TORONTO – It starts with a small peck on the cheek. Subtle. Warm. Two mouths open to press against one another. Moist. A sentiment of love and romance. A kiss.
Award-winning Toronto filmmaker Mark Pariselli has turned this impassioned tenderness into an act of protest in his latest short film called “Kiss,” an experimental reinterpretation of American artist Andy Warhol’s 1963 film of the same name.
In some parts of the world, a kiss between two members of the same sex is considered illegal and is punishable by law. In other cases, death or stoning can be ruled by a judge if convicted.
Get breaking National news
“I heard stories of young people hung or put to death for being who they are, who got caught loving, ” said Pariselli at his North York home.
“I wanted to lend a voice for people who won’t be able to stand up for their rights in their country and protest the absurdity of these laws.”
The four-minute film was shot in two days and features three real-life couples of various sexualities at different stages in their partnerships. One of the couples is one of Toronto’s prominent gay couples: human rights lawyer El-Farouk Khaki and artist-singer Troy Jackson, who enact a romantic and flirty make-out session for the silver screen.
“I wanted to modernize what Warhol has done with his version and bring it up to date and keep it true to what he’s done,” said Pariselli, a 27-year-old York University film graduate. “I wanted to make it artful at the same time – in your face but not violent.”
Pariselli also added colour to the previously black and white film, putting his own stamp into the process.
“(Warhol) was quite famous for the serialization of images and we wanted to modernize with colour and digital video and we kept the three box screens at all times to keep that Warhol reference in the entirety of the film.”
-Kiss debuts today at the Inside Out Film Festival as part of the festival’s Local Heroes series.
Comments
Want to discuss? Please read our Commenting Policy first.