This discussion will delve into the diverse ways queer intimacy can be depicted on screen, drawing from one of this year’s curatorial themes on bringing individuals and communities “closer” to one another.
How do heteronormative depictions of intimacy inform our worldview? What could a more expansive representation of intimacy look like? How can filmmakers capture this intimacy effectively?
Explore notions of physical, emotional, and romantic connection on screen at this panel, and consider ways that these stories can inform and inspire us.
Featuring:
Aryn Mott (Moderator)
Courtenay (Mac) Mayes – Intimacy Coordinator, Novelette Is Trying
Giselle Miller – Writer / Director / Producer, Novelette Is Trying
Alexis Taillant – Director, If I Die, It’ll Be of Joy (Si je meurs, ce sera de joie)
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Aryn Mott (Moderator)
Meet Aryn Mott (they\them): a Queer, non-binary, neurodivergent Intimacy Coordinator, and Canada’s first Certified Mental Health Coordinator, serving Vancouver and Western Canada. With over 300+ hours of Intimacy Training and 2000+ hours of on-set experience, Aryn is recognized by SAG-AFTRA and UBCP/ACTRA for their professional expertise. Their diverse portfolio includes over 80 credits in intimacy coordination, performance, and mental health coordination, with notable work on Shogun (FX/HULU), Death and Other Details (HULU), and Resident Alien (SyFy). Currently pursuing a Master’s in Counseling and Psychology, Aryn plans to continue with a PhD focused on the psychological and physiological effects of performance. Aryn is a member of multiple UBCP/ACTRA committees, including the Queer Committee and the National Pride Committee for ACTRA National. They also teach workshops on mental health, resilience, gender, and neurodiversity and are an honored faculty member at Vancouver Film School.
Courtenay (Mac) Mayes
Hello! My name is Courtenay (Mac) Mayes (they | she) and I work as an intimacy coordinator + choreographer for film and tv. In my work I support performers and crew with intimate scenes and simulated sex choreography, movement storytelling, on-set BDSM/kink, queer, nonbinary + trans sex and set considerations, and co-create trauma-informed sets. I completed training with IDC, the leading organization training and certifying intimacy professionals worldwide, and I am a union member of local UBCP and the ACTRA national union for Intimacy Coordination. It feels both gratifying and holistic to bring my previous training in Mental Health First Aid, varied meditation modalities, breathwork, and mindfulness-based psychosomatic therapy (@hakomi_institute) to work in film.
Giselle Miller
Giselle Miller is a Jamaican-Canadian writer, director and 3x Leo Award-nominated actor living on the unceded territories of the Coast Salish peoples. After completing an MFA at UBC, she was the showrunner for two seasons of the Leo award-nominated web series YOUNG, SINGLE AND BLACK (2021-22). Giselle has written and produced two more web series, BIG PEOPLE TINGZ (2023) and the Leo Award-nominated YOLANDA THE GODDESS (2023). Giselle has participated in several programs, including the Fiction Toolbox at the Berlinale, the Whistler Screenwriters Lab and the GEMS Emerging TV Producers Program. She is also the winner of the 2023 WIDC Advantage Award. She is currently in development on HUMMINGBIRD, her debut feature film.
Alexis Taillant
In 2009, Alexis Taillant directed his first documentary VIRAGES broadcast on France Televisions. This film follows 6 road accident victims and tells the metamorphosis of their lives. In 2006, Alexis created the company Wendigo Films, in which he develops creative documentaries and short films as a producer. In 2015, he directed the documentary, STENDHAL’S VERTIGO, co-produced with Italy and Belgium and broadcasted on RTBF, France Télévisions, RSI and RTS. This film tells us about the Stendhal syndrome, a strange evil of art that affects some people. IF I DIE, IT’LL BE OF LOVE is his third documentary and his first feature length. As a producer, Alexis is part of this year’s Eurodoc program with a Franco-Italian LGBTQI+ feature-length documentary project entitled “DOLLHOUSE” by Andrea Grasselli. He has also just produced the feature-length documentary “BOSCO GRANDE” directed by Giuseppe Schillaci and selected for the “giornate degli autori” selection at the Venice Film Festival 2024.
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