The 2022 INSIDE OUT Festival brought to us by Lead Sponsor RBC, takes place May 26-June 5, 2022 in-person and online in Ontario. The Festival is comprised of 128Ā films fromĀ 28Ā countries, including 38 feature films, 3 episodic series, and 7 world premieres.
Now in its 32nd year, the Festival celebrating LGBTQ2S+ Film and Television, is highlighted by some high-profile programming, including Prime Video Series, THE LAKE starring Jordan Gavaris and Julia Stiles, plus also Opening Night Film MARS ONE, a Family Drama directed by Gabriel Martin!
Upcoming Disney+ release FIRE ISLAND starring Bowen Yang and Margaret Cho also will be screening at the Festival!
Our George Kozera had the pleasure of previewing a few of the Festival’s key titles in-advance of this year’s Festival! Here’s his thoughts!
What sounds suspiciously like a bad joke set-upā¦a scatterbrained sex worker and a bitter gay Little Person meet and go on a road trip from New York to Labrador in a shockingly pink vehicle so that she can reconnect with the aliens that abducted her when she was 15 years oldā¦UNIDENTIFIED OBJECTS is a captivating comedy/drama/sci-fi hybrid that will have you invested from the very first scene. Acclaimed for his winning short movies, this is multi-hyphenate Juan Felipe Zuletaās first feature-length film and there is nary a false move, from the stunning cinematography and to the haunting score from Sebastian Zuleta. Much like Rom-Coms, road trip movies tend to fall into predictable patterns which this film obliterates with finesse and originality.
As Winona, Sarah Hay gives a fully rounded performance in a difficult role that could have been a cliched mess in a less talented hands. Beautifully-nuanced and impressively balancing the quirky humour or pathos required, I hope to see more of her in the future. Matthew August Jeffers, who many will recognize from his recurring role on TVās āNew Amsterdam,ā dominates every scene as Peter. He portrays loneliness, rage, sarcasm, grief, insecurities, intelligence and fear with superior assurance and grace, and I will not be at all surprised if he is nominated for Best Actor at next yearās Independent Spirit Awards.
Hold onto your hats as UNIDENTIFIED OBJECTS soars to stratospheric heights.
Fri May 27, 7:15 pm
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I was drawn to the Documentary BEYOND ED BUCK as the story of a rich political insider arrested of drugging and killing two Black men was fictionalized in a recent episode of āLaw and Orderā. What I watched instead was a by-the-books ātalking headsā feature that inexplicitly switched gears one third into the Movie. The first portion held my attention, albeit with many reservations, as I found the case against Ed Buck interesting, and the storyline incorporated sexual fetishes into the equation with aplomb. Then it completely switched gears and turned into a Documentary about Black Trans Lives (neither of Buckās victims were Trans) with testimonials of those who survived prostitution, violence, and drug addiction. This is fine, but not what we were led to think the Documentary is about.
Documentarians Jayce Baron and Hailie Sahar sadly have taken on many topics that they are passionate about and tried to present too many things in a scant 91 minutes. Thereās an unfinished, somewhat unsubstantiated and an incredibly angry one-sided vision presented in BEYOND ED BUCK. There are many stories to be told here and you canāt throw everything into one pot and call it Fusion.
Sat Jun 04, 2:15 pm
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NANAāS BOYS opens with Q (Jared Wayne Gladly) finding nothing in the fridge and sneaking out a beautifully-furnished Manhattan apartment to buy a birthday breakfast for his, still asleep in bed, life partner Amari (David J. Cook) who is celebrating his “Dirty 30” that day. We quickly ascertain that Q, a successful Lawyer, is a bit of a control freak and Amari is unemployed and shiftless. They bicker in a way that only those in a long-standing relationship do culminating with Amari being overwhelmed by his gift of a wedding ring. When an explosion in Times Square forces the city into lockdown, the two men go into āThe Boys in the Bandā route and play a truth-seeking game using Polaroids of their life together. Shattering secrets are revealed.
NANAāS BOYS expertly portrays the dynamics of a relationship that changes and evolves much to the blind eye of a partner. Cracks in the foundation appear upon each new revelation. Writer/Director Ashton Pina confidently and concisely makes this very theatrical piece engrossing and elicits earnest performances and a believable chemistry between the two actors. The movie is an emotional roller coaster with gratifying results.
