Out of the Archive: Canada’s Lost Lesbian Decade, 1990-1999
The 1990s saw a flourishing of queer filmmaking in Canada, including more than a dozen feature films being released centering lesbian storylines. “Out of the Archive” presents two lesser-known titles from this moment that both demonstrate the power and complexity of queer communities. Dreamers of the Day (1990), a narrative feature that would not be possible without help from the Kingston community, is about the ingenuity, perseverance, and comradery needed to put lesbian stories on screen. Another film about filmmaking, Skin Deep (1995) explores themes of obsession, pain and pleasure, as well as offering an early portrait of transmasculinity within queer spaces. Though representations may have evolved and changed, each film provides an opportunity to revisit the generative historical contexts and ongoing legacies of 1990s queer Canada.
This screening series is part of a larger research project by Queen’s Film and Media professors Tamara de Szegheo Lang and Dan Vena. It is funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and George Taylor Richardson Memorial Fund.
Skin Deep dir. Midi Onodera/CANADA/85:00/1995
Skin Deep leads us into worlds where people are never what they appear to be. It is a riveting psychological drama about obsession, relationship and sexuality. As Alex Koyama prepares to shoot an exploitation film about tattooing and the culture of pleasure and pain, the world around her exists only to serve her film. She initiates a dangerous and threatening game when Chris Black responds to her ad in a tattoo magazine. For Alex, this is living research, and she ignores the fact that Chris is deeply disturbed and gender-disoriented. This denial escalates into a psychological battle between Alex and Chris which alters their lives forever – because in a world of illusion, reality is the biggest lie.
Featuring a post-screening with Filmmaker Midi Onodera
Midi Onodera is an award-winning filmmaker and media artist who has been making films and videos for more than 35 years. She has produced over 25 independent shorts, ranging from 16mm film to digital video to toy camera formats. In 2018 she received the Governor General’s Award in Visual and Media Arts. Skin Deep (1995), her theatrical feature, screened internationally at festivals including the Rotterdam International Film Festival and the Toronto International Film Festival. Her film The Displaced View (1988) was nominated for Best Documentary at the Gemini Awards.
Her experimental narrative project ALPHAGIRLS (2002) was the first Canadian interactive performance art DVD, and since 2006 she has made over 500 vidoodles (defined as bite-sized 30-second to 2-minute video doodles). From 2006–07 she published one a day for 365 days and has since released a video project each year, addressing themes of language, media, politics and everyday life. In 2017 she published an interactive narrative developed from her experience in Afghanistan as a Canadian Forces Artist in 2010.
Onodera’s work is held in collections around the world, and she has given lectures and workshops at galleries and institutions across North America and Japan. She currently teaches and continues to work on experimental media projects in Toronto.
Out of the Archive: Canada’s Lost Lesbian Decade, 1990-1999
The 1990s saw a flourishing of queer filmmaking in Canada, including more than a dozen feature films being released centering lesbian storylines. “Out of the Archive” presents two lesser-known titles from this moment that both demonstrate the power and complexity of queer communities. Dreamers of the Day (1990), a narrative feature that would not be possible without help from the Kingston community, is about the ingenuity, perseverance, and comradery needed to put lesbian stories on screen. Another film about filmmaking, Skin Deep (1995) explores themes of obsession, pain and pleasure, as well as offering an early portrait of transmasculinity within queer spaces. Though representations may have evolved and changed, each film provides an opportunity to revisit the generative historical contexts and ongoing legacies of 1990s queer Canada.
This screening series is part of a larger research project by Queen’s Film and Media professors Tamara de Szegheo Lang and Dan Vena. It is funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and George Taylor Richardson Memorial Fund.
Skin Deep dir. Midi Onodera/CANADA/85:00/1995
Skin Deep leads us into worlds where people are never what they appear to be. It is a riveting psychological drama about obsession, relationship and sexuality. As Alex Koyama prepares to shoot an exploitation film about tattooing and the culture of pleasure and pain, the world around her exists only to serve her film. She initiates a dangerous and threatening game when Chris Black responds to her ad in a tattoo magazine. For Alex, this is living research, and she ignores the fact that Chris is deeply disturbed and gender-disoriented. This denial escalates into a psychological battle between Alex and Chris which alters their lives forever – because in a world of illusion, reality is the biggest lie.
Featuring a post-screening with Filmmaker Midi Onodera
Her experimental narrative project ALPHAGIRLS (2002) was the first Canadian interactive performance art DVD, and since 2006 she has made over 500 vidoodles (defined as bite-sized 30-second to 2-minute video doodles). From 2006–07 she published one a day for 365 days and has since released a video project each year, addressing themes of language, media, politics and everyday life. In 2017 she published an interactive narrative developed from her experience in Afghanistan as a Canadian Forces Artist in 2010.
Onodera’s work is held in collections around the world, and she has given lectures and workshops at galleries and institutions across North America and Japan. She currently teaches and continues to work on experimental media projects in Toronto.
Community Sponsors: Queen’s University Film and Media Department & The George Taylor Richardson Memorial Fund
Details
Venue
Kingston, Ontario K7L 5M6 Canada + Google Map