Fairy Tales Queer Film Festival returns to Calgary for 25th year

The 25th iteration of the Calgary Fairy Tales Queer Film Festival hits the city’s Globe Cinema starting Friday.

The annual event comes at a time when the message is more important than ever.

During Alberta’s election campaign, the United Conservative Party candidate for Lacombe-Ponoka, Jennifer Johnson, came under fire for comments comparing trans children to feces in food.

She also said Alberta has a first-rate education system but is against transgender children as young as 14 getting double mastectomies and chemical castrations to help them transition.

Ahead of the vote, leader Danielle Smith was asked about Johnson, saying she would not sit in caucus if she was to be elected.

Johnson ultimately won the seat with over 4,000 votes.

In the United States, over 300 pieces of anti-trans legislation are being introduced, and some passed, at the state level, and Alberta is not immune.

Festival program director Marissa Cupples says times have changed compared to 25 years ago.

“At the very beginning of Fairy Tales Film Festival 25 years ago, [it] was met with a lot of protest, obviously, but we’ve had so much progress and growth that that’s not really something we’ve seen a lot of in recent years,” she said.

The films are all about re-shaping assumptions and forming connections between filmmakers, Cupples says.

“I think it’s really important to support queer artists and filmmakers. I mean, the festival has been really great for connecting international queer artists with local artists here in Calgary,” she adds.

The 10-day festival kicks off Friday with 40 films — including documentaries, features, short films, and animations.

Organizations say some of the films are making their debut here and have not been seen elsewhere.

Festival passes or tickets can be purchased online and are good for any film over the 10 days.