Bruce LaBruce (born January 3, 1964) is a Canadian artist, writer, filmmaker, photographer, and underground director based in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Life and career

LaBruce was born in

Tiverton, Ontario Tiverton is a community in the Municipality of Kincardine, Bruce County, Ontario, Canada. It is near the shore of Lake Huron on Highway 21 between Port Elgin and Kincardine. History The name of a town in Devon, England. It is said that N ...

. He has claimed both Justin Stewart and Bryan Bruce as his birth name in different sources. He studied film at

York University York University (), also known as YorkU or simply YU), is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, and it has approximately 53,500 students, 7,000 faculty and staff, ...

in Toronto and wrote for ''

Cineaction ''CineAction'' (formerly styled ''CineACTION!'') is a Canada-based film magazine, published three times a year, edited by an editorial collective that originally included critic Robin Wood. It was founded in 1985 by members of the film departmen ...

'' magazine, curated by Robin Wood, his teacher. He first gained public attention with the publication of the queer punk

zine A zine ( ; short for ''magazine'' or ''fanzine'') is, as noted on Merriam-Webster’s official website, a magazine that is a “noncommercial often homemade or online publication usually devoted to specialized and often unconventional subject ...

'' J.D.s'', which he co-edited with

G.B. Jones G. B. Jones (born 1965) is a Canadian artist, filmmaker, musician, and publisher of zines. She is best known for producing the queer punk zine '' J.D.s'' and her ''Tom Girls'' drawings. Career Music Jones' musical career began as a young child, ...

. He has written and photographed for a variety of publications including ''Vice'', the former Nerve.com and ''

BlackBook Magazine ''BlackBook'' is an arts and culture magazine A magazine is a periodical literature, periodical publication, print or digital, produced on a regular schedule, that contains any of a variety of subject-oriented textual and visual content ...

'', and has been a columnist for the Canadian music magazine ''

Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly ''Exclaim!'' print magazine publishes seven ...

'' and Toronto's ''

Eye Weekly ''Eye Weekly'' was a free weekly newspaper published in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was owned by Torstar, the parent company of the ''Toronto Star'', and was published by their Star Media Group until its final issue on May 5, 2011. The followin ...

'', as well as a contributing editor and photographer for New York's ''

Index Magazine ''index Magazine'' was a New York City-based publication with interviews with art and culture figures. It was created by Peter Halley and Bob Nickas in 1996, running until late 2005. Covering the burgeoning indie culture of the 1990s, ''Index'' ...

''. He has also been published in ''

Toronto Life ''Toronto Life'' is a monthly magazine about entertainment, politics and life in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. ''Toronto Life'' also publishes a number of annual special interest guides about the city, including ''Real Estate'', ''Stylebook'', ''Eati ...

'', the ''

National Post The ''National Post'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet newspaper and the flagship publication of the American-owned Postmedia Network. It is published Mondays through Saturdays, with Monday released as a digital e-edition only.

'' and ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

''. His movie, '' Otto; or Up with Dead People'' debuted at the

2008 Sundance Film Festival The 2008 Sundance Film Festival ran from January 17, 2008 to January 27 in Park City, Utah. It was the 24th iteration of the Sundance Film Festival. The opening night film was ''In Bruges'' and the closing night film was ''CSNY/Déjà Vu''. Films ...

. '' L.A. Zombie'' was banned from the

Melbourne International Film Festival The Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) is an annual film festival held over three weeks in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It was founded in 1952 and is one of the oldest film festivals in the world following the founding of the Venic ...

in 2010 because, in the opinion of Australian censors, it would have been refused classification. However, the film was subsequently able to screen at

OutTakes An outtake is a portion of a work (usually a film or music recording) that is removed in the editing process and not included in the work's final, publicly released version. In the digital era, significant outtakes have been appended to CD and DV ...

