A screening of Loose Cannons at the TIFF Bell Lightbox and an opening night gala at the Ontario College of Art & Design on Thursday night kicked off the 21st annual Inside Out festival, which celebrates lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender cinema with 11 days of screenings, galas, and parties.
Influencing the gala’s venue decision was location: OCAD is within walking distance of the Lightbox. Inside Out director of operations Winnie Luk opted to hold the party in the venue’s neon-pink-lit great hall. “I love to use spaces where you don’t usually find people dancing,” Luk said. “It’s an alternative entertainment space, and we’re an alternative festival to begin with.”
Luk placed a large focus on the entertainment. DJ Deko-ze spun for the crowd, while dance company Ill Nana gave two performances over the course of the night, clearing an area of the dance floor and performing amid the guests. Luk opted for this type of pop-up performance, which kept the energy of the party going, rather than interrupting it.
RBC was the presenting sponsor of the festival and had a presence at the gala. Gridcast projected an RBC-branded typewriter that wrote out guests’ texts and tweets with the #InsideOutRBC hashtag. Barefoot Winery and Toronto’s own Steam Whistle Brewery donated the alcohol for the evening.