| Director | Laura O'Grady |
|---|
Queer Hutterite follows the life of Kelly Hofer as he grew up in the Hutterite colony of Green Acres, in southern Manitoba, Canada. The documentary focuses on the early life of Hofer as he grew up discovering his passion for photography in his early teens, while also coming to the discovery that he was gay. He knew that as a gay man, he would face discrimination within the Hutterite community and that he would no longer fit into the fabric of society within the colony. In June 2012, Hofer with the help of his sister who had left the colony years earlier, ran away from his family and the colony to move to Calgary where he could live more openly as himself. The film then moves to focus on Hofer's work as a photographer shedding light on the Hutterites in Canada and to provide support to other LGBTQ members of Hutterite communities.
His departure and eventual coming out caused a shift within the Hutterite community as it addressed internal homophobia and the possibility of more people within the colony of being gay. From Calgary, Hofer worked to help set up online forums for people within the Hutterite colonies where they can be more open and possibly even come out as gay themselves.
The film finishes by showing the unique photography work that Hofer has focused his life on. With his upbringing within the Hutterite community, he focuses his work to give a glimpse into the world of the Hutterites and break down the barriers and stereotypes that exist between common society and the society of the Hutterite colonies across Canada. The film finishes with a scene with Hofer and his sister reminiscing over old photos of their life within the Hutterite community and Hofer speaking about his hopes that he can one day visit his family again.