About:
Inside Out’s International Financing Forum (IFF) is the first LGBTQ finance forum of its kind in the world. It is now a top incubator for Canadian and International LGBTQ filmmakers.
Now entering its fifth edition, the Forum provides LGBTQ-identified producers, writers and directors creating LGBTQ content an opportunity to move their feature projects forward through professional development, and the platform to pitch their projects directly to top international industry executives and decision-makers.
Stream 1: In 2021, Narrative and Documentary Feature Film Projects with budgets of $1.5M+ (CAD) are eligible for the Forum. It is open to Canadian and international projects. Co-productions with Canada are encouraged to apply, including co-productions seeking a Canadian producer. Preference will be given to projects with LGBTQ-identified producers with key creatives (ie: writer) who identify as LGBTQ.
The Finance Forum is particularly interested in seeing submissions from creators who identify as BIPOC and as members of the LGBTQ2+ community, and will prioritize submissions that are committed to hiring BIPOC and LGBTQ2+ cast and crew.
**Please note that Stream 2 of the finance forum (Narrative Feature and/or Episodic projects at the $125,000-$250,000 budget level and open to emerging Canadian producers only) will take place later this year due in part to ongoing Telefilm pan-Canadian consultations affecting updated guidelines and application dates to the Talent to Watch program.
The Inside Out LGBTQ Film Finance Forum is presented by Netflix, with support from Telefilm, Ontario Creates, and the Canadian Media Producers Association.
In 2020, executives from the following companies took one-on-one meetings with the selected creative teams: Bankside Films (UK), Bell Media (CAN), Bleecker Street (US), Bohemia Media (UK), CBC Films (CAN), Films Boutique (Germany), Gamechanger Films (US), GLAAD (US), IFC Films (US), Killer Films (US), Mainstay Entertainment (US), mK2 Films (France), NEON (US), Netflix (US), Powderkeg Studios (US), The Population (US), Verve (US), WaZabi (CAN) and XYZ Films (US).
Inside Out’s IFF 2020 presented projects from Australia, Canada, Kenya, the U.K. and the U.S., including “Gypsy Boy” from award-winning and critically acclaimed producer, Kevin Loader (“The Death of Stalin,” “Nowhere Boy,” “The Personal History of David Copperfield”) – an adaptation of British Romany writer and activist Mikey Walsh’s autobiographical books. The film is being written by Walsh and playwright, and film and television writer James Graham (“The Crown,” “A Brilliant Young Mind,” “Brexit: An Uncivil War”) and will be directed by Dee Koppang O’Leary (“The Crown” – Seasons 2, 3 and 4, Netflix’s “Bridgerton”); and “Glitter and Doom” from U.S. critically acclaimed director/producer Tom Gustafson, and writer/producer Cory Kreuckeberg (“Were the World Mine,” “Mariachi Gringo,” “Hello Again”) – an enchanting summer musical romance set to the music of the Indigo Girls.
Past Forum project participants include a number of films that have been completed and gone on to critical and commercial success:
Sam Feder’s documentary, “Disclosure”, premiered to rave reviews at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, and was subsequently picked up by Netflix. The film is a look at the depiction of transgender people and experiences throughout the history of film and television, executive-produced by Emmy nominated actress Laverne Cox.
Mike Mosallam’s romantic comedy selection from 2017, “Breaking Fast”, had its world premiere at Cinequest 2020 and stars Haaz Sleiman (“Jack Ryan”) and Michael Cassidy (“Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice”).
Philip J. Connell’s “Jump, Darling,” starring Academy Award winner Cloris Leachman, received a special sneak preview at the 2020 Inside Out LGBT Film Festival and it set for release in 2021.
Trevor Anderson’s “Before I Change My Mind” (2019) was named to The GLAAD List: a curated list of the ten most promising LGBTQ+inclusive screenplays in Hollywood as determined by GLAAD and The Black List.
Gary Jaffe’s and Katie Ennis’ “Our Last Summer” have attached Alan Ball (Six Feet Under, American Beauty, Uncle Frank) as Executive Producer.
Eligible participants must be available to participate in the on-line Forum May 27-June 6th. Schedule to be finalized closer to the event.
Applications close on Friday, February 26, 2021, at 11:59 PM EST.
