A SAFE DISTANCE

Short

A famed detective arrives at a remote mansion to find a murderer standing over his latest victim. As the detective presses him to confess his motive, the truth grows increasingly complicated, revealing that the two men's shared history may be central to the crime.

Short

When a rookie forest ranger flees into the Quebec wilderness to escape a brutal hazing ritual, he finds himself hunted not only by his peers, but by a towering creature of folklore stalking him through the woods.

DocumentaryIN-CINEMAVIRTUAL

In late-70’s NYC’s “slummy and fabulous” West Village, a serial murderer dismembered victims and “exploitive” Exorcist-director William Friedkin ripped a page from the headlines, inciting the community to action. As anarchy raged, an unexpected jouissance permeated the hot-blooded summer of ‘79. Addison Verrill, a 36-year-old Variety reporter, split time between his live-in lover, splashy premieres with the likes of Streisand, and exploring “eroticized fears” in pitch black container trucks. His shocking murder convinced crusading journalist Arthur Bell to dedicate himself to the case—a mission that inadvertently inspired Cruising. Helmed by a straight director and his straight superstar, Al Pacino, the film attempted to infiltrate the hedonistic, “leather and Levis” world of the notorious Mineshaft bar. Gay extras flocked while gay activists turned the set into a battlezone as two competing visions of representation clashed. The results would be felt for generations. Jeffrey Schwartz, the Emmy Award-winning filmmaker of Vito (I+N24, 2011) and I am Divine (I+N26, 2013), guides this graphic, gripping documentary. In it, Dan Savage joins historians, journalists and leathermen alike to trace Cruising’s makings and cultural mark all the way to the youth culture of today.

Short

Recently divorced, Warren retreats to a quiet lake house with his young son. When a stranger named David appears asking for help, an ordinary evening becomes a tense psychological confrontation, exposing secrets, shifting power, and an unexpected connection between them.

FeatureIN-CINEMA

Christine, Alexander, and Stéphane are a polyamorous, bisexual throuple who live in downtown Toronto. Before long, their unconventional relationship with its ever-shifting dynamics, is threatened by the heteronormative foils of marriage and pregnancy. Can the three of them stand stronger than two would be able to? Glenn Wood presents a film that looks at alternative relationships in a novel way. I Come Home is tender and fearless in its portrayal of the fragility of human relationships, with support, loyalty, and communication—all required three-fold for this queer polyamorous couple—working hard to outweigh the judgementalness of conventional society. An invitation to Christine’s sister’s wedding, in her small hometown nearby, then puts the three to the ultimate test as they navigate an environment that (barely) tolerates their lifestyle. Questions of parenthood and accountability also come into play alongside the cold shoulder treatment that eventually erupts into outbursts of long-held resentments. In the aftermath, and all throughout the film, bird’s-eye view angles capture quiet moments of ‘coming home’ to oneself, and to one another in the enduring acts of choosing, trusting, and showing up.

FeatureIN-CINEMA

Join Sheri and her entourage on this short and sweet sci-fi romp that explores found family with effortlessly queer sensibilities. Grieving the loss of her beloved grandmother, Sheri and her astronomer dad are soon mystified by radioactive meteors that crash land in the forest nearby, spawning a hungry intergalactic creature. Campy, fun, and outrageous at times, Alice Maio Mackay’s eighth film delivers movie store nostalgia, quippy conversation, and neon green alien gore. The scale of everyday problems in Our Effed Up World—or a small town in Australia to be more specific—is cut down to size, replacing trivialities, ennui, and existential dread with pure extraterrestrial mayhem. A movie for B movie buffs with an added dash of realism to the world of science fiction, plus vocal cameos from Brandon Flynn of Hellraiser and Jack Haven of I Saw the TV Glow make for quite the adventure, bringing all the more appreciation to simple nights with loved ones under a starry sky among the soothing sound of crickets and the laughter of friends.

FeatureIN-CINEMA

Superstar director Andrew Haigh (Weekend, I+N24) adapts Colm Tóibín’s beloved, 1950s-set novella about a savage snowstorm that strikes a dead-end mountain town, a troubled mother who goes missing, and a son dedicated to her retrieval. This seemingly unchangeable saviour fathoming that not even tragedy can stop one’s evolving desires. When the investigation cools on the disappearance of his mother (Caitríona Balfe), Mike (The White Lotus’ Fred Hechinger) must supersede his aggrieved father (Marvel stalwart Ebon Moss-Bachrach in a heartrending performance). Can her departure be chalked up to alcoholic cravings? A death wish? An escape? And has she somehow withstood the ravages of winter or, come spring, will she emerge from beneath the snow? A blizzard of questions consumes Mike until the arrival of an industrious stranger (Reservation Dogs’ D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai) cuts through the white noise. The talented leads are joined by a stacked cast that includes Heartstopper’s Kit Connor and The Hobbit himself Martin Freeman. Shot in the Canadian Rockies, the film has the sublime, towering splendour of Albert Bierstadt’s Romantic landscapes. The grandeur humanized by Haigh’s ability to wring subtleties from every gesture in this ever-shifting character study.

Short

After two decades of creative repression, an artist descends into kaleidoscopic madness, turning her oppressive partner into a grotesque work of art.

Short

A slasher with a grudge meets his match when a group of queer friends on a weekend getaway turns his killing spree into a bloody night he never saw coming.

FeatureIN-CINEMA

Poignant and powerful, Don’t Come Out is a horror film that brings visibility to queer femme identity, and with a visceral intensity that is impossible to ignore. It spares no detail in the consequences of authenticity in a homophobic and misogynistic environment; particularly, how it permeates and haunts the mind. Medical student Liz lives a seemingly charmed life. As long as she is careful, consequence is only a word. After the sudden and brutal death of her secret girlfriend, Liz keeps up appearances, playing the role of dutiful daughter and passing as straight in her relationship with her doting boyfriend. When she makes a weekend getaway with her best friends, the reality dawns on her that escape is not really an option. As she finds herself enmeshed in sapphic desire again, the horror of breaking social norms ensues, and there is no going back from it. Informed by giallo cinema—blending suspense, eroticism, and stylish cinematography—as well as modernist and grotesque art elements, Don’t Come Out is sure to linger with you long after the credits roll.