Olympia Dukakis in Toronto for film opening

Thom Fitzgerald's Cloudburst opens March 8 at Carlton Cinema

Cloudburst, directed by Canadian Thom Fitzgerald (The Hanging Garden), will open March 8 in Toronto after a long and winding road on the festival circuit. Olympia Dukakis, who plays Stella, will be in attendance for the 7pm and 9pm screenings.

The film is about two older lesbians who make a break from a nursing home in the US to go to Canada, where they want to get married.

“Thom [Fitzgerald] says [the role of Stella] came from me,” Dukakis says. “He says that this rebellious combative person — I have a stretch of that in me.”

Dukakis says that even though lead roles for women-of-a-certain are few, she doesn’t feel slighted. She points out that the biggest market for film is young men. “It’s not morality — it’s a market thing,” she says.

Dukakis will join Fitzgerald for a question-and-answer session at the Carlton Cinema.

Below is a video interview with Dukakis done earlier this year. Also interviewed are director Fitzgerald and actor Ryan Doucette.


On occasion, the number of editors and other staff who contribute to a story gets a little unwieldy to give a byline to everyone. That’s when we use “Xtra Staff” in place of the usual contributor info. If you would like more information on who contributed to a particular story, please contact us here.

Read More About:
Culture, TV & Film, Video, Arts, Toronto

Keep Reading

Drag queens on RuPaul's Drag Race Global All Stars compete in a roast challenge.

How the ‘All Stars 10’ bracket format could save ‘Global All Stars’

The global season of “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars” largely missed the mark. Could the tournament-style bracket format of “All Stars 10” be the way to get it right?
Dodgers players Glenn Burke and Dusty Baker perform what is considered to be the very first high-five in 1977.

The lesser-known gay history of high-fives

Glenn Burke made history as the first Major League Baseball player to publicly come out as gay. He’s also credited with inventing the high-five

Canadian judge halts deportation of non-binary American

The ruling could set a massive precedent for trans and non-binary Americans seeking refuge in Canada amidst Trump’s wave of anti-trans attacks

Canada reportedly considered advisory for trans travellers to the U.S.

A new report from Reuters shows that Canadian officials struggled to advise travellers on Trump’s trans policies following his January executive order