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Inside Out Marks 25 Years

Inside Out Marks 25 Years

;InsideOut Film Festival marks 25th year;
(February 12, 2015 – Toronto, ON) The Inside Out Toronto LGBT Film Festival, one of the worlds largest LGBT film festivals, has reached an important milestone and will celebrate 25 years of showcasing the most groundbreaking, powerful and entertaining work in LGBT cinema when the 2015 edition kicks off in May. Since its 1991 debut at Toronto`s late Euclid Cinema, the Festival has grown from an audience of 3,000 to an expected audience of over 37,000 and has doubled the number of films programmed. The Festival has grown alongside the LGBT community and its programming has continuously been a reflection of its changes and evolution.

This year’s Festival will take place from May 21 to May 31, 2015 at TIFF Bell Lightbox. As part of the 25th anniversary celebration, Inside Out has curated a special Retrospective Series featuring audience’s favourite LGBT classics, and rarely seen work by outstanding Canadian LGBT artists. Each film in the series will feature a Canadian short film that first screened at the inaugural festival in 1991. The screenings will take place on February 25, March 11, March 25, April 8, and May 6. Additional films in this program, which will screen during the festival, will be announced at a later date. Tickets will be priced at $5.50, a nostalgic nod to the cost of a ticket to Inside Out 25 years ago.

“Over the years Inside Out has brought our communities together to celebrate our accomplishments, raise awareness of the struggles of LGBT people and to lose ourselves in entertaining tales projected through a distinctly queer lens,” said Scott Ferguson, Executive Director of Inside Out. “We are incredibly grateful to the hundreds of artists, individuals, organizations and companies that have contributed to our success.”

“Not only are we proud of the enormous growth of Inside Out within the LGBT community, but also of its increasing ability to reach mainstream audiences through the programming of universal themes of love, pain and the search for acceptance,” said Andrew Murphy, Director of Programming at Inside Out. “The Festival’s founders set out to make Inside Out a permanent and important fixture on Toronto’s LGBT culture scene, and its inspiring to know they’ve far exceeded their goals.”

Along with the Retrospective Series audiences can expect festival programming and activities that include Gala Presentations, the Local Heroes showcase, the Icon Documentary Series, the Competition Program, artist talks, panel discussions, workshops and more.

The following films will be included in the Retrospective Series:

My Beautiful Laundrette (1985) Directed by Stephen Frears February 25, 7:30PM TIFF Bell Lightbox – Cinema 3 Synopsis: In a rough London suburb rife with racial tension ;My Beautiful Launderette, movie poster;and poverty, handsome young Omar, together with his English friend Johnny, inherits a run-down laundrette from his rich uncle. As the space transforms, complete with muzac and video screens, their own relationship begins to blossom.

The Children’s Hour (1961) Directed by William Wyler March 11, 7:30PM TIFF Bell Lightbox – Cinema 3 Synopsis: At an exclusive girl`s school managed by best friends, Martha (Shirley MacLaine) and Karen (Audrey Hepburn), a mean-spirited student causes controversy and outrage when she makes accusations of an “unnatural relationship” between the two women. Based on the eponymous 1934 play by Lillian Hellman.

The Wedding Banquet (1993) Directed by Ang Lee March 25, 7:30PM TIFF Bell Lightbox – Cinema 3 Synopsis: A young, gay professional living in New York plots to avoid coming out to his family by marrying a woman. His plan hilariously backfires when his parents insist on visiting from Taiwan to attend the wedding.

Show Me Love (1998) Directed by Lukas Moodysson April 8, 7:30 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox – Cinema 3 Synopsis: A coming-of-age comedy set in a Swedish town called Åmål, deemed “the most boring place in earth” by 15-year-old resident Elin. Unbeknownst to Elin, her classmate Agnes is in love with her. As the two friends grow closer, Elin copes with her burgeoning feelings for Agnes by turning to a local boy, Johan.

The Hanging Garden (1997) Directed by Thom Fitzgerald May 6, 7:30PM TIFF Bell Lightbox – Cinema 3 Synopsis: After ten years of being estranged from his family, Sweet William returns home to Nova Scotia for his sister`s wedding. The past lingers as his sister’s new husband, Fletcher, flirts shamelessly with William, bringing back memories of the painful relationship they once shared. When his mother disappears, William must confront the haunting visions of his past and the unfinished business he left behind.

The 25th Anniversary Toronto LGBT Film Festival that runs from May 21 to 31, 2015. Click here for more Toronto film festivals. Click here for Canadian and international film festivals listed by month