Winter Kept us Warm

Leaving his small town to attend the University of Toronto, introspective freshman Peter (Henry Tarvainen) finds a campus steeped in tradition waking up to the radical politics of the 1960s. Following a disastrous first encounter, he connects with handsome and cocksure sophomore Doug (John Labow), who quickly indoctrinates him in city and college life. But as their bond grows, Doug’s girlfriend Bev (Joy Fielding) feels increasingly cast aside and begins to question the nature of this friendship. Tensions come to a head when Peter starts dating Sandra (Janet Amos), forcing Doug to confront his true feelings and desires. 

Often described as the first LGBTQ+ film ever to screen at the Cannes Film Festival, David Secter’s Winter Kept Us Warm was one of the first Canadian feature films to attract international acclaim with its lovingly observed portrait of a burgeoning queer romance, at a time when homosexuality was still illegal in…