Inside Out Toronto LGBT Film Festival – For more than two decades, Inside Out has brought Toronto’s LGBT community together in celebration of the best queer film from Canada and around the world. Through our annual Festivals in Toronto and Ottawa, our filmmaker initiatives, our youth engagement and our year-round events and screenings, Inside Out is engaged every day in challenging attitudes and changing lives. Toronto, Canada.

Inside Out Toronto LGBT Film Festival 2015

Toronto LGBT Film Festival

In 1991, Inside Out celebrated its first film and video festival with a small community of people who yearned to see film and video created by and about lesbians, gays, bisexuals and trans (LGBT) people. Currently the largest event of its kind in Canada, the Festival entertains film buffs of all stripes, showcasing the best and most diverse work of interest to LGBT communities. Taking place over 11 days, the Festival draws crowds of 35 000 to screenings, artist talks, panel discussions, installations and parties that highlight more than 180 films and videos from Canada and around the world. Since 2009, RBC Royal Bank has served as the Presenting Sponsor of the Toronto Festival.

Ottawa LGBT Film Festival

Since 2007, Inside Out has produced a four-day festival in the Ottawa- Gatineau region. With the support of Presenting Sponsor RBC Royal Bank, the Ottawa Festival showcases the best queer cinema from Canada and around the world. The event has received a warm welcome from the queer community in the region, building partnerships with local businesses and LGBT organizations and experiencing healthy growth in attendance each year with the 2012 Festival attracting more than 4 000 attendees to 12 film programs and parties.

Queer Video Mentorship Project

Please join us at the 25th anniversary Toronto LGBT Film Festival for an exciting announcement about the future of the Queer Video Mentorship Project. 

Sponsored by:

A multi-generational video mentorship program

Video Project History:

In 1998, with the support of Charles Street Video, Inside Out initiated the Queer Youth Digital Video Project to provide opportunities for youth to learn video production in a supportive atmosphere. The Youth Project provided young artists with the hands-on access to the latest video technology – which historically has been financially out of reach for most youth. As well, the Project provided one-on-one mentorship and training with professional artists. Often post-secondary programs do not offer safe, supportive, queer and anti-oppressive environments for queer youth to express themselves and be creative. The QYDVP provided this important outlet. Queer youth under the age of 25 were mentored through the process of making their first videos – from storyboarding and shooting to post-production and editing. In 2009, Inside Out switched to working with high definition camera equipment and produced HD videos, providing young artists access to the latest technologies in video production.

In 2010, Inside Out presented a special edition of the Project called the Legacy Video Project as part of the 20th Anniversary Festival. Much like queer youth, elders also often lack access to professional educational mentorships, new technologies and opportunities to engage with their peers in a supportive, LGBT-positive environment. There is often a gap between the young and older generations. With the Legacy Video Project, our goal was to have youth and elders share their experiences and stories while working together.

After completion the works are screened at the Inside Out Toronto LGBT Film Festival and many have gone on to play at festivals around the globe. Each year, the videos are compiled on DVD and distributed free to schools and community organizations. To date, over 100 new filmmakers have created work through the Project.

What happens to the videos and how can I see them?

Each year the completed works are compiled onto a compilation DVD, which is distributed to various community organizations that work with queer groups to do anti-homophobia education. Such organizations have included: SOY, ACT, ACAS, LGBT Youth Line, TEACH, Griffin Centre, PFLAG, various LGBT film festivals around the world, various high school GSA’s, etc. If your organization is interested in receiving a DVD compilation, please fill out the request form and email or fax to winnie@insideout.ca or 416.977.8025. If you have any questions, contact Winnie Luk at 416.977.6847 ext. 24 or winnie@insideout.ca.

Select films are available in the QVMP Library.

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