Tue May 31, 9:30 pm
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London in the ’60s may have been the epicenter of music and fashion and trends but it was short-lived, and it took 20 years for that city to regain that mantle once again. āIt is the duty of every generation to reject the oldā says one of many interviewees in the Inside Out Centerpiece Gala, TRAMPS!, a wildly-entertaining and vibrant Documentary about the birth of The New Romantics movement. Adapting from its Punk Rock roots and eschewing the grunge of the Sex Pistols and The Clash, The New Romantics were more theatrical in fashion and melodic in their music which captivated the world. Whereas I personally am a bit of an expert about the New York City Alternative scene of that era, I was transfixed by how it came to be across the pond and relished the Filmmakers use of archival filmed footage and recent interviews with the artistic pioneers of those days. The creatively flamboyant gay roots, exemplified by Boy George, were a crucial factor in the New Romantics success as it spawned new musical identities, informative magazines and genuinely original fashion and jewelry. It also respectfully honours those lost to AIDS (including maverick Filmmaker Derek Jarman and Performance Artist extraordinaire Leigh Bowery) or heroin addiction.
TRAMPS! reminded me of my favourite Grade School Teacher; he taught me new things, expanded my narrow environments, and made it all fun to boot! Highly-recommended.
Tue May 31, 7:00 pm
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Making a nod to the 1992 song by The Cure, FRIDAY IāM IN LOVE is Documentary Filmmaker Marcus Pontelloās love letter to Numbers, a nightclub in Houston Texas. Bullied as a teenager in and out of high school for being out and proud, Pontello found solace in the Alternative music scene and dancing the night away at the gay watering hole. Originally a GayDisco in the late ’70s, Numbers went through many iterations until it found success as a venue that catered to fans of musical acts that include Nine Inch Nails, Gary Numan and Grace Jones (shown minimally performing on the clubās stage). One of the co-owners of the bar during its heyday years was also the owner of Houstonās most successful record stores and worked tirelessly to promote new bands and music.
I wish FRIDAY IāM IN LOVE was as bouncy and compelling as the song remains to be. It is a rather sophomoric Documentary with endless interviews and little refreshing insights. Record stores have gone the route of the dinosaurs and nightclubs are not jammed to the rafters as they used to be everywhere currently, so the revelations here are not unique as this documentary wishes it could be. The Movie works as an unabashedly paean to a place that forever changed the Filmmaker. Other than that, I see a limited appeal to anyone outside of the Houston area and of a certain age.
Sun May 29, 2:15 pm
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First-time Filmmaker Ryan Bruce Levey explores the world of professional wrestling and its impact on the LGBTQ2S+ community in the Documentary OUT OF THE RING with passion and insight. Using archival footage alongside recent testimonies from Journalists, Historians and Wrestlers, Levey paints a fascinating and, at times, infuriating portrait of this incredibly unique form of entertainment. The rampant Homophobia and Racism that existed in the past is revelatory, but what profoundly disturbed me is the hypocrisy and greed from current Promoters as they exploit these Entertainers for financial gain. Whereas I could have done without some of the armchair psychological rhetoric presented, the interviews with current LGBTQ2S+ Professional Wrestlers were enlightening and inspiring as they strive for true and honest representation.
OUT IN THE RING introduced me to a world I had no interest in and I am now an informed and less judgmental about this unusual Sport and its Entertainers.
Fri Jun 03, 4:45 pm
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In 1993, the Movie āStrawberry and Chocolateā made an international impact as it depicted gay life in Cuba. Though filmed in Taiwan and coming here after a successful screening at the Cannes Film Festival last year, MONEYBOYS may be the first film that addresses gay life in China. Despite a somewhat morose aura that permeates throughout, this is an accomplished piece of work that deserves attention.
When we first meet Fei (Kai Ko), he is a gay hustler working the rounds somewhere in South China and living with Xiaolai (J.C. Lin) with whom he has an intimate relationship with. After a brutally-violent incident, the story continues five years later when Fei returns to his small hometown village to see his dying grandfather. Despite a joyful reunion with his childhood friend Long (Yufan Bai), Feiās family members treat him with disgust as, whereas they eagerly accept the money he sends, the method of how he makes his living is anathema to this patriarchal and homophobic environment. Fei leaves the village for good, followed by Long a few days later.
Much of Chinese Cinema has its own unique rhythm and style which may be discerned as over-the-top and soap opera-like by Western audiences. Everyone has their own story of love, be it requited or not. Seeing how Feiās quest to find his heartās soulmate falter often had me rivetted. With glorious Cinematography and heartfelt performances, MONEYBOYS is worth searching to experience.
Thu Jun 02, 9:15 pm
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