Introduction

A Little About Reelout…

The Reelout Film Festival has been an annual tradition in Kingston, Ontario for 21 years and has revolutionized the perceptions of LGBTQ2S+ individuals and allies. The ladder group has been instrumental in sustaining the success of the festival by assisting in the normalization of marginalized societal groups. The audiences are composed of diverse individuals: people of all genders, age, class, sexuality and race. The festival organizers have evidently taken an intersectional approach whilst curating the selection of movies that were screened. 

The audience was invited to play an active role in the overall experience, a major differentiating factor from mainstream cinemas. The audience members were encouraged to ask questions and participate in a discussion led by a panel of experts in the relevant community. For example, Changing the Game, was followed with a group including, but not limited to: a transgender athlete active in academia, a sports educator from a Kingston School Board and a professor from Queen’s School of Kineseology, Dr. Mary Louise Adams. This panel intended to elaborate on experiences pertinent to the topic at hand, such as discussing the rules set for gendered sports teams. Another panel followed The Garden Left Behind, and encouraged audience participation to discuss what they saw in the movie and any questions they had pertaining to the topic. This film also provided individuals reassurance due to the sensitive content being screened, by presenting a resource to consult after the movie. Another means by which this experience differed from mainstream theaters was the process of rating the film that was seen. The audience had the opportunity to participate by ranking the film that they saw. On the way out, everyone was given a bead to put in a box for feedback as to whether or not they enjoyed the movie. These beads were also an eco-friendly alternative to ticket stubs. The voting opportunity along with the panels provide a means for audience participation that is not offered in mainstream cinema. 

The Reelout Film Festival provides an outlet for the representation of minority groups deemed deviant from societal norms. Not only do viewers see diversity on screen,  it was also witnessed within the audiences as well. Mainstream theaters often display movies normalizing traditional western values, such as heterosexuality, Caucasian male dominance and the gender binary. Reelout serves as an inclusive environment reducing the stigma around marginalized groups.