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Canada’s Inside Out queer festival presents Financial Forum projects (exclusive) | News
Canadian festival 2SLGBTQ+ Inside Out has revealed the five feature film projects and three TV series taking part in its eighth annual Financial Forum in Toronto.
The forum takes place this Thursday (May 30th) and Friday (May 31st), close to the end of the festival, from May 24th to June 1st.
The Forum offers queer-led creative teams with 2SLGBTQ+ content the opportunity to pitch projects to industry executives and participate in panels and conversations. Forum executives will include representatives from North American and international companies, including first-time participants A24, Big Beach and Mr Smith Entertainment, as well as returning participants Bankside Films, Bell Media, Neon, Protagonist and Studiocanal.
Among the five narrative feature film projects present at the event will be the Ireland/Canada/Denmark/Luxembourg co-production Julian, the Forum’s first animation participant. Produced by Cartoon Saloon and Aircraft Pictures and directed by Louise Bagnall with co-directors Guillaume Lorin and Mark Mullery, the film will tell the story of a boy who wants to be a mermaid and his headstrong aunt.
The Canada/US comedy Butch Baby Mama, written and directed by Jess Desvarieux and starring Moonie Desvarieux, is based on characters from the web series Moonie and revolves around a comedian who becomes her sister’s surrogate.
US romantic comedy Goldstar is written and directed by Emily Friedman and follows two friends who meet in New York City and have unexpected queer romances that teach them about acceptance.
Andrew Murphy, co-director and artistic director of Inside Out, commented: “Year after year, we are inspired by the breadth and quality of queer stories we are privileged to support at the Financial Forum. Especially this year, we celebrate and embrace the vastness of what queerness can be.”