Indiegogo crowd funding campaign launched to help fund my short film 'Tri-Curious'

As I wrote last month, I've been busy the last few months working on a short narrative film called Tri-Curious, my first as director, producer and film editor.

The short film is a comedy-drama about a young gay male couple about to embark on their first threesome together when one of them has a last minute anxiety attack and wants to cancel.  Trouble is, it's 20 minutes until the "guest" is set to arrive at their apartment.  Tri-Curious explores issues around modern-day relationships, monogamy, and sexual experimentation in a thoughtful, light, and hopefully amusing way.

I'm proud to present a short clip from a scene in the movie below, posted on Vimeo.


Clip from the new short film, 'Tri-Curious' by director Matt Guerin from Matt Guerin on Vimeo.

I applied for but did not receive a film completion grant.  Thus, the film is currently being financed out of my own pocket.  As a first-time director without much of my own track record in the industry, I don't think there's much chance of receiving any other funding from Canadian funding bodies.

So today I launched my own crowd funding campaign at Indiegogo to try to raise some money to help with the costs, which now stand at approximately $3,800 CAD (including $2,100 for post-production colour correction, sound design & mixing, and final packaging.)   Most of the people who worked on this film have not received any compensation for their efforts on the film, while others received very little.  There are more costs coming including marketing costs and more festival costs. 

I would dearly appreciate it if you could check out the campaign page and seriously consider investing in the film.  The campaign runs for the next 28 days (four weeks).

Money raised in this campaign will go first to pay for the film's post-production work including colour correction, sound design and mixing, and final packaging.  After that, I will prioritize compensating members of the crew.

As an indie filmmaker looking to create my calling card short film, this is how it's done.  I made certain creative and production decisions to keep costs down without compromising my own artistic vision.  The result is a film I'm extremely proud of and I'm very hopeful that it will have much success on the film festival circuit this year and eventually on YouTube.   If you want to be a part of this exciting project, please head over to the Indiegogo campaign page and consider one of the various reward donations.   I'd be most grateful.  

Day of celebration: U.S. Supreme Court rules states must allow same-sex marriage

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This is a great day in the U.S.  The Supreme Court today legalized gay marriage in a 5-4 ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges.  The opinion holds that the Fourteenth Amendment requires a state to issue a marriage license to same-sex couples.  All four dissenting justices wrote an individual dissent.  Justice Kennedy voted with the liberal block.

I'd like to quote from Kennedy’s opinion, as posted here: 

“Marriage is sacred to those who live by their religions and offers unique fulfillment to those who find meaning in the secular realm. Its dynamic allows two people to find a life that could not be found alone, for a marriage becomes greater than just the two persons. Rising from the most basic human needs, marriage is essential to our most profound hopes and aspirations.

“Far from seeking to devalue marriage, the petitioners seek it for themselves because of their respect—and need—for its privileges and responsibilities. And their immutable nature dictates that same-sex marriage is their only real path to this profound commitment.

“The ancient origins of marriage confirm its centrality, but it has not stood in isolation from developments in law and society. The history of marriage is one of both continuity and change. That institution—even as confined to opposite-sex relations—has evolved over time. 

“No union is more profound than marriage, for it embodies the highest ideals of love, fidelity, devotion, sacrifice, and family. In forming a marital union, two people become something greater than once they were. As some of the petitioners in these cases demonstrate, marriage embodies a love that may endure even past death. It would misunderstand these men and women to say they disrespect the idea of marriage. Their plea is that they do respect it, respect it so deeply that they seek to find its fulfillment for themselves. Their hope is not to be condemned to live in loneliness, excluded from one of civilization’s oldest institutions. They ask for equal dignity in the eyes of the law. The Constitution grants them that right.”

Predictably, most Republican leaders are standing next to the bigots of old, like other social conservatives did in the past on similar issues like civil rights. 

Rob Salerno's 'First Day Back' is a moving tribute to queer victims of bullying

Rob Salerno in 'First Day Back'

I checked out the one-man show 'First Day Back' written and performed by Toronto-based actor Rob Salerno on the weekend at Toronto's Storefront Theatre and wasn't disappointed.

Mostly inspired by the tragic 2011 suicide of Ottawa's Jamie Hubley, Salerno has crafted a complex, moving, and beautiful tribute to the young queers we've lost due to high school bullying and other youth left behind forced to struggle with their losses.   

