Help support ChromaQueer with a Festival Patron Pass. This ticket includes admission to all events taking place throughout the festival, our opening and closing private artist receptions, and public recognition of your support.

This ticket gets you access to all events throughout the festival.

Our Friday onstage celebration of films & live performances! Also, this ticket includes admission to the CAKE after-party!

This ticket gets you admission to all events taking place on Saturday, November 8.

This ticket gets you admission to all events taking place on Sunday, November 9.

Friday, November 7 | 9:30pm - 10:15pm | ODD Box

How far will we go to avoid being alone? A solo that's at times a duet and occasionally a trio, only child places courtship, reproduction, and romance on a pedestal and under a microscope. Fantasy becomes reality in a series of vignettes that draw from queer intimacy and kink practices, conjuring the simultaneous danger and care that exists in these marginal spaces.

Friday, November 7 | 10pm - 2am | Club SAW

CAKE is a gender-inclusive, queer dance party that will be serving up layers of sweet and sexy fun!

Saturday, November 8 | 12:00pm - 1:30pm | ODD Box

Award winning spoken word artist and theatre creator Billie Nell invites writers of all levels to explore how vivid metaphor and striking imagery can unsettle dominant narratives and normative paradigms and create moments of deep connection across difference. Through reflection, writing, sharing, and connecting to our senses, we will delve into the ways the visceral and unexpected can open new pathways towards empathy, understanding, and change. While this workshop will apply a queer lens, participants of all genders and sexual orientations are welcome. At Urban Legends Poetry Collective, we recognize that all forms of oppression and struggles for liberation are interconnected, and believe in the power and value of sharing creative space.

Saturday, November 8 | 12:00pm - 1:45pm | Arts Court Theatre
*Join us for a special onstage Q&A with actor Benjamin Turnbull following the performance !

Written and Directed by DEVIN SHEARS (St. John’s / Toronto)

Starring BENJAMIN TURNBULL

73mins.

Harvey is a chubby, single man approaching middle age, watching the world move without him and yearning for some form of connection. Working as a lab technician and living alone, he is stuck in a cycle of routine monotony, spending his days all but invisible to those that he encounters. So when he comes across Cherub, a gay magazine for “big men and their admirers” and their call for a new “Cherub of the Month”, a spark is ignited in him - the chance to give something, to be seen, and to be desired. Almost entirely dialogue-free, Cherub is a gentle film that takes it’s time in exploring all the nooks and crannies of Harvey’s life through long, observational tableaus and an understated yet dynamic performance from newcomer Benjamin Turnbull.

Saturday, November 8 | 12:00pm - 1:30pm | Studio B

Class will start by warming up our bodies to the room and to the people we're dancing with. Using improvisational tasks, set phrasework, and games, we'll move through swing, suspension and release, support from our surroundings, and inspiration from each other. We'll work individually and in groups to travel and dance expansively, pulling from Limon modern dance, European floorwork styles, and street dance. We'll do a lot of falling (that’s a promise), and we’ll embrace the bumps and clunks that occur along the way!

Saturday, November 8 | 1:45pm - 3:15pm | Black Box Studio - Join the Ottawa Transformative Justice Collective (and friends) for a double screening of Truxx and Gay Alien Shame Parade (GASP!), which illuminates the legal struggles and resistance of people inside the 1970’s Montreal gay bar scene to an imagined Pride parade of creative resistance and care.

The documentary and animated short film screenings will be followed by a panel discussion featuring local queer activists Lukayo Estrella and Jeffrey Bradley, as well as lawyer Jeffrey Richstone, who defended the men who were violently arrested by Montreal police in the 1977 raid of the Truxx gay bar.

The films and discussion aim to highlight the historical and ongoing examples of

police brutality and oppression against 2SLGBTQIA+ communities, and the creative resilience of our communities in resisting these harmful acts of violence. The discussion will include time for Q&A with the audience as we collaboratively envision a future free from oppression.

Saturday, November 8 | 3:30pm - 4:30pm | Arts Court Theatre

From closeted actor to queer film maker.

Peter Darney has had many jobs in the industry over the years. From training as an actor at one of the UK’s top drama schools, graduating with an award from the BBC for performing on Radio, to later retraining as a theatre director and working on a range of contemporary texts, revivals and directing classical texts at The Rose Playhouse. He has been a theatre programmer, a university teacher, and artistic associate and even had a brief spell as a youth worker. He now works as a writer/director and occasional voice-over artist in film, TV and Theatre.

This session will explore the fluidity of an artists journey, and how destinations and goals change with artistic purpose. Further more, it will look at how all roles, both in and out of the industry, can cross-pollinate to strengthen your practice and the joys of wearing many hats in an industry that wants to put you in a box.

Saturday, November 8 | 3:30pm - 5:30pm | Studio B

A program of rarely- or never before-screened short videos by Canadian queer and trans sex worker activists, or interviews featuring them, from the 1970s-1990s. This program foregrounds queer and trans sex workers' own voices, speaking candidly to one another about their experiences, or engaging with straight media to explode myths and bust stigma faced by sex workers. This program is presented by the "Sex Worker Self-Authoring in the Canadian Women's Movement Archive" project at Carleton University in collaboration with Ottawa Independent Companions, C.O.R.A.S., and Maggie's Toronto Sex Worker Action Project. The screening will be followed by a brief talkback with programmers and co-presenters.

Join us in Black Box Studio for a series of local classic and new films!

Saturday, November 8 | 4:30pm - 6:00pm | Arts Court Theatre

A collection of 4 short Canadian films showcasing the creativity and power of queer communities within the Asian-Canadian diaspora.

