Thank you for making our first edition a success!
HIghlights from our first festival
The first-ever trans film festival in Montréal and one of only six worldwide.
Over 1,000 attendees celebrated trans storytelling, fostering connection and dialogue.
- 84 films screened, including 3 feature-length films.
- Themes ranged from trans care and ecology to horror, romance, and hyperpop.
- The best trans cinema from across the globe
- Canadian premiere of Dog Movie by Henry Hanson, followed by a filmmaker Q&A
- A retrospective on Québécois trans cinema
- Family-friendly animation block
our story
Last summer, I stumbled across an article on trans film festivals by film scholar Laura Horak. In it, she tells us that the last significant trans film festival in Canada was “Counting Past 2″, which took place in Toronto in the late 90s/early 00s. That’s over 20 years ago!
To celebrate its legacy as well as highlight the importance of trans-focused events, I decided then and there that I would organise Montréal’s first trans film festival. So I posted on Instagram about it, asking people if they’d be interested in volunteering for such a project. The response was a resounding yes—a chorus of support that fueled my resolve. Despite having no resources or funding, I threw myself into this endeavor that has brought me heaps of stress but also so much joy.
I am forever grateful to everyone who has helped me along the way: my incredible team and sponsors, without whom this wouldn’t have been possible; our sister festivals TRANSlations, Tilde, and the Stockholm Trans Film Festival for their invaluable guidance; and my PhD supervisor, Alanna Thain, for her unwavering support.
This is my greatest accomplishment to date, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did planning, organizing, and programming it. Born from my deep love and reverence for trans cinema, this festival is my gift to you. May it lead you on a journey of wonder and self-discovery, just as it has done for me.
Iris Pint (Festival Founder)
Festival program
For our first edition, the theme we chose for the festival was “breaking new ground.” As one of only eight trans film festivals in the world and the first ever in our city, we were quite literally attempting something very few had done before. The 2024 edition aimed to capture the breadth and diversity of trans filmmaking, complicating the already murky understanding of “trans cinema.” What even counts as trans cinema anyway?
Many LGBTQIA2S+ film festivals group trans films along identitarian lines. We decided to do the opposite: across our 13 screenings, we chose to focus on the issues, experiences, and aesthetics that mattered to trans folks across the world. Our festival honed in on what trans did, not what trans was. At Exposures, audiences found films that turned to ecology, death, loss, and discrimination alongside films about cowboys, hyperpop, and hilarious situations. There was something in there for everyone, regardless of age, background, or interests.
And people brought their kids, friends, lovers, and family to experience four days of great trans cinema.
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