The one-hour play continues this week with three more shows on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights.  I highly recommend you check it out if you have the chance.  Tickets can be bought in advance here.

Ontario bans 'conversion therapy’ for LGBTQ children

NDP MPP Cheri DiNovo, who sponsored the bill.

Bravo to Ontario legislators who today unanimously passed Bill 77 (Affirming Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Act), a private member's bill.

The landmark law bans so-called “conversion therapy” on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender children and prevents medical practitioners from billing OHIP for it for adults.

No longer will misguided Ontario parents be able to force their LGBTQ children into this horrible non-treatment, which many have described as abusive and greatly damaging to the individuals in question.

This is a good day for Ontario!  (I wrongly posted yesterday Ontario was the first province in Canada to do this, believing the Toronto Star's reporting.  In fact, Manitoba passed a similar law in May.)  

Let's hope other provinces follow suit soon. 

Inside Out Festival's new gay film trend: the Post-Gay Man...

Scene from award-winning short 'Hole'

The 25th annual Toronto Inside Out LGBT Film Festival has just wrapped up for another year. Dozens of films were consumed by audiences, many enjoyed, others hated.

My favourite: an astonishing short film called 'Hole,' (pictured above) by director Martin Edralin, filmed in Toronto, about an older disabled man yearning for intimacy in a world that would rather ignore him.  Lead actor Ken Harrower, who's greatly disabled himself, does mesmerizing work portraying his character's quiet dignity and agony, as well as frustrated lust for his home care male nurse.  I won't soon forget this amazing film, which won Best Canadian Short at the festival.

You can view the short's trailer below:

Hole - Trailer from Martin Edralin on Vimeo.

Other short films I loved included director Mark Pariselli's dark comedy 'Monster Mash', directors Sonya Reynolds and Lauren Hortie's animated short documentary 'Midnight at the Continental', and director Jason Karman's 'I Really Like You.'

Lily Tomlin with co-star Julia Garner in 'Grandma'. 

Among the feature films I saw, I liked Lily Tomlin's new film 'Grandma,' which opened the festival.  Tomlin sufficiently chewed up the scenery with her cranky, grieving, penniless matriarch trying to help her granddaughter find money for a quick abortion.   It was very enjoyable, not too melodramatic, showcasing Tomlin's talents as well as the rest of the cast.

But many male-centred films I saw this year explored stories about sexually ambiguous men, or presumably heterosexual men who face few if any agonies over their sexual identities, but end up flirting with their gay sides in less-than-cut-and-dry romances or bromances.  Some might refer to these identities as "post-gay," or label-free sexualities that don't fit neatly into identities like "gay" and "straight."

One such film I loved was the Brazilian flick by directors Filipe Matzembacher and Marcio Reolon called 'Seashore' (pictured below.)  Two cute boys on the edge of adulthood, Martin (seemingly very heterosexual) and friend Tomaz (who we at first suspect is gay and later he confirms it to his old friend,) begin a journey to a seaside community to do Martin's absent father a mysterious favour.  We later find out Martin's father is too much of a coward to do the task himself - which is to obtain a property document to evict some estranged family from their longtime home.

Actors Mateus Almada and Mauricio Barcellos in 'Seashore'

The story unfolds in casual and oft confusing fashion, with few of these facts explained clearly until the audience puts all the clues together along with the protagonists.  At the end, unhappy with his father's behaviour and looking for some youthful rebellion, young Martin decides to engage in some experimental (and fairly steamy) sex with Tomaz.

I'll cautiously recommend the film, but will warn that its slow pace and minimal characterization might drive some viewers crazy.  Several audience members walked out of my screening.   Here's the trailer:



'Seashore' wasn't the only film that focussed on "post-gay" males.

Nils Bokamp's slight 'You & I' (pictured below) was entertaining, thanks to the immense good looks and frequent nudity of its three male leads.   Old friends Jonas (supposedly straight) and Philip (openly gay) embark on an excursion through the German countryside to take photographs, skinny dip, and have some fun.

SPOILER ALERT: Along the way, they pick up Polish cutie Boris, who makes the moves on Philip, causing unexpected jealousy in Jonas and some sexual tension.  In the end, jealousy seems to spur Jonas to admit his own sexual affection for his longtime friend Philip.

