John Greyson's bold stand against TIFF's showcase of Tel Aviv...

I'm not sure if I completely agree with Greyson's reasoning for pulling his film Covered out of this year's Toronto International Film Festival in protest over its inaugural City to City program on Tel Aviv.

Regardless of one's position on Israel's treatment of the Palestinians (and vice versa), no doubt Greyson's move (and those of other filmmakers who are boycotting TIFF this year as well) will create considerable discussion. It already has.

Last night, CBC's The National ran a puff piece by reporter Margaret Evans on rumours of a mermaid off the beautiful coastline of a northern Israeli resort town. It contained many beautiful shots of beaches and people enjoying the sunset, the kinds of images no doubt being promoted by any "Brand Israel" campaign. Perhaps Greyson has a point that we ought not forget about Israel's ongoing treatment of Palestinians.

Here's an excerpt from Xtra's news piece on Greyson's move:

"In a public letter dated Aug 27 Greyson zeroed in on press comments from the Israeli Consul General Amir Gissin describing the Tel Aviv spotlight as the culmination of the Israeli government's "Brand Israel" campaign.

Despite being a supporter of an economic boycott campaign against Israel, Greyson's letter discusses the "specific and strategic" details of when he participates in such a boycott. He criticizes the Tel Aviv spotlight as too one-sided, lacking diverse voices from displaced Palestinians or underground artists.

"What eventually determined my decision to pull out was the subject of Covered itself," Greyson writes. "It's a doc about the 2008 Sarajevo Queer Festival, which was cancelled due to brutal anti-gay violence. The film focuses on the bravery of the organizers and their supporters and, equally, on the ostriches, on those who remained silent, who refused to speak out: most notoriously the Sarajevo International Film Festival and the Canadian ambassador in Sarajevo. To stand in judgment of these ostriches before a TIFF audience, but then say nothing about this Tel Aviv spotlight — finally, I realized that that was a brand I couldn't stomach."

You can view Greyson's Covered on Vimeo until the end of the festival. It's quite stunning.

The Golden Pin makes its international debut...

The short film I co-wrote and helped produce, The Golden Pin, enjoys its international premiere today, screening for the first time outside Canada at the North Carolina Gay and Lesbian Film Festival in Durham, NC.

Sadly, I nor my filmmaking partners, including director Cuong Ngo, are able to attend this weekend due to personal financial constraints. This is the reality for truly independent filmmakers who spend their own money to make films and promote them. As we roll our short film out on the festival circuit, we have to choose carefully which festivals to attend, balancing networking opportunities against our own budgetary constraints.

The Golden Pin will be screening next at the LGBT film festival next month in Oslo, Norway, and then at the San Diego Asian Film Festival in late October. We're hoping to add many more festival screenings as more festivals get back to us. Stay tuned.

In the mean time, if you want to follow our progress, join our Facebook group.

Bravo: David Popescu found guilty of promoting hatred...

I was away this weekend with no access to Canadian news. I just found out this evening that David Popescu was convicted Friday of promoting hatred for telling a group of high school students last fall that all homosexuals should be executed.

This is a just decision. Advocating the mass execution of an entire group of people, especially in front of impressionable minds, is evil and I'm glad our country outlaws it.

Below is an excerpt from the Sudbury Star article:

Popescu, 61, made the comment during the 2008 federal election campaign in the Sudbury riding, where he ran as an independent, then repeated them in an interview broadcast over a Toronto radio station.

He was given a suspended sentence and placed on probation for 18 months.

During a one-day trial in Sudbury court, Popescu argued he was only repeating what was in the bible when he made the comments. However, Ontario Court Justice Guy Mahaffy ruled he was "not at all satisfied with the explanation by Mr. Popescu that his statements are based on his religious beliefs."

Popescu "basically picks and chooses what is in his best interest, according to his interpretation of the bible," said the judge.

Popescu testified Friday the bible lists homosexuality as a sin for which one should be stoned to death.

Prosecutor Andrew Slater then suggested that, by the same rule, Popescu should have been stoned to death in 2003 when he was convicted of assaulting his mother.

Popescu, however, said the assault was a false accusation.

"I never did hit my mother," he said, even though he was convicted of the charge.

In court in 2003, he admitted he had given his mother a "small swat and a light shake" to get her attention when she was not paying attention to him during a dispute over the placement of towels in their home.

Mahaffy said it was hypocritical of Popescu to say he should not be punished for an assault on his mother, then suggest it should be done to homosexuals.

If he felt he was not guilty, Popescu could have appealed the assault conviction, but he did not, the judge said.

Sacha Baron Cohen’s Brüno: Not Yet Recognized Genius!

I finally got a chance to see Brüno on the weekend. Designed to simultaneously poke a gigantic hole (pun intended) into the deep-seated homophobia that still thrives in most parts of the world, as well as poke fun at vapid, fame-seeking vanity, Brüno knocks both balls out of the park. lol

I found myself giggling as I walked out of the theatre and I'm still giggling.

I’ve read some reviews that criticize Brüno for missing a major story hook; Brüno only wishes to become famous. Is that motivation less compelling than wanting to bag Pamela Anderson (again pun intended) in Borat? Perhaps it’s less specific, but it still provides Cohen with a wide palate of material with which to make his point(s).

I didn’t laugh out loud as much as I did for Borat, but I think Brüno is far more significant a film politically and socially. We live in an era where virulent homophobia still very much dominates much of North America and most of the world. What Brüno does is pit possibly the worst gay stereotype imaginable against raving, far-right bigots and waits for the fireworks to go off. Sometimes they do, sometimes they don't. The scenes where Brüno camps with some Alabama hunters were interesting in that the hunters were so restrained amid Cohen's come-ons.

Cohen brilliantly ties these episodes together as a full frontal attack on closed mindedness. The hypocrisy he exposes is biting. He uses shock to expose and challenge virulent homophobia head-on. Indeed, as media reports have indicated, Cohen’s own safety was frequently put at risk while filming this movie, not to mention afterwards. His sheer bravado is to be applauded.

Brüno makes Cohen an artist before his time...

One day they'll look back and view Brüno as a great historical record of the homophobia that still gripped much of America at the beginning of the 21st century...