Queer stories have until very recently been relegated to the shadows of mainstream history books. More often than not, learning about our past has depended upon reading between the lines and learning by word of mouth; these are not histories that are easily preserved from one generation to the next. Local filmmaker Aerlyn Weissman has spent years documenting stories that might have disappeared if not for her determination and her camera. With reference to her films Little Sister’s vs. Big Brother, Forbidden Love: The Unashamed Stories of Lesbian Lives and Fiction and Other Truths: A Film about Jane Rule, Weissman will provide insight into the specific challenges of preserving queer stories. For anyone interested in the process of documenting queer history, this masterclass is essential.
During her long career in film and television, Aerlyn Weissman has worked as a sound recordist, writer and director and has been honoured with a number of awards and distinctions, including a Genie Award for Forbidden Love (1993) and the Vancouver Women in Film Woman of the Year Award (1996). She is currently a graduate student at The Centre for Digital Media in Vancouver.