Critical Writing Index

The Inside Out Festival of Toronto

by Randi Spires

Fuse, Summer 1993, v. 16, no. 5 & 6, pp. 60-62

The 1993 Inside Out Lesbian and Gay Film and Video Festival seems to have one particular area of focus: public images. These issues surrounding representation of the Gay and Lesbian community are addressed by Maureen Bradley's Queer Across Canada, in which she finds herself labelled as dyke, gay, a woman and a boy, depending on her geographical location. The question "Can a lesbian actually live in televisual space?" is posed by Bradley, but ultimately becomes addressed by many of the other highlights of the festival. Cheryl Farthing's We've Been Framed serves as a history of "covert lesbianism" in hollywood cinema. Similarly, Hollywood and Homophobia by Clare Beavan questions the destructive and one-dimensional depictions of queer culture. Pink in Public, by Toronto's Andrew James Paterson takes a dramatic approach to these issues his portrayal of a reporter attempting to "out" a celebrity both as a homosexual and a conservative.

ITEM 1993.096 – available for viewing in the Research Centre

Videos, Artworks and Artists Cited

Queer Across CanadaMaureen Bradley

We've Been FramedCheryl Farthing

Hollywood and HomophobiaClare Beavan

Pink in PublicAndrew James Paterson