81 minutes
Join us in the lobby at 6:00 PM for a festival reception catered by Baba’s (with wine and NA drinks)
Considered by many to be Canada’s first gay film, Winter Kept Us Warm tells the story of Peter, an introspective freshman at the University of Toronto, who quickly befriends Doug, a handsome and popular older student. As their relationship develops and Peter makes new friends, Doug must confront his true feelings in this loving portrayal of male intimacy and queer desire.
Film Notes by Philip Concannon
David Secter was 21 years old when he decided to spend much of his final year at the University of Toronto writing and directing a film inspired by his unrequited crush on a fellow student. The resulting feature, Winter Kept Us Warm, became the first English-language Canadian film to play at Cannes, it sparked the filmmaking ambitions of David Cronenberg, and it has the distinction of being Canada’s first gay film, although that fact was downplayed in 1965, as homosexuality would not be legalised in Canada for another four years. In fact, Secter claimed his actors remained unaware of the gay subtext that adds a layer of complexity and poignancy to the relationship between introspective freshman Peter (Henry Tarvainen) and charismatic senior Doug (John Labow). The pair become fast friends, but the sense of yearning that Secter captures in the encounters between them is palpable, and there is an unmistakable homoerotic undercurrent as we watch them frolicking in the snow or washing each other’s backs in the post-gym shower. When Doug reveals to Peter that he has memorised one of the tracks from his album of Finnish folk songs and has learned to play it on the guitar, it feels tantamount to a declaration of love, but Secter is acutely aware of the way gestures can be misread and signals ignored. Secter drew on the influence of Cassavetes and Godard to realise his vision with the meagre resources at his disposal. Evidence of the cast and crew’s inexperience and the haphazard production can be glimpsed in some awkward performances, or the occasional mismatch of sound and image, but Secter’s direction is imaginative and intelligent, and the film’s beguiling emotional sincerity compensates for any technical limitations. Winter Kept Us Warm is a vivid snapshot of a particular moment in time, but what keeps it feeling so vital and resonant sixty years later is the authentic sense of sadness and regret that it evokes, as we watch two people drift inexorably apart. As Secter later put it, “friendship, like snow, is brilliant but ephemeral.”
Copy from Revenante. Restored in 4K in 2024 by Canadian International Pictures in collaboration with Library and Archives Canada, Blackhawk Films, Five Seventy Films, Saturated Hats, from the original negatives A/B. Funding provided by Telefilm Canada.
Presented by Archives on Screen
Archives on Screen (AoS) brings rare, unseen archival films from around the globe to Minnesota. Co-founded in 2022 by Michelle Baroody and Maggie Hennefeld, AoS has worked with international film archives and local film venues to expose students, diverse audiences, and underserved populations to the richness of cinema history. We screen everything from silent films to contemporary features, focusing primarily on counter-cinemas, such as feminist and queer films, world cinema, and anti-colonial productions. Our events facilitate public education, community engagement, and open conversation about how the archives of film history can help us to imagine different worlds and alternative futures. Archives on Screen’s flagship program, Il Cinema Ritrovato on Tour, is a curated selection of films from Il Cinema Ritrovato, an annual international film festival that exhibits new restorations and rediscovered films in Bologna, Italy every summer. We also host a quarterly screening series at the Trylon Cinema in Minneapolis and regular screenings at the Heights Theater and other local venues. Learn more about Archives on Screen at archivesonscreen.org
Relased 1965
Directed by David Secter
