Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives (CLGA) will examine LGBTQ+ censorship, resulting from the “Hays Code,” in an exhibit compiled of silver screen films and memorabilia.

TORONTO, ON. (January 27, 2015) – Sissy stereotypes, same-sex interaction and subtext will all come to the forefront in the Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives’ new exhibition, Code, Read. Code, Read will see the CLGA’s gallery present four film screenings, along with a collection of film ephemera from 1930 to 1968. This free exhibit is open to the general public beginning February 8, 2015 at the CLGA (34 Isabella St., Toronto).

As films of the 1920s and 30s grew more sophisticated, and as Depression-era audiences dwindled, there was increasing demand for more controversial characters. The hitherto harmless sissy was offset both by more complex queer figures and by more scandalous stereotypes. Debates subsequently arose about the negative effect that Hollywood cinema, and its questionable morals, might have upon society as a whole.

In response, the Motion Picture Production Code, or Hays Code, put in place a series of censorship guidelines by which the production of indecent or immoral filmic content would be restricted. The institution of the Hays Code heralded the end of the sissy – and his more complex counterparts – in popular cinema, and the beginning of more reserved queer characters whose true nature was necessarily buried by subtext and innuendo. Between 1930 and 1968, a span that encompassed Hollywood’s Golden Age of film production, queer characters were either obscured through ambiguity or else written out entirely from Hollywood films. Alternatively, since the Hays Code was willing to allow “sexual perversion” if depicted in a negative light, queer characters who remained in the picture were presented as a series of unflattering stereotypes: murderous villains, suicidal misfits, farcical fairies, or sexual rebels in need of reform.

“The CLGA is proud to welcome audiences to explore an important and highly formative part of cinematic and popular history through this part-exhibition, part-mini film fest. The content of screens – film, TV, the Internet – has been a persistent subject of social debate, with LGBTQ lives and stories frequently taking leading roles,” says CLGA vice president Wil Craddock. “Antagonistic ideals around issues of morality and decency have often demonized LGBTQ representations, pushing for their censorship or promoting the picturing of negative attributes and story lines around queer people. These films offer a compelling (and rare) glimpse into the early queer heyday and subsequent queerphobia of early Hollywood. They comprise a fascinating part of historical mainstream perceptions of LGBTQ people.”

Public can attend Code, Read screenings at the following dates and times. Please note seating is limited and first-come, first-served:

Sunday, February 8, 2015 

Drama Queens

Cost: Free

Time: 7:00 p.m.

Films to be shown:

Salomé (1923) Dir. Charles Bryant, 74 min. silent

Tea and Sympathy (1956) Dir. Vincente Minnelli, 122 min.

Sunday, February 22, 2015

Funny Business

Cost: Free

7:00 p.m.

Films to be shown:

A Florida Enchantment (1914) Dir. Gladys Rankin, 63 min. silent

Some Like it Hot (1959) Dir. Billy Wilder, 132 min.

Sunday, March 1, 2015

Thrills and Chills

Cost: Free

7:00 p.m.

Dracula’s Daughter (1936) Dir. Lambert Hillyer, 71 min

Rope (1948) Dir. Alfred Hitchcock, 80 min.

Sunday, March 8, 2015

So Bad It’s Good: B Movies and Queer Cult Classics

Cost: Free

7:00 p.m.

Sex In Chains (1928) Dir. William Dieterle, 107 min. silent

Glen or Glenda (1953) Dir. Ed Wood, 65 min.

For media accreditation, photos or interview requests, please contact:

Cory Stewart | Embrace Disruption PR

p: 647.638.1586 | e: cory@embracedisruption.com

About the CLGA:

The Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives (CLGA) is the largest independent LGBTQ+ archives in the world. With a focus on Canadian content, the CLGA acquires, preserves and provides public access to information and materials in any medium. By collecting and securing important historical records, publications, magazines, newspapers, photos, films and other paraphernalia, the CLGA cares for LGBTQ+ histories now and for generations to come.

Website: http://www.clga.ca

Facebook: CLGArchives

Twitter: @CLGArchives

Tumblr: CanadianLesbianandGayArchives.tumblr.com

YouTube: bit.ly/1eAg4mB

The 87th Academy Award nominations have finally been announced! With just over a month to start making your predictions, we thought we would share the nominations, along with a printable ballot for you to download (for your inevitable Oscar party). Let us know in the comments below who you think will be taking home the coveted golden statues!

