Michael Walker

A fascinating exploration of the mythologies surrounding the hundred-year-old statue The Golden Boy. Incorporating dance, animation, and re-enactments, the film, directed by queer filmmakers and artists, imagines the lost identities of the models used for Parisian sculptor Georges Gardet​’s work Eternal Youth. From hermetic Greco-Roman cult to two-spirited heritage, this film, told from the filmmakers’ point of view, offers a unique perspective on Winnipeg’s famous mascot as seen from a rent-controlled building.

During the Purge, queers were surveilled, with a desire for non-heteronormative bodies seen as dangerous. This ballet explores the tension between conformity and the yearning for freedom of sexual expression. In an immersive video installation, viewers navigate veiled screens revealing the ballet’s movements. The story includes a lesbian recruit, an ambassador accused of espionage, men seeking anonymous encounters, and an Investigator thwarted by a Decoy. In the final chapter, the recruit demands rank and honor, symbolizing resistance to federal policies under Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms.