Does This Canoe Make Me Look Fat?, a film produced in Greater Sudbury by BAM North Productions, recently brought home the audience award for best documentary short in Kingston's Reel Out Queer Film Festival.

Filmmaker Beth Mairs said she never thought of the film as a “queer film.”

“Just because it has two out lesbian (documentary) subjects and an out lesbian filmmaker doesn’t give it a queer sensibility —clearly feminist, yes. Yet, I have felt so warmly embraced by queer festivals and for that I am deeply appreciative, indebted and affected.”

The film, which was shot on the Chiniguchi River system east of Sudbury, follows five women over the course of a five-day canoe trip.

The women, who were all strangers before they met for the film, are a diverse group — they range in age from late 20s to late 50s, and have varied backgrounds.
“The women form a strong bond of friendship and a goofy, if not risqué, atmosphere of jokes — that I think anyone who has tripped with a compatible group of co-adventurers will recognize,” Mairs stated.

Obviously, the community recognized the energy flowing through the final products, to vote it the best documentary short of the 85 films in the festival.

“It’s lovely to receive positive recognition for your work,” Mairs said. “I know the entire team, from the documentary subjects themselves, to the film crew, to the post-production people are all very proud and appreciative of this acknowledgement.”

Following the success of their first production, BAM North has no intention of stopping.

“We have been so blessed with support for our first adventure satire first and foremost from the people of Sudbury as well as from the Canadian indie film scene,” she said.

The next project, Awaiting Atwood, is completed — now, Mairs is awaiting confirmation on financing.

Those who have yet to see Does This Canoe Make Me Look Fat? are now able to purchase DVD copies by e-mailing Mairs at beth@vianet.ca or stopping by The Outside Store — copies cost $20 each, with $2 going to help protect Wolf Lake.

Posted by Arron Pickard