Adore
Luci, a queer Peruvian-Canadian woman, gives her beloved nephew the Christmas gift of his dreams: a beautiful sequined dress. But when he tries to show the rest of the family, Luci finds herself enacting the same restrictions and shaming she hoped to protect him from.
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Beth WarrianDirectorBloordale Beach, DOMA
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Beth WarrianWriter
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Sofia BantProducerDOMA
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Sydney KuhneKey Cast"Luci "Ginny & Georgia, Kim's Convenience, Titans, Suits
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Desmond SivanKey Cast"Carlos "
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Zachary ClarkDirector of PhotographyKimchi, DOMA
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Lori SiProduction DesignerTenth Generation, #BossBabe
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Tommy PálEditorFlock, Reel Love
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Project Type:Short, Student
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Genres:drama, LGBTQ+
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Runtime:11 minutes
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Completion Date:October 2, 2022
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Production Budget:10,000 USD
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Country of Origin:Canada
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Country of Filming:Canada
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Language:English, Spanish
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Shooting Format:Digital ProRes 422, 4.6K
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Aspect Ratio:16:9
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:No
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Student Project:Yes - Toronto Metropolitan University (fka Ryerson University)
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CBC Short Film Face Off 2023
Canada
September 16, 2023
National Broadcast
Winner - Telefilm Canada Award -
Vancouver International Film FestivalVancouver
Canada
October 2, 2022
World Premiere
Shorts Forum -
Inside Out Toronto 2SLGBTQ+ Film FestivalToronto
Canada
June 1, 2023
Toronto Premiere
Best Canadian Short 2023 -
International Film Festival of OttawaOttawa
Canada
March 15, 2023
Ontario Premiere
Audience Award - Best Short Film -
Outfest LALos Angeles
United States
July 21, 2023 -
Outfest FusionLos Angeles, California
United States
April 1, 2023
US Premiere -
Breakthroughs Film FestivalToronot
Canada
June 8, 2023 -
Toronto Metropolitan UniversityToronto
Canada
Norman Jewison Outstanding Filmmaker Award -
Forest City Film FestivalLondon, ON
Canada
Best Narrative Short -
North Bay Film FestivalNorth Bay
Canada
Best Student Short -
Zinegoak: Bilbao International LGTBIQ+ Film and Performing Arts FestivalBilbao
Spain -
Outfest PerúLima
Peru -
Sidewalk Film FestivalBirmingham
United States -
Reeling Chicago LGBTQ+ International Film FestivalChicago
United States -
Out On Film Atlanta LGBTQ+ Film FestivalAtlanta
United States -
Mix Brasil Festival of DiversitySao Paulo
Brazil -
Regent Park Film Festival
Canada
In-School Program -
FanCineQueer | Festival Internacional de Cine LGBTI de ExtremaduraExtremadura
Spain
Best Short Film -
Le Cri Du CourtLa Ciotat
France -
Court C'est CourtCavaillon
France -
Festival de Cinema da FronteiraBagé
Brazil
Best Actor in a Narrative Short - Sydney Kuhne -
Queer Screen Mardi Gras Film FestivalSydney
Australia
Australian Premiere
Best of the Fest
Beth Warrian is an emerging writer-director based in Toronto, fascinated by inner worlds, liminal states and the spiritual dimensions of queer experience. They are a recent graduate of Toronto Metropolitan University's renowned Image Arts: Film program, where they received accolades including multiple Norman Jewison Awards. Her most recent short, ADORE, made its world premiere at VIFF 2022, winning Best Canadian Short at Inside Out, the Audience Award for Best Short at IFFO and the 2023 season of CBC Short Film Face Off.
As a filmmaker, I’m drawn to flawed characters whose good intentions may be thwarted by their own baggage. As a queer person, I’m frustrated by the lack of queer characters embodying this level of complexity on screen. I long to see queer characters disagree, make mistakes, learn from one another and exist in solidarity in all its complex forms.
The nuances of these bonds are at the heart of Adore, a film which subverts the conventional coming out narrative by centring the intergenerational conflict between two queer characters, interrogating the way unresolved traumas can lead us to hurt the ones we seek to protect. Many of our protagonist’s choices are problematic. We're not asked to agree with her, but we are invited to reflect on how those dynamics play out in our own lives and, in the end, to consider that the world really can be a kinder place than we expect.
This story comes from a personal effort to reflect on the ways I've shut out people who were often more ready to accept myself than I was. This theme was bolstered by creative producer Sofia Bant, whose experience growing up across several countries as a person of both Peruvian and Dutch heritage informed our depiction of personal and cultural identity as contradictory and ever-changing.
Across disparate experiences, our diverse team of Latine, LGBTQ2SIA+ and allied filmmakers saw themselves reflected in our characters’ genuine, passionate attempts to be true to themselves and the people they love. We know audiences will too.
-Beth Warrian