Every year the INSIDE OUT FILM AND VIDEO FESTIVAL brings together the best lesbian and trans women filmmakers from around the globe. Unlike other fests, Inside Out is concerned more with the quality of stories being told than politics, budget, and equipment.  That being said, please don’t be deterred by technical imperfections or poor camera quality, as these films have more to say than just about any Blockbuster released in the past year. 

This Friday (May 23rd) you can raise a glass to some of these fabulous filmmakers at the TRIBUTE TO QUEER WOMEN FILMMAKERS party taking place at Slacks from 6:30pm – 8:30pm.  However, if you can’t make it, there’s no reason to cry out your eyes as we have the next best thing – Toronto filmmaker Claire Lowery, who may or may not be a She Does the City writer. 

Lowery’s experimental film STALKING AVA GARDNER is being screened as part of I THINK WE’RE ALONE NOW program this Saturday May 24 at 2:15 pm at the ROM.   

STALKING AVA GARDNER is “a film about how the seemingly innocent love for Hollywood actresses can become a serious problem for your mental health.” After her own brush with fame as a child – being featured as an extra in an Olsen twins movie – Claire Lowery set out to find herself.  It was on this path to self discovery that Lowery was first introduced to the glorious Ava Gardner; they had much in common and fell in love immediately. 

Unfortunately, many weren’t tolerant of their affair. Over the course of the film we overhear a therapy session as Claire’s therapist questions the authenticity of her relationship with Ava and even brings up the actresses heterosexual disposition.  So what does the filmmaker have to say? “Everybody’s gay.” And with this bold sentiment, the 10-minute long film ends as we are left to question our own imagined relationships with K.D. Lang.