powered by:
valneva canada inc.
new documentary follows queer, trans, non-binary teens at an alberta summer camp
roughly an hour into jen markowitz’s documentary summer...
aug 15 2024
5 minute read
a scene from the film summer qamp.
theresa tet millare
/
cal
roughly an hour into jen markowitz’s documentary summer qamp, there is a scene where a group of teens lie under the stars in the kananaskis talking about their ideal world.
when asked what it would be, a camper named ren suggests “it would be gay.”
“it would be full of queers and we would have the best time,” says the 16-year-old from rural alberta, one of more than a dozen queer, trans and non-binary teens markowitz followed at camp fyrefly in the summer of 2022.
in a cliched coming-of-age, summer-camp tale, these wistful musings would likely be tied to a story about teens struggling with their identities. but one of the most endearing aspects of summer qamp, which begins airing on super channel aug. 17, is that these teens are not struggling with their identities. they have done the work and, in some cases, lived through the drama. their journeys of self-discovery may not be 100 per cent complete, but they have embraced who they are. at camp fyrefly, an unconditionally affirming environment for lgbtqia2s+ youth, they are free to be themselves while enjoying a typical camp experience.
filmmaker jen markowitz directed the alberta-shot documentary summer qamp.
cal
“as young queer people, just existing day to day builds a sense of resilience and a sense of determination based on just taking up space alone,” says markowitz, a queer non-binary filmmaker from toronto. “part of that resilience and determination is the work that goes into the establishing of who you are, establishing your identity and discovering yourself. i do think, at the same time, there is some joy in doing that research and discovering that, yes, there are people like you and, yes, here is a place in the world for you.”
advertisement
advertisement
summer qamp premiered in 2023 at the toronto international film festival and has since screened at the calgary international film festival and the fairy tales queer film festival. it doesn’t take long into the film to realize that this beautiful lakeside spot in the kananaskis is pretty close to ren’s idea of the ideal world. for the most part, the film is focused on queers “having the best time,” whether they are confiding with each other about their personal journeys , clumsily practicing archery, bonding over origami, or getting over a fear of horseback riding.
markowitz embedded themself in the camp in august of 2022 and the film mixes a cinema-verite, fly-on-the-wall approach with one-on-one interviews with the teens, who all prove to be surprisingly eloquent in expressing their fears, hopes and setbacks. it’s not without its mild drama, of course. in one segment, a 16-year-old named kingston is shown coming out as a trans man via a text message to his mother while at the camp surrounded by fellow campers. when she doesn’t respond, kingston finds enthusiastic support among his new friends.
we meet jade, a chatty transitioning trans femme person who matter-of-factly recalls a past that involved self-harm and bullying others before she accepted who she was. we meet mia, a 15-year-old in the early stages of gender discovery who was outed against her will to her parents by school officials after she revealed a crush on a girl.
advertisement
advertisement
at one point, a member of the rainbow elders from calgary addresses the campers. they are told to be “constantly vigilant” about protecting their rights.
“because there are church organizations and definitely some politicians that would change the law just like that,” they are told. “don’t let it be taken away from you just by being complacent. there is always work to be done.”
earlier this year, t he ucp government introduced sweeping changes regarding children and lgbtq rights. that includes bans on gender reassignment surgery for those aged under 17 and on hormone therapy for children aged 15 and under, as well as limits on sports participation for transgender athletes. the government also requires parents to be notified and opt-in for each instance a teacher intends to give formal instruction on gender identity, sexual orientation, or human sexuality. it will also require parental notification and consent for a school to alter the name or pronouns of a child aged 15 and under.
the legislation has been denounced not only by activists and artists but by doctors, nurses and medical associations, including the canadian paediatric society and alberta medical association, and even amnesty international canada.
advertisement
advertisement
despite its warm-hearted tone, all this helps make summer qamp timely even if it was shot before these changes were proposed.
“i interpreted a sense of urgency knowing that young queer and trans people in general do benefit from seeing their stories on screen,” markowitz says. “regardless of the laws and bills that come into effect, that holds. some of the alberta-specific laws were not yet in place. while there was a sense of urgency to tell their story, there wasn’t, to me, a sense of urgency to tell the story of how they live as queer people, more so just to show they could live as young people with freedom and safety. it wasn’t so much i was trying to get a story out about queerness than it was trying to get a story out about safety so that queer people could watch it and feel safe for the duration of the film, if nothing else.”
summer qamp is markowitz’s first feature film, although they have had a long career in canadian television that has included producing canada’s drag race and shine true, a limited series about non-binary youth.
this film is their “dream project,” fitting perfectly into their mandate of telling healthy queer stories and seeing the community depicted accurately on screen by queer artists. landing the project felt like a “gift from the queer gods,” they say. it is currently being adapted as a musical by actress and filmmaker clea duvall.
advertisement
advertisement
near the end of the film, jade address her fellow campers with a goodbye speech, saying she has found a home and community within the camp.
“it’s just nice to see everyone happy and this image is to . . . stick with me forever,” she says.
it seems a suitable sentiment for the film in general, something that markowitz hopes resonates with people both inside and outside the lgbtq+ community. there is a universality to joys and pains of coming-of-age, no matter what community you belong to, they say.
“when i talk about the film, it can feel very serious because the issues are very serious facing this community,” they say. “but when you get down to brass tacks, this is a community of young people that is just as goofy, just as thoughtful, just as wild, just as mischievous, just as typically teen as any other community. that’s what i really wanted to show in the film.”
summer qamp airs on super channel starting aug. 17.
share story
