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Reel Pride Is More Than a Film Festival

Lights! Camera! Inclusion!

Canada’s oldest 2SLGBTQ+ film festival celebrates 41 years of bringing audiences together through queer stories and shared experiences.

In an era of endless streaming options, queer stories are more accessible than ever before.

But that wasn’t always the case.

More than 40 years ago, when 2SLGBTQ+ representation in film was limited, a small group of volunteers created a space where Winnipeg’s queer community could see themselves reflected on screen and connect through shared experiences.

Beginning as monthly community film nights organized by The Winnipeg Gay and Lesbian Film Society, Inc. in 1985, the screenings became the Counterparts Film Festival in 1987 before evolving into what we know today as Reel Pride in 2000.

Returning September 16-20, Reel Pride is celebrating its 41st year as Canada’s oldest 2SLGBTQ+ film festival.

Held on Treaty 1 Territory at the Gas Station Arts Centre and the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, the volunteer-run festival has showcased nearly 1,000 films from Winnipeg and around the world.

The way audiences experience film has changed considerably since those early film nights, but for Ray Desautels, President of Reel Pride, the festival’s purpose has remained the same.

“Things like the Reel Pride Film Festival give us a reason to gather and celebrate who we are, our community, our achievements, what we can look forward to, and just share our stories.”

That sense of community is something emerging filmmaker Ande Brown experienced firsthand. After moving to Winnipeg in 2016, Brown discovered the city had a queer film festival and immediately felt more connected.

“The first Reel Pride I attended, everyone was so friendly, kind and welcoming,” says Brown. “When you move to a new city, it can be hard to meet new people, but when you can attend an event and immediately find people who have a shared passion, a new place begins to feel like home.”

This year, Brown returns to the festival with his latest short film, Half-Naked, marking his third Reel Pride screening after debuting an award-winning short in 2024. For Brown, sharing his work with a hometown audience has been especially meaningful.

“You’re thrilled when a festival wants to screen your work,” says Brown. “Since I create my films in Winnipeg, it makes it even more special to have my films showcased at Reel Pride, so I can share them with my local community.”

Beyond providing him a platform to showcase his work, Brown credits Reel Pride with giving him the confidence to grow as a filmmaker.

“When you’re starting out, you feel unsure, you’re learning so many new things, so the support I’ve received from Reel Pride means everything.”

That support has extended beyond the festival itself.

Last year, Brown won the RBC Emerging Filmmaker Pitch Competition at the Gimli International Film Festival, receiving funding, mentorship, and production resources that helped bring his script for Half-Naked to the screen.

“Having support from RBC allowed me to hire professional crew and cast that I could rely on for their expertise,” says Brown. “It reduced the pressure of not feeling like I had to know absolutely everything, and I could concentrate on directing and being in the moment.”

Brown says the experience opened doors that otherwise might not have been possible.

“Not to sound overly dramatic but winning the RBC Pitch Competition changed the trajectory of my filmmaking career.”

Brown’s experience is just one example of RBC’s broader support for Manitoba’s queer film community, including being the presenting sponsor of Reel Pride for more than 15 years.

It’s a commitment that Robb Ritchie, RBC’s Director of Communications for Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Nunavut, and Western Ontario, says runs deep. A proud member of Winnipeg’s 2SLGBTQ+ community, Ritchie has attended Reel Pride for more than two decades and volunteered with the festival for the past 15 years.

“What remains unchanged is how Reel Pride brings filmmakers, industry, the 2SLGBTQ+ community, and cinephiles together in one space to share in the experience of storytelling and representation.”

For Ritchie, RBC’s longstanding support of Reel Pride reflects a commitment that extends beyond financial support.

“This reflects RBC’s sustained dedication to standing shoulder to shoulder with the communities we serve,” says Ritchie.

That dedication, he says, is rooted in shared values.

“Values can’t be something you show up for once,” says Ritchie. “It is a promise that needs to be backed by real world action where we willingly share our time, skills, financial support, network connections, resources, and advice to lift one another up.”

Desautels says that commitment has been instrumental in helping Reel Pride continue to grow.

“They [RBC] act as a role model,” says Desautels. “At a time when organizations face increasing pressure to withdraw their support from 2SLGBTQ+ initiatives, RBC’s contribution extends well beyond financial assistance. They’ve gone above and beyond and helped us overcome challenges that might otherwise have jeopardized the festival’s success. They don’t do it quietly. They do it loud and proud.”

That longstanding support has helped Reel Pride continue doing what it set out to do more than four decades ago, bring people together through film. It’s that shared experience that Ritchie says can’t be recreated at home.

“Film audiences don’t muffle their laughs or silence their reactions in a theatre,” says Ritchie. “The laughs are louder, the emotions are larger, and the reactions are in real time. There is an authentic freedom to film festival theatres, an openness, that is difficult to describe but has to be experienced.”

Brown couldn’t agree more.

“You simply can’t replicate the shared theatre experience and emotion you feel alongside other audience members with streaming platforms. Time spent together and face to face communication is so important for connection. Now more than ever, we need to feel our common bond.”

For more than four decades, Reel Pride has been more than a film festival. It has introduced audiences to new perspectives, supported emerging filmmakers, and created a welcoming space for the 2SLGBTQ+ community to gather, connect, and share stories.

This September, trade your living room for the theatre and experience the Reel Pride Film Festival, where powerful stories and meaningful conversations remind us why some experiences are better shared together.