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With the Salle Fernand Séguin at the Cinémathèque québécoise full of supporters and cinephiles, the tight-knit LGBT group Arc-en-ciel d’Afrique launched their much-anticipated film festival, Massimadi, last night. Laurent Maurice-Lafontant’s Être Soi-même saw its première, with live music by singer Senaya, and an elegiac reception from the group’s many fans, including Être and 2Bmag!

For its forth edition, the Massimadi Festival has a thoughtful home-grown documentary and a host of LGBT feature films filling its exciting programme of Afro-Caribbean cinema. Photo of Alexis Musanganya and Arc-en-ciel d’Afrique members Carlos Ibidouo and Steve François by inkedKenny, special to 2Bmag.

The fourth edition of Massimadi, the local African and Caribbean LGBT film festival, will be coming to the big screen February 6-12 at the ONF, right in time for Black History Month but also for a rightful reminder that LGBT issues prevails in Black communities too.

The General Director of Arc-en-ciel d’Afrique, Alexis Musanganya, recently participated in an international conference “Stop Bullying – Ending violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity” hosted by the United Nations on December 8. The conference, which was organised as part of International Human Rights Day (celebrated December 10), allowed the voices of activists to be heard, an issue that remains fundamental, according to Musanganya.

Réjean Thomas is a leading researcher in the field of HIV/AIDS, and the head doctor at the Actuel Clinic in Montréal. We sat down with the founder of the Fondation l’Actuel to reflect on the 30th anniversary of AIDS and the confusion that still reigns today.

Joining forces with Arc-en-ciel d’Afrique, Helem, GLAM and refugee group AGIR, Au-delà de l’Arc-en-ciel ’s goal is to make the fight against homophobia more than teaching to the choir. This local Spanish language-led group is presenting a conference, performances, a film screening, and, above, public outreach to mark the International Day Against Homophobia May 13-17.

Set against the backdrop of a nation grappling with violent homophobic crime and offering a scathing examination of the underlying hatred for gays rampant in Caribbean societies, Bahamian Kareem Mortimer’s debut narrative feature tells the stories of three very different individuals.
Screens tonight, Friday Feb 11, 7:30pm at the ONF, 1564 rue St-Denis. $5-10 suggested donation.

For the third consecutive year, Arc en ciel d’Afrique presents the Massimadi Film Festival, whose mission is to spotlight documentary and fiction films about the reality of black communities from across the globe.