WINNER OF 2021 festival jury award: best documentary short film

CODED tells the story of legendary illustrator J.C. Leyendecker, a gay man who created early-20th century advertisements coded with LGBTQ imagery, quietly acknowledging a community forced to live in the closet. The documentary explores Leyendecker's legacy as a grandfather of modern advertising, discussing how today's out and proud LGBTQ2SIA+ advertisements are built upon a foundation laid by Leyendecker.

Beautifully animated and narrated by Neil Patrick Harris, CODED is a wonderfully revelatory biopic of lesser-known LGBTQ2SIA+ icons. Filmmaker Ryan White (ASSASSINS, CIFF 2020) is back at the festival with a much shorter but no less inventive take on documentary filmmaking.

Available online from Friday, September 24 at 9 AM to Sunday, October 3 at 11:59 PM.