I had the lovely opportunity to meet Cassandra Polyzou last Friday of the Rainbow Reels Queer Film Festival. Being quite curious about this film fest, I thought it would be great to do a little email interview with Cassandra. Luckily, she obliged and I got to learn more about this fun event that's been running for 11 years! What follows is my interview:

Q: What is Rainbow Reels all about?
A: Rainbow Reels Queer Film Festival is all about bringing inspiring, challenging, and diverse films to Kitchener-Waterloo. Films that touch on the experiences and lives of queer folk from around the world. Secondly, the festival is about creating community, a place for the local queer community to feel represented and for everyone, queer or not, to share in some great entertainment and art!
 
Q:How did you get involved? What’s your role?
A: I used to be a volunteer with the festival, back in the day. Now I work for the organization that puts the festival on, the Waterloo Public Interest Research Group (WPIRG). I am the Coordinator of Projects and Organizational Development at WPIRG, and have been helping to manage this year’s festival since our first meeting in September 2010.
 
Q: Why is it important to have a Queer Film Festival in this area?
A: Because the films we bring in encourage discussion around issues related to the lives of queer people. Only a small number of mainstream movies mention the existence of queer characters, so it is hard for the queer community to find themselves reflected, represented, and addressed in most media. Our festival, like so many others in cities around the world, gives light to queer experiences, bodies, characters, conflicts, and more! Another reason why a queer film festival is important is that it brings the queer communities of our region, and the wider community together. It’s also a place to celebrate to lives of queer people in our community, especially this year when we are featuring local filmmakers, Melissa Sky, and her film “3 More Questions: KW’s Queer Women Tell All.”
 
Q: What issues are explored in the films featured this year?
A: We are opening the festival with a thought-provoking and celebrated documentary on how the Mormon Church in the US has used its wealth and power to advocate against the rights of queer people. The film “8:The Mormon Proposition” focuses on the Mormon Church’s role in passing California’s Proposition 8, which made marriage in California only legal between a man and a woman.
Another film, screening on Friday, March 4 at 7pm is ‘The Adonis Factor’ which looks at how the gay community is affected by the ‘business of beauty.’ This is a really interesting look at our image-driven culture, the obsession with super models, and the social standards of physical perfection.
On the dramatic side of things, we have a film which boasts the longest on-screen kiss! ‘Elena Undone’ is a sexy, romantic, love-story about Peyton (lesbian writer) and Elena (wife of an anti-gay pastor) falling head-over heels for each other and the challenges they face when they try to be together.

Q: What’s your favourite film being screened this year?
A: I’m really excited to have a feature film by Melissa Sky, a wonderful local filmmaker, at the festival. “3 More Questions: KW’s Queer Women Tell All” is funny and charming and it captures so many great things about the local queer community. It’s an archive of this moment, of this community, and the diversity that makes KW’s queer community what it is.
 
Q: How can people get involved this year and next year?
A: We are always looking for volunteers. People who want to help set up decorations for the Gala event this year, or people who are interested in committing 5-10 hours/month to the planning committee. The planning committee usually starts meeting in September and puts in the heavy lifting to make sure the festival is ready to go in March. Whatever people want to do they should email info@wpirg.org.

Q: Where and when can we see the films? How much does it cost? Where do we get tickets?
A: The festival runs from March 2-6. We have one event at the University of Waterloo on Wednesday March 2, but otherwise all films are showing at the Princess Twin Cinema in UpTown Waterloo.

Festival Passes get you into the Gala film + event, plus all screenings and they are $35/adult OR $25/student.
Gala Passes just get you into the Gala film + event and they are $12
Festival Passes and Gala Passes can be purchased at the Princess Twin, Encore Records, and the WPIRG office (at the University of Waterloo)
All single screening tickets are $7 and can be purchased the theatre on the day of the film.

For more information, including the film line-up, check out http://rainbowreels.org/2011/