The Inside Out lesbian and gay film festival takes place every year starting in the second week in May in Toronto. I am always excited about the festival; it provides ample opportunity to see new work by queer filmmakers, to dress up and connect with other folks in the community.

So you can imagine the excitement to flip through the program when it comes out. I rip through the pages every year hoping for some new and exciting films that present fresh ideas and issues. This year I wasn’t let down.

This year an exciting edition I do not remember previously being part of the program is an entire program of shorts on femme identities. And there was also one solo short, “be safe and considerate” by Anna Peak as part of the “Let’s Get Physical” program.The short, ‘be safe and considerate’ is a refreshing take on the struggle for femme invisibility within the world at large and within queer communities. Anna’s other short, gender fucking femmes, will be screened on Sunday, May 25^th. I’ll be sure to update you on it the next time I write.

The presence of the film alone within the festival is a great contribution to femme activism – putting us on the map with other queer issues and gender identities that make it to the big screen at the festival.

But the film offers a lot more beyond femme visibility. It’s a cute, sexy and funny take on some of the frustrations and joys that poly queer femmes deal with. The plot is simple but powerful with three femmes on a subway car fighting over a dildo that’s been used but not washed before it’s returned to one of the other femmes. A tasteful, humorous take on jealousy ensues between the women. The camera focuses on the women but also looks for the reactions of fellow transit riders who don’t seem to have much of a reaction.

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 22nd, 2008 at 7:35 am and is filed under Guest Bloggers, musings. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.