Inside Out Film and Video Festival

The Inside Out Toronto Lesbian and Gay Film and Video Festival is an annual film festival in Toronto, Ontario, devoted to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender film and video works. The largest LGBT film and video festival in Canada, Inside Out highlights both Canadian and international film and video through screenings, artist talks, panel discussions, art installations and parties.

First held at Toronto's Euclid Theatre in 1991, the festival has expanded to incorporate a variety of programs related to the promotion and development of LGBT film arts in Canada.

The festival's current executive director is Scott Ferguson.

Queer Youth Digital Video Project

In 1998, with the support of Charles Street Video, Inside Out initiated the Queer Youth Digital Video Project to provide opportunities for youth to learn video production in a supportive atmosphere. Queer youth under the age of 25 are mentored through the process of making their first videos, from storyboarding and shooting to post-production and editing. The works are screened at the festival and many go on to play at festivals around the globe. Each year, the videos are compiled on tape and distributed free to schools and community organizations. To date, 63 youth have created work through the project.

John Bailey Film and Video Completion Fund

In 2001, Inside Out launched the inaugural John Bailey Film and Video Completion Fund. Named in recognition of the contribution of a longtime Inside Out supporter and advisory board member, the fund awards grants ranging from $500 to $2,000 to Canadian filmmakers with work in the final stages of production.

Mark S. Bonham Scholarship for Queer Studies in Film and Video

Inaugurated in 2002, this annual $5,000 cash scholarship assists a Canadian student to pursue post-secondary studies in the field of film or video. The first Scholarship was awarded in September 2002 to Adam Garnet Jones from Vancouver. Subsequent recipients include Mary Fogarty of London, Christopher Sanchez and Jung Kim, both of Toronto. The 2006 scholarship was presented to Cam Matamoros, currently enrolled at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design.

Inside Out Arts Endowment Fund

The Inside Out Arts Endowment Fund was established in December 2001 through the Ontario Arts Foundation to provide a stable base of funding for Inside Out in the future. The Fund was created thanks to a generous founding gift from Mark Bonham of $200,000, and it is currently valued at close to $300,000. Supporters of Inside Out can make tax-deductible donations specifically to the Endowment Fund.

Inside Out Library and Archives

Inside Out is currently in the planning stages for the creation of a viewing library that will house copies of films and videos screened at the festival over its history. The library will be open to curators, programmers, students and academics to view works in-house. The library is scheduled to open in the fall of 2007. To date, Inside Out has received generous financial support from the Trillium Foundation, the Pride and Remembrance Association and the Department of Canadian Heritage for the creation of the library.

External links

* [http://www.insideout.on.ca/ Inside Out]