• Location Various Venues 
• Price Free - $120

Embracing, sharing, and celebrating queer voices, Fairy Tales Queer Film Festival kicks off this week with films, documentaries, shorts, panels, live performances, a family-friendly bike ride, and many special events.

“Over the last 21 years, Fairy Tales has grown from a grassroots, volunteer-run event, to a highly anticipated festival that the entire Calgary community looks forward to,” says Executive Director James Demers in a statement. “This year, we truly have something for everyone and every age. By holding the event at the new Central Library, we hope to attract new audiences who can share in our celebration of queer stories.”

The celebration is one of Canada’s largest LGBTQ2A+ film festivals and everyone is welcome. Here’s what we’re most looking forward to checking out:

The Fruit Machine

May 24, 2019, 7:00pm
Patricia A. Whelan Performance Hall, Central Library (800 3rd St. SE)
$10 – $15

A new documentary from director Sarah Fodey, The Fruit Machine explores a dark and little-known era in Canadian history—a systemic purging of civil servant and government workers fired under the suspicion of being gay. This screening includes the award-winning short Gross Indecency: The Everett Klippert Story and Love Letter Rescue Squad.
showpass.com

Here n’ Queer: Not Going Anywhere

May 26, 2019, 7:00pm
Patricia A. Whelan Performance Hall, Central Library (800 3rd St. SE)
Pay-What-You-Can

Presented by the Treaty 7 Film Collective, Niitsitapi Filmmaker, storyteller, and indigiqueer Danni Black/Sui Taa Kii curates this incredible lineup of short films from BIPOC/LGBTQ2S+ communities from across the prairies.
showpass.com

Deep Inside Clint Star

May 26, 2019, 9:00pm
Patricia A. Whelan Performance Hall, Central Library (800 3rd St. SE)
Free admission, registration required

Join Sled Island as it teams up with mediaqueer.ca to present the 20th anniversary retrospective screening of Deep Inside Clint Star from the late filmmaker Clint Alberta. Through interviews with his friends under the identity of his character Clint Star, the film journeys into the hearts and minds of his community as they talk about sex, life, love, abuse, and 500 years of oppression—all with humour, grace, and courage.
showpass.com

Transmilitary

May 29, 2019, 9:00pm
Patricia A. Whelan Performance Hall, Central Library (800 3rd St. SE)
$10 – $15

Around 15,500 transgender people serve in the U.S. military, where they must conceal their gender identity because military policies ban their service. Transmilitary chronicles the lives of four individuals defending their country’s freedom while fighting for their own. This award-winning film humanizes these stories in a powerful call to action.
showpass.com

Youth Queer Media Gala

May 31, 2019, 7:00pm
Patricia A. Whelan Performance Hall, Central Library (800 3rd St. SE)
$10 – $15

Always a festival highlight, this year’s youth queer media program gives audiences the opportunity to look through the eyes of emerging filmmakers to see what life looks like from their point of view. The films include original music and animation, offering a unique perspective on queer identity in a contemporary world.
showpass.com

Fairy Tales Queer Film Festival runs May 24 to June 2, 2019 at the Central Library (800 3rd St. SE) and The Plaza Theatre (1133 Kensington Rd. NW). Head to calgaryqueerartssociety.com to see the full schedule.