Students screen Reel Sex

By Nicole Findlay

A group of Gender and Sexuality ArtsOne students are bringing sex to the big screen. They’ve developed and launched a new film festival, Reel Sex that explores themes in sexuality.

Students enrolled in Jennifer Evans seminar Global History of Sexuality produced the lineup in partnership with Divergence Movie Night (DMN), a not-for-profit film series.  DMN promotes education and discussion about gay, lesbian, bysexual, trans, two-spirit and queer (GLBTTQ) issues.

“My hope was to acquaint students with on and off-campus organizations working on sexuality issues,” said Evans, a professor of history.

To put theory into practice, the students met with DMN to learn about the organization’s vast film collection.

After they had identified which audience they hoped to reach, they set about selecting films based on themes that explore sexuality, while also determining what would be appropriate and inappropriate in the university setting.

With all this in mind, the class whittled its choice down to four films.  Then, split into four groups they began work on the actual screenings.

“Each group is responsible for introducing the film and structuring the discussion afterwards,” explained Evans.  The students sought out Ottawa-based experts to garner their advice on the subject matter each film explores.  The results of this research will help them moderate the audience discussion following each screening.

Once they’d figured out what they were showing and to whom, they had to switch gears – shedding their roles as producers to become marketers.  Students promoted the Reel Sex Film festival through a combination of PR tactics.  These have included class room visits, posters and media pitches and interviews.

“They have acquired a greater sense of the way to craft messaging around sexuality themes, to create a safe and intellectual space for critical discussion,” said Evans.

Each Thursday throughout March will explore a different theme of sexuality.

Stay tuned for upcoming Reel Sex Film Festival screenings…

March 3: Persecution in the Ottawa Community
Stand Together 2002, the first comprehensive documentary about the persecution of Ottawa’s gay community, will be shown in Room 208 in the Tory Building at 6:30 p.m.

History master’s student Grant Burke will be the guest speaker.

March 10: GLBTQ Youth
As part of the Reteaching Gender and Sexuality national campaign, this event will include a screening of the group’s first pilot documentary “Put This on the Map!” The award-winning film showcases the lives of 26 young people growing up in Seattle’s eastside suburbs.
The film will be shown in Room 180 of the University Centre at 6:30 p.m. It will be followed by a discussion with the filmmaker.

March 17: Lecture by Judith “Jack” Halberstam
Prof. Judith Halberstam, director of the Center for Feminist Research at the University of Southern California, will present a lecture entitled “The Killer in Me is the Killer in You: Homosexuality and Fascism” in Room 301, Azrieli Theatre at 8 p.m.

March 24: Inter-sex-tionality
Offering viewers a complex and multifaceted image of face, sexuality and trans-identity, “Still Black – A Portrait of Black TransMen,” explores the lives of six black transgender men living in the United States. The film will be shown in Room 180 of the University Centre at 6:30 p.m.

March 30: Prostitution
A collection of short films hailing from Canada, France, India and the United States, “La Putain De Compile” is an eye-opening collection that presents alternative discourses and representations about sex work. Location to be announced.

For more information and updated locations, please visit: http://www.carleton.ca/~jevans/jevans/Events.html