To download the printable Oscars ballot, click here. 

Best Picture
“American Sniper”
“Birdman”
“Boyhood”
“The Grand Budapest Hotel”
“The Imitation Game”
“Selma”
“The Theory of Everything”
“Whiplash”

Best Director
Wes Anderson, “The Grand Budapest Hotel”
Alejandro González Iñárritu, “Birdman”
Richard Linklater, “Boyhood”
Bennett Miller, “Foxcatcher”
Morten Tyldum, “The Imitation Game”

Best Actress
Marion Cotillard, “Two Days, One Night”
Felicity Jones, “The Theory of Everything”
Julianne Moore, “Still Alice”
Rosamund Pike, “Gone Girl”
Reese Witherspoon, “Wild”

Best Actor
Steve Carell, “Foxcatcher”
Bradley Cooper, “American Sniper”
Benedict Cumberbatch, “The Imitation Game”
Michael Keaton, “Birdman”
Eddie Redmayne, “The Theory of Everything”

Best Supporting Actress
Patricia Arquette, “Boyhood”
Laura Dern, “Wild”
Keira Knightley, “The Imitation Game”
Emma Stone, “Birdman”
Meryl Streep, “Into the Woods”

Best Supporting Actor
Robert Duvall, “The Judge”
Ethan Hawke, “Boyhood”
Edward Norton, “Birdman”
Mark Ruffalo, “Foxcatcher”
J.K. Simmons, “Whiplash”

Best Adapted Screenplay
Paul Thomas Anderson, “Inherent Vice”
Damien Chazelle, “Whiplash”
Jason Hall, “American Sniper”
Anthony McCarten, “The Theory of Everything”
Graham Moore, “The Imitation Game”

Best Original Screenplay
Wes Anderson and Hugo Guinness, “The Grand Budapest Hotel”
Dan Futterman and E. Max Frye, “Foxcatcher”
Dan Gilroy, “Nightcrawler”
Alejandro González Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris and Armando Bo, “Birdman”
Richard Linklater, “Boyhood”

Best Foreign Language Film
“Leviathan”
“Ida”
“Tangerines”
“Timbuktu”
“Wild Tales”

Best Documentary Feature
“CITIZENFOUR”
“Finding Vivian Maier”
“Last Days in Vietnam”
“The Salt in the Earth”
“Virunga”

Best Animated Feature
“Big Hero 6″
“The Boxtrolls”
“How to Train Your Dragon 2″
“Song of the Sea”
“The Tale of The Princess Kaguya”

Best Film Editing
“American Sniper”
“Boyhood”
“The Grand Budapest Hotel”
“The Imitation Game”
“Whiplash”

Best Original Song
“Everything is Awesome” from “The LEGO Movie” (written by Shawn Patterson)
“Glory” from “Selma” (written by Common and John Legend)
“Grateful” from “Beyond the Lights” (written by Diane Warren)
“I’m Not Gonna Miss You” from “Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me” (written by Glen Campbell)
“Lost Stars” from “Begin Again” (written by Gregg Alexander, Danielle Brisebois, Nick Lashley and Nick Southwood)

Best Original Score
Alexandre Desplat, “The Grand Budapest Hotel”
Alexandre Desplat, “The Imitation Game”
Johann Johannsson, “The Theory of Everything”
Gary Yershon, “Mr. Turner”
Hans Zimmer, “Interstellar”

Best Cinematography
Roger Deakins, “Unbroken”
Emmanuel Lubezki, “Birdman”
Dick Pope, “Mr. Turner”
Robert Yeoman, “The Grand Budapest Hotel”
Lukasz Zal and Ryszard Lenczewski, “Ida”

Best Costume Design
“The Grand Budapest Hotel”
“Inherent Vice”
“Into the Woods”
“Maleficent”
“Mr. Turner”

Best Makeup and Hairstyling
“Foxcatcher”
“The Grand Budapest Hotel”
“Guardians of the Galaxy”

Best Production Design
“The Grand Budapest Hotel”
“The Imitation Game”
“Interstellar”
“Into the Woods”
“Mr. Turner”

Best Sound Editing
“American Sniper”
“Birdman”
“The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies”
“Interstellar”
“Unbroken”

