Founded in 1988, image+nation is Canada’s first and oldest LGBTQ+ film festival. Each year the festival screens the best of queer cinema from around the world at various Montréal venues.
image+nation was established because queer filmgoers wanted to see positive images and stories of themselves up on the silver screen.
Many of the early films and activist videos screened at image+nation dealt with resistance, liberation, AIDS and HIV. During this pre-internet era, it was difficult for festival organizers to find films and videos to present until an LGBTQ+ festival circuit began in the early ’90s, coinciding with the indie “New Queer Cinema” movement.
Today, image+nation continues to play a trendsetting role within the larger festival circuit in Canada, North America and internationally. Over 11 days, the festival screens award-winning features, powerful documentaries and acclaimed short films from such countries as Brazil, France, India and South Africa, offering something for all cinematic tastes – from light-hearted comedies and love stories to deeper dramatic tales and social-issue works.
image+nation helps foster community and identity and illustrates there is still power in gathering in a dark cinema.