, a New Zealand lesbian and gay international film festival, in May 2011. In March 2011, LaBruce directed a performance of

Arnold Schoenberg Arnold Schoenberg or Schönberg (13 September 187413 July 1951) was an Austrian and American composer, music theorist, teacher and writer. He was among the first Modernism (music), modernists who transformed the practice of harmony in 20th-centu ...

's opera '' Pierrot Lunaire'' at the

Hebbel am Ufer The Hebbel am Ufer (HAU) is a German theater company and international performance center in Berlin. It has three physical locations (HAU1, HAU2, and HAU3), and a digital theatre (HAU4). History HAU was founded in 2003, before the 2003/04 season, ...

Theatre in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

. This iteration of the opera included gender diversity,

castration Castration is any action, surgery, surgical, chemical substance, chemical, or otherwise, by which a male loses use of the testicles: the male gonad. Surgical castration is bilateral orchiectomy (excision of both testicles), while chemical cas ...

scenes and

dildo A dildo is a sex toy, often explicitly phallic in appearance, intended for sexual penetration or other sexual activity during masturbation or with sex partners. Dildos are made from a number of materials. The shape and size are typically t ...

s, as well as portraying Pierrot as a

transgender man A trans man or transgender man is a man who was assigned female at birth. Trans men have a male gender identity, and many trans men undergo medical and social transition to alter their appearance in a way that aligns with their gender identit ...

. He subsequently also filmed this adaptation as the 2014 theatrical film '' Pierrot Lunaire''. Beginning with '' Gerontophilia'' in 2013, LaBruce dropped some of the more sexually explicit aspects of his filmmaking style. He retained his traditional interest in exploring sexual taboos, dramatizing an intergenerational relationship between a young man and a senior citizen, but opted to do so within a film that would be more palatable to a mainstream audience."Marie-Hélène Thibault et Pier-Gabriel Lajoie dans «Gerontophilia», un film de Bruce LaBruce tourné à Montréal"
''

Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (''The Huffington Post'' until 2017, itself often abbreviated as ''HPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and covers ...

'', December 19, 2012. In 2018, LaBruce directed the short film ''Scotch Egg'' as part of

Erika Lust Erika Lust (born 1977) is a Swedish feminist pornographic film director, screenwriter and producer. Since the debut of her first indie erotic film '' The Good Girl'' in 2004, Lust has been cited as one of the current leading participants in the ...

's ''XConfessions'' series. The short is about a Scottish gay man who has sex with a woman in a gay bar. LaBruce was inspired to create the film after reading a confession sent to ''XConfessions'' by a heterosexual woman who fantasized about going to a gay bar and having sex with a homosexual man. His short film collection '' It Is Not the Pornographer That Is Perverse...'' was released in 2018. The title refers to

Rosa von Praunheim Holger Bernhard Bruno Mischwitzky (born Holger Radtke; 25 November 1942), known professionally as Rosa von Praunheim, is a German film director, author, producer, professor of directing and one of the most influential and famous LGBT social move ...

's film '' It Is Not the Homosexual Who Is Perverse, But the Society in Which He Lives'' (1971). In 2024, his film '' The Visitor'' was selected in the Panorama section at the

74th Berlin International Film Festival The 74th annual Berlin International Film Festival, usually called the Berlinale, took place between 15 and 25 February 2024 in Berlin, Germany. Kenyan-Mexican actress Lupita Nyong'o was named the Jury President for the main competition. This ye ...

where it premiered February 17.

Themes and style

According to Courtney Fathom Sell of ''South Coast Today'', some of his films explore themes of sexual and interpersonal transgression against cultural norms, frequently blending the artistic and production techniques of

independent film An independent film, independent movie, indie film, or indie movie is a feature film or short film that is film production, produced outside the Major film studios, major film studio system in addition to being produced and distributed by independ ...

with

gay pornography Gay pornography is the representation of Sexual practices between men, sexual activity between males with the primary goal to sexual arousal, sexually arouse its audience. Softcore pornography, Softcore gay pornography also exists; which at o ...

