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Soft film image, director Joseph Amenta

Soft

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Roaming wild in Toronto’s streets, three queer adolescents hone their survival skills and scheme to run amok in a gay club. Julien (Matteus Lunot), a brash runaway, serves as pack leader, with timid Otis (Harlow Joy) and buoyant Tony (Zion Matheson) following in his wake. When some impetuous petty crime admits them into the promised land (and ushers in exhilarating depictions of beat-driven youthful abandon), it also imperils Dawn (Miyoko Anderson), Julien’s de facto guardian. Once Dawn fails to return home, the guilt-ridden kids form a search party that ultimately uncovers darker realities.

Joseph Amenta’s first feature is an open-hearted love letter to childhood friendships and a powerful testament to the queer community’s perseverance and adaptability. Through rhythmic cutting and sublime compositions, they capture moments of revelry and repose, and coax increasingly complex performances from their young cast. Serving up a cocktail of irreverence and melancholy, Amenta lends intoxicating atmosphere and intimate understanding to these precious kids’ quest for belonging.

 

Q&A Sept 30 & Oct 2

 

Presented by

Media Partner

Global BC Logo

Community Partner

Director
Cast

Matteus Lunot, Zion Matheson, Harlow Joy, Miyoko Anderson, Krista Morin, Trevor Hayes

Credits
Country of Origin

Canada

Year

2022

Language

English and Tagalog with English subtitles

Film Contact
18+
84 min
Drama LGBTQIA2S+

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Credits

Executive Producer

James Hyslop, Alyson Richards, Alex Jordan

Producer

Alexandra Roberts, Danny Sedore

Screenwriter

Joseph Amenta

Cinematography

Liam Higgins

Editor

Alexander Farah

Production Design

Dialla Kawar

Original Music

Casey MQ & Skyshaker

Director

Joseph Amenta headshot, Soft director

Joseph Amenta

Joseph Amenta is a genderqueer filmmaker based in Toronto who focuses on post-genre stories immersed in the underbelly and subcultures of the LGBTQ community. They have produced, written, and directed short films that have been screened at international festivals and broadcast across Canada, Europe, and Africa. Their short Haus (2018) was selected for the International Competition at the 2019 Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival, and their next short Flood (2019) premiered at Toronto International Film Festival. They received the Toronto Screenwriting Conference Breakthrough Artist Award for their script for Soft.