Five must-see titles at Montreal’s Image+Nation LGBTQ Film Fest

Montreal’s Image+Nation LGBTQ film festival kicks off its 32nd edition on Thursday, November 21st, offering up dozens of screenings over the course of the next two weeks.

Below we’ve highlighted five of the titles we’re most excited for, ranging from a documentary on the “gayest horror film ever made,” to a post-punk coming-of-age story set in Mexico City.

Image+Nation runs from November 21 – December 21 at various theatres in Montreal. For tickets and the complete festival schedule, head to the official Image+Nation site.

And Then We Danced
Sweden’s Oscar submission for Best International Feature Film, Levan Akin’s And Then We Danced tells the story of Merab (Levan Gelbakhiani), a dancer learning to express himself amidst the culturally restrictive confines of Georgian society. Merab then encounters Irakli (Bachi Valishvili), an attention-grabbing dancer who becomes his rival and eventual love interest. A touching and resonant coming-of-age story that has won waves of acclaim during its festival run, And Then We Danced is the official opening film at Image+Nation this year. Thursday, November 21 at 8:00 pm, Cinema Imperial. 

Scream, Queen! My Nightmare on Elm Street
Before horror franchises eventually became cookie-cutter retreads of each other, 1985’s A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge offered a very different take from Wes Craven’s original horror smash. Directed by Jack Sholder, the sequel centers on Jesse Walsh (Mark Patton), a teenager who becomes beset by nightmares of Freddy Krueger, who eventually begins entering his reality in violent ways. Eschewing the theme of the “final girl,” Nightmare 2 featured a homoerotic subtext that eventually made Patton a gay icon, while also stalling his career due to the negative reaction to the film (which was still a hit). Directed by Roman Chimienti & Tyler Jensen, Scream, Queen! shows Patton reckoning with the legacy of the film and discussing its impact on his life with the cast and crew of the film that launched him into horror notoriety over 30 years ago. Thursday, November 28 at 7:00 pm, Never Apart. 

This is not Berlin
A post-punk rock coming-of-age story set in Mexico City in the mid-80s, Hari Sama’s This is Not Berlin is a vibrant look at a group of young artists navigating their work and sexuality in a rapidly expanding cultural landscape. Get primed with the film’s killer soundtrack featuring the likes of Joy Division, Devo, Mexico’s Hoffen, and more via the Spotify playlist here. Friday, November 22 at 7:00 pm, Cinema Imperial. 

Hron: A Country of Ghosts
Billed as a “queer heterotopian science-fiction movie about war,” Dani Tardif’s Hron: A Country of Ghosts is a tale of resistance with obvious parallels to Indigenous struggles around the world. Hron tells the story of a Dimos Horacki, a non-binary trans reporter who heads into the wilderness to report on the resistance to the expansion of the Borolian empire by the residents of the land. The 63-minute film is preceded by a pair of sci-fi shorts: Emily Mkrtichian & Anahid Yahjian’s Transmission, and Timothy Smith’s Queering di Teknolojik. Monday, November 25 ay 6:30 pm, Cinema Moderne. 

You Don’t Nomi
Jeffrey McHale’s documentary focuses on Paul Verhoeven’s Showgirls, the steamy 1995 mega-flop that charted the rise and fall of showgirl dancer Nomi Malone (Elizabeth Berkley). Stuck with a notorious NC-17 designation and immediately lambasted upon its release, Showgirls has since become a cult classic, with many reappraising the film over the ensuing decades. McHale’s doc questions the film’s defenders and those who worked on the production to finally uncover if Showgirls is a sex-positive feminist take on the industry, or a piece of exploitative trash (or likely something in the middle). Wednesday, November 27 at 7:00 pm, Never Apart. 

Image+Nation runs from November 21 – December 21 at various theatres in Montreal. For tickets and the complete festival schedule, head to the official Image+Nation site.