Canadian queer director Jessie Posthumus has begun shooting her debut feature, the trans coming-of-age drama "Rocket Fuel," in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, she praised Canada's funding system for continuing to back queer and trans stories, contrasting it with the United States, where the latest GLAAD survey reports a third consecutive annual decline in LGBTQ representation in feature films. She criticised what she called "hateful political rhetoric" for eroding support and protection for the LGBTQIA+ community.

Based on Posthumus's 2022 short of the same name, the film is set in small-town Ontario during the summer of 2005 and follows 13-year-old Nora (Ryland Beitel), who juggles her first job with caring for her younger siblings. A partnership between Edge Entertainment and The Trans Film Mentorship, it is funded by Telefilm Canada, Ontario Creates and the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corp., with Game Theory Films handling Canadian distribution. Posthumus framed the project as a way to protect queer youth and celebrate the joy of the community, situating it alongside Canadian successes such as "Heated Rivalry," "Schitt's Creek" and "Sort Of."