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Dumpster Duchess

*Winner of the Royal Photo Award for Best Cinematography in a Short Film at Fantasia International Film Festival 2025*

Four Montrealers search for their path in a failing metropolis, facing the decay of their ambitions. Dumpster Duchess is a cine-poetic journey through Montreal — modest and bleak — woven with the sounds of the insignificant. It explores the collision between roughness and grace, fragmented dreams, visceral imagery, and the hum of what is neglected. Survival reveals itself in its rawest form: dirty, rebellious, and resolutely queer.

  • Raphë
    Director
  • Liana Paré
    Director
  • Liana Paré
    Writer
  • Raphë
    Producer
  • Princesse E. Feussouo
    Key Cast
  • Lucas J.
    Key Cast
  • Padma
    Key Cast
  • Nadia GK
    Key Cast
  • Liana Paré
    Key Cast
  • Raphë
    Key Cast
  • Aunerade Beaucage
    Key Cast
  • Gurlgulglurg
    Key Cast
  • Erik West-Millette
    Music
  • Olaf Gundel
    Music
  • Pablo Dubergey
    Additional Music
  • Charles Bicari
    Additional Music
  • Étienne Lapierre
    Additional Music
  • Liana Paré
    Additional Music
  • Pablo Dubergey
    Sound Supervision
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    Dumpster Duchess
  • Project Type:
    Experimental, Short
  • Runtime:
    30 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    January 8, 2025
  • Production Budget:
    0 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Canada
  • Country of Filming:
    Canada
  • Language:
    English, French
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Fantasia International Film Festival
    Montréal
    Canada
    August 2, 2025
    World Premiere
    Winner: Royal Photo Award for Best Cinematography in a Short Film
Distribution Information
  • Groupe Intervention Vidéo (GIV)
    Distributor
    Country: Canada
    Rights: All Rights
Director Biography - Raphë, Liana Paré

Raphë is a bold queer artist and director whose work challenges conventional narratives and redefines bodily expression through movement, costume, and photographic and video imagery. With over 15 years of experience in the cultural sector, Raphë weaves a rich tapestry of art, language, and subversive queer imagery. In their visual poetry, they use striking visuals, evocative soundscapes, and experimental forms to explore the complexity of identity and desire. Through video, Raphë’s art shines a light on what is often overlooked, invisible, or unspoken.

Liana Paré (Liana TheGhost) is a filmmaker, editor, and visual poet based in Montreal. A self-taught rebel, her cinematic journey began in jazz clubs where, as a child, she captured the breath of big bands alongside her musician father. From the underground folk scenes of Melbourne to the vibrant energy of African circus tours, Liana’s camera has traveled far and wide, infusing a touch of magic into the images she captures. As a director, her films reflect a search for authenticity, transforming overlooked or unspoken moments into powerful visual stories. A nomad at heart, Liana seeks beauty in the untamed and the unexpected, creating visual worlds that are as unpredictable as they are compelling.

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Director Statement

"Dumpster Duchess is a queer story of resilience. Through the metamorphosis of decomposing landscapes, the film reclaims the poetic power of identities, objects, and spaces left behind.

Shot without traditional funding but with raw and undisciplined energy, Dumpster Duchess was born from a deep desire to create freely and without compromise. The writing unfolded in action, guided by instinct, shaped by encounters, textures, spaces, and real bodies. This is not a film about the margins, but a film from the margins. A DIY queer cinematic experience made of fragments and discomfort. A pseudo-royalty born from the trash. A derailed, poetic, and radically alive manifesto."

— Raphë, Producer & Co-Director