Harvest Queens

Each year, farming communities across Canada celebrate the harvest with a fall fair. In the northern Ontario town of New Liskeard, nothing packs them in like the Harvest Queen pageant--a ritual that's been attracting town girls for generations.

Harvest Queens, paints an uplifting portrait of three exceptional young women as they form unlikely bonds during the run-up to the pageant.

Natasha, a popular 16-year-old with long blond hair and sunny smile, has dreamed of being Harvest Queen since she was little. With oodles of confidence, she can almost hear the Master of Ceremonies announcing my name.

With her self-deprecating demeanour and tomboy exterior, 17-year-old Brittany admits to entering for "shock value." She's funny, smart and accomplished; the trouble is she can't see that. This wannabe comedian says she "sure won't be the hottest thing" in the pageant.

Seventeen-year-old Jenyfer is the first to admit that she's not the kind of girl you'd expect to see in a pageant. Having lost her mother and drifted from home to home, she's learned never to give up. Sporting multiple piercings and a positive attitude, Jen says nothing's going to stop her from competing, not her physical disability nor her doubts and misgivings about the other "Miss Priss" contestants.

By taking us behind the sashes and smiles and revealing the real-life drama off-stage, Harvest Queens flips the traditional notion of a beauty pageant on its head.