Canadian queer director Jessie Posthumus says LGBTQ+ inclusion in Canadian feature films remains a priority for local movie financiers, unlike the U.S. stateside, where the latest GLAAD survey points to a steep decline in gay and trans representation in movies.
“We’re moving backward when it comes to supporting and protecting the LGBTQIA+ community because of hateful political rhetoric, but that doesn’t mean that we’ve stopped existing,” Posthumus tells The Hollywood Reporter on Thursday as she started production on her debut feature, Rocket Fuel.
“We’re lucky in Canada to have a funding system that favors authentic and personal Canadian perspectives over anything else. What you see on screen reflects the diversity of the country, and that includes queer and trans stories like Rocket Fuel, perspectives that aren’t given a backseat just because they’re a political point of tension at the moment,” she adds.
Her comments follow the advocacy group GLAAD reporting that the number of LGBTQ characters in feature films has declined for the third year in a row. Based on Posthumus’ 2022 short film of the same name, Rocket Fuel is a coming-of-age film set during the summer of 2005 in small-town Ontario where 13-year-old Nora, played by Ryland Beitel, balances her first job with the responsibility of caring for her younger brother and sister.
As it offers a perspective on queer childhoods, Posthumus adds indie movies like her own are key “to protecting queer youth and showcasing the full extent of the joy that exists in our beautiful community.” Rocket Fuel, shooting in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, also stars Molly Lewis, siblings William Kosovic and Zoe Kosovic and Grayson Gallanders and is produced by Edge Entertainment. The indie is funded by Telefilm Canada, Ontario Creates and Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corp., and with the support from the city of Sault Ste. Marie and Game Theory Films, which will release the film in Canada.
Her feature debut, now in production, follows the success of globe-trotting Canadian TV series like the gay hockey drama Heated Rivalry, Schitt’s Creek, the trans sitcom Sort Of and the Quebec series FEM as they celebrate queer and trans characters at the heart of their storylines.
“Rocket Fuel grants its characters — and by extension, its audience — the chance to explore gender as an empowering form of play and self-expression. This film is not about seeking validation from the world. It is about the internal process of realizing that you deserve to take up space, to explore, to dream. I’m especially grateful to have the opportunity to work with Ryland Beitel, who embraced and embodied Nora so beautifully,” Posthumus explains.
The Canadian indie film is a partnership between indie producer Edge Entertainment and The Trans Film Mentorship (TFM), a training program for emerging LGBTQIA+ community members. The trans drama also follows the murder of George Floyd in 2020, whose death sparked protests for racial justice and the Canadian film and TV industry, backed by government financing and tax credits, committed itself to greater diversity of creative voices, including new talent from the country’s Black, Indigenous and People of Color communities.
The Rocket Fuel cast includes Travis Nelson, Dylan Taylor, Fionn Laird, Lauren Beatty and Chris Sandiford. The producer credits are shared by Rosalia Chilelli and Jennifer Pun, with Nancy Pettinicchio, Bruno Marino, Haad Bakshi, Hayden Baptise, Daniel Shojaei, Joe Serafini, Michael Forsey and George Levai executive producing.
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