Focussing on similar themes, Santiago Giralt's feature 'Jess & James' from Argentina was feeble by comparison, boring and unaccomplished, with weaker storytelling and acting.

Marçal Forés' very ironically titled 'Everlasting Love,' was a subversive take on the old storyline trope of older man/much younger lover.  Not much sexual ambiguity here, but much darker and surprising stuff instead including some cannibalism.  After its final credits started to roll, I whispered to myself, 'That's fucked up.'   I'll say no more.  Many in the crowd seemed to hate it, but I found it darkly hilarious.

Inside Out also screened a new director's cut of '54', the 1998 bomb starring a gorgeously young Ryan Phillippe.  Miramax butchered director Mark Christopher's original cut, taking out all the queer content and turning a mediocre examination of the late 1970s New York city club into a boring, sanitized mess.

Scene from '54'

The director's cut was mildly more enjoyable than the original, with at least the queer content and sexual ambiguity restored.  The infamous kiss between Phillippe and co-star Breckin Meyer, cut from the original film, is back, but it's still not all that great a shot (as the camera focuses on the back of Meyer's head instead of their locked lips.) After its finale, I walked out of the packed screening feeling a bit dirty and unsatisfied.  But clearly the lurid subject matter might make this re-cut a bit of a gay cult classic.

So all in all, a decent Inside Out experience again this year.  Gone are the oft-told, perhaps old-fashioned stories of closeted queer boys struggling to come out.  In their place, we are seeing a different approach to sexual identities, with men who might legitimately identify as "straight," find themselves open to a little queer action.  The boys are finally catching up to the girls, who've been enjoying sexual fluidity on the screen for years.  It's a nice change and very welcome.

Hurray! Ireland votes 'Yes' to same-sex marriage

Counting is ongoing, but reportedly both the 'Yes' and 'No' sides in the Irish debate are now declaring the pro-equality side has won the referendum in Ireland to legalize same-sex marriage in the country. 

What a great result!   A great day for equality and inclusion in this world!   Those who despair at the hatred and lack of understanding in the world can look to this result and take comfort, I say.

For more news on this, check out the BBC website story above or the CBC's coverage.

******UPDATE******

The full results are mostly in and can be viewed here on Elections Ireland's website.  The Yes side has over 62% support!  

My thoughts are with Ireland today...

The Irish are voting in a historic referendum today on marriage equality.   I'm mostly Irish by blood, although not by citizenship.   And, as you can guess, I'm hoping that it turns out well for those who favour equality.

At first, I was surprised that such a vote on minority rights would be put to popular vote.  But, as this article makes clear, legalizing equal marriage in the constitution requires a constitutional amendment voted on by the public in order to avoid future legal challenges.  

Still, one has to worry what the formerly staunch conservative voters of Ireland will do today.  The country only decriminalized homosexuality in 1993.  The country seems to have become more liberal since.  Polls showed the pro-equality side far ahead right up until today.  

In the U.S., where similar referenda have taken place in the last 15 to 20 years, the experience was mostly negative until 2012, when voters started approving equality and shutting down attempts to ban gay marriage.   The tide has turned in that country. 

In Canada, the pro-equal marriage side won out 10 years ago, with courts and legislatures voting in favour.  Polls now show 65% of Canadians support equal marriage. 

Voting in Ireland continues today until 10 pm Irish time, or 5 pm Toronto time.  (Although results won't be fully counted until Saturday, apparently.)  So hopefully we'll get good news to celebrate tomorrow. 

In the mean time, glad to share this Canadian video supporting the equal marriage cause:

Canada now has two elected, openly LGBT premiers

PEI Premier Wade MacLauchlan

With tonight's majority Liberal win in Prince Edward Island, Wade MacLauchlan becomes the second openly gay premier elected in Canada (after Kathleen Wynne in Ontario.)

Most celebratory of all is how his sexual orientation seemed to be a non-issue in the race.  How far we have come, indeed!

MacLauchlan's Liberals won 18 seats out of 27 in the province.  The PCs took 8 seats, but their leader Rob Lantz narrowly failed to win his own Charlottetown seat.   

