Workshop - Queering the Celluloid with Elian Mikkola

As a part of Qaleidoscope Queer Film on Tour 2023, a free workshop will be offered in both Winnipeg and Saskatoon.

This three-day workshop will be facilitated by experimental filmmaker and green “scientist” Elian Mikkola. See bio below.

In recent decades, experimental filmmakers have explored eco-conscious approaches to analog filmmaking. Experimental filmmakers are leading the way by using eco- friendly recipes such as Caffenol (instant coffee, vitamin C and washing soda); plants, berries, wine or vegetables; or the Phytogram Technique. Additionally, the act of physically manipulating analog found footage has been a long-standing tradition of experimental filmmaking, albeit dominated by white, heterosexual cis-male filmmakers. Supplied with their own found footage, workshop participants will be encouraged to take this tradition into their own hands - allowing QTBIPOC and LGBTQIA2 bodies to interrupt/disrupt existing images and narratives on the celluloid and take ownership and reconstruct a new narrative, all within an eco-processing framework.

Workshop structure:
Preparation (Day 1)

Intro to eco-friendly filmmaking and analog practice through samples and readings

Hands-on workshop (Days 2 & 3)

Using hand processing and found footage, participants will dismantle and reconstruct new narratives

Virtual Q&A Session
Post workshop to facilitate future eco-practice and analog filmmaking pursuits, Date TBD.

Ultimately, the goals of the workshop are to bring awareness and access to local
filmmaking communities about analog filmmaking in a safe and environmentally
conscious manner and to reconstruct, through manipulation of found footage,
QTBIPOC and LGBTQIA2 narratives.