Inside Out 2009

Film lovers in Toronto are spoiled. It seems that just when one film festival ends, another one begins. From May 14-24, the Inside Out Toronto LGBT Film and Video Festival will bring films from 29 countries to our city. Now in its 19th year, the festival seeks to become the comprehensive queer festival in the world, according to Director of Programming Jason St. Laurent. “We hope everyone will find something (or someone) to love at Inside Out.”

This year, there is a spotlight on France, showcasing 15 features, docs and shorts from the country that has been the birthplace of so many cinematic talents and movements. Gäel Morel’s New Wave and Born in ’68 from directors Olivier Ducastel and Jacques Martineau look interesting to me.

Opening the festival is Ella Lemhagen’s romantic comedy Patrik 1,5 (review), which was featured at TIFF last September. And if you missed John Greyson’s Fig Trees at the just-concluded Hot Docs, you can catch it at Inside Out.

Two more films I’m definitely curious about are Bohdan Sláma’s A Country Teacher (Venkovský ucitel) from the Czech Republic, which also featured at TIFF last year, and Closing Gala The Fish Child (El niño pez) from Argentinean director Lucía Puenzo. Her first film XXY generated a lot of buzz and although I’ve still yet to see it, she seems like someone to watch.

Though I’m still catching up on Hot Docs, I hope to feature a few reviews from Inside Out over the next few weeks.

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