GAY BEST FRIENDS AND THE 15TH ANNIVERSARY OF QUEER VIDEO MENTORSHIP PROJECT AMONG HIGHLIGHTS OF INSIDE OUT’S YOUTH LINEUP

Festival runs May 23 - June 2, 2013 Public tickets on sale May 9th at www.insideout.ca

(May 1, 2013 – Toronto) This year’s Inside Out offers LGBT youth a range of films, including Darren Stein’s G.B.F. (Gay Best Friend), starring Michael J. Willett and Natasha Lyonne, and celebrates the 15th anniversary of the Queer Video Mentorship Project, showcasing young filmmaking talent.

Inside Out is pleased to welcome RBC as the festival’s returning Presenting Sponsor. Tickets for youth 18-24 are $8 and youth under 18 are $6. Screenings for the 2013 Inside Out Toronto LGBT Film Festival will take place at TIFF Bell Lightbox (350 King St. W). Tickets will be available on May 7th and 8th to members, May 9th to public. Visit www.insideout.ca for more information.

Free Youth Screenings (to youth 24 and under)

GEOGRAPHY CLUB (14A) - Gary Entin (USA) Youth Matinee Brent Hartinger’s debut bestseller hits the big screen in GEOGRAPHY CLUB, a heartfelt comedy about a covert after-school support group for gay teens, starring Nikki Blonsky, Ana Gasteyer, and Scott Bakula. Preceded by the short film, The Painted Girl.

The Painted Girl - Ben Kadie (USA) Directed by high school student, Kadie, The Painted Girl tells the story of 15-year-old Megan, who hopes that through graffiti her mother will understand her.

MISS MINOES (PG) - Vincent Bal (The Netherlands) Family Screening This utterly charming classic family film, winner of more than half a dozen children’s film festival awards from around the world, tells the tale of Miss Minoes, a cat who is transformed into a young woman.

QVMP: 15th Anniversary - Retrospective Shorts Program (14A) In celebration of the 15th anniversary of the Queer Video Mentorship Project, Inside Out presents new shorts commissioned from five past participants, along with a retrospective of their first videos, originally produced through the Project.

Samuel Chow 30s (2013): In the midst of the Great Recession, a queer thirtysomething confronts his parent about a decision, despite financial repercussions.

Banana Boy (2003): Young? Chinese? Immigrant? Canadian? Queer? All of the above.

Chris Depuis The First Time (2013): Being able to play the piano is the second sexiest thing a man can do...besides cleaning my apartment. 1

Boy Meets Boy (2004): The first thing I thought when I met Dave was that he didn’t look gay.

Sabine Lebel Dispatches from the Future (2013): A grieving woman who spends too much time in her car starts to think that it might be haunted.

The Further Adventures of The Flaming Mommas (1999): The baddest all-girl bicycle gang spends a day hangin’ out together.

Nolan Natasha Pike Tapes 1-47 (2013): Accumulated memory drifts. Years of hoarding, obsessive documentation and chronic sentimentality overwhelm.

Untitled (2002): It is possible to fall outside all of the categories.

Gabrielle Zilkha Honey Bunny (2013): A couple take a proactive approach to enhancing their sex life and, in doing so, face deep questions about the nature of their relationship.

The Check-Up (2008): A patient emerges with an unusual diagnosis after a visit to the gynecologist.

Youth-Themed Highlights

G.B.F. (14A) - Darren Stein (USA) Canadian Premiere When a hook-up app mishap outs the unassuming Tanner (Michael J. Willet, The United States of Tara) as Northgate High’s first openly gay student, the uneasy truce between the school’s trio of clique queens dissolves into comic chaos as each battles to acquire the season’s hot new accessory: the Gay Best Friend.

IN BLOOM (14A) - Chris Michael Birkmeier (USA) World Premiere Meet a hip young couple and the alluring newcomer who threatens to drive them apart. Twenty-two year old writer/director Chris Michael Birkmeier, a self-professed admirer of Xavier Dolan, powerfully dramatizes the turbulent, traumatic moment when a first love begins to falter.

MONSTER PIES (14A) - Lee Galea (Australia) Canadian Premiere An honest portrait of self-discovery and short-lived first love, MONSTER PIES tells the story of awkward, alienated Mike and his fast-blossoming friend- ship with Will, a transfer student whose apparent self-assuredness masks a troubled home life.

