RCA Kelowna Out & Proud Film Festival 2022 June 16, 17, 19 2022
The Rotary Centre for the Arts is proud to host and produce the fourth annual Kelowna Out & Proud Film Festival featuring stories by and about the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. This year's festival will run June 16, 17, and 19 at the Mary Irwin Theatre.
The Kelowna Out & Proud Film Festival is an official affiliate event of Kelowna Pride 2022, the largest Pride Festival in the BC Interior. Kelowna Pride's first festival began over 25 years ago. Since then, the festival has grown immensely, attracting over 12,000 people to be proud and celebrate love, diversity, and inclusivity. Find out more about Kelowna Pride HERE.
To purchase a Festival Pass, click here. The Festival Pass gives you access to all film screenings & talk back sessions, as well as the family social!
Sponsored by:
2022 Films
Thursday, June 16 | 7:00pm
The Little Deputy
Director: Trevor Anderson
Run time: 9m
Rating: PG
Years after dressing up as a deputy sheriff for a western-style photo with his father, Anderson explores issues of gender identity when he tries to recreate the photo as it always should have been.
Thursday, June 16 | 7:15pm
Emergence: Out of the Shadows
Director: Vinay Giridhar
Run time: 1h 20m
Rating: PG
For Kayden, Jag, and Amar, awakening to and expressing their sexuality within conservative South Asian families was a lonely and terrifying experience. Denial, shame and despair haunted their youths, even threatening their lives. Yet, they’ve emerged. In the gripping feature documentary Emergence: Out of the Shadows, the disparate journeys of Kayden, Jag and Amar candidly converge around a shared sense of compassion and healing as they bravely convey their often heart-wrenching stories. Confronted with tradition and taboo in their Punjabi Sikh cultures, resisting silence, Jag’s parents and Amar’s mother choose love over rejection, offering courage and inspiration to individuals and communities struggling with acceptance. Tender, thoughtful and teary, Emergence: Out of the Shadows asserts a potent and transformative voice in support of marginalized queer youth and their families.
This screening is followed by a discussion with special guest Muqaddar Ahmed, facilitated by Matthew Stewart.
Friday, June 17 | 7:00pm
Outrageous!
Director: Richard Benner
Run time: 1h 40m
Rating: R (18+)
A 1977 Canadian classic. Hair stylist Robin Turner does a lot of work for drag queens, all the while dreaming that he'll someday find the courage to perform in drag himself. When his friend, Liza, turns up looking for a place to stay, he little suspects that she'll be the one to finally motivate him, but over time the two form an increasingly tight bond; Robin helping Liza through an unplanned pregnancy and Liza pushing Robin to realize his dreams.
This screening features host and speaker Sasha Zamolodchikova and is followed by a discussion with special guest Cameron Crookston, facilitated by Tyler Morgenstern.
Sunday, June 19 | 3:00pm
Drawn to You
Director: Eleanor Davitt; created by the Drawn to You team
Run time: 5m
Rating: G
Young Emily didn’t see anything wrong with her drawing of two girls holding hands, but her mother saw otherwise and tore both the paper and her child’s heart in two. Little did they know, the drawings had come alive and are determined to reunite with one another across the vast bedroom of pages, no matter what risk comes their way. An adventurous and heartwarming tale, “Drawn toYou” shows audiences both the struggles and joy that comes with being true to your heart, and not letting others tell you who to be.
Sunday, June 19 | 3:15pm
Sweetheart Dancers
Director: Ben-Alex Dupris
Run time: 13m
Rating: G
Indigenous dancers Sean and Adrian challenge the rulebook of San Manuel's Native American Sweetheart Special as they attempt to compete in the annual couple's competition. Dancing not only against the other dancers, but against the drums of oppression and closed-mindedness, this two-spirit couple is determined to rewrite the rules of "one man, one woman" with their resplendent charisma, character and resilience.
This screening is followed by a Family Social in the Rotary Centre for the Arts Atrium. Make a craft with Freida Whales and enjoy special treats from Roma Nord Bistro! All family social activities are free with presentation of your Out & Proud Film Festival pass or your individual ticket for Sunday, June 19!
Special thanks to Roma Nord Bistro for sponsoring the Family Social
