Which queer film inspired (or challenged) you the most?

In 2016, before I began my role at Inside Out, I was attending the festival and sat in the sold-out closing night screening of the doc KIKI. I had grown up watching Paris is Burning and Truth or Dare on repeat, and to see this beautifully orchestrated contemporary dive into ballroom culture – in a packed house of 2SLGTQ Torontonians — moved me deeply. I think so often about how our experiences around queer cinema are shaped not just by the content itself, but by the context of the time and the room we watch them in. Since 2016, seeing the progression of narrative from KIKI to FX’s Pose — a groundbreaking show airing in more than 100 countries around the world, via TV and streaming platforms — I am inspired every day to work in this corner of the industry.

Who is your queer superhero?

Our friends at CBC Arts put together this glorious list of Canadian ‘queeroes’ this past Pride, and I’ve gone back to it multiple times for inspiration. There is also this exceptional list published on them.us. Working in a 2SLGBTQ organization means that I am privileged to be surrounded by queer and trans people that inspire me, every single day. From the filmmakers we get to showcase at the festival, to the executives behind the scenes greenlighting authentic queer stories, to the funders putting their dollars into the next generation of queer creators, to the activists and advocates working daily to create change — I’m overwhelmed by their work.

What is your queer anthem?

That term basically describes everything in my Spotify account, but if I had to have only one on repeat, it would be Robyn’s ‘Dancing on my Own.’ Then, now, forever. Side note, speaking of Spotify — all queer people (and everyone reading this) needs to follow your Chani Nicholas Cosmic Playlist on Spotify. Trust me.

Andrew Murphy
Director of Programming

Pronouns: He/Him
andrew[at]insideout.ca
416 977 6847 ext. 25

What was the last queer film you saw?

The last queer film I saw was Jennifer Reeder’s Knives and Skin which I watched for a second time at Inside Out and I will watch again next opportunity I get. The last queer non-film I watched was Grey’s Anatomy s4e17 (Freedom: Part 2) which is the one where a young man gets encased in cement and also Callie kisses Erica Hahn for the first time.

What is your favourite moment from Inside Out?

My favourite moment from this year’s Inside Out was watching the Q&A for We Are the Radical Monarchs. I saw the film at SXSW and the Q&A that followed with the co-founders and members of the original troop was one of the best I have ever seen. It meant a lot to be able to bring the film and two of its subjects to our audience at Inside Out and for it to go on to win our Audience Award.

What is your queer anthem?

I listen to queer anthems almost exclusively and the queer anthem of the year for me is queer icon Carly Rae Jepsen’s Dedicated. The entire album. One queer anthem after another.

Deanna Bickford
Director of Development

Pronouns: She/Her
deanna[at]insideout.ca
416 977 6847 ext. 23

Which queer film inspired you the most?

Seeing Matt Shephard is a Friend of Mine at Inside Out several years ago with Matt’s parents who spoke to the audience after was an experience that stays with me always. I also find recent series like Pose and Vida incredibly powerful.

What do you love/enjoy the most about Inside Out?

Getting to know, working with and for so many wonderful humans… and seeing the connections and community that film can build!

Who is your queer superhero?

Hmm that’s a tough one because there are a ton of “queeroes” in our communities! In the film world, I see people like Angelica Ross and Indya Moore doing consistently great work for better representation and for the re-centering of narratives around lived trans and intersectional experience.

What was the last queer film you saw?

I had the chance to see Marco Berger’s Un Rubio (The Blonde One) at Inside Out 2019, which was one of many memorable films I saw this year. The ways in which he approaches sexuality and human connection through visual cues, framing devices, and minimal dialogue were so finely nuanced and profound.

What is your favourite moment from Inside Out?

Having the opportunity to meet queer Filipino filmmakers and witnessing the magnificent work they do in telling our stories. It was lovely getting to know and engaging with PJ and Lisa (of Call her Ganda) as well as Samantha Lee, who screened her film Billie and Emma this year.

What is your queer anthem?

Feedback by Janet Jackson! Anything by hers, really –  she is untouchable.

What was the last queer film you saw?

We Are the Radical Monarchs at Inside Out 2019. What a beautiful idea and certainly not something I ever thought I’d see in my lifetime. I can’t wait until those girls are running the world!

What is your favourite film that you saw at Inside Out?

Is it really fair to ask me to choose a favourite : ) I loved Scream, Queen! My Nightmare on Elm Street. I’m not a horror fan but I am a fan of films that take you behind-the-scenes in Hollywood and this one is epic. I couldn’t believe how many historically important queer events and experiences were tied up in this one story.

What do you love/enjoy the most about Inside Out?

I love that Inside Out, and the community that supports and creates it, continues to thrive. That’s no small feat in a social, cultural and economic environment that has changed so much––for better and worse––in 30 years.

Bran Ramsey
Box Office Manager

Pronouns: He/Him
boxoffice[at]insideout.ca

What colour best describes you?

Truthfully, I have no preference on colour one way, or another. I do, however, have a few colour rules that constitute a personal gospel that I have created for myself like: never wear yellow with my skin tone, never wear white because I am clumsy and a slob, and only wear red in the deep Winter to inspire the hope of Spring and to conjure warmth. To pinpoint one colour that best describes me proves to be an impossible task. If forced to choose, I would have to say that a Debbie Travis spin on ‘chartreuse’ would be my pick. Mostly because I refuse to believe that chartreuse is not a shade of red on Life’s colour wheel, and also because it is the most confusing colour I have ever seen. But somehow, it is still alluring. Like me!