.Punched in the Nose: An Interview with Filmmaker Bruce LaBruce
. ''

South Coast Today ''The Standard-Times'' (and ''Sunday Standard-Times''), based in New Bedford, Massachusetts, is the largest of three daily newspapers covering the South Coast of Massachusetts, along with '' The Herald News'' of Fall River and ''Taunton Daily G ...

'', February 27, 2008. LaBruce's filmmaking style is marked by a blend of explicitly

pornographic Pornography (colloquially called porn or porno) is sexually suggestive material, such as a picture, video, text, or audio, intended for sexual arousal. Made for consumption by adults, pornographic depictions have evolved from cave paintings ...

depictions of sex with more conventional

narrative A narrative, story, or tale is any account of a series of related events or experiences, whether non-fictional (memoir, biography, news report, documentary, travel literature, travelogue, etc.) or fictional (fairy tale, fable, legend, thriller ...

and filmmaking techniques, as well as an interest in extreme topics which mainstream audiences might dismiss as shocking or disturbing

taboo A taboo is a social group's ban, prohibition or avoidance of something (usually an utterance or behavior) based on the group's sense that it is excessively repulsive, offensive, sacred or allowed only for certain people.''Encyclopædia Britannica ...

s."Bruce LaBruce: There Is a Certain Romance to It". ''L.A. Record'', June 26, 2009. For instance, his films have depicted scenes of sexual fetish and

paraphilia A paraphilia is an experience of recurring or intense sexual arousal to atypical objects, places, situations, fantasies, behaviors, or individuals. It has also been defined as a sexual interest in anything other than a legally consenting human ...

BDSM BDSM is a variety of often Eroticism, erotic practices or Sexual roleplay, roleplaying involving Bondage (BDSM), bondage, Discipline (BDSM), discipline, dominance and submission, sadomasochism, and other related interpersonal dynamics. Given ...

gang rape In scholarly literature and criminology, gang rape, also called serial gang rape, party rape, group rape, or multiple perpetrator rape,Ullman, S. E. (2013). 11 Multiple perpetrator rape victimization. Handbook on the Study of Multiple Perpetrato ...

, racially-motivated violence, amputee fetishism, gerontophilia, male and female

prostitution Prostitution is a type of sex work that involves engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, no ...

, twincest, and

zombie A zombie (Haitian French: ; ; Kikongo: ''zumbi'') is a mythological undead corporeal revenant created through the reanimation of a corpse. In modern popular culture, zombies appear in horror genre works. The term comes from Haitian folkl ...

and

vampire A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead humanoid creatures that often visited loved ones and c ...

sexuality. He has frequently been identified with the

New Queer Cinema "New queer cinema" is a term first coined by the academic B. Ruby Rich in '' Sight & Sound'' magazine in 1992 to define and describe a movement in queer-themed independent filmmaking in the early 1990s. It is also referred to as the "queer new ...

movement that emerged in the 1990s, although at the height of that movement's prominence, he rejected the association on the grounds that he felt more personally aligned with the

queercore Queercore (or homocore) is a cultural/social movement that began in the mid-1980s as an offshoot of the punk subculture and a music genre that comes from punk rock. It is distinguished by its discontent with society in general, and specifically ...

movement. The queercore movement was born in the 1980s and LaBruce was one of the fathers. Noted as the avant-garde and unapologetic gay answer to the punk movement, queercore expressed the very same discontent with society as the punks were stating.

Filmography

Feature films

*''

No Skin Off My Ass ''No Skin Off My Ass'' is a 1991 comedy film, comedy-Drama (film and television), drama film by Bruce LaBruce. LaBruce's debut feature film provides a template for many of the themes in LaBruce's later movies. Explicit sex scenes between LaBruce' ...