Best Sound Mixing
“American Sniper”
“Birdman”
“Interstellar”
“Unbroken”
“Whiplash”

Best Visual Effects
“Captain America: The Winter Soldier”
“Dawn of the Planet of the Apes”
“Guardians of the Galaxy”
“Interstellar”
“X-Men: Days of Future Past”

Best Short Film, Live Action
“Aya”
“Boogaloo and Graham”
“Butter Lamp”
“Parvaneh”
“The Phone Call”

Best Short Film, Animated
“The Bigger Picture”
“The Dam Keeper”
“Feast”
“Me and My Moulton”
“A Single Life”

Best Documentary, Short Subject
“Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1”
“Joanna”
“Our Curse”
“The Reaper”
“White Earth”

This year’s festival followed the pattern of all previous; the city welcomed the films that will define 2014 and the celebrities that starred in them. Some of the flicks that have garnered the most amount of attention include: “Wild” starring Reese Witherspoon, “The Imitation Game” featuring Benedict Cumberbatch and Keira Knightly, and “The Theory of Things,” a biopic on the life of Steven Hawkings.

One unique thing about TIFF is the lack of panel judging and the non-competitive nature of the festival. Also, even though tickets are a hot commodity, they are made publicly available. So, who exactly are these people who seek out the best films and scurry across the city in hopes of getting a glimpse of their favourite celeb? This infographic from NAD Bank gives us a clue as to the profile of a typical TIFF attendee.

This week, we’d like to introduce you to inspiring filmmaker & actor, Michael Reventar!

What’s your official job title and where did you go to school?

I am a filmmaker and actor.  I have the joy of getting to write, direct, and compose music.  I messed up high school, only graduating because my Royal Conservatory Grade 8 Piano Certificate from when I was 13 counted as my last needed credit!  Escaping family disgrace, I conquered Seneca’s Business Admin Program, graduating with honors.  Redemption!  I’ve studied acting with Toronto’s renowned David Rotenberg (of ProActor’s Lab), and out of the Michelle Danner Acting School in L.A.

Describe yourself in a nutshell (or sea shell, or any shell for that matter).

I believe anything is possible.  ’Nuff said.

Why did you pursue what you’re doing now? What was the inspiration?

When I turned 30, my lovely wife said to me, “The worst thing in life is regret.”  So I decided it was time for me to do what I was born to do.  At the time I was working an office job, and her words had maximum impact as she just lost her father to brain cancer.

I was born to be creative.  Thinking outside the box was how God wired me.  I didn’t choose to be like this.

I love the creative process!  I could talk all day, with anyone, about all things creative.  Call me…

What is the best part of your day-to-day?

Nothing is defined for me!  I get to explore each moment, helping to shape that with which I put my hand to.  I don’t take that for granted.

What’s the most challenging?

Living off passion versus money.  It’s not easy but I would rather feel alive, doing what I love, then be a dead-man-walking, working for a paycheque.

If you took a look in the cliché crystal ball, what do you see for yourself?

Help the world fall in love with Toronto.  Why?  Because a city that celebrates ‘difference’ is a needed light to the rest of the world.

How do you embrace disruption in your work and personal life? 

I know it’s extreme, but disruption saved my life.  No joke!  I would be dead, if not for a few individuals who disrupted my life of self-destruction.  At some point, we all need to have our thinking and actions challenged, unless your name is Mr. Perfect.

What is the most memorable moment in your career?

Spending the 18^th straight hour in studio working on the soundtrack for my film and having this beautiful thought flood my fatigued mind – “I LOVE THIS!”

Do you support any initiatives or charities? 

I’m blessed to know great people.  My wife and I help support two dudes I grew up with who have dedicated their lives to others.  One works in an orphanage in Mexico, the other started a music school for children in Honduras.  Selflessness is a beautiful thing.

Tell us what you see yourself doing at 65 years old.

Daily stretching.  And having tea with world leaders.

Just for fun: if you had to pick one app in the whole APPVERSE, what would it be?

An APP that would remind me if I were forgetting this rule – ‘Where you are, be all there.’

Be sure to follow Michael on Twitter to keep up-to-date on his latest project, a short film entitled ‘Mighty Tongue.’

Check out one of his most popular videos, Coffee: The Greatest Addiction Ever, and see why we shouldn’t necessarily feel bad about needing all those glorious cups!