JIMPA

Feature

Cass (Asia Kate Dillon, Billions) is a millennial gig worker, traversing the streetscapes of San Francisco by scooter, on the hustle to make ends meet, when a chance encounter with an intriguing coworker sets them on an inward journey of healing and self-discovery. Originally from Michigan–strong, silent and dependable Cass now lives in the Outer Sunset region of San Francisco (aka the Outerlands), a neighbourhood brushed by gentrification. Though they shy away from connection—their loneliness captured by quiet, camera close-ups—Cass soon becomes visible to Denise (Lea DeLaria), a compassionate bank teller who begins doling out advice, not only on landlord subterfuge, but also queer survival. As Cass continues to tread the tightrope of social and economic displacement–working as a nanny, a server, and even selling drugs–they are left wanting after a one night stand with Kalli (Louisa Krause), their desire for connection met with another gig opportunity: babysitting Kalli’s eleven-year-old daughter, Ari (Ridley Asha Bateman). Eventually bonding with Ari over video games, Cass battles long-forgotten, inner demons, but not without gaining the hope that home—though a place they can never return to—can perhaps be a place that they build for themselves.

Feature

The protean central character of Queerpanorama has built a sex life for himself as an unreliable narrator. Curious about Hong Kong’s international tourists and struggling immigrants, this native Hongkonger briefly infiltrates their bubbles in the guise of other men he has bedded. In an open relationship with an American boyfriend—who, like his other writerly conjurings, may or may not exist—the anonymous ‘I’ (Jayden Cheung) uses his freedom to educate himself on the “complicated universe.” From vast urban spaces to remote beaches, and many a quiet restaurant and architectural marvel in between, ‘I’ bumps up against vastly different lifestyles and circumstances. Copulating and conversing with men who, like him, are searching for grounding or simply to lose themselves. For everyone seems to have reasons to be someone else—even if just for the length of their next encounter. Actor-turned-writer-director Jun Li renders his sexual odyssey in silky black and white, lending its contemporary subject matter a timeless, heightened air. With the noirish romanticism of In the Mood for Love and the beautifully framed melancholy of Lost in Translation, he depicts shifting ideas of normalcy and the burdens we bear or share.

DocumentaryVIRTUAL EXCLUSIVE

Of the 8.7 million living animal species on Earth, thousands defy our expectations. Inspired by trans evolutionary biologist Dr. Joan Roughgarden’s groundbreaking work, narrator Elliot Page and preeminent queer, BIPOC, and immigrant scientists transcend well-trod narratives, revealing how survival hinges on being the most open to change. The scientific establishment has long been stymied by suppression and resistant to evidence debunking the primacy of three rigid categories: “insatiable” males, “coy” females, and “maladaptive and unnatural” others. But, from university labs to the forests of Costa Rica, that picture is changing, opening our eyes to a nature teeming with variations: polyandrous tamarins and polygamous Capuchin monkeys, “very gay” water fowl and sex-role reversed species like seahorses. We are guided through this diversity by sweeping footage, Caitlin Craggs’ delightfully quirky animations, and mind-blowing facts (for example, did you know 50% of fish on a coral reef are members of a sex-changing species?). In a political present where truth is under attack, Second Nature follows the trailblazers who are shifting the consensus from “sometimes this happens” to a codified science, leaving the “quaint myth” of the binary in the historical dust.

Feature

The dangers of the past come in many forms. Two estranged Mi’kmaw siblings confront old animosities in an ancient forest, both in desperate need of healing. In their quest to rid themselves of the lingering evil that haunts them, they encounter the trail of their ancestors—and of their former selves. Mise’l (Blake Alec Miranda) is working a grueling shift when the jukebox warbles to life and an ominous presence from their childhood reveals itself, still capable of inflicting its wounds. Desperate, they seek out their younger brother, Antle (Forrest Goodluck). A task that requires them to part from their supportive partner and return home after many years away. Begrudgingly, their brother agrees to the journey, worried for his daughter’s safety if he does nothing, and they set out on a time-spanning mission. Elders are consulted. Strange creatures stalk them. Kinship is tested. The two heading deeper and deeper into nature at its most nurturing, and most menacing. From Bretten Hannam, the Two-Spirit L'nu filmmaker behind 2021’s acclaimed Wildhood (Opening Film I+N34, 2021), this is a ghost story of the highest order—equal parts eerie and edifying, and utterly unforgettable.

