Queer (Self) Portraits: Webcast Streaming on CBC

‘If you don’t see yourself represented, you don’t exist." Watch Andria Wilson’s Queer (Self) Portrait episode where she discusses her career in film! Queer (Self) Portraits, a fascinating ten part digital series profiling queer artists, produced by CBC Arts, is now available via the CBC website. Each profile features a queer or trans artist discussing their work, their life and how their queerness has informed them as artists. At the same time, they portray themselves with freeform finger painting on glass, coming up with surprisingly authentic representations. The range is wide from Johnnie Walker, a playwrite, performer and burlesque dancer who loves the camera (it loves him too) preening and posing to Arshad, a filmmaker from Pakistan who speaks to the feeling of being judged for his religion and race in mainstream society one the hand and fighting for acceptance as a gay man in the south asian community on the other. "My intention with this series is to celebrate artists whose work has shaped our culture, politics and community," Director Gabrielle Zilkha stresses "And what better way to do this than to examine how these often marginalized parts of ourselves are actually what can lead us to produce meaningful work." "We’re very excited about this series," Jenn Mason, Producer, says. "I think it's important to have honest and frank conversations like these."

Queer (Self) Portraits Director/Producer combo Gabrielle Zilkha and Jenn Mason have worked together on a wide scope of projects including the hilarious short ‘Stop Calling Me Honey Bunny’, Audience Award winner at 2013’s Inside Out Film Fest. Most recently, their documentary ‘Doing Jewish: A Story from Ghana’, has been on the festival circuit, after sell out screenings last year in Toronto.

Queer (Self) Portraits can be seen in Canada on the CBC web site at http://www.cbc.ca/arts/celebrate-canadian-queer-and-trans-artists-in-our-newseries-queer-self-portraits-1.4170047