#FIRSTLOOK: 2023 INSIDE OUT 2SLGBTQ+ FILM FESTIVAL AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED

The winners of the 2023 Inside Out 2SLGBTQ+ Film Festival Awards were announced this weekend in Toronto where $32,000 in prizes were handed out to various 2SLGBTQ+ filmmakers. Top honours went to Juan Sebastián Torales’ ALMAMULA (Best First Feature), Lulu Wei’s SUPPORTING OUR SELVES (Best Canadian Feature), Beth Warrian’s ADORE (Best Canadian Short), and Karimah Zakia Issa with SCARING WOMEN AT NIGHT (Emerging Canadian Artist).

The Audience Award winners are Ally Pankiw’s I USED TO BE FUNNY (seen in still above) for Best Narrative Feature, Loveleen Kaur’s LEILANI’S FORTUNE for Best Documentary Feature, and Zeppelin Zeerip’s APAYAUQ for Best Short Film.

The festival is also proud to announce director Judith Schuyler’s upcoming project THERE IS LIGHT won the annual “Pitch, Please!” contest. The “Pitch, Please!” competition took place in person on June 3, 2023, with competitors from across the globe presenting a short, two-minute pitch to a jury and audience. Prizes awarded to the winner include a cash production grant of $5,000 sponsored by Netflix.

The 2023 festival took place in person and virtually from May 25 to June 4 in Toronto, Canada and showcased 107 films from 30 countries, including 33 feature films, and 7 world premieres, This year’s festival opened with the Canadian premiere of Ira Sach’s critically acclaimed drama PASSAGES, and closed with Tom Gustafson’s fantastical summer romance, GLITTER & DOOM, with cast Tig Notaro, Lea DeLaria, Missi Pyle, Alex Diaz, and Alan Cammish in town to present its world premiere.

The full winners and awards are as follows:

CANADIAN JURIED AWARDS

The jurors for the 2023 Canadian jury were filmmakers Odu Adamu, Dylan Glynn, and Alice Wang

Best Canadian Feature – sponsored by Warner Access Media

SUPPORTING OUR SELVES – Director, Lulu Wei

Best Canadian Short – sponsored by DGC National

ADORE – Director, Beth Warrian

Emerging Canadian Artist – Sponsored by RBC Royal Bank

SCARING WOMEN AT NIGHT – Director, Karimah Zakia Issa

INTERNATIONAL JURIED AWARD

The jurors for the 2023 International jury Them Editor Michael Cuby, actor Izaiah Dockery, and filmmaker Kait Schuster.

Best First Feature – Sponsored by NBC Universal

ALMAMULA – Director, Juan Sebastián Torales

Honourable Mention for Best First Feature

SOMETHING YOU SAID LAST NIGHT – Director, Luis De Filippis

Leadership Circle Prize for Outstanding Performance – sponsored by Daydream

Payman Maadi in OPPONENT (MOTSTÅNDAREN)

AUDIENCE AWARDS – sponsored by eOne

Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature

I USED TO BE FUNNY – Director, Ally Pankiw

Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature

LEILANI’S FORTUNE – Director, Loveleen Kaur

Audience Award for Best Short Film

APAYAUQ – Director, Zeppelin Zerrip

“PITCH, PLEASE!” – sponsored by Netflix

THERE IS LIGHT – Director Judith Schuyler

(Photo credit: levelFILM)