VANCOUVER, August 21, 2023 – The Vancouver Queer Film Festival (VQFF) is pleased to announce the 2023 Award recipients. $52,500 CAD in prizes will be distributed to 2SLGBTQIA+ filmmakers, with the highest accolades bestowed upon RBC Narrative Change Award winner director Sharon “Rocky” Roggio’s 1946: THE MISTRANSLATION THAT SHIFTED CULTURE (USA), who will receive a cash prize of $5,000 CAD and the Gerry Brunet Memorial Award: Best British Columbia Short winner director Lauren Marsden’s TABANCA, who will take home a cash prize of $2,500 CAD courtesy of the Directors Guild of Canada, BC plus a $15,000 CAD camera package from Keslow Camera.

“I am deeply moved by and immensely grateful for the support of the VQFF audiences. We saw more attendees this year than in pre-pandemic times. Thank you, Vancouver, for coming out and embracing our storytellers; your presence and warm reception had a profound impact on their Festival experience,” said Charlie Hidalgo, Artistic Director, Out On Screen. “We took a stand and committed to only showcasing stories made by our community, and the difference was felt by all who attended. This 2023 edition of VQFF has been the most extraordinary and rewarding experience of my curatorial career.”

“I am truly humbled and profoundly honoured to be the first recipient of the RBC Narrative Change Award. Thank you Vancouver Queer Film Festival, Out On Screen and RBC, for establishing this incredible award that uplifts the power of storytelling and its ability to reshape the very fabric of our society. I extend my heartfelt gratitude for this recognition to the jury who saw the power and potential in 1946: THE MISTRANSLATION THAT SHIFTED CULTURE. I am proud to be a part of a community that believes in the ability of storytelling to bridge gaps, foster empathy, and ignite meaningful dialogue,” said Sharon “Rocky” Roggio director of 1946: THE MISTRANSLATION THAT SHIFTED CULTURE.

TABANCA director Lauren Marsden commented, “It is a great honour to receive the Gerry Brunet Memorial Award and join the incredible list of past awardees. I am deeply proud of everyone on the TABANCA team who helped bring this story of self-love and queer Caribbean joy to life. Here’s to many more!”

$30,000 CAD in cash and prizes will be distributed amongst the winners for this year’s People’s Choice Awards. The 2023 winners are:

Canadian Feature
THIS PLACE dir. V.T. Nayani 
Includes a $5,000 CAD cash prize from the Canada Media Fund (CMF) 

Canadian Short
SCARING WOMEN AT NIGHT dir. Karimah Zakia Issa
Includes a $20,000 CAD camera package from Panavision 

International Feature
1946: THE MISTRANSLATION THAT SHIFTED CULTURE (USA) dir. Sharon “Rocky” Roggio
Includes a $2,500 CAD cash prize from Out On Screen 

International Short
FOREIGN UNCLE (China/USA) dir. Sining Xiang
Includes a $2,500 CAD cash prize from Out On Screen 

The 2023 jurors for the RBC Narrative Change Award were acclaimed film producer and Director of Transgender Representation at GLAAD, Alex Schmider; award-winning journalist and media personality Shar Jossell; and Firelight Media’s Documentary Lab Director, Lucy Mukerjee. 

Jury’s statement: 

“The RBC Narrative Change Award goes to 1946: THE MISTRANSLATION THAT SHIFTED CULTURE, for its ability to excavate and deliver deep cultural revelations in a way that’s both educational and entertaining. 1946 is a film that the jury believes will help transform the worldviews of others, as it did them, and encourage necessary exploration and inquiry by all who watch it.”

The 2023 jurors for the Gerry Brunet Memorial Award: Best British Columbia Short were filmmakers V.T. Nayani (THIS PLACE), Gabe Gabriel (RUNS IN THE FAMILY), and Twiggy Pucci Garçon (MnM).   

Jury’s statement: 

“The Gerry Brunet Memorial Award: Best British Columbia Short goes to TABANCA, a film that artfully explores the numbing ache of loneliness. Not the kind one feels when missing a single person but rather the kind that pulls one’s heart towards home — home as in community, culture, and self. Though universal, this is a quintessentially queer experience embodied here by a lead actor who communicates pain and hope in equal but subtle measure, and captured simply and beautifully through thoughtful direction and cinematography.”

Out In Schools is excited to add three films that screened at the VQFF to our Film Catalogue: Pete (USA) dir. Bret Parker, Twin Sparks (USA) dir. Ollie Yao, Heather Yun and MnM (USA) dir. Twiggy Pucci Garçon. These films will be screened online by educators, and in person with Out In Schools facilitators reaching approximately 10,000 youth over the course of the 2023-2024 school year.

This year, VQFF’s lineup exclusively showcased films by 2SLGBTQIA+ storytellers. Throughout the Festival, audiences attended in-person and virtual screenings and were captivated by 92 films from 27 countries, including 24 feature films and 10 World Premieres. In the festival, first, the Opening Presentation: Stronger Together, showcased six short films; the Centrepiece Presentation featured the Canadian Premiere of Sharon “Rocky” Roggio’s astonishing documentary 1946: THE MISTRANSLATION THAT SHIFTED CULTURE (USA) and Ian Gabriel’s RUNS IN THE FAMILY (South Africa) closed the Festival. 

