The Inside Out Film Festival annually celebrates LGBT film: film that is created by, or about, lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender men and women. The festival runs from May 17-27, and this year, they’ve expanded their programming to include films that are directed at young people and families. There are a lot of great reasons to check out some of the films.
• If you or a friend has recently come out, Inside Out is a good way to start exploring the LGBT scene in Toronto
• LGBT kids should consider bringing their parents to the free family screening of Immediate Boarding (Tur & retur) on Sunday, May 27th at 2 pm. (More info below)
• Film fans, Inside Out features a great number of films that you won’t see anywhere else. This year, the international focus is on Scandinavia
• All screenings of PG and 14A films have discounted prices for students with a valid student ID, as well as a special ticket price for youth under 18
All screenings take place at the TIFF Bell Lightbox, 350 King St. W. Here are some of our picks to check out:
If you love sports: No Look Pass: Youth/Student Afternoon Matinee
Friday, May 25th, 1 pm, Cinema 2
A documentary about Burmese-American Harvard grad and basketball star Emily Tay, whose traditional parents want her to find a rich husband. But Tay is a lesbian who is determined to discover who she is on her own terms.
If you loved Freaky Friday and the Parent Trap: Immediate Boarding (Tur & retur): Free Family Screening
Sunday, May 27, 2 pm. TIFF Bell Lightbox Cinema 2 (350 King St. W.)
As children of divorced parents all over Sweden pack their bags to switch home for the summer, 11-year-old strangers Martin and Julia meet in an airport departure lounge and discover they look exactly alike. The two decide to switch places for the summer and see what happens. (English with Swedish subtitles)
If you, or your family, are religious: Love Free or Die: How the Bishop of New Hampshire is Changing the World
Monday, May 21, 2 pm. TIFF Bell Lightbox Cinema 1 (350 King St. W.)
This award-winning documentary follows the first openly gay bishop in the Episcopal church and his partner through a year of their lives.
If you love Summer Heights High or Flight of the Concords: Outland (Episodes 1-3)
Tuesday, May 22, 5:15 pm TIFF Bell Lightbox Cinema 1
The team behind Summer Heights High have created a new series based on a gay science fiction fan club.
If you want to know more about HIV/AIDS: Positive Youth
Sunday, May 20, 2:15 pm, Cinema 2
This documentary focuses on four young people infected with or affected by HIV.
If you love country music: Wish Me Away
Saturday, May 26, 7:15 pm, Cinema 2
Country star Chely Wright risked everything in 2010 when she decided to come out. This film follows her journey navigating stereotypes in Nashville.
If you’re interested in international relations: Call Me Kuchu
Saturday, May 19, 4:45 pm, Cinema 2
Call Me Kuchu is an examination of the life-or-death fight for gay rights in Uganda. The film follows many charismatic and inspiring activists, including David Cato, who was murdered during filming for refusing to deny his identity as a gay man.
If you love The Outsiders: The Crown Jewels (Kronjuvelerna)
Saturday, May 19, 9:30 pm, Cinema 1
Okay, first of all, we can barely get over the super-cool images of the stars of this Swedish film in their leather jackets and amazing hair. Second of all, it’s a mystery: Beautiful Fragancia, a young hockey star, is brought in for questioning over RIchard’s shooting. She seems guilty, and she has the motive, but did she do it? This is a sexy love triangle that will have jaws dropping.
If you love Hole, Nirvana, and 90s grunge: Hit So Hard
Friday, May 18, 5 pm, Cinema 2
This is the story of Patty Schemel, hard-partying lesbian drummer from Hole, who was integral to the grunge scene but fell prey to drug addiction. This film includes great concert footage and behind-the-scenes reels shot by Schemel of young Kurt Cobain, Courtney Love and Frances Bean.
If you love romantic comedies and musicals: Jamie and Jessie are not together
Tuesday, May 22, 7:30 pm, Cinema 2
Sure, the theatre actresses spend every waking moment together, but they’re not a couple, k? It’s all great until Jamie decides to try her luck on Broadway, triggering a tale of long-buried love and, sometimes, spontaneous musical numbers.
If you, or your parents, immigrated to Canada: Margarita
Saturday, May 19, 7:15 pm, Cinema 2
Margarita can’t get immigration off her back, but that’s the least of her problems. She loves her girlfriend, who won’t commit. She can’t get Carlos to get over her, no matter how many times she tells him she’s gay. Living illegally in Canada, she works as a nanny for a wealthy couple, and her incredibly integral position in their family dynamic is a force of good that brings them together.
If you love extreme sports: Morgan
Sunday, May 20, 2 pm, Cinema 1
Morgan is a competitive cyclist who suffers a tragic accident that leaves him paraplegic. He spirals into a deep depression, until he meets Dean on the basketball court, and a romance develops between the two. But Morgan’s love of adrenaline leads him to jeopardize everything the two of them have when he’s determined to re-enter the race that nearly killed him.
If you’ve ever fallen in love with your best friend: Mosquita y Mari
Sunday, May 20, 9:45 pm, Cinema 2
A gritty love story set in LA’s Huntington Park, the story follows 15 year old Yolanda, daughter of strict Mexican parents, and her love for Mari, the brooding girl who moves in across the street. (English and Spanish with English subtitles).
If you want to learn more about transgender issues: Melting Away (Namess Bagesham)
Monday, May 21, 6:45 pm, Cinema 2
When young Israeli Assaf’s parents discover girls clothing under his bed, they lock him out in the rain, and he flees. Years later, when his father is sick, his mother hires a private detective to track down Assaf, now Anna, who is working at a local gay bar. Anna decides to visit her dad in the hospital, but panics when she gets there and lies about her identity. (Hebrew with English subtitles)
If you loved Napoleon Dynamite: My Best Day
Wednesday, May 23, 9:45 pm, Cinema 2
Karen’s small town existence is turned upside down one Fourth of July, when the father she hasn’t seen in years calls the repair shop where she works. She gets her best friend to pose as a repair person and check him out. Meagan, distracted by her own issues with her girlfriend, agrees, and the two are unwittingly pulled in to a quirky and heartwarming narrative with the crazy cast of characters surrounding Karen’s dad.
If you love punk, art, riot grrrls and Bikini Kill: She Said Boom!: The Story of Fifth Column
Sunday, May 20, 5 pm, Cinema 2
Toronto’s all-female art punk queer feminist band Fifth Column were around during the ’80s and ’90s, and were extremely influential. This doc interviews members, friends, and collaborators to reveal the story behind this band who Kathleen Hanna called “better than Bikini Kill.” Original concert footage will show you why.