Pitch, Please!

Since 2018 Inside Out has proudly presented an in-person short film pitch competition for attending filmmakers at the Toronto LGBT Film Festival. This year, we are taking it online! 

Pitch, Please! will see competitors from across the globe present a short two-minute pitch to a virtual jury and audience, with one winner taking home a $5,000 prize. Tune in on Saturday, May 30th at 1:30PM ET to see who will join previous winners Alyssa Lerner (BUBBLE) and Rain Valdez (RE-LIVE) in the Pitch, Please! hall of fame. 

Hosted by Boa!

Boa is a performing drag entertainer in the Greater Toronto Area who presents herself in the most unique ways she knows how! From beauty to beast, Boa is always ready to make a statement with any project she takes on! Her most recent and notable work is being cast on the highly anticipated first season of Canada’s Drag Race!

The 2020 Participants

This year’s jury will consist of queer media champion Fran Tirado, filmmaker and last year’s Pitch, Please! winner Rain Valdez and Inside Out’s Director of Programming, Andrew Murphy.

ALL THE AWARDS I NEVER GAVE YOU, written by Lucas Drummond. (Brazil).
An unexpected encounter between two young actors in the bathroom of an award ceremony brings up unresolved feelings and a love story that has possibly not come to an end yet.

DEAR CJ, directed and written by Emily Sargent. (UK).
A comedy drama based on a true story about a young girl whose grandpa helps her to come to terms with who she really is.

GAY HARLEY/STRAIGHT HARLEY, co-written by Harley Foos, co-written and directed by Jessi Gaston. (USA).
In this semi-fictional docu-comedy, Harley, a nonbinary trans masculine person, is committed to proving to everyone, including the film’s director, that they are heterosexual.

MY MOTHER’S GIRLFRIEND, directed and written by Arun Fulara (India).
Sushma, a brash and widowed vegetable vendor, decides to celebrate her 50th birthday with her lover Sadiya.

OUR MOTHER, NAIJA, directed by Amanda Ann-Min Wong and Yvonne Ehinlaiye. (Canada).
This documentary follows the lives of 4 queer women living in Ontario, Canada who were either born in West Africa or raised by West African parents.

REJOICE IN THE LAMB, directed and written by Jake Goicoechea, Will Carington and Courtney Bush. (USA).
A late-night conversation with an oracle launches a young Brooklyn woman on a quest to slay a vampire.

RONA UPTOWN, directed and written by Chester Algernal Gordon, directed by Elegance Bratton. (USA).
Rona Uptown follows Harlem resident Patrick as he starts an emergency tenants association and pantry in response to COVID-19.

THE STAIRCASE, directed and written by Kate Hopkins and Emily Kron. (USA).
When creative partners Casey and Penny head up a flight of stairs to screen their short film at a party, they are forced to confront people along the way who pop up (literally!) to tempt them with distraction, doubt and fear.

STEAM, directed and written by Morgan Sullivan, written by Theo Germaine. (USA).
“Steam” is a short film about two trans people who have a chance meeting at a public pool.

THIRTEEN TWELVE, directed and written by Alkis Papastathopoulos. (Greece).
Faye and Sandra are both traveling by bus to Thessaloniki’s train station but soon realise that their trip won’t be easy as a transphobic attack by two co-passengers leaves them stranded.

How to Support

During the stream, you can donate to our ongoing QUEER FILM IS ESSENTIAL campaign to support the continuation of these programs in the future.

Please share our Facebook Event with your network to help spread the word!

And don’t forget to tune in on Saturday, May 30th at 1:30PM ET to see who will join previous winners Alyssa Lerner (BUBBLE) and Rain Valdez (RE-LIVE) in the Pitch, Please! hall of fame.