It is the Fall of 1965, and shy freshman Peter Saarinen (Henry Tarvainen) is trying to figure out where he fits in amongst the rowdy collegiate men at the University of Toronto. While working as a waiter in the dining hall, Peter catches the eye of alpha frat bro Doug Harris (John Labow), who takes an immediate (and somewhat intense) shine to the wide-eyed freshman. Over the course of the school year, Peter and Doug’s bond deepens, much to the irritation of Doug’s girlfriend, Bev. While Doug is distracted by his suspicious girlfriend, Peter surprises everyone—especially himself—by making a move on Sandra, the cool girl in his drama class. As things between Peter and Sandra heat up, Doug starts to lose his cool.

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Produced at a time when homosexuality was actively being prosecuted in Canada, Winter Kept Us Warm is a particularly brave piece of guerilla filmmaking disguised as a classic coming-of-age movie. Writer/Director David Secter, with the help of some soon-to-be-famous classmates and a couple of DPs recruited from then-Ryerson University’s photography department, shot the film on the University of Toronto campus during his senior year. Despite the film’s amateur quirks and homosexual undertones, Winter went on to become the first English-language Canadian film—and possibly the first LGBTQ+ film—to play the Cannes Film Festival. It stands today as a foundational piece of Canada’s queer film history: a secretly gay film made mostly in secret.
(Lex Dermenjian)

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dir. David Secter, 1965
Canada, digital projection
81 min

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SATURDAY, 2/14
7:30 DOORS
8:00 SCREENING

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Presented by T.A.P.E. - a Los Angeles based 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to facilitating support for analog media through free digitizing, education, hands-on training, equipment rentals and volunteer opportunities. Teach, archive, preserve, exhibit.‍

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Whammy! is located in the REAR unit of 2514 Sunset Blvd, entrance access is via Rampart Blvd.