'' (1991) *'' Super 8½'' (1994) *''

Hustler White ''Hustler White'' is a 1996 Satire (film and television), satirical black comedy film written and directed by Rick Castro and Bruce LaBruce. Starring Tony Ward (entertainer), Tony Ward and LaBruce, the film follows a group of Male prostitution, h ...

'' (1996), co-directed & written with Rick Castro *''Skin Flick'' / ''Skin Gang'' (1999) *''

The Raspberry Reich ''The Raspberry Reich'' is a 2004 film by director Bruce LaBruce which explores what LaBruce calls " terrorist chic", cult dynamics, and the "innate radical potential of homosexual expression". It is about a contemporary terrorist group who set ou ...

'' (2004) *'' Otto; or, Up with Dead People'' (2008) *'' L.A. Zombie'' (2010) *'' Gerontophilia'' (2013) *'' Pierrot Lunaire'' (2014) *'' The Misandrists'' (2017) *'' Ulrike's Brain'' (2017) *'' It is Not the Pornographer That is Perverse...'' (2018) for

CockyBoys CockyBoys is an independent New York City-based producer of gay internet pornography, managed by CEO Jake Jaxson and his two partners, RJ Sebastian and Benny Morecock. The 2012 reality television feature film ''Project GoGo Boy'' is considered ...

studio *''

Saint-Narcisse Saint-Narcisse () is a parish municipality located in the regional county municipality (MRC) Chenaux, in the administrative region of Mauricie, in the province of Quebec, in Canada. Located on the North Shore of the Saint Lawrence River, about ...

'' (2020) *''The Affairs of Lidia'' (2022) * '' The Visitor'' (2024)

Short films

*''Boy, Girl'' (1987) *''I Know What It's Like to Be Dead'' (1987) *''

Bruce and Pepper Wayne Gacy's Home Movies Bruce and Pepper Wayne Gacy's Home Movies also known as Home Movies is a short experimental film by Bruce LaBruce and Candy Parker. Made in Toronto in 1988, it is filmed in color and black and white on Super 8mm film and lasts 12 minutes. The c ...

'' (1988), co-directed with Candy Parker *''A Case for the Closet'' (1992) *''The Post Queer Tour'' (1992) *''Slam!'' (1992) *''Come As You Are'' (2000) *''Give Piece of Ass a Chance'' (2007) *''The Bad Breast, or The Case of Theda Lange'' (2010) *''Weekend in Alphaville'' (2010) *''Défense de fumer'' (2014) *''Refugee's Welcome'' (2017) *''Scotch Egg'' (2018) *''Valentin, Pierre and Catalina'' (2018)

Books

*''Ride Queer, Ride'' (1996) *''The Reluctant Pornographer'' (1997)

Awards

* 2019:

XBIZ Award XBIZ Awards, renamed as XMAs Awards from 2025 onwards, are given annually to honor "individuals, companies, performers and products that play an essential part in the growth and success of adult films". They have been described by XBIZ publisher ...

– Gay Director of the YearXBIZ Award Winners
''

XBIZ XBIZ is an American publisher of business news and business information for the sex industry founded in 1998 and based in Los Angeles. In addition to its flagship "Xbiz.com" website, XBIZ publishes two monthly trade magazines, hosts winter and ...

'', January 2019

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Labruce, Bruce 1964 births Alt porn Living people Canadian columnists Film directors from Toronto Screenwriters from Toronto Film producers from Ontario Canadian male screenwriters Canadian pornographic film directors Canadian experimental filmmakers English-language film directors German-language film directors Canadian gay writers Canadian LGBTQ artists Canadian LGBTQ film directors Canadian LGBTQ screenwriters Queercore People from Bruce County Canadian theatre directors Canadian horror film directors Canadian photographers Canadian contemporary artists LGBTQ photographers 21st-century Canadian LGBTQ people 20th-century Canadian screenwriters 20th-century Canadian male writers 21st-century Canadian screenwriters 21st-century Canadian male writers Gay screenwriters 20th-century Canadian LGBTQ people