Youth Shorts: Teenage Dream: This collection of shorts captures memorable teenage moments, from high school conflicts and coming out to first crushes and sexual awakenings.

Coming Out - Jerry Carlsson (Sweden) Joel has finally made up his mind to come out to his parents—or so he thinks.

Kiss Me Softly - Anthony Schatteman (Belgium) Jasper is trapped in the shadow of his father, a local wannabe singer oblivious to everything except his musical career.

Yeah Kowalski! - Evan Roberts (USA)

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Gabe Kowalski is a late bloomer who goes to great lengths to impress his classmate crush, Shane.

Straight With You - Daan Bol (The Netherlands) Melvin is 11 years old and has a secret— he likes boys. What should he do when the coolest girl in his class sends him a love letter?

Gay Goth Scene - Kai Stäenicke (Germany) A young teen is bullied at school and decides he can’t take it anymore, in this affecting music video of The Hidden Cameras’ song.

Jackpot - Adam Baran (USA) When Jack hears about a stash of porn hidden in a local convenience store dumpster, he sets off on an adventure to find it.

The First Time - Anders Hazelius (Sweden) The first time can be really hard, especially when you’ve got something to prove.

It’s Not a Cowboy Movie - Benjamin Parent (France) During recess, four teens discuss watching Brokeback Mountain.

Youth Ratings 14A: In addition to the screenings above, the following films have received a 14A rating from the Ontario Film Review Board: …AND THE UNCLAIMED, , BEFORE YOU KNOW IT, BORN THIS WAY, COCKPIT, DON’T EVER WIPE TEARS WITHOUT GLOVES, FIVE DANCES, FOUR, GOD LOVES UGANDA, THE RUGBY PLAYER, SCHOOLGIRL COMPLEX, TWO: THE STORY OF ROMAN & NYRO, VALENTINE ROAD, and WITHOUT GLOVES, as well as the Transplanetarium Shorts program and the B. Ruby Rich and New Queer Cinema talk on June 1.

Inside Out Under the Stars: Free Screening THE PIRATE MOVIE (PG) (Australia, 1982) Screening as this year’s Inside Out Under the Stars, THE PIRATE MOVIE stars Kristy McNicol and , a swashbuckling adventure that will take you back to the early 1980s when some studio executive thought a teen musical inspired by ’s was a good idea. The fantasy mixes film parodies, love songs, animation and the score from the classic operetta in this campy, corny and very queer treasure chest that overflows with guilty pleasures. Free admission, June 10th at the Alexander Street Parkette, located beside Buddies in Bad Times Theatre (12 Alexander Street)

About Inside Out Inside Out presents the annual Toronto LGBT Film Festival, with financial support from Presenting Sponsor, RBC Royal Bank. It is the largest event of its kind in Canada and entertains cinema buffs of all stripes, showcasing the best and most diverse films by, for and of interest to LGBT communities. For 11 days, the Festival draws crowds of more than 32,500 to screenings, artist talks, panel discussions, installations and parties that showcase more than 175 films and videos from Canada and around the world. In addition, Inside Out is committed to challenging attitudes and changing lives year-round through the exhibition, production and promotion of LGBT film with initiatives including annual festivals in Toronto and Ottawa, educational programs including the Queer Video Mentorship Project and the Mark S. Bonham Scholarship, and fall/winter screening series. This year’s Festival runs May 23 – June 2, 2013.

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About RBC and the Arts RBC sponsors a wide-range of grassroots and local initiatives that contribute to the cultural fabric of our communities. Proud to support events and passions that resonate with our clients, RBC provides opportunities for up-and-coming artists through programs such as the RBC Canadian Painting Competition; the RBC Emerging Visions Program; and the RBC Emerging Filmmakers Competition, part of our commitment to the world’s top public film festival – the Toronto International Film Festival®. As one of North America’s leading diversified financial services companies and among the largest banks in the world, as measured by market capitalization, RBC employs approximately 80,000 full- and part-time employees who serve more than 15 million personal, business, public sector and institutional clients through offices in Canada, the U.S. and 49 other countries. For more information, please visit rbc.com.

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS: Visit us on the web: www.insideout.ca Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/InsideOutTO Like Us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/InsideOutFilmFestival

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For more information including media accreditation and interview requests, please contact:

Alma Parvizian Naoko Kumagai 647.930.2090 ext. 202 647.930.2090 ext. 205 [email protected] [email protected]

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