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Artists explore LGBTQ2+ lives, 50 years after the passage of Canada’s Bill C-150. Five@50 premieres at TIFF Bell Lightbox, UBC Okanagan and NFB.ca in November.

PRESS RELEASE
30/10/2019

October 30, 2019 – Montreal – National Film Board of Canada

When it comes to progress and queer culture, what have we gained? And what have we lost along the way?

Acclaimed Canadian artists Michèle Pearson Clarke, Thirza Cuthand, Tiffany Hsiung, Vivek Shraya and Michael V. Smith share their reflections on LGBTQ2+ lives and identities today—50 years after the passing of Bill C-150, which partially decriminalized homosexuality in Canada—in the NFB short-film collection Five@50, which premieres in Toronto on November 12 at TIFF Bell Lightbox, on NFB.ca on November 13 and at UBC Okanagan on November 18.

Five@50: An Intimate Look at Contemporary LGBTQ2+ Lives and Identities takes place at TIFF Bell Lightbox on November 12, starting at 7:30 p.m. Presented by the NFB in partnership with TIFF, with Xtra as media partner, this world premiere will feature a discussion with the filmmakers, moderated by Rachel Giese, award-winning author and editorial director of Xtra.

The UBC Okanagan Pride Resource Centre is hosting a public screening of Five@50 at the Kelowna campus on November 18 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the Student Union UNC106 Theatre—with Michael V. Smith in attendance for a Q&A.

Five@50 is produced by Justine Pimlott and executive produced by Anita Lee at the NFB’s Ontario Studio in Toronto. “I wanted Five@50 to be an opportunity to hear from multiple voices from our communities, exploring the personal as political, 50 years after this complex historical event,” said Pimlott.

Films

Fifty years after the passage of Bill C-150, Five@50 brings together leading artists to create a unique collection of intimate documentaries—works that range from personal reflection to cultural history, and include experimental forms, animation and dramatization:

Handmade Mountain

Michèle Pearson Clarke explores the emotional fallout of being both early to gay marriage and early to gay divorce, in this short work by the Trinidad-born artist, writer and educator, who was recently named Photo Laureate for the City of Toronto.

Woman Dress

Pre-contact, a Two Spirit person named Woman Dress travels the Plains, gathering and sharing stories, in this work based on a family oral story from director Thirza Cuthand—a Whitney Biennial 2019 artist and member of Little Pine First Nation, who resides in Toronto.

The Bassinet

A bassinet prompts Toronto-based filmmaker Tiffany Hsiung to consider the cross-generational effects of her cultural upbringing and sexual orientation on her future baby, in this latest NFB work from the multi-award-winning director of The Apology and The Space We Hold.

Reviving the Roost

Filmmaker, celebrated recording artist and bestselling author Vivek Shraya (I’m Afraid of Men) creates an elegy to a legendary Edmonton gay bar in this work about community complexity and longing.

The Hook Up

Featuring four gay men from two generations, this experimental doc looks at how hooking up has (and has not) evolved for gay men, in a short work by Michael V. Smith—a queer writer, performer and educator at UBC.

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Related Products

Electronic Press Kit | Images, trailers, synopses: Five@50

Associated Links

Michèle Pearson Clarke
Thirza Cuthand
Tiffany Hsiung
Vivek Shraya
Michael V. Smith
TIFF Bell Lightbox
UBC Okanagan

Media Relations

  • About the NFB

    Founded in 1939, the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) is a one-of-a-kind producer, co-producer and distributor of distinctive, engaging, relevant and innovative documentary and animated films. As a talent incubator, it is one of the world’s leading creative centres. The NFB has enabled Canadians to tell and hear each other’s stories for over eight decades, and its films are a reliable and accessible educational resource. The NFB is also recognized around the world for its expertise in preservation and conservation, and for its rich and vibrant collection of works, which form a pillar of Canada’s cultural heritage. To date, the NFB has produced more than 14,000 works, 6,500 of which can be streamed free of charge at nfb.ca. The NFB and its productions and co-productions have earned over 7,000 awards, including 11 Oscars and an Honorary Academy Award for overall excellence in cinema.