Check Your Inbox: You’ve Got Male

Gabrielle Bonin, Hannah Petingola, and Adriana Nicolucci (one of our co-founders!) are three recent graduates of Laurentian University with a strong passion for LGBT rights, issues, and education. They worked together during their final year of school to create a documentary short entitled You’ve Got Male; a film that explores the meaning of gender and masculinity from the perspective of local men in Sudbury. We talked to them about the idea behind You’ve Got Male, the creative process, and what they have planned for the upcoming year. Oh, and why someone called Laurentian Security on them (it’s a funny story, we promise)!

Where did the idea for You’ve Got Male come from?

The idea came from Adriana’s fourth-year thesis project, which aimed to question definitions of masculinity and gender. The three of us took Women’s Studies courses as well as English Rhetoric courses together throughout our degrees that allowed us to explore feminism and gender. Then, in our fourth year, we took a class with professor Hoi Cheu entitled “Documentary Filmmaking”. This presented us with an amazing opportunity to express our passionate ideas.How do you want people to view masculinity after seeing You’ve Got Male?

How do you want people to view masculinity after seeing You’ve Got Male?

Creating this film opened our eyes to the perceptions and stereotypes that surround gender. We think that the terms “male”, “man” and “masculine” shouldn’t necessarily be related to one another, just as “female”, “feminine” and “woman” might not necessarily relate. This is why it is important to question definitions. If we shape our self-perceptions based off these terms, we should do our best to exclude stereotypes and societal pressures. Definitions should be inclusive and promote acceptance.

How willing were your participants to discuss their own thoughts and struggles concerning masculinity?

We are so thankful for our participants, as they all volunteered their time to talk openly with us about their stories and experiences growing up as young men. We interviewed six local participants; four of whom were students at Laurentian University. Dr. Jennifer Johnson, a professor and the chair of Women’s Studies at Laurentian, was also a key speaker in You’ve Got Male. We asked each of them some very difficult questions, however they were all very brave and open in their answers. The feedback that we have heard about their responses has been nothing but positive.

What was the Filmmaking Process like? Do you have any funny stories to share?

The filmmaking process took a full year from start to finish, from planning and writing the proposal, to finding participants, filming, and editing. The longest part of the process was definitely editing. There were countless late nights in the Laurentian editing room, survived by pizza and coffee. The lack of sleep led to lots of laughter and pranks! At one point, Gabrielle decided to scare Hannah (after 12am), and security were called because her scream was so loud, and they didn’t expect anyone to be in the building after hours. We still laugh at that memory one year later!

You’ve Got Male was one of the finalists for the CTV Best in Shorts contest at Cinéfest last year, how was that experience?

We have attended Cinéfest in the past and we thoroughly enjoyed the experience, so we were honoured to have our own film shown at this wonderful international festival. Dr. Hoi Cheu encouraged us to enter the film into Cinefest, but we never expected it to blow up! It felt surreal seeing You’ve Got Male on the big screen, and we really enjoyed having all of our friends and family there to support us. The other local shorts that premiered in the competition were all amazing as well; it’s clear that northern Ontario has A LOT of emerging talent in the film industry!

You’ve Got Male also played at Best of Hot Docs Sudbury, the Keeping Them Warm Fundraiser at the Townehouse Tavern, and last month we were able to speak at the LGBT Classroom Closet Conference about definitions of masculinity and gender. Most recently, it was shown during Indie Cinema’s “Women in Film Wednesday” series for International Women’s Day. We are so honored to have been a part of all of these events throughout the last year.

Plans for any other documentaries?

We have recently been given the opportunity to work on a local documentary project with Indie Cinema! It is still very new, but we will be exploring the feminist movement in northern Ontario in the 1980s and 1990s by interviewing local feminists from Sudbury, combined with found footage. It will be an ongoing project that we will continue to work on over the next little while. The three of us are really excited about this opportunity, and we’ve also discussed working on other possible film projects together in the near future!

Where can we watch You’ve Got Male?

We are in the midst of entering You’ve Got Male into other film festivals in Ontario. It is also in the process of being used as a resource in the Women’s Studies curriculum at Laurentian University and it will be shown at local high schools to educate Sudbury’s youth. However, if you are interested in viewing it, we would be more than happy to connect with you!

To get in touch with us, email youvegotmale2015@gmail.com.

Jessica Lovelace

Jessica Lovelace is a Public Relations and Communications grad, musical theatre enthusiast, lover of live music and part-time unicorn tamer. Some have said that the Big Dripper from Sub City is a regional delicacy and the perfect end to a Sudbury Saturday Night – Jessica is definitely one of those people. No, the hair is not a perm.

Recommended Posts

CINEFEST IS BACK AT IT WITH HYBRID FESTIVAL

September 16, 2021

NLFB 49.5 TO KICK START FALL AT BELL PARK WITH DAN MANGAN, JEREMY DUTCHER, AND MORE

September 07, 2021

YES THEATRE LIGHTS UP THE GROTTO WITH LIVE CONCERT SERIES

August 30, 2021