Beyond Gay – (7:00 Sat., Jan. 30, Odeon; 4:30 Wed., Feb. 3, Cap 6) On the surface, making a documentary about various international pride marches could have just been the excuse for a big ol’ rainbow love-in but, in the skilled hands of director Bob Christie, Beyond Gay shines as one of the best documentaries on view at this year’s film fest. The cameras follow Vancouver Pride organizer Ken Coolen as he spends a year talking with organizers and participants at various global pride marches (Sao Paolo, Toronto, Moscow, Warsaw, New York City, Sri Lanka), some of whom are literally putting their lives on the line by showing their pride. Stylistically similar to last year’s hit doc RIP: A Remix Manifesto, this contemporary and engaging 85-minute piece owes more to the cinematic legacy of Ron Mann than anything Michael Moore; it also avoids stereotypes at every turn and is chock full of big ideas that leave you just itching to talk. Simply put, Beyond Gay is an important film that deserves as wide an audience as it can get. —John Threlfall