Inside Out Selects Eight Films for 10th International Film Financing Forum

What Happened

Inside Out, the producer of Canada’s 2SLGBTQ+ film festival, has selected eight projects for its 10th International Film Financing Forum (IFFF). The forum will be held in Toronto on May 28-29 and is presented by Netflix. The selected film teams will meet with executives from Netflix, Orion Pictures, Killer Films, Unapologetic Projects, Sphere Media, Little Walnut, Telefilm Canada, the National Film Board of Canada (NFB), Elevation Pictures, Mongrel Media, Photon, Parallax Films, Shut Up & Colour, and GLAAD.

The selected projects are:

• Summer in Heat: A drama from Sweden, France, Germany, and Denmark directed by Levan Akin and written by Jordan Tannahill. It is produced by Mathilde Dedye, Ludvig Andersson, Katja Adomeit, and Xénia Maingot. The film is described as being about longing and forbidden desires.
• Suffering is Optional: A Canadian thriller directed by Zarrar Kahn and produced by Karen Harnisch, Anam Abbas, Lindsay Blair Goeldner, Julie Groleau, and Executive Producer Kaleem Aftab. It features actress Iman Vellani. The film follows a young actress in a drama school adaptation of Hamlet who meets a relentless director while grappling with climate-catastrophe nightmares.
• Little Phnom Penh: A drama from Cambodia, France, and the USA, directed by Chheangkea and produced by Karen Madar. It spans two decades from post-Khmer Rouge Cambodia to early 2000s California, following a character named Danet.
• Out in the Dunes: A USA coming-of-age romance directed by A. Sayeeda Moreno and executive produced by Gabrielle Union, with producers Inuka Bacote-Capiga and Derek Nguyen. Set in Summer 1992, it follows Soledad, a heartbroken romantic, during a clandestine affair in Provincetown.
• Jo & Frankie: A Canadian comedy directed by Tara Thorne and produced by Jenna MacMillan and Melani Wood. It follows two characters, Jo and Frankie, drawn together by curiosity, lust, and grief.
• August: A USA comedic thriller directed by Nick Borenstein and produced by Sydney Foos, Dan Bucatinsky, Lindsay Blair Goeldner, and Nick Borenstein. It follows Jordan, a queer and neurotic young man, investigating the mysterious death of his therapist.
• Pickups: A comedy from Canada and the USA directed by Andy Reid and produced by Lucy McNulty, Alison Almeida, and Jason Beekman. It follows a lonely man who becomes a tap dance teacher and develops a fixation on a student's father.
• Better Left Unsaid: A Canadian drama directed by Alice Wang and produced by Kathlyn Rose Gardiner and Executive Producer Enrique Baniqued. It follows an estranged daughter at a cousin's lesbian wedding who discovers her father's terminal illness.

Why this Matters to You

This forum could lead to more diverse stories reaching screens, as it connects filmmakers with major industry players. If you enjoy films that explore unique perspectives on identity, relationships, and societal issues, you may see more of these stories developed into finished movies. The involvement of companies like Netflix suggests these projects have a potential path to a wide audience.

What's Next

The selected film teams will pitch their projects to executives during the forum on May 28-29. Successful pitches could secure financing and development deals, moving these films closer to production. The forum's outcomes may become clearer in the months following the event.