The Inside Out LGBTQ2S+ Festival has streamlined its leadership into a single executive director role now held by Elie Chivi.

Chivi (pictured) takes on the new role as the festival’s other co-head and executive director Andrew Murphy stepped down Tuesday (Nov. 19).

Since joining in 2012, Murphy has led a number of important initiatives at the festival including spearheading its Queer Finance Forum and establishing relationships with streamers like Crave, Netflix and Amazon. Murphy is also the co-creator of the ViewFinders International Film Festival for Youth.

Both Chivi and Murphy were appointed co-heads in February 2023, after having already served in the position on an interim basis following the departure of previous executive director Lauren Howes in 2022. Murphy will pursue other opportunities, according to a release.

“I am grateful to have shared the co-head position with Andrew Murphy over the past two years. As we prepare to celebrate the festival’s 35th anniversary, it is an immense privilege to continue my work leading Inside Out in this new role,” said Chivi in a statement. “I believe that cinema is a transformative medium that can bridge cultural divides and I’m excited to continue elevating our community’s stories at this storied festival.”

Jenna Dufton will step into the expanded role of festival director, where she will lead festival curation. Dufton previously held the title of director of festival programming, and joined in 2015 as a programming coordinator.

The festival is also seeking to hire a director of development in 2025. The role involves driving fundraising efforts across various partnerships.

Image courtesy of Inside Out