for such a fulfilling and amazing experience!!! It was so wonderful to see so many people come out and celebrate with us!! […] I will most certainly keep my eyes open for any more volunteering opportunities in the future with you guys! It was so much fun being a helping hand!!”

10. “Y’all do A LOT with a very small team in a very short time.”

11. “I thought the curation was absolutely brilliant – I appreciated everything I managed to see, the artistic, humour, drama, and as usual I learned a lot from the documentaries. The artistic direction/ curation is absolutely exceptional in its breadth and depth. Kudos! Please keep up the good work.”

12. “Thank you so much for offering [the youth workshop]. The kits were fun, playful and made it extra special to receive it in the mail. My daughter attended with four of her friends. This was such a creative way of bringing young people together.”

And finally, I want to acknowledge that people showed up. We do this work for the people in our communities, and just showing up—online or in-person; for features, workshops, or shorts programs—is a huge demonstration of support and a significant sign that what we do is meaningful.

Thank you to everyone who made this year’s VQFF not only possible, but incredibly successful! I encourage you to keep a lookout for more off-season programming coming in the future, for you to share your comments and feedback with us via DM or email, and to consider deepening your connection with our work by becoming a monthly donor or by signing up to be a volunteer.