#FIRSTLOOK: “PARADE: QUEER ACTS OF LOVE & RESISTANCE” COMING TO THEATRES MAY 2025

An acclaimed look at activism that sparked the rise of Canada’s 2SLGBTQI+ movement, Winnipeg director Noam Gonick and Toronto producer Justine Pimlott’s National Film Board of Canada (NFB) feature documentary Parade: Queer Acts of Love & Resistance begins a national rollout in May.

Over 15 Canadian community and festival screenings are confirmed for Parade, with more cities to come. Pride Month in June will also feature broadcast and online premieres on TVO and NFB platforms.

The film recently opened the Hot Docs film fest, where it was voted a top ten audience favourite.

About Parade

Unflinching, bold, enraging and hopeful, this vital new chapter in the queer canon captures pivotal moments that sparked Canada’s 2SLGBTQI+ movement, honouring the activists and elders whose resistance led to the rights we have today.

Through rarely seen archival footage and first-person accounts, audiences are transported to the frontlines of the struggle. From police raids to early drag shows, community organizing to the House of Commons, Parade brings the complex history of the country’s diverse communities to vivid life.

Key milestones illustrate the power of taking it into the streets and underscore how easily the rights we’ve fought for can be revoked, making the documentary essential viewing for all Canadians.

National screening schedule

Dates confirmed so far

May 31 at 11:45 a.m., Inside Out 2SLGBTQ+ Film Festival, Toronto – filmmakers in attendance
June 12–15, Queer North Film Festival, Sudbury
June 14 (with panel discussion) and June 21, Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema, Toronto
June 22: Streaming premiere across Canada at 9 a.m. EST on TVO Docs YouTube, website and app, and broadcast premiere in Ontario at 9 p.m. EST on TVO
June 26, Hello Film! at the NFB’s Alanis Obomsawin Theatre, French-language screening and panel discussion, Quebec premiere presented in collaboration with Fierté Montréal and image+nation, Montreal
June 27, begins streaming on NFB platforms
June 27, Dixon Hall, Toronto
June 27, Trans Wellness Ontario, Windsor
June 28 at 6:30 p.m., Canadian Museum for Human Rights, Winnipeg – panel discussion with filmmakers
June 28, pflag Chapter, The Rumpus Room, Owen Sound, Ontario
June 28, Museum London, London, Ontario
July 26 at 2 p.m., Millennium Library, Winnipeg
August 3 at 1 p.m., Richmond Public Library – Brighouse Branch, Richmond, British Columbia
August 5 at 2 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec, French-language screening, Montreal
August 5 at 6 p.m., CinéQueer presented by Fierté Montréal and the NFB in collaboration with image+nation at the NFB’s Alanis Obomsawin Theatre, French-language screening, Montreal
August 16–24, Capital Pride, Ottawa
Acclaim for Parade

“Parade is overflowing with intelligence, energy and honesty. At a moment in history when the freedom to love who you want and be who you want to be is in question, this film is unequivocally on the side of the angels. Parade is an absolute triumph.” – Border Crossings Magazine

“There are moments of heartbreak, depression, and sadness, but the film also illustrates how much love and warmth was at the heart of these equality movements. It’s both critical and uplifting at the same time.” – The Gate

“…a call to arms to reach out to and learn from the queer elders who are still with us, and to preserve stories that are gradually disappearing. Parade invites us to see the ghosts, and challenges us not to look away.” – Xtra