Of note, the provincial NDP and the Greens won big gains in the popular vote, with the Green Party leader, Peter Bevan-Baker, handily winning his party's first seat in the island legislature.   (Unfortunately for the NDP, their increase in the vote was less concentrated and failed to elect anyone under Canada's first-past-the-post voting system. But with tomorrow's election in Alberta, the NDP may soon be smiling.)

For full results,  click here to go to the CBC's election website.

'A Sinner in Mecca' impresses at Hot Docs Toronto festival

Thousands of Muslims circling the Kaaba in Mecca,
as seen in 'A Sinner in Mecca'

I attended the world premiere last night of director Parvez Sharma's controversial new documentary 'A Sinner in Mecca.'   It played at Toronto's Hot Docs film festival.

Sharma is an openly gay Muslim filmmaker who previously directed 'A Jihad for Love.'  His new film chronicles his own personal and spiritual journey to visit Mecca, a journey all Muslims are supposed to make at least once during their lifetimes.

The CBC ran stories about Sharma and his film yesterday: 

"The Hajj is the highest calling for any Muslim," he told CBC News. "For years I felt I really needed to go, so this film is about me coming out as a Muslim. I'm done coming out as a gay man."

He videotaped his journey to Mecca surreptitiously on his iPhone and other small cameras that looked like phones since filming isn't permitted in Saudi Arabia and homosexuality can be punished by death.

"I was terrified because they reserve the death penalty for people like me," Sharma said.

Several times he had his equipment seized and video files deleted by authorities. But he persevered with both his spiritual journey and his film.

"I was there making this pilgrimage for the thousands of gay Muslims who were too scared to go to Saudi Arabia, who would feel they would never be welcome," Sharma said. "I felt I was doing it for them."

...The film's very existence has earned Sharma hate mail and death threats from angry Muslims.

The film was also denounced by the Iranian government for promoting homosexuality. The Hot Docs festival has added extra security for the filmmaker's safety and for patrons attending the three sold-out screenings."

My take on the film: it is a stunning journey documented with meticulous detail by Sharma that I won't forget.   As a non-Muslim Westerner (and non-religious person) who will never be able to journey to these locations, it was incredibly illuminating.

Sharma's voice over accompanying his visuals make clear the immense physical challenges he and others endure to make this trip, including the pushing through mass crowds circling the Kaaba (pictured above) as most try to touch it.  The circling goes on 24/7.  "There is nothing kind" about this, remarks Sharma.  Instead of being a moment of solemn prayer and reflection, it's an exhausting shoving match not for the faint of heart, it seems.   Near this holiest of Muslim sites, Saudi royalty has seen fit to allow a Starbucks franchise and various other commercial outlets to be opened. The clash between solemn religion and modern capitalist hypocrisy couldn't be more stunning.

Sharma even sacrifices a goat to fulfil his journey, the final step in his religious purification, he says. The bloody scene is awful to watch.  In the end, Sharma says he feels empty, but relieved he made the journey.  He also states the experience bolsters his desire to see a "reformation" in Islam.

Non-Muslims will see things in this film they will never otherwise see.  I'd say the same goes for Muslims as well.  As a gay man who has also struggled to find a place within organized religion, I found Sharma's journey and film to be fascinating.   I highly recommend it.

'A Sinner in Mecca' plays again this weekend at Hot Docs, and later in May will screen at Toronto's LGBT Inside Out film festival.

Edward Snowden, Bill C-51 and the scary growth of government surveillance

I recently watched the chilling, superb documentary Citizenfour by director Laura Poitras.  The film, which won the Best Documentary Feature award at this year's Academy Awards, chronicles in detail the 2013 interviews by Poitras, Glenn Greenwald and Ewen MacAskill with Edward Snowden, the infamous whistle blower.   It also outlines how the National Security Agency (NSA) in the U.S., in cahoots with other world governments and agencies, have expanded their spying to include virtually all human digital communications, not just on those suspected of terrorism. 

The film is must-see for everyone.  I have to admit I didn't fully understand the full extent of Snowden's revelations when they first came to light in June 2013.   I recall the revelations getting a bit blurred in the coverage of the attacks on Snowden's character by the intelligence establishment and his fleeing from authorities to Russia. 

