Tiff's Guide to Pride Cinema

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Who's the Woman, Who's the Man? (1996) Peter Ho-Sun Chan

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This is the sequel, but the first film came out, I think, in the early 1990s, when Hong Kong was still known for being quite conservative. There were some gay or queer things coming out in America, that was a bit more not necessarily mainstream, but you could find it if you were looking for it. But this was the first queer movie that I had seen that came out of Hong Kong cinema. It was so mind-blowing for me because I realized, wow, we're allowed to tell these stories and it's okay. It shaped my young mind and heart to know that you're not gross, you're not indecent, and that finding love in your life isn't impossible.

The moment that stayed with me most was when Anita Mui was confessing her love to this other person and she basically said looking into their eyes, "it doesn't matter whether you're a man or you're a woman. I love you." It really broke those gender norms. Back then she was known as like the Madonna of Hong Kong, super cool icon, incredible singer, actor, and for her to be doing something like that was incredible.
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‍Imagine Me & You (2005) Ol Parker

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‍Another film that left a huge impression on me was Imagine Me & You, starring Piper Perabo and Lena Headey. It asks do you believe in love at first sight, where you can look at someone across the room and you feel like you've kind of known them forever. It's funny because the backstory of this movie is it originally started out as a heterosexual romcom and then it just kind of evolved into this.

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But the movie is about when you feel that spark with someone instantaneously, what do you do when they're already in a relationship? How do you deal with it in modern society? Do you honor the fact that they're already in a relationship, and stay distant as much as you can? I also love the comedy aspect of all of it. It's such a feel-good, fun, light, but beautiful story and it's set in the wonderful city of London.

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‍Better Than Chocolate (1999) Anne Wheeler

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‍‍I remember going to a video store that was really close to my house, and I probably rented it, I don't know, eight times. There was always something that drew me back to it. The movie is really sexy and very well done. It talks about trans women in our community and how they're sometimes treated by other women within the queer community. It touches on drag as well, and one of the film's guest stars is Ann-Marie MacDonald, who's a famous Canadian author.

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I recently found out that one of the lead actors, Karyn Dwyer, died by suicide right before Covid, and that's really, really sad to know. But I'm very thankful for the gift she left behind.

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The film is filled with many of the struggles the queer community faces, not only from the outside world, but within the community itself. Yet it's all laced with comedy. There's a beautiful drag number, and Peter Outerbridge actually sings the whole thing. I'd definitely recommend giving it a watch.

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Tiffany Wong is a Canadian chef who has worked in Vancouver, Toronto, and London. Raised as a Jehovah’s Witness, she left that community to build one of her own. Through resilience, perseverance, and a little luck, she forged her own path.

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Reflecting on the journey, Tiffany shares: "Every queer story contains an element of struggle because we have always had to fight for something: the right to be ourselves, to be seen, to be worthy, to be enough. Those fights have not gone unnoticed, and we are all the more beautiful for the scars we carry."

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