"A sensitive touch to a button-pushing topic... this film is a rare gem."
- Shannon Ridler, Movie Moxie
 
"A startling piece of transformation... a subversion of homosexual stereotypes."
- Kevin Harper, Exclaim!



     Synopsis

     What is masculinity? What is it to be a man? How do these terms apply to the homosexual identity? In reaction to homophobic behaviour observed among gay men, the artist criticizes how gays are often dismissed for being too "effeminate," too "flamboyant" or not "straight-acting" enough.

     In Made Up, a gay man speaks of his physical preferences in men. What appears to be an objective interview is revealed to be social critique as the images show the man's physical appearance gradually changing to contradict the narrative being told. Through manipulations of both sound and image, the video demonstrates how social constructs like "masculinity" are built and how they can be deconstructed.


     Technical Information

running time: 4 min 20 sec
year: 2008
country: Canada
original format: miniDV
genre: experimental, video art
subject: masculinity, identity
language: English
video: colour
aspect ratio: 4:3
sound: stereo


     Credits

written and performed by:
     Owen Eric Wood
camera and editing by:
     Owen Eric Wood
makeup by:
     Sebastien Ouellet
distributed by:
     Videographe
thanks to:
     Vincent Chine and
     Eric Johnston


  


     Screenings

LOOP Festival - The Platform for VideoArt
May 12-22, 2010
Barcelona, Spain

Orebro International Videoart Festival
October 1-3, 2010
Orebro, Sweden

Stuttgart Filmwinter Festival for Expanded Media
January 21-24, 2010
Stuttgart, Germany

Cheries-Cheris GLT Film Festival of Paris
November 18, 2009
Forum des Halles, Paris, France

Kassel Documentary Film and Video Festival
November 10-15, 2009
Kassel, Germany

Mix 22 New York Queer Experimental Film Festival
November 17, 2009 at 8 p.m.
New York City, U.S.A.

Reelout Queer Film and Video Festival
February 5, 2010
Kingston, Canada

CFC Worldwide Short Film Festival
June 16-21, 2009
Cumberland Cinemas, Toronto, Canada

QueerFilmFest Rostock
July 30 - August 1, 2009
Peter-Weiss-Haus, Rostock, Germany

Festival International Montreal en Arts (FIMA)
July 2-5, 2009
Parc de l'Espoir, Montreal, Canada

Torino International GLBT Film Festival
April 23-30, 2009
Ambrosio Cinecafé, Torino, Italy

Montreal Underground Film Festival
May 14, 2009
Eastern Bloc
Montreal, Canada

Image+Nation
November 1, 2009
J.A. de Seve Cinema, Montreal, Canada

Rendez-Vous du Cinema Quebecois
February 22, 2009
Cinema ONF
Montreal, Canada