But the film returns the focus back to the secret documents that Snowden revealed which proved the full extent of the NSA's surveillance program, which has grown to intercept virtually all digital communications of Americans and citizens of other countries without any safeguards for privacy rights.   Data of every email, every Google search, every Facebook post, every phone call, every online purchase of virtually every human being they can monitor is being captured using NSA technologies and partnerships with other government's agencies including the Canadian government and is being stored for future reference.   Should governments decide to target anyone, they are able to utilize their vast surveillance archive to retroactively investigate them. 

Essentially, this represents the greatest invasion of privacy in history.

In late 2013, Barton Gellman, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who led the Washington Post's coverage of Snowden's disclosures, summarized the Snowden leaks as follows:

"Taken together, the revelations have brought to light a global surveillance system that cast off many of its historical restraints after the attacks of Sept 11, 2001.  Secret legal authorities empowered the NSA to sweep in the telephone, Internet and location records of whole populations."

No doubt, the full implications of these disclosures are still permeating through the public consciousness two years later.  Many people still barely know what Snowden revealed, let alone understand it.  Thus, the vital importance of the film and why it continues to be important to hear from Snowden, as we thankfully continue to do.  

Citizenfour's interviews of Snowden flesh out a man of principle who went to incredible lengths and personal sacrifice to reveal the despicable overreach of his bosses into the lives of all of us. 
 


Snowden's had some critical things to say about Canada's spying regime and lack of adequate oversight, as well as the Harper government's proposed Bill C-51, which would expand the powers of the Canada's spy agency.

This past weekend saw numerous protests across Canada against Bill C-51.  This follows what seems like plummeting public support for the legislation. 

I've struggled to dissect the implications of Bill C-51, reading both good and bad about it.  Without enhanced oversight provisions, I can't help but be wary of it.   This Walrus article by Craig Forcese and Kent Roach helped me greatly with my understanding.

Justin Trudeau's decision to vote for Bill C-51, despite concerns over the bill's lack of enhanced oversight provisions, puts the Liberal Party too far on the side of the security establishment which clearly has grown too big.  Sure, the Liberals' decision to vote for it is pure politics, in response to the Conservatives' exaggeration of the terrorist threat.  In truth, there's little real difference between the Liberal position and the NDP position on C-51, except for the symbolic votes either for or against the legislation.  Both opposition parties are promising to similarly tinker with the law should either of them form a government.  The Conservatives' majority ensures they can control passage of whatever bill they wish this year.

But we need more than tinkering.  We need more than just a new parliamentary committee to keep an eye on CSIS and other government agencies after the fact (although that would be an improvement).   We need a full-scale, public investigation into this new status quo revealed in Citizenfour and how to roll it back to return some degree of privacy to our lives.  We can't trust Stephen Harper to do that as he probably approves of the NSA's abilities to spy on every Canadian.

The issues raised in Citizenfour and by C-51 are not entirely the same, but clearly they are linked.   They both deal with growing government power snuffing out individual freedoms.   We need to pull back the powers we have handed over to these forces to ensure better balance so we don't continue down this scary road.   If we continue, years from now, we'll all be horrified to see our society transformed into a police state, where lack of privacy and freedom is the norm, not the rare exception.  

The next step in this fight is to create a critical mass of awareness.  Once more and more of the public realizes that their privacy no longer exists, we will hopefully stop giving deference and support to the Harperites of the world and demand our governments roll back surveillance of our lives.   On this issue, I have to admit the NDP has its priorities right.  I can only hope that politicians like Trudeau soon catch up. 

In the mean time, watch Citizenfour and look forward to more films on the subject that can continue to pierce the public's awareness.

Michael Coren is my new hero

I really like the new Michael Coren, who's undergone a mellowing that looks very good on him.

Watching him debate the horrible Charles McVety in this Power & Politics debate this week on Ontario's new school curriculum was immensely enjoyable.

So I'm happy to post it here:

Religion is a drug best served with moderation and skepticism...

On this Good Friday, when all North Americans (and many others in the West) get a statutory day off - a privilege not extended to any other faiths, yet some Christians still say they feel like victims of unfair treatment - I'm reflective upon the role of religion and faith in our society.