The 2023 Festival programme was curated by VQFF Artistic Director Charlie Hidalgo; Festival Programmers Sarah-Tai Black and Rico Johnson-Sinclair; 2023 VQFF Programming Disruptor Fellowship recipients Jasmine “Audder” Monton, Romi Kim, and Eva Grant; Guest Programmer Simone Ling. 

Festival images and press materials can be downloaded here. 

The VQFF would also like to thank its generous partners for their support, including lead partner RBC Royal Bank, premiere partners Canada Media Fund, Rogers, Warner Bros. Discovery Access Canada and Telefilm Canada, signature partner Twin Sails Brewing, screening partners UBCP/ACTRA, Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association, Herschel Supply Company and the Canadian Media Producers Association, festival funders Canada Council For the Arts, Government of Canada, City of Vancouver, Creative BC, The Province of British Columbia and British Columbia Arts Council, cultural partner SFU Woodward’s, exclusive technical partner 24 Frames Digital Films, transportation partner Modo, exclusive media partner CBC Vancouver, advertising partner Western Media Group and festival supporters bed, Vancouver Civic Theatres, MT+Co, IATSE Local 891, Gayvan.com, James Goodman, Black Screen Office and ACFC West, Local 2020 Unifor. 

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Media Contact
Laura Steen
Route 504 PR
laura@route504pr.com 

About Out On Screen

Out On Screen is a charitable organization that illuminates, celebrates, and advances queer lives through film, education, and dialogue. The Vancouver Queer Film Festival creates a dynamic platform for queer cinema that reflects a diversity of experiences while connecting and strengthening our communities. The award-winning Out In Schools program brings age-appropriate queer cinema into school classrooms to combat homophobia, transphobia, and bullying, and to provide the language and tools for inclusion. Out On Screen is proud to be among the leaders in Canada working to create an equitable society where sexual and gender diversity are embraced. www.outonscreen.com 

Instagram: www.instagram.com/queerfilmfest
Facebook: www.facebook.com/VancouverQFF
Twitter: www.twitter.com/queerfilmfest
#VQFF2023

VANCOUVER, August 8, 2023 – The Vancouver Queer Film Festival (VQFF) is delighted to welcome over 35 directors, stars, writers and producers to Vancouver from August 10-20. Guests slated to attend the 35th edition of the Festival represent 29 of the films showcased and will participate in Q&As following each in-person screening. Tickets can be purchased at www.queerfilmfestival.ca.

“For our 35th anniversary, we are hosting more visiting artists than ever. I’m thrilled that we can provide space for many international and local queer filmmakers to make meaningful connections and network,” said Charlie Hidalgo, Artistic Director, Out on Screen. “2SLGBTQIA+ film festivals are a hub for community strengthening and much-needed collaboration.”

VQFF will award 2SLGBTQIA+ filmmakers $52,500 CAD in cash, in-kind prizes, and play encore screenings of the winning films on August 20. $30,000 CAD in cash and prizes will be distributed amongst the Audience Choice Award winners for Best Canadian Feature, Best Canadian Short, Best International Feature and Best International Short.

The jury for the inaugural RBC Narrative Change Award with a $5,000 CAD cash prize include acclaimed film producer and Director of Transgender Representation at GLAAD, Alex Schmider; award-winning journalist and media personality Shar Jossell; and Firelight Media’s Documentary Lab Director, Lucy J. Mukerjee.

The jurors for the 2023 Gerry Brunet Memorial Award: Best British Columbia Short, with a $2,500 CAD cash prize sponsored by the Directors Guild of Canada, BC plus a $15,000 CAD camera package from Keslow Camera are; visiting feature filmmakers V.T. Nayani (THIS PLACE), Twiggy Pucci Garçon (MnM) and Gabe Gabriel (RUNS IN THE FAMILY).

On Monday, August 14, VQFF is proud to host a series of three online industry panels centered on the past, present and future of 2SLGBTQIA+ storytelling.

A Present History of LGBTQ Storytelling will feature a panel of LGBTQ experts from GLAAD, including; Alex Schmider, Megan Townsend, Monica Trasandes, Nick Adams, and Tre’vell Anderson, award-winning journalist and author of We See Each Other: A Black Trans Journey Through Film and TV. They will reflect on the progress they’ve witnessed in LGBTQ storytelling and how they’re pushing the future of LGBTQ storytelling forward.

Cultural Strategy and Narrative Change will see a conversation with cultural strategist Sonya Childress, Co-founder of Color Congress; Tre’vell Anderson, author of We See Each Other: A Black, Trans Journey Through TV and Film; and film strategist Asad Muhammad, the Vice President of Impact and Engagement Strategy at POV. This powerhouse trio will walk the audience through practical ways that storytellers can use their work to transform how 2SLGBTQIA+ people are seen and understood.

Positionality/Authentic Authorship and Stereotype will feature Rico Johnson-Sinclair, Director of the Anti-Racist Taskforce for European Film and Gian Franco, Co-Founder and Chairman of The Stereotype Project, offering an immersive and interactive workshop on authentic authorship and positionality, designed to give 2SLGBTQIA+ filmmakers practical tools to enable authenticity both above-the-line and below-the-line.

In addition to guests from this year’s film selections, the Opening Night party at Vancouver Playhouse will feature performances from Toddy, Mermaid and Milan Garçon with music by DJ Softieshan. The party is FREE to attend with tickets to the Opening Night Presentation: Stronger Together. The Closing Night party at Vancouver Playhouse will also feature a stellar lineup of performances from Continental Breakfast, Kara Juku and Genesis, with music by DJ Bella. Entry to the party is also FREE with tickets to the Closing Presentation screening of RUNS IN THE FAMILY.

Short programmes that will feature special drag performances following the screenings include; Midnight Foreplay with a performance by Maiden China, The Coast is Queer with a performance by Mx. Bukuru, and Slay 4 Me, which will see live performances by Bongganisa and Juan Alcuitas-Imperial. The screening of the feature documentary QUEENDOM (France) will also treat its audience to a special drag performance by Vixen Von Flex!

Special guests attending the 2023 Vancouver Queer Film Festival by film:

1946: THE MISTRANSLATION THAT SHIFTED CULTURE (USA) Sharon “Rocky” Roggio (Director) Jena Serbu (Producer) A QUEER’S GUIDE TO SPIRITUAL LIVING (Canada) Ari Conrad Birch (Director/Co-Writer) Michal Heuston (Director/Co-Writer) AC UNIT (USA) Grace Godvin (Director) Drew Anderson (Actor/Co-Writer) Hilton Dresden (Actor/Co-Writer) AND THEY WERE LOVED (USA) Malik Julien (Director) APARTMENT 605 (USA) Bianca Catbagan (Director) BEFORE I CHANGE MY MIND (Canada) Trevor Anderson (Director/Co-Writer) BITTERSWEET BECOMING (Canada) Polina Teif (Director) Karla Rae James (Documentary Protagonist, Co-Writer) D. Morrison (Composer, Sound Recordist) DOTTING THE “I” (USA) Doug Tompos (Director/Writer) E.S.S. SCENES (Canada) Romi Kim (Director) EGGHEAD & TWINKIE (USA) Sarah Kambe Holland (Director/Writer) GEN (UK) Vivian Barton (Director/Producer) GORDITX (USA) Malik Ever (Director) GROCERY LIST (USA) Joanne Mony Park (Director/Writer) HOOK UP (Canada) Coby Friesen (Director) Kathleen Gallagher (Producer) I LOVE YOU MORE (Kosovo/Albania) Erblin Nushi (Director/Writer) Don Shala (Actor, Producer)

MnM (USA) Twiggy Pucci Garçon (Director) Mermaid Garçon (Documentary Protagonist) Milan Garçon (Documentary Protagonist) MOONCAKE (USA) Rraine Hanson (Director/Co-Writer) ONE BABY, PLEASE! (Canada) Polly Pierce (Director) Adrian Neblett (Producer, Actor) POLYWOOD (USA) Alessio Mineo (Director) PSYCHO BABY (USA) Charlotte Kennett (Director/Writer) Savannah Summers (Actor) Nikki Javadi (Producer) RETURN TO OMBABIKA (Canada) Ma-Nee Chacaby (Director) RUNS IN THE FAMILY (South Africa) Gabe Gabriel (Actor/Writer) STAY (Canada) King Louie Palomo (Director) TABANCA (Canada) Lauren Marsden (Director/Writer) TERROR/FORMING (Canada) Rylan Friday (Director/Writer) THE MATTACHINE FAMILY (USA) Andy Vallentine (Director/Co-Writer) THE WALL (USA) Valeska Miller (Director/Writer) THIS PLACE (Canada) V.T. Nayani (Director/Co-Writer) THREE TIDY TIGERS TIED A TIE TIGHTER (Brazil) Gustavo Vinagre (Director/Writer) THRIVING: A DISSOCIATED REVERIE (Canada) Kitoko Mai (Actor/Writer/Producer) TWIN SPARKS (USA) Ollie Yao (Director) YAHA WAHA (UK) Sarah Li (Director)

Festival images and press materials can be downloaded here.

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Media Contact
Laura Steen
Route 504 PR
laura@route504pr.com

About Out On Screen
Out On Screen is a charitable organization that illuminates, celebrates, and advances queer lives through film, education, and dialogue. The Vancouver Queer Film Festival creates a dynamic platform for queer cinema that reflects a diversity of experiences while connecting and strengthening our communities. The award-winning Out In Schools program brings age-appropriate queer cinema into school classrooms to combat homophobia, transphobia, and bullying, and to provide the language and tools for inclusion. Out On Screen is proud to be among the leaders in Canada working to create an equitable society where sexual and gender diversity are embraced. www.outonscreen.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/queerfilmfest
Facebook: www.facebook.com/VancouverQFF
Twitter: www.twitter.com/queerfilmfest
#VQFF2023