Fredericton Pink Lobster Film Festival To Deliver Queer Films Virtually
FREDERICTON – Entering its fifth year, the Pink Lobster Film Festival brings LGBTQ2S+ films from around the world to Fredericton. This year, attendees can stream the films from the comfort of their own homes.
Festival coordinator Robert Gray says that this year’s festival may look different, but he’s excited to potentially showcase the films to a wider audience.
“I’m excited for another year of LGBTQIA2S+ audiences seeing their stories and seeing themselves represented in film. This has always been the driving force behind the festival, and hopefully, we can more easily reach audiences across New Brunswick this year,” he wrote in an email to Huddle.
The film festival runs from Wednesday, March 24 through Friday, March 26. Each day, attendees will receive a link to stream one film and will have up to three days to watch.
The film festival’s lineup is made up of three films: Keyboard Fantasies: The Beverly-Glenn Copeland Story from the United Kingdom, Two of Us from France, and Dating Amber from Ireland.
“With feature films, we usually look to what has been acclaimed at other LGBTQIA2+ festivals around the world and then weigh that against what New Brunswick audiences might be looking for.”
Gray says this year’s festival is narrower in scope compared to past festivals due to the online format.
“Normally we have short film submissions from around the world and a jury process to make official selections, but we have had to hunker down to a simpler version of the festival this year,” he said.
While this year’s festival looks different, Gray is still happy to provide a space to bring stories from the queer community to the province.
“The greatest part has been bringing people together and giving voice to our various queer communities here in New Brunswick,” he said. “It can be a challenge to get people out to an event, even prior to Covid, thanks to the wealth of online entertainment available, but we know from the success of Fredericton Pride over the last few years that people need and want this community experience.”
The festival receives support from the City of Fredericton, the University of New Brunswick, and the NB Film Co-op. He is also thankful to the community for their support over the past five years and is eager to welcome them back to the theatre as soon as possible.
“The movie theatre experience is truly magical and so we hope to get back to it as soon as possible,” Gray said. “But for now, we’ve curated a great selection of films that we are excited for audiences to see from the comfort of their homes.”
Passes to the festival are $15 and are available through the festival’s Facebook page.