Canada is a country of great moderation, secularism and pluralism I am proud to call home.  I'm glad to say the vast majority of Canadians decades ago threw off the shackles of social conservatism.  Debates about women's rights, abortion, same sex marriage, equality and many others seem to be completely settled here.  Attempts to revisit those questions invariably go nowhere, even though an unhappy few still unsuccessfully try to champion those old causes.  More often than not, they do their own causes more harm, like when anti-abortion activists circulated postcards recently to try to hurt Justin Trudeau. 
  
Most Ontarians recently responded with shrugs and "It's about time!" to the long overdue school curriculum revamp, despite cries of opposition from religious fanatics, who mostly misrepresented the changes to try to attack them.   Some social conservatives continue to make noise against it with the help of some misguided Conservative leadership candidates, but it seems Ontario's tenacious premier Kathleen Wynne will be more than happy to face them down.  These days, siding with secularism and pluralism in Ontario is a political winner. 

Am I complacent now in Ontario?  It's hard not to feel a little secure when we re-elected our openly lesbian premier last year.  There has been much progress.  But of course, instances of homophobic violence and discrimination do still occur.  But it does seem that homophobia in the culture continues to decline.  The culture shift seems to be permanent.

That's why when I look at other countries like the U.S. or Brazil which still debate these questions, I am confident that eventually they too will achieve the kind of peace that we have mostly won here in Canada. 

Why has Canada progressed this far, while pockets in America and other countries still resist full equality?

The answer is simple: Religion.  Fundamentalist or conservative religion to be precise.

To me, religion is like a drug.  And not all drugs are bad.  Caffeine is a drug.  Sugar is a drug.  Red wine is a drug.  Money is a drug.  Marijuana is a drug.  Heroin is a drug.

Of that list, I'd only advise against trying heroin.  Why?  Because it seems heroin can't be enjoyed in moderation.  It's an "all-in" experience, and one that easily becomes addictive.

To me, fundamentalist religion is like heroin.  It's "all-in".  Followers of fundamentalist religion - be they Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, or whatever - are so desperate for some kind of perceived salvation that they cling to sets of beliefs that "guarantee" it.  Of course, those sets of beliefs often compel them to do strange things, wear certain clothes in public, and also impose their values on others, like recently in Indiana and other U.S. states.  Sometimes, those beliefs are so extreme that they turn believers into murderers, like we saw this week in Kenya.  

What is the cure for these fundamentalists?  I'd say moderation and skepticism.

I grew up in a Roman Catholic family.  My parents were so-called "smorgasbord Catholics."  Sure they believed in the basic concepts of the Catholic faith involving Christ being the Son of God, who came to Earth to show humanity how to live and how to face death, with a glimpse of eternal life, etc., etc.   But their faith was fluid.  It allowed for skepticism.  It evolved when my parents learned new things or read new ideas, like 'The Pagan Christ.'

Such an open-minded approach to religion is just fine, in my books.  Sure, you can attend mass every week if it gives you a sense of community and ritual.  I can appreciate such needs.  If you also refuse to impose your religion on others, then I think that's wonderful.  These are people who are using the drug of religion in moderation.  They are healthy.  And there is much good that religious people can do in this world, including helping their fellow human beings. 

I am not a religious person. I am agnostic.  I decided long ago that all organized religions were inherently corrupt and fallible.  Adherence to any one religion is misguided, in my estimation.  I simply cannot tolerate the injustices still rampant in most of them (including the discrimination of the Catholic Church.)  I don't judge those who still need a religious outlet in their lives, but only if they oppose discrimination and embrace real equality for all human beings.   

While I've embraced the secularism of our society, there's no doubt that my religious upbringing formed a foundation for my beliefs.  I'm not some boat flailing in stormy waters without a sail.  I do think there is much good in the story of Jesus Christ as a role model.  But I consider the story to be fiction.  Like all religious stories about saviours.

My firmest spiritual belief: human beings can never know the absolute truth of the universe.

Religions try to offer that absolute truth to their followers, but the dogma they provide is mostly false. 

Sure, it's healthy to learn about various religions and ideas.  Perhaps even follow one or two from time to time.  But it's best to allow your beliefs to continue to evolve with new experiences and information.  And not tie yourself to one religion for life. 

In the mean time, I find it best to borrow from the Christian tenet: love your fellow human beings as yourself.  That's an idea I and all of us can most definitely live with.