Six Canadian projects, including three features and three television series, are part of this year’s Inside Out International Finance Forum (IFF) lineup.

The eighth annual forum will take place towards the latter stages of the 34th Inside Out 2SLGBTQ+ film festival on May 30 and 31. The IFF provides queer-led creative teams with 2SLGBTQ+ content an opportunity to pitch their projects directly to top Canadian and international executives and decision-makers.

The lineup this year includes a total of eight projects, five narrative features and three series. The projects bring a “multitude of diverse voices, with 75% of the lineup featuring racialized, trans and gender nonconforming writers and/or directors,” said a news release.

The selected series projects include the comedy Insta Gay, directed by Simon Paluck and produced by Nabil Mehchi and Frank Fiorito. It centres on a gay man who transforms into an influencer to get back at his ex-boyfriend before things spiral out of control and he becomes what he’s always hated.

Party Girl #3 is a comedy horror series about a queer, half-Asian actor, who makes a deal with a devilish movie star to get ahead. Katharine King So writes and stars in the series, and Lee Marshall produces.

Rounding out the TV projects is Revival, directed by A.C. Birch and co-written by Birch and actor Iziah Dockery. Revival follows a gender non-conforming preacher’s kid turned self-proclaimed prophet, as they con and charm their way through religious communities across 1970s North America in pursuit of fame and fortune as a televangelist.

The Canadian feature film projects include writer-director Jessie Posthumus’ drama Rocket Fuel, which follows a teenager in 2000s rural Canada as she delves into the male-dominated world of landscaping at her first summer job, navigating gender dysphoria, family conflict, and financial precarity. Nancy Pettinicchino and Deborah Marks are attached as producers.

The Canada-U.S. copro comedy Butch Baby Mama, directed by Jess Desvarieux and co-written by Desvarieux and actor Moonie Desvarieux, the film follows a butch, struggling comedian who steps up to be her sister’s surrogate. Wanda Taylor is the producer.

The Canada-Ireland-Denmark-Luxembourg copro Julián, is directed by Louise Bagnall, and Guillaume Lorin and Mark Mullery are co-directors. The film is based on Jessica Love’s children’s book Julián is a Mermaid, adapted for the screen by non-binary Ayití Bohio (Dominican Republic) writer Juliany Taveras. Julián, which is the forum’s first animation project, follows the journey of a boy who wants to be a mermaid.

Toronto’s Aircraft Pictures, Ireland’s Cartoon Saloon, Denmark’s Sun Creatures and Luxembourg’s Melusine Productions are the coproducers.

Two U.S. projects, the romantic comedy Goldstar and the drama The Washroom, complete the features lineup.

New companies to the forum include Netflix Canada, A24 (U.S.), Barden/Schnee Casting (U.S.), Big Beach (U.S.), Mr. Smith Entertainment (U.K.), Walden Media (U.S.), Page Boy Productions (U.S.) and Pinky Promise (U.S.).

Returning this year are Bell Media, Bankside Films (U.K.), Bleecker Street (U.S.), CBC Films, Elevation Pictures, Mk2 Films (France/Canada), NEON (U.S.), Protagonist Pictures (U.K.), Studiocanal (France) and XYZ Films (U.S.).

The forum is produced by Jan Nathanson with festival co-head Andrew Murphy and industry coordinator Sarah Barzak. Nathanson produced Ontario Creates’ IFF at the Toronto International Film Festival from 2007-18, and served as senior consultant until September 2023.

The Inside Out 2SLGBTQ+ film festival started on May 24 and runs until June 1.

Image courtesy of Inside Out