Olivia Fader remembers going to Video Difference in Halifax to rent the film But I鈥檓 A Cheerleader.
鈥淎 lot of people that I grew up with, this movie in particular was almost always the first queer movie that anyone saw,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 so silly and campy and outrageous and enjoyable. It really holds up over the years.鈥�
That鈥檚 one reason why the film was selected to kick off this year鈥檚 Big Gay Film Fest. Spearheaded by Fader, Dalhousie鈥檚 2SLGBTQIA+ advisor, the fest will see the Sexton Campus Commons 鈥斕齛 new downtown location for the fest this year 鈥� 听transformed into an outdoor theatre over three successive Wednesday nights. Members of the Dal community and the public can bring their lawn chairs, blankets and favourite snacks and enjoy a curated lineup of films by and about the queer community.
Behind the film fest
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Fader has fond memories of attending the Atlantic Film Festival鈥檚 AlFresco filmFesto series on the Halifax boardwalk growing up, and always wanted to bring a film festival to campus.
鈥淚t was such a magical experience to see a movie outside for free and I wanted to recreate that,鈥� says Fader. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 how the Big Gay Film Fest was born, and it鈥檚 something that I hope to continue every summer.鈥�
As Dalhousie鈥檚 2SLGBTQIA+ advisor, Fader champions university-wide programming and events, provides one-on-one advising, referrals to gender-affirming care, support navigating name or gender marker changes, and more.
Related reading: 黑料吃瓜网hires first advisor to support 2SLGBTQ+ students
鈥淨ueer students now have grown up with the Internet and have more access to culture and communities online,鈥� says Fader. 鈥淭here鈥檚 an element of me being older than the students I鈥檓 serving where we had such a different experience growing up. [The film festival] is a way to bring in that cultural component and share that 鈥榗ult classic energy鈥� over time.鈥�
Movie selection
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The Big Gay Film Fest will showcase three films.
The first film this year, which will be screened on Wednesday, July 10, is the aforementioned But I鈥檓 A Cheerleader (1999), stars Natasha Lyonne (American Pie, Poker Face) as a high school teenager sent to rehab camp when her straitlaced parents and friends suspect her of being a lesbian.
The second is The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994), in which two drag performers and a transgender woman (played by Hugo Weaving, Guy Pearce and Terrance Stamp) travel across the desert to perform their unique style of cabaret.
But the series isn鈥檛 all vintage. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 only want to show the cult classic films. I want to be able to bring in queer cinema that鈥檚 happening now,鈥� says Fader.
That鈥檚 why the third and final film being showcased at the Big Gay Film Festival is The Queen Of My Dreams, just released last year. The Canadian production focuses on Mariam (), a Pakistani Muslim woman, and her Canadian-born daughter Azra () 听coming of age in two different eras against the backdrop of a shared love of Bollywood fantasy.
Related reading:
Directed by Fawzia Mirza, The Queen Of My Dreams had its world premiere at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival, has received .
About community
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Fader says it鈥檚 special 鈥斕齛nd important 鈥斕齮o get to experience cultural events with other queer people.
鈥淔or me, that鈥檚 one of the most magical parts of Pride and these kinds of events. It鈥檚 not that you get to meet people necessarily, but that feeling of being in a shared space and the excitement and rareness that Pride brings out.
鈥淚 talk about this a lot, but as queer and trans people, we鈥檙e not born into the communities that we exist in. We have to create that community and connect with people.鈥�
Related: Learn more about the Queer Faculty Staff Caucus
Broader celebrations
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The film fest is one of the ways that Dal is celebrating Pride. In Truro, where Pride celebrations take place in June, Dal had a float in the parade on Saturday, June 22. In Halifax, the Progress Pride flag was raised and a community BBQ was hosted on July 9, while the Big Gay Film Fest will lead into the broader Halifax Pride Festival from July 18-28. Dal will participate in the Halifax Pride Parade听 on Saturday, July 20.听 听 听 听 听 听 听听
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This year鈥檚 Halifax Pride features more events dedicated to the BIPOC community, sober spaces, American Sign Language interpretation, descriptive and Elder viewing areas for the parade, and more.
鈥淭here鈥檚 something so cool that happens with the Halifax Pride Parade because of the volume of people but at the heart of it, it鈥檚 groups of queer and trans people coming together and celebrating and thriving. We鈥檝e also seen a resurgence of individual community pride parades.鈥�
For students and community members who aren鈥檛 in Halifax this the summer, Fader encourages heading out to their own local celebrations.
Visit dal.ca/2slgbtq for more information about Pride events at Dal. Film screenings will begin at dusk with doors opening at 8:30 p.m. each night. Access the Sexton Campus Commons through the Richard Murray Design Building (also the rain location).
Learn more about the and view a .