Eight Feature Films Selected for Inside Out’s LGBTQ Finance Forum

Inside Out, the producer of Canada’s queer-focused 2SLGBTQ+ film festival, has selected eight projects for its 10th International Film Financing Forum, held in Toronto May 28-29.

Presented by Netflix, the forum will showcase the films “Summer in Heat,” from Cannes alum Levan Akin; “Suffering is Optional,” from Pakistani Canadian Cannes alum Zarrar Khan and featuring “Ms. Marvel” star Iman Vellani; and “Little Phnom Penh,” the feature film debut of Sundance short film juried winner Chheangkea.

The remaining lineup includes Film Independent Amplifier Fellow A. Sayeeda Moreno’s feature film “Out in the Dunes,” executive produced by Gabrielle Union; “Jo & Frankie” from Tara Thorne; Nick Borenstein’s feature debut “August,” produced by Dan Bucatinsky; SXSW alum Andy Reid’s comedy “Pickups,” and family drama “Better Left Unsaid” from Alice Wang.

The selected film teams will meet with executives from Netflix, Orion Pictures, Killer Films, Unapologetic Projects, Sphere Media, Little Walnut, Telefilm Canada, NFB, Elevation Pictures and Mongrel Media, along with Photon, Parallax Films, Shut Up & Colour, GLAAD, and more.  

“When the Forum was founded 10 years ago, it was intended to support LGBTQ filmmakers in navigating the international sales and distribution landscape – where many had faced systemic barriers and discrimination while bringing their projects to market,” said Jenna Dufton, Festival Director. “In 2026’s political and economic climate, it feels even more vital to voice our commitment to getting independent queer films financed and distributed, and to provide this safe and intentional space in Toronto to launch these projects.”

Below, the full eight-project lineup.

“Summer in Heat”(Sweden/France/Germany/Denmark, Drama)
Dir. Levan Akin, Writer Jordan Tannahill
Producers: Mathilde Dedye, Ludvig Andersson, Katja Adomeit, Xénia Maingot
Logline: A film about longing and forbidden desires.

“Suffering is Optional” (Canada, Thriller)
Dir.  Zarrar Kahn
Producers: Karen Harnisch, Anam Abbas, Lindsay Blair Goeldner,| Julie Groleau, Kaleem Aftab (EP)
Logline: Grappling with climate-catastrophe nightmares, a young actress wins the lead role in her prestigious drama school’s adaptation of Hamlet – where she meets a relentless director who pushes her to the limits of her will.

“August” (USA, Comedic Thriller)
Dir. Nick Borenstein
Producers: Sydney Foos, Dan Bucatinsky, Lindsay Blair Goeldner, Nick Borenstein
Logline: Jordan, a queer and neurotic young man, has his life turned upside down following the sudden death of his beloved therapist. Unconvinced that her death is accidental, Jordan dives into a full-blown investigation to get to the bottom of her mysterious disappearance.

“Better Left Unsaid” (Canada, Drama)
Dir. Alice Wang
Producers: Kathlyn Rose Gardiner, Enrique Baniqued (EP)
Logline: When an estranged daughter crashes her cousin’s lesbian wedding hoping it’s a sign she’s finally welcome in the family, she discovers they’ve been hiding her father’s terminal illness for months – forcing her to choose between protecting her cousin’s joyful day or destroying the reconciliation she’s been waiting for.

“Out in the Dunes” (USA, Coming-of-Age Romance)
Dir. A. Sayeeda Moreno
Producers: Inuka Bacote-Capiga, Derek Nguyen, Gabrielle Union (EP)
Logline: Summer 1992: On the eve of turning 21, Soledad, a heartbroken romantic, returns to Provincetown vowing to stay single – until a clandestine affair with Jules, a butch lesbian artist, cracks her wide open, creating ripples through her tight knit Afro-Latina/Black queer extended family, reaffirming her community’s strength.

“Little Phnom Penh” (Cambodia/France/USA, Drama)
Dir. Chheangkea
Producers: Karen Madar
Logline: Spanning two decades and continents, from post-Khmer Rouge Cambodia to early 2000s California, Danet carries a lifetime of longing as a hopeful daughter, a neglected wife, a single immigrant mother in America—and the pull of an untimely first love.

“Jo & Frankie” (Canada, Comedy)
Dir. Tara Thorne
Producers: Jenna MacMillan, Melani Wood
Logline: Drawn together by curiosity, lust, and grief, Jo and Frankie consider their respective lives under the light of the one they could have together.

“Pickups” (Canada/USA, Comedy)
Dir. Andy Reid
Producers: Lucy McNulty, Alison Almeida, Jason Beekman
Logline: A lonely man chasing validation takes a job as a tap dance teacher and develops a fixation on the father of his favourite student.