''Queer Hutterite: Misfit on the Colony'' is a Canadian documentary film, released in 2016. Directed by Laura O'Grady, the film profiles Kelly Hofer, a gay activist and photographer in

Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...

who grew up in a

Hutterite Hutterites (german: link=no, Hutterer), also called Hutterian Brethren (German: ), are a communal ethnoreligious group, ethnoreligious branch of Anabaptism, Anabaptists, who, like the Amish and Mennonites, trace their roots to the Radical Refor ...

religious community in southern

Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...

. The film focuses on Hofer's early life within the community, and what eventually forced him to leave and move to

in 2012."Kelly Hofer's loving photos of the Hutterite home he left behind"
'' Q'', April 12, 2016. The film was released online through the Telus Optik Local platform in Alberta, before being released to

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later in the year. The film was also nominated for several awards through the

Canadian Screen Awards The Canadian Screen Awards (french: link=no, Les prix Écrans canadiens) are awards given for artistic and technical merit in the film industry recognizing excellence in Canadian film, English-language television, and digital media (web series) p ...

in 2017 following its release.

Plot

Queer Hutterite follows the life of Kelly Hofer as he grew up in the

colony of Green Acres, in southern

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. The documentary focuses on the early life of Hofer as he grew up discovering his passion for photography in his early teens, while also coming to the discovery that he was gay. He knew that as a gay man, he would face discrimination within the Hutterite community and that he would no longer fit into the fabric of society within the colony. In June 2012, Hofer with the help of his sister who had left the colony years earlier, ran away from his family and the colony to move to

where he could live more openly as himself. The film then moves to focus on Hofer's work as a photographer shedding light on the Hutterites in Canada and to provide support to other LGBTQ members of Hutterite communities. His departure and eventual coming out caused a shift within the Hutterite community as it addressed internal homophobia and the possibility of more people within the colony of being gay. From Calgary, Hofer worked to help set up online forums for people within the Hutterite colonies where they can be more open and possibly even come out as gay themselves. The film finishes by showing the unique photography work that Hofer has focused his life on. With his upbringing within the Hutterite community, he focuses his work to give a glimpse into the world of the Hutterites and break down the barriers and stereotypes that exist between common society and the society of the Hutterite colonies across Canada. The film finishes with a scene with Hofer and his sister reminiscing over old photos of their life within the Hutterite community and Hofer speaking about his hopes that he can one day visit his family again.

Reviews

The documentary received positive feedback from Canadian news and media outlets. Most coverage of the movie focused on its nominations for awards following its release. In an April 2016 interview on

CBC Radio CBC Radio is the English-language radio operations of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches, all of which (regardless of language) are outlined below ...

's '' Q'', O'Grady and Hofer talked about the role of the documentary in helping to raise awareness of LGBTQ issues within the Hutterite communities.

Impact

The film, coupled with Hofer's work both within the LGBTQ community as well as with other former and current Hutterites has garnered some attention, both within and outside Hutterite communities across Canada. In an article released by the DailyXtra, another gay teen fled a Hutterite community in southern Manitoba, and moved to

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...

and came out after fleeing from the colony:. In the article, Hofer is cited as an inspiration to the teen, who saw Hofer as an example of a fellow Hutterite, who fled their colony to live a more open life in a place where they can be accepted openly.

Awards

The film received two

Canadian Screen Award The Canadian Screen Awards (french: link=no, Les prix Écrans canadiens) are awards given for artistic and technical merit in the film industry recognizing excellence in Canadian film, English-language television, and digital media (web series) p ...

nominations at the

5th Canadian Screen Awards The 5th annual Canadian Screen Awards were held on March 12, 2017, to honour achievements in Canadian film, television, and digital media production in 2016. Nominations were announced on January 17, 2017. Awards in many of the technical categor ...

in 2017, for Best Original Program or Series produced for Digital Media – Non-Fiction and Best Direction in a Program or Series Produced for Digital Media. It won the 2017

Rosie Award The Rosie Awards is the name given to the Alberta Film and Television Awards, presented annually by Alberta Media Production Industries Association (AMPIA). AMPIA is non-profit professional association that supports its members by encouraging the ...

for Best Director (Non-Fiction under 30 minutes).

External links

References