Welcome Message from the Executive Director It’s a new era at Inside Out, as I step into the formidable footsteps of the festival’s Executive Director of the last 16 years, Scott Ferguson. I want to offer my sincere gratitude to Scott, to the Board of Directors, and to the staff and volunteer team that have grown the organization to its impressive stature. After 27 years of sharing queer film with our community here in Toronto, Inside Out is proud to be Canada’s largest LGBT film festival – and we can’t wait to show you what we’re up to next. Our incomparable programming team have put together a wide-ranging film program that will entertain us, inspire us, and push us to confront the realities and challenges within our community. Take your time to curl up and read this guide cover-to-cover, and get to know the artists, activists and stories that are the 2017 Toronto LGBT Film Festival. These stories are our driving force, and this year we are proud to offer new events and industry initiatives that will create more opportunities for LGBTQ filmmakers to make theirs a reality. The centrepiece of this is the world’s first LGBTQ producers’ financing forum, founded with the support of the Ontario Media Development Corporation and the Canadian Media Producers Association. We’ll be bringing new conversations to you on stage as well, that explore topics from trans representation in media to the music behind your favourite queer films. We’ll inspire the next generation of LGBTQ creators and audiences through expanded youth events. We’re also once again presenting the Inside Out bravoFACT Pitch competition, with a $50,000 prize going to a Canadian filmmaker. At Inside Out, we advocate for more and better representation for queer people in film, for authentic and informed representation of trans and non-binary folks in film, and for more opportunities for LGBTQ people to be the ones to tell their own stories on film. By building our industry development opportunities and providing more support to artists through our awards and financing initiatives, we hope to truly become the leaders that our community, and our industry, need. It is my absolute pleasure to welcome you to the 2017 Inside Out Toronto LGBT Film Festival.
Andria Wilson
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