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FRENCH + FLEMISH • ENGLISH ST | Fifteen-year-old Malou is a competitive rower living in a tiny Belgian village with her brothers and divorced mother. A shy tomboy, Malou’s teammates bully her for her non-conforming gender identity, but she’s accepted by her brother Max—until he finds himself in competition with her over his girlfriend Nouria. Skiff is the sweet sixteen and summer fling story that we have been waiting for. Forget cars, pink dresses, and pining over boys—how about scooters, polo shirts, and … falling for your brother’s girlfriend? Director Cecilia Verheyden delivers a poignant coming-of-age story about first love with its many risks and dilemmas, on top of questioning sexuality and gender identity while dealing with a familial love triangle and a sense of social alienation. Though lighthearted with plenty of laughs, especially for the oblivious heteronormativity of small-town life, Skiff is a film that moves you, makes you remember, shows you how despite all of the world’s social progress of the twenty-first century, some things never change—gender will always define who we are and our humanity. It is anything but trivial. Also, the importance of a young person’s right to define their gender for themselves.

Short

After yet another after-party, Mia faces an identity crisis. With the support of her two best friends, she navigates a pivotal moment in her life, confronting herself and finding the courage to embrace who she truly is.

Feature

Pillion is the unlikeliest (and most enthralling) of genre shake-ups, a romantic dark comedy about the biker dom who bends a meek sub to his will—and the sub who attempts to mold him in return. Colin (Harry Melling) is an endearingly crooked-teethed traffic enforcement officer who sings with his dad (Douglas Hodge) in a pub’s barbershop quartet. Ray (Alexander Skarsgård) is a biker god who reads Knausgård’s My Struggle while ignoring Colin, who satisfies his every whim. Thus, the stage is set for a twist on ‘opposites attract’: an is-it-love story of an impassive dom and his bemused submissive. As Colin begins to feel useful, a confidence that bleeds over into his thankless job, his dying mum Peggy (Lesley Sharp) grows less impressed. How much of himself is he willing to change to fit Ray’s strict rules? Is he losing his identity or becoming his true self? It’ll take some kinky wrestling, a countryside romp with Ray’s biker buddies (including a confident sub played by the Scissor Sisters’ Jake Shears), and a war waged over sleeping arrangements to find out, in this sex-positive jaw-dropper brimming with sneaky humour and heft.

Short

A masculine-presenting young woman travels back to her rural hometown to care for her estranged father, a former rancher, after a car accident. She soon realizes that mending their relationship is complicated when her sense of identity challenges her father's understanding.

FeatureVIRTUAL EXCLUSIVE

Karun, a kindly border guard, finds himself in “paradise” among Bandipora’s soaring peaks, though religious and cultural resentments simmer and scald. Jolted by Faheem’s gorgeous face revealed from behind a helmet visor, Karun is drawn into a romance with indelible repercussions in this first queer film in the Kashmiri language. Wooed by an apple and a warm ripple of attraction each time Faheem (a subtle yet potent Mir Tawseef) passes his checkpoint, Karun (Akash Unnimenon) ventures into Gurez to seek out further encounters. Gurez, a remote Kashmiri village near the border between India and Pakistan, speaks with the voice of soft lullabies and bleating sheep, of a flowing river indifferent to divisions, though that tranquility is soon replaced by distant gunfire. Determined to drop the veil of shame that partitions their lives, Faheem and Karun’s restless hearts pine for one another from a distance, the two praying to separate deities but sharing an equal desire. Wanting, so passionately, to be one. When terrorist infiltrators and a homegrown street gang make a volatile situation worse, can love bind as society breaks?

Short

A film celebrating the resilience of queer people of colour, reflecting on the journey to nonbinary identity and the courage to embrace oneself fully.