Often described as the first LGBTQ+ film ever to screen at the Cannes Film Festival, Winter Kept Us Warm was one of the first Canadian feature films to attract international attention and acclaim. Two decades after it was completed, David Secter’s directorial debut earned a place in the historic Front & Centre Canadian cinema retrospective at The Toronto International Film Festival (then Festival of Festivals), which recognized its seminal role in the development of a Canadian cinema. In addition to his immeasurable contribution to English language Canadian cinema, Secter gave new visibility to LGBTQ+ themes. He also influenced a wide range of future filmmakers, most notably David Cronenberg, who cites Winter Kept Us Warm as the film that inspired him to become a filmmaker. “I was stunned,” he has said of the experience when he first saw the film. “Shocked. Exhilarated. It was an unbelievable experience.” (Canadian International Pictures)