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.
