Alliance Atlantis Broadcasting’s Showcase has signed an exclusive three-year deal with Inside Out to be the presenting sponsor of the Toronto Lesbian & Gay Film & Video Festival.

‘Our audience has grown from 5,000 to 20,000 over the past three years. As the festival becomes a mainstay cultural event, Inside Out must look to big business for support,’ says Rachel Giese, exec director of Inside Out.

Likewise, Showcase has been broadcasting gay and lesbian themed programming since its 1995 launch, including films every Monday night on The Showcase Revue.

Famous Players will sponsor the festival, which kicks off in May, for its second consecutive year, providing it with headquarters at Paramount Festival Hall.