Inside Out’s International Finance Forum (IFF) is the first and only 2SLGBTQ+ finance forum of its kind in the world. Now entering its seventh edition (fourth as hybrid event), the Forum provides 2SLGBTQ+-identified producers, writers and directors creating 2SLGBTQ+ content an opportunity to move their feature projects forward through professional development, mentorship, and the platform to pitch their projects directly to top international industry executives and decision-makers.
Inside Out’s International Finance Forum (IFF) is the first and only 2SLGBTQ+ finance forum of its kind in the world. Now entering its 9th edition (fifth as hybrid event), the Forum provides 2SLGBTQ+-identified producers, writers and directors creating 2SLGBTQ+ content an opportunity to move their feature projects forward through professional development, mentorship, and the platform to pitch their projects directly to top international industry executives and decision-makers.
In 2024, projects were selected from Canada, USA and Ireland.
Participating companies and executives in 2024:
In 2025, we are looking for queer, market-ready projects with both producer and director attached, seeking financing opportunities in the following formats:
Visit our FilmFreeway page for details about the submission process and the required materials. You can also download our Submission Guidelines and Requirements document here.
Stay tuned for our Info Session announcement in early January! We’ll be sharing details about the application process and submission requirements. Make sure to subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on social media for the latest updates.
Applications close on Wednesday, January 31, 2025 at 11:59 PM EST.
“IOFF was instrumental in honing our pitch, especially being in the early stages of the process. Having the support of the Inside out team as well as the other filmmakers was unbelievably helpful. We had multiple meetings with potential business partners that were immediately excited and understood our project for exactly what it is. We continue to build on those relationships today.”
Isabel Marden, Kim Bailey, Tulica Singh
Project: Curses! (USA)
Company: Corporate Witchcraft
“The Inside Out IFF is a wonderful experience where not only do you connect with financiers and sales agents, but also other queer filmmakers from all over the world and get to experience a sense of community – filmmaking can be lonely work before you’re on set. Being able to troubleshoot with other queer director/producers allows you to see you’re often dealing with the same issues. We’re happy to say that we are going into production in 2023!
James Watson & Mikko Makela
Project: Sebastian (UK/Finland)
Company: Betes Sauvages
“Participating in the Inside Out finance forum has been instrumental in moving several of my feature films forward and helped them get made. From the caliber of the industry guests to the opportunity to build relationships with international teams, the forum does not disappoint. It’s a queer oasis in an industry that often feels very straight.”
Alyson Richards
Project: Midlife (Canada)
Company: Outside Line Studios
“The Inside Out International Financing Forum was the perfect place to pitch for us. It was welcoming, inclusive and had a really great selection of other international filmmakers to connect and form networks with. We had access to the best of the best – seasoned executives in a space that felt very professional yet also very curated to each project. We learnt so much about our project and where it fits in the market and I know I’ll be back again in the future as I feel part of the IO family now.”
Reece Cargan & Michael Lee Richardson
Project: A Good Spell (Scotland/UK)
Company: Bombito Productions
“The Finance Forum was a great program that helped me understand the reality of the CURRENT feature film market directly from decision makers. But the true learning experience came from meeting international teams at the same level using diverse strategies for similar goals.”
Maxime Beauchamp
Project: Cross Country Baby (Canada)
Company: Aimer Films
“IFF is an incredible platform to launch queer projects. It’s intimate, friendly and diverse in both the projects they select, and buyers they connect you with.”
“IFF works hard to amplify LGBTQ+ voices and get our projects in front of the right people who are actively seeking queer content, and in a meaningful way. On top of all this, Inside Out provided our team with so many incredible resources.”
Gharret Paon & Blake Mawson
Project: Perennials (Canada)
Company: Rebel Roads
“The Inside Out Finance Forum was instrumental in pushing us to the ‘fully financed’ finish line. We attended the forum in June and were in production by September. It was the best possible outcome any film could ask for.”
Luis De Filipa, Jessica Adams, Michael Graf, Rhea Plangg & Michela Pini,
Something You Said Last Night (Canada)
“Inside Out was the perfect market introduction for our upcoming feature film Tomgirl. As we’re based in Australia, sometimes we can feel isolated because of distance (and COVID making international travel difficult), but the Film Finance Forum was the most accommodating market experience we’ve had to date. It was invaluable to be at a market specifically for queer cinema and it infused us with confidence to meet with industry who were interested in our innate stories. Jan and Andrew were incredibly supportive and encouraged us at every step of the way, and we loved networking with the other filmmakers across the globe; an invaluable experience for us in 2021.”
Vonne Patiag & Maren Smith, Tomgirl (Australia)
“From submission to selection, through to the actual pitches and the after care, the Inside Out IFF process was nothing short of wonderful. We were thrilled to be chosen to pitch to an eclectic range of producers, studios and distributors, all of whom requested to read our script and are still providing invaluable feedback. This will be the bedrock of our film’s development as it was the first time the project had gone to market and what a debut we had, courtesy of Inside Out IFF and its team.”
Fizz Milton, Christine Alderson & Jacquie Lawrence, Triple L (UK)
Finance Forum Success Stories Include:
Disclosure
Jump, Darling
Breaking Fast
Sirens
Wildhood
Something You Said Last Night
Mutt
Blue Jean
January 31, 2025: Submission Deadline via FilmFreeWay
April 25, 2025: Notification Date
May 29 – 30, 2025: Event Date
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