Best of the Fest 2021

Dec 7, 2021
7 PM

LOCATION
The Cinematheque

Gerry Brunet Memorial Award Sponsor

Directors Guild of Canada - BC

People's Choice Awards Sponsor

CircusHR

Event Supporter

Modo

Please join us for an encore screening of of our 2021 Vancouver Queer Film Festival Award winners!

Total Runtime: 92 mins

These films are not rated by Consumer Protection BC. You must have an Adult Out On Screen Society Membership to attend. Please be sure to purchase one with your ticket.

COVID Safety Procedures

Your BC Proof of Vaccination is required for this event. Attendees must be fully vaccinated to attend.
Venue and theatre doors will open at 6PM to allow audiences to arrive, visit concessions, and take their seats while maintaining social distance.
Masks are required while indoors and not eating or drinking.
If you feel unwell, please do not attend. Full refunds are available for patrons who contact us prior to 6PM on December 7 to report they are unwell and unable to attend.

Event Accessibility

All films have English captions or subtitles.
ASL Interpreters will be on-site to assist patrons to navigate Box Office, Front of House, and other services.
The Cinematheque has gender-inclusive washrooms.
There are 4 wheelchair-accessible seats with adjacent companion seats. If you require one of these seats, please contact our Box Office.
There are 4 hearing assist devices available from Box Office at the venue. Contact our Box Office to reserve ahead of time, or request a device when you arrive.
For additional information about the venue, please visit The Cinematheque’s website.

About the Awards

The Gerry Brunet Memorial Award is our annual juried prize for the Festival’s best BC short film. The Gerry was first awarded in 1997, honouring Gerry Brunet, a lifelong contributor to local queer community causes and an early board member of Out On Screen. This award is generously supported by the Directors Guild of Canada – BC. This year, our jury included filmmaker Alayna Silverberg who won in 2020 for her film B-Side, and long-time VQFF Programming Committee members Umair Parvez and Steven Porter.

The People’s Choice Awards for Best Short and Best Feature are decided by proportional voting. All films are eligible for their respective categories and audience members can vote for any film they see. In 2021, voting was collected through our Watch Platform, with audience members giving each film a thumbs-up to vote for it. Votes were compared against the total number of streams for a feature or short in order to determine a winner in each category.

Adam

CORA BISSETT and LOUISE LOCKWOOD / Scotland / 2021 / 59 mins / English

Based on a true life story, Adam is the journey of a young trans man who crosses geopolitical and gender boundaries in order to find his home. Originally an award-winning stage play, this project was shot in partnership with the National Theatre of Scotland during Glasgow’s lockdown. The titular role is played by Adam Kashmiry, who began sharing his story in 2012 as he was seeking asylum. Nearly a decade later, this film chronicles Adam’s difficult and courageous fight to find safety as he leaves Egypt for the United Kingdom.

This intimate and triumphant film was our People’s Choice for Best Feature

Content Advisory: Discussions and depictions of dysphoria, self-harm, transphobia, sexual assault, homophobia, racism.

Jemari Yang Menari di Atlas Luka-Luka (Golden Frames in The Closet)

Putri Sarah Amelia / Indonesia / 2019 / 16 mins / No dialogue

Golden Frames in The Closet is a sensitive story about respect for bodily autonomy even when our souls have departed. In this film from Indonesia, a mortuary cosmetologist faces a dilemma with her latest client, and ends up making a choice she didn’t expect.

This thoughtful and tender exploration of gender, family and religion was our People’s Choice for Best Short Film.

Content Advisory: Subject matter deals with death, illness, and transphobia.

The Tailor

Nathalie Therriault / Canada / 2020 / 16 mins / English

Our Gerry Brunet Award Winner this year is The Tailor, directed by Nathalie Therriault.

The Tailor is a touching tale of intergenerational allyship in which a gender non-conforming youth and a master tailor gain courage and inspiration from each other. This film takes us on a journey to self-acceptance by way of human connection, revelation and the fateful exchange between two vulnerable strangers who take a leap of faith and open their hearts to one another.

Content Advisory: Subject matter includes gender and body dysphoria, transphobia, and racism.