Inside Out is kicking off the festival season with the ultimate queer classic D.E.B.S.
Suit up, bring your best spy squad, and get ready for an exclusive first look at what’s in store for the 2025 Inside Out Festival.
This special preview event on May 1 is your chance to go behind the scenes with our programmers, catch the premiere of our festival trailer, and get the inside scoop on this year’s lineup and schedule. And after the big reveal, stick around for a screening of D.E.B.S.—because no spy mission is complete without a little romance, action, and campy fun.
Consider this your official festival launch—and your mission, should you choose to accept it!
May 1st, 2025
7:00PM
Paradise Theatre
FREE/PWYC
Seating is GA; first come, first serve, but you must reserve your spot in advance – grab your tickets now and meet us in the cinema! Limit to 2 tickets per person.
About the film
Recruited by the U.S. government for their unique ability to lie, cheat, and fight, Amy, Max, Janet, and Dominique join an underground academy of secret agents known only as D.E.B.S. These crime-fighting hotties set out to save the world–and keep their lipstick perfectly applied while doing so. Now the girls must combine their skills for their most important mission: to capture vexing vixen Lucy Diamond, the deadliest criminal the world has ever known. When D.E.B.S. star player Amy falls for Lucy, chaos erupts and the D.E.B.S.’ loyalty is put to the test.
For ticketing assistance, or if you require accessible seating, please reach out to boxoffice@insideout.ca and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
*Financial support for Run It Back has been provided through the Pride and Remembrance Run
After a packed house at our first Run It Back screening, we’re thrilled to announce our next event: Homotown Heroes – a shorts program celebrating 35 years of groundbreaking Canadian queer cinema.
Short films are often our first introduction to a filmmaker—their first steps into a world of infinite artistic possibilities. Homotown Heroes spotlights the trailblazers who have shaped Inside Out’s history and left a lasting