Peter Knegt is a multifaceted individual with a diverse range of pursuits, including writing, journalism, and filmmaking.
He began his career as a film journalist, contributing to esteemed publications such as Variety, Salon, Film Quarterly, and Indiewire, where he served as a writer and editor from 2006 to 2015.
In 2011, Knegt co-founded Picton Picturefest, a film festival and "cinephile retreat" that aims to foster a sense of community and provide youth education through the medium of film. This innovative event received widespread recognition, with The Toronto Star hailing it as "the next stop on Canada's film festival circuit." The festival's opening night film was programmed by the renowned actress Tilda Swinton herself.
Knegt's first book, a historical account of Canadian LGBTQ communities, was published in September 2011 through Fernwood Publishing and has since been adopted as a textbook in universities across Canada. The book received critical and commercial acclaim, resulting in Knegt being featured on the cover of Xtra!, Canada's most widely distributed LGBTQ magazine, as "Canada's new gay voice."
In 2012, Knegt made his foray into filmmaking, co-starring in Travis Mathews' sexually explicit "I Want Your Love," an experience he chronicled in a popular essay for Salon.com, "My Gay Art Porn Debut." He went on to write and direct a series of short films that have screened at numerous film festivals worldwide, including "Good Morning" (2014),"Are You There Joy? It's Me, Jennifer" (2016),"Plus One" (2017),and "A Bed Day" (2017).
In 2016, Knegt began working for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation as a writer, producer, and digital correspondent for CBC Arts. He spearheaded the creation of several series, including "The Filmmakers" (2017),"Canada's a Drag" (2018),"Superqueeroes" (2019),and "Here & Queer" (2022).
In 2019, his weekly CBC Arts column "Queeries" won a Digital Publishing Award for best column in Canada. In 2020 and 2021, he received four Canadian Screen Awards, two for his work producing "Canada's a Drag" and one each for "Superqueeroes" and "The 2010s: The Decade Canadian Artists Stopped Saying Sorry."
In 2022, Knegt launched the monthly screening series Queer Cinema Club at Toronto's Paradise Theatre and wrote and acted in the short film "Say Uncle."
