Through art and culture, we resist
Marissa Ramnanan – Local Journalism Initiative
Preserving Black queer stories is at the heart of the 18th edition of Montreal’s Massimadi Festival, whose theme, Vivid Memories (Mémoires vives), connects art, memory and resistance.
The president of the Foundation of Massimadi, Laurent Maurice Lafontant, explained that it is a crucial moment in time to host this event.
“There is a lot of anti-wokeness, which is usually anti-Black and anti-queer. With everything that is happening right now, it’s more important than ever to have those stories told.”
Laurent points to the global rise of far-right politics and U.S. efforts under President Donald Trump to erase Black and Queer histories, saying the festival’s 18th-edition slogan couldn’t be more fitting: “Through art and culture, we resist.”
The event acts as an archive to document their lived experiences.
Laurent explains that when the festival debuted back in 2009, Afro and Caribbean queerness was invisible in pop-culture.
“We created this festival to put forward our stories, to mark our existence, and to say: we are here,” said Laurent. “It’s also important for us to offer Black, Queer artists a platform.”
Today, the Massimadi features workshops, live performances, art exhibitions, and over 40 films that amplify Black and Indigenous queer voices locally and across the globe.
They have a selection of film premieres both in person and digitally for those geographically isolated in parts of Quebec and Canada to enjoy, and those in countries abroad where being queer is not safe.
On October 25, the Brazilian film “Gugu’s World” was shown at Cinema du Parc, on Parc Avenue.
A sweet yet heartbreaking film directed by Allan Deberton (2026), the movie follows an 11 year old boy named Gugu who lives in a northeastern village in Brazil.
Gugu is incredibly skilled at soccer and has big dreams of becoming a famous soccer player. However, he is different from other boys his age because of his love for “girly” things, and is bullied for it by his classmates.
Gugu is a feminine-presenting child who loves sparkles, makeup, and jewelry, much to his father’s shame and disapproval.
Gugu finds a safe haven from the outside world by living with his grandmother, who embraces his authenticity, and raises him with a firm but playful and loving hand.
Their little world begins to splinter as his grandmother starts presenting with Alzheimer’s.
The boy does everything he can to protect his grandmother from herself and the rest of the world, with help from his friends, by trying to hide her symptoms and playing memory games in hopes of strengthening her memory.
As the disease progresses, the movie reaches a tipping point where Gugu becomes her de-facto caretaker. The boy even dresses as his deceased mother to make her more comfortable, because she no longer remembers who Gugu is.
He skips school and soccer practice, with mounting fear, denial and resentment. After a health emergency, the other adults in Gugu’s life step in: Grandmother is sent to a nursing home, and Gugu moves in with his father, new wife and step sister. There, his father grapples with Gugu’s femininity and punishes him for it.
It’s a story of acceptance, family, and love.
A closing ceremony for the in-person festival took place on October 25 with drag performances at Club DD’s on St-Laurent Blvd. Hosted by Barbada, the theme was “Black Excellence” and featured fun numbers by drag queens and kings Envy the clown, Jaqq Strapp, Océane Aqua-Black, Stella Stone and Uncle Marly.
The festival continues online until Sunday, November 8. You can watch their digital programming here: https://watch.eventive.org/festivalmassimadi2026
An art exhibition titled “The Sanctum”, presented by the Massimadi Foundation, also runs until January 24, 2027. It’s in collaboration with Nigra Iuventa and the Côte-des-Neiges Cultural Centre.
Visit the festival at: Maison de la culture de Côte-des-Neiges, 5290, chemin de la Côte-des-Neiges, Montréal.
