Laugh in the Dark - Misplaced Pages

1999 Canadian film

Laugh in the Dark
Directed by	Justine Pimlott
Produced by	Justine Pimlott
Starring	Gary Colwell Don Morden Doris Mehegan
Release date	1999 (1999)
Running time	47 minutes
Country	Canada
Language	English

Laugh in the Dark is a Canadian documentary film, directed by Justine Pimlott and released in 1999. The film profiles a group of gay men who, in response to the HIV/AIDS crisis of the early 1980s, moved to the faded resort town of Crystal Beach, Ontario with an eye to reviving it as a gay resort comparable to Provincetown or Fire Island; spearheaded by Gary Colwell and Don Morden, the group launched a bed and breakfast, a restaurant and a drag cabaret.

The film's name is taken from a dark ride of the same name that operated at Crystal Beach Park.

In his book Romance of Transgression in Canada: Queering Sexualities, Nations, Cinemas, Thomas Waugh called the film "one of the most effective and affecting elegies in Canadian queer cinema."

The film premiered at the Inside Out Film and Video Festival in 1999, winning the award for Best Canadian Film. It was subsequently screened at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival in 2000, winning the award for Best Film on Social Issues.

References

^ Thomas Waugh, Romance of Transgression in Canada: Queering Sexualities, Nations, Cinemas. McGill-Queen's University Press, 2006. ISBN 9780773576803. p. 288.
^ Susan Walker, "Gay and lesbian fest shows how far they've come; Films and filmmakers of Inside Out are gaining acceptance, at least here". Toronto Star, May 14, 1999.
Gordon Bowness, "Steelworkers, miners & faggots. Oh my". Daily Xtra, May 19, 1999.
Fiona MacDonald, "Ooh la la – Hot Docs wraps". Playback, May 15, 2000.

v t e Inside Out Film and Video Festival Award for Best Canadian Film
The Grace of God (1998) Laugh in the Dark (1999) Johnny Greyeyes (2000) Hey, Happy! (2001) Miss 501: A Portrait of Luck (2002) Saved by the Belles (2003) Sugar (2004) Everyone (2005) Amnesia: The James Brighton Enigma and 533 Statements (2006) The Chinese Botanist's Daughters (2007) Be Like Others (2008) Fig Trees (2009) Mark (2010) Home of the Buffalo (2011) She Said Boom: The Story of Fifth Column (2012) For Dorian (2013) Tom at the Farm (2014) What We Have (2015) Closet Monster (2016) Rebels on Pointe (2017) Love, Scott (2018) Drag Kids (2019) No Ordinary Man (2020) Fanny: The Right to Rock (2021) Out in the Ring (2022) Supporting Our Selves (2023) A Mother Apart (2024)

Inside Out Film and Video Festival Award for Best Canadian Film

The Grace of God (1998)
Laugh in the Dark (1999)
Johnny Greyeyes (2000)
Hey, Happy! (2001)
Miss 501: A Portrait of Luck (2002)
Saved by the Belles (2003)
Sugar (2004)
Everyone (2005)
Amnesia: The James Brighton Enigma and 533 Statements (2006)
The Chinese Botanist's Daughters (2007)
Be Like Others (2008)
Fig Trees (2009)
Mark (2010)
Home of the Buffalo (2011)
She Said Boom: The Story of Fifth Column (2012)
For Dorian (2013)
Tom at the Farm (2014)
What We Have (2015)
Closet Monster (2016)
Rebels on Pointe (2017)
Love, Scott (2018)
Drag Kids (2019)
No Ordinary Man (2020)
Fanny: The Right to Rock (2021)
Out in the Ring (2022)
Supporting Our Selves (2023)
A Mother Apart (2024)

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