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Inside Out festival’s Andria Wilson to depart after 30th edition

By Jordan Pinto
September 4, 2020
The organization's executive director is exiting after four years at the helm, with a committee being appointed to find a replacement to lead the largest LGBTQ+ film festival in Canada.

Andria Wilson, executive director of Inside Out Toronto LGBT Film Festival, will exit her role following the organization’s 30th anniversary edition next month.

Wilson has led Inside Out since 2016, spearheading a number of its key initiatives including the launch of the festival’s LGBTQ Feature Financing Forum, as well as the OUTtv Outspoken Documentary Fund and RE:Focus, the latter of which supports queer and trans women and non-binary filmmakers.

There’s no word yet on her replacement. The festival’s board has appointed a committee to lead the search for its next executive director, with Wilson participating in the process.

“The last four years have been a whirlwind, and this last year almost defies categorization” said Wilson in a statement. “Through every moment of my Inside Out journey, I have been driven and supported by the unwavering commitment of Inside Out’s communities, our members, and our audiences. It has allowed me and the team to push ourselves, and the festival, to extraordinary heights in delivering on our strategic goals and grow Inside Out’s international standing as an incubator and supporter of diverse LGBTQ2 filmmakers. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.”

The news comes days ahead of the announcement of the full lineup for its 2020 festival, which was pushed back from May until October due to the pandemic.

Wilson will next move onto a number of new projects. She recently launched a production company, MirzaBaby Daal Productions, with her wife, writer/director Fawzia Mirza. The prodco’s projects include the short film Noor & Layla for CBC Gem and the feature film Me, My Mom and Sharmila, which was recently accepted into TIFF’s 2020 Filmmaker Lab. She will also serve as a consultant on the development of PopShift Summit.

“Under Andria’s leadership, Inside Out has built new partnerships and spearheaded critical programs to support LGBTQ+ artists and communities. In the midst of a global pandemic, Andria and the Inside Out team have continued to support and elevate queer voices through the Re:Focus fund and Pitch Please! Competition while providing free digital programming while we Stay Inside,” said board chair, Thomas Park, in a statement.

This year’s festival runs from Oct. 1 to 11.