Fairy Tales Queer Film Festival

The Fairy Tales Queer Film Festival (formerly the Fairy Tales International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival) is an annual event held in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Since its founding in 1999, the festival has attracted over 35,000 attendees.[1] It is currently the longest running LGBT film festival in Alberta.[2]

Fairy Tales Queer Film Festival
Fairy Tales Queer Film Festival logo
LocationCalgary, Alberta, Canada
Founded1999
Hosted byCalgary Queer Arts Society
LanguageInternational
Websitewww.fairytalesfilmfest.com

History

Before 1999

The Fairy Tales Queer Film Festival was not the first queer film festival in Calgary. In 1995, the LGBT activist organization Of Colour Collective founded The Fire I've Become queer film festival.[3] As the festival's program schedule featured racy titles, was held at the government-funded Glenbow Museum, and received $4000[4] from the Canada Council for the Arts, it sparked an outcry from both citizens of Calgary and Albertan politicians.[5][6] Despite the anti-LGBT picket line that formed outside of the venue, the festival was well attended.[7] The film festival was held for a second time in 1996, but due to poor attendance, the committee for The Fire I've Become festival was dissolved.[3] The founders of the Fairy Tales Queer Film Festival later cited The Fire I've Become festival as inspiration.[8][6]

1999-2003

Originally a collaboration between the Calgary Society of Independent Filmmakers (CSIF) and the Gay & Lesbian Community Services Association (later known as Calgary Outlink),[9][10] the first Fairy Tales International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival was founded by Calgarian LGBT activists and CSIF volunteers and employees Trevor Alberts, Kelly Langgard, and Kevin Allen.[11][12]

The first incarnation was held was held in June 1999[13][14] during Calgary Pride[15] at the Garry Theatre (now the Ironwood Stage and Grill) in Inglewood.[11] The two-day[16] festival caused significant controversy, largely due to the inclusion of Sandi Somers' erotic lesbian film Gens de Phoque (1994).[13] It was subject to a number of bomb threats[17] and many festival-goers wore masks or paper bags to avoid being publicly outed by photojournalists waiting outside of the theatre.[18]

Despite being a part of CSIF, the Fairy Tales Film Festival experienced financial difficulty for the first several years of production. Due to censorship associated with government funding and the homophobia from Albertan taxpayers experienced during The Fire I've Become festival,[3] Fairy Tales chose to be entirely privately funded and volunteer-run.[19][20]

2004-2017

In 2004, the film festival separated from the Calgary Society of Independent Filmmakers to become an independent non-profit known as the Fairy Tales Presentation Society.[21][22] After separating, the organization expanded considerably, stretching the festival from three days to seven days and adding a series of panel discussions.[23]

In 2009, the Fairy Tales Presentation Society developed the OUTReels Diversity Education Program.[21][24] The program involves members of the organization presenting workshops, showing films, and facilitating discussion to inform the public about LGBT topics.[25]

Part of the OUTReels Diversity Education Program included the introduction of the It Gets Better Project-inspired Youth Anti-Homophobia PSA Program in 2011.[24][26] In 2013, this became the Youth Queer Mentorship Program.[27] The course teaches youth aged 16–24 how to create films which are then presented at the film festival.[26]

In 2017, the society attained The Coming Out Monologues, YYC. Founded in 2009 and based on Rodrigo Hernandez' 2007 show of the same name,[28] the Monologues are a stage show in which performers write a piece of original work about their coming out story.[29]

Additionally in 2017, the society held the first annual Ally Toolkit Conference.[21]

The society was a registered Canadian charity from December 12, 2005, until July 31, 2018.[30]

2018-Present

In 2018, in conjunction with the 20th anniversary of the film festival, the Fairy Tales Presentation Society rebranded as Calgary Queer Arts Society. While the society still houses the Fairy Tales Queer Film Festival, they moved their focus from only film to all queer arts in Calgary.[21]

Along with the rebranding, the society produced a documentary for the 20th anniversary. The documentary, Outliers: Calgary's Queer History, followed the history of the queer community in Calgary from the arrest of George Klippert to modern day.[31][32]

See also

References
  1. "Fairy Tales Calgary's Queer Film Festival 2018". Calgary Queer Arts Society. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
  2. "Film and Media Arts: Fairy Tales Gay and Lesbian Film Festival". Alberta Online Encyclopedia. Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved 2008-06-08.
  3. Allen, Kevin (16 March 2017). "The Of Colour Collective". The Calgary Gay History Project. Calgary. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  4. "Filmfest's raunchy fare criticized on all sides". The Globe and Mail. Toronto. 24 June 1995. pp. C4.
  5. Legge, Gordon (17 June 1995). "Film fest facing rough cuts". Calgary Herald. Calgary. pp. B1.
  6. Boettcher, Shelley (10 June 1999). "Local filmmakers launch gay and lesbian festival". Calgary Herald. Calgary. pp. B10.
  7. Volmers, Eric (19 May 2018). "Documentary chronicles calgary's queer history; Film will open the 20th anniversary of the Fairy Tales festival". Calgary Herald. Calgary. pp. C2. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  8. Rainbow Radio Collective (9 October 2017). Episode 6 (Podcast). Calgary: CJSW.
  9. Partridge, Jennifer (7 June 2002). "Fairy Tales film festival keeps it clean: Don't expect to see over- the-top erotica in this year's feature films". Calgary Herald. Calgary. pp. E13.
  10. Kubik, Jeff (29 May 2003). "Listening to Fairy Tales". The Gauntlet. Calgary. Retrieved 19 March 2018.
  11. Allen, Kevin (23 May 2014). "Fairy Tales at 16 – Queer Films Saved Us!". Calgary Gay History Project. Calgary. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
  12. Burroughs, Alexandra (5 June 2003). "Fairy Tales appeal to more than gays". Calgary Herald. Calgary. pp. E6.
  13. Melgar, Alonso (19 May 2014). "Queer Film Festival Clearly Knows How To Party". BeatRoute. Calgary. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
  14. Clevett, Jason (May 2005). "Fairy Tales - 7 years of Gay Cinema". GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine. GayCalgary. Retrieved October 14, 2011.
  15. "Fairy Tales 3". Calgary Society of Independent Filmmakers. 10 June 2001. Archived from the original on 10 June 2001. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
  16. "Film: The final frontier". The Gauntlet. Calgary. 24 June 1999. Retrieved 19 March 2018.
  17. Boyce, Douglas (17 May 2014). "Calgary's Fairy Tales queer film fest opens May 23". Xtra. Calgary. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
  18. Justine Boncezk, Leah Schmidt, and James Demers (2018). Outliers: Calgary’s Queer History (Film). Calgary: Calgary Queer Arts Society.
  19. Allen, Kevin (30 May 2014). "Pink Dollars fund Film Fest (ca. 2000)". Calgary Gay History Project. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
  20. Burroughs, Alexandra (6 June 2004). "Fairy tales on menu at gay film festival". Calgary Herald. Calgary. pp. C2.
  21. "Our History". Calgary Queer Arts Society. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
  22. Allen, Kevin (22 May 2018). "Fairy Tales @ 20". Calgary Gay History Project. Calgary. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  23. Burroughs, Alexandra (27 May 2005). "Gay film festival gambles on growth". Calgary Herald. Calgary. pp. D4.
  24. Clark, Bob (27 June 2011). "Dollard's love of theatre started with mom". Calgary Herald. Calgary. pp. D1.
  25. "OUTReels Diversity Education Program". Calgary Queer Arts Society. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  26. "Youth Queer Mentorship Program". Calgary Queer Art Society. Retrieved 19 March 2018.
  27. Bell, Mike (24 May 2013). "Fairy Tales film fest out to honour its 15th year". Calgary Herald. Calgary. pp. C1.
  28. Llewellyn, Andrea (15 March 2012). "Coming Out Monologues open closets at U of C for third time". The Gauntlet. Calgary. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  29. "Coming Out Monologues, YYC". Calgary Queer Arts Society. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  30. "FAIRYTALES PRESENTATION SOCIETY — Quick View". Charities Listings. Government of Canada. 31 July 2018. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  31. Volmers, Eric (24 May 2018). "Fairy Tales: Calgary's Queer Film Festival follows the evolution of queer cinema". Calgary Herald. Calgary. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  32. Volmers, Eric (19 May 2018). "Documentary chronicling Calgary's queer history to open Fairy Tales film festival". Calgary Herald. Calgary. Retrieved 19 March 2018.
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