Saturday, November 8 | 5:30pm - 7:00pm | Studio B

This event is 18+. If you are under 30, please be prepared to show ID.

This program celebrates the San Francisco Bay Area as an epicenter of sexual liberation and erotic representation. Through avant-garde film and performance, sex education and porn, San Francisco has long been the place not only to imagine but to test out new social and sexual possibilities. In this deeply queer city, clear lines of generational influence can be drawn over the decades: people who created sexual images as part of a liberatory ethos or queer politic taught in local art schools and inspired others to create in turn. Focusing on the explosion of sexually explicit representation in the 1970s—while looking ahead to the Bay Area sex radicalism of the 1990s, an avant-garde for lesbian, trans and S/M erotica— this program offers a hot-blooded history of San Francisco sex on film and video, a noble tradition invested in the belief that sex can liberate and teach as well as provide pleasure.

Saturday, November 8 | 6:00pm - 7:30pm | Arts Court Theatre

A multi-genre selection of queer Welsh films! Following the screenings, there will be a talk back with Peter Darney, the programme's curator.

Saturday, November 8 | 7:15pm - 7:50pm | Black Box Studio

Manifest is a compelling documentary directed by Alexis Brown (USA) that explores creativity, resilience, and the realities of pursuing artistic dreams. The film captures the journey of Marcus Isaiah, in his debut effort to produce his own show, leading up to an extraordinary performance hosted at the iconic Kennedy Center. Featuring interviews with Marcus, five visionary guest choreographers, and candid conversations with dancers on the day of the show, Manifest goes beyond the polished final performance to reveal the often-unseen challenges of bringing a vision to life. By spotlighting the raw rehearsals, setbacks, breakthroughs, and triumphs, Manifest provides an honest look at the determination it takes for artists to accomplish their goals. It is a celebration of collaboration and an invitation for viewers to witness the beauty of the process, not just the finished product.

About Alexis Brown (USA / Toronto) : Byaib Studios was born from a love of movement, storytelling, and capturing the essence of human connection. Over the years, we’ve partnered with renowned dance companies and artists to document their journeys—both on stage and behind the scenes. From the Manifest documentary to the Intimate Moments - Dancers Edition series, our work dives into the raw beauty of motion and emotion, telling stories that words alone can’t express. Based in the DMV and NY, we’re here to preserve the art of your moments, one frame at a time.

Saturday, November 8 | 7:30pm - 8:15pm | ODD Box

How far will we go to avoid being alone? A solo that's at times a duet and occasionally a trio, only child places courtship, reproduction, and romance on a pedestal and under a microscope. Fantasy becomes reality in a series of vignettes that draw from queer intimacy and kink practices, conjuring the simultaneous danger and care that exists in these marginal spaces.

Saturday, November 8 | 8:00pm - 10:00pm | Black Box Studio

Our Dance of Revolution tells the story of how Black queer folks in Toronto faced every adversity, from invisibility to police brutality, and rose up to become a vibrant, triple-snap-fierce community. Capturing first-person accounts and invaluable archival photographs across a span of four decades, this feature-length documentary is more than a previously untold oral history, more than a reclamation of unsung people and events.

Through director Phillip Pike’s lens, we glimpse at the central role historically played by Black lesbians in Toronto’s queer community, the impact of the HIV epidemic and grassroots efforts for education and support, the distinction of Toronto’s Church Street drag queens, and the defiance of Blockorama to the whiteness of Pride. OUR DANCE OF REVOLUTION is ultimately a human-scale reckoning of how audacious individuals find themselves by connecting with others, and how they muster the courage, tenacity, and creativity to prevail against the forces of marginalization.

Saturday, November 8 | 10pm - 1am | Black Box Studio

Bumpah2Bumpah is a free party prioritizing enjoyment and a safe space for QTBIPOC folks with an incredible DJ lineup showcasing all Black Queer DJs from Ottawa.

Sunday, November 9th 12pm Join Cirque de Soleil's Bouffon master Massimo Agostinelli & Mikiki for this special talk with short film screenings on how fun , sexuality and creativity can keep us keeping on. All welcome

Sunday, November 9 | 2:00pm - 2:55pm | Black Box Studio

ANATOMALIA has three different iterations: this video installation; a multi-site, ambulatory performance with cast and chorus of local, queer, dancers and newcomers; a stage version. With each, dancers embody and transform Shame, Fear, Repulsion to Desire, Curiosity, Trust to (re)claim joy. Anatomalia is a collective healing of the damage done to femalia (femininity in all forms) and a celebration of queer joy.

Sunday, November 9 | 2:30pm - 4:00pm | ODD BOX

Meet trans musicians through the ages, off stage and on, from the smooth soul sounds of Jackie Shane in 1960s Toronto, to the mumble punk of Edmonton’s Jesse Jams, and everything in between.

Sunday, November 9 | 4:30pm - 6:00pm | ODD BOX

Key of T is an audience co-created music/theater performance featuring genderqueer/trans singer Ari Agha (they/them) and everyone who shows up! Directed by Robert Farid Karimi, Key of T shares Ari’s experience of singing voice transition with testosterone to reveal under-explored possibilities of voice for everyone, regardless of gender identity. Key of T reminds us of our vocal range and genderful freedom. Along with Pianist Kim-Farris Manning , join us to hear yourself anew and be a part of the choir!

Sunday, November 9 | 7:30pm - 9:00pm | Black Box Studio

Join poet & performer Michael V Smith with a sweet cast of Ottawa musical talent to celebrate this brilliant poetry-meets-karaoke launch of the lyric memoir SOUNDTRACK. Presented with VERSeOttawa

Sunday November 9th - 9pm - 11pm H