What do you love/enjoy the most about Inside Out?

Shockingly, I have had many a job during my 30 years on this green Earth, and even more if you count my gainful past-life employment. No one does. It may also shock you to hear, dear reader, that I was never very popular growing up. I found most of my friends in novels that I would steal from my local public library, or through my local Pen Pal program. As it turns out, this was a Prison Pen Pal program that I wasted all my Anne Geddes stationery on, but it was safer than meeting people on the internet. Or so my mother told me.

But now, working at Inside Out, I have finally found my tribe and all my many quirks are finally embraced, encouraged, and enjoyed. I love how accepting and welcoming the work environment and atmosphere is; I love that I can be myself without fear of judgment, or criticism. I finally feel accepted and like I belong!

What was the last queer film you saw?

I saw A Dog Barking at the Moon at Inside Out Toronto earlier this year, and really enjoyed it! The film was incredibly tense… in a good way. It was tackling so many issues at once; homosexuality, family relations, communist culture, secrecy – with all of it portrayed with a level of sharp elegance.

What is your favourite moment from Inside Out?

I really admire the enthusiasm the community collectively feels when attending any of our events. One of the highlights for me was seeing Get Bent, which was a Drag Party Fundraiser, featuring QTBIPOC performers. There was just so much talent in that room; everyone was ferocious and confidently unapologetic, and it really brought out a new energy to Inside Out and I’m glad to have been a part of it!

What is your queer anthem?

I Wanna Dance With Somebody by THE queen Whitney Houston – best karaoke song ever!

Which queer film inspired (or challenged) you the most?

Seeing The Celluloid Closet in my early 20s made me realize that since childhood I’ve mentally reframed queer characters as glamorous despite how we’ve been coded as tragic, evil, or doomed since the Hays Code. And until I saw Paris Is Burning I didn’t realize this was consistent with a long legacy of traumatized, rejected queer people recreating themselves through imaginal metaphor—that there was a reason I related more to pre-Stonewall opera queens than to any Disney princess. Both films helped define a central function of the queer spirit for me: the ability to survive hostile conditions as ‘your own special creation’, to be a star generating its own fuel from within even while starved for representation, connection, or safety in the crushing vacuum of space / the straight world. I think queers learn to speak in metaphor before we can even sing the alphabet, so films become an anchor or an escape, whatever we need them to be.

Who is your queer superhero?

Living? Munroe Bergdorf, Natalie Wynne, Indya Moore, Alaska Thunderf*ck, and Tony Kushner for his definition of ‘the fabulous’ which dignified every daydream, persona, and hair-flip I’d ever used to insulate myself from toxic environments. Queeroes from history include Oscar Wilde, Rumi, Klaus Nomi, and nuns from the dark ages who wrote hot af letters to each other.

What do you love/enjoy the most about Inside Out?

Often it only takes one film to start the healing process in families, communities, or within ourselves. I love that this team maintains year-round programming and creates access to narratives that can be a lifeline for young people still years away from finding their tribe.

What is your favourite moment from Inside Out?

Attending an Inside Out screening and finding the theatre packed! It shows the magnitude of support for the LGBT2SQ community and the film industry. It is a silent yet powerful message!

Which queer film inspired (or challenged) you the most?

End of the Century written and directed by Lucio Castro. This contemporary story follows a nonlinear timeline, and the interaction between the two main characters reflects the way we communicate nowadays. The style in which Lucio wrote and directed this film made me watch it twice!

What colour best describes you?
If I can pick one of my favourite colours, that *may* describe me, it would be Mustard Yellow. It’s not a colour everyone loves. It’s also pretty subtle. But for those who appreciate the colour, it can remind them of warmth and nature. Personally, it reminds me of home and long walks through the prairies.

What is your queer anthem?
I’ve been playing Lizzo’s Cuz I Love You on repeat, but if I had to pick one song off the album it would be Soulmate. Having experienced extended periods of bullying, loneliness, and depression throughout my youth, learning to heal through self-care and self-love has and will continue to be a lifelong process. Through love and loss, I have learned to be my own soulmate, and I am glad I have.

Which queer film inspired (or challenged) you the most?
It may be an unconventional choice, but being introduced to Safe by Todd Haynes in a university film class was a revelation. An analogy for the AIDS crisis in the 1980s, the film is a queer masterpiece, upending the heteronormative status quo of suburban life through Julianne Moore’s performance. I’ve seen the movie multiple times over the years, and I still switch back and forth on the final shot: is there hope for Moore to get better, repeating a mantra of self-love, or has she totally lost her personhood and only getting sicker?

2019 – 2020 Board of Directors

Officers:

Thomas Park (Chair)
Dave Singh (Treasurer)
Adam Stewart (Secretary)

Directors:

Sujata Berry
Tania Cheng
Harry Cherniak
Ashley Cooper
Aisha Fairclough
Michael Ghent
Jo Proulx
Mike Rudolph

Contact: board[at]insideout.ca

Click here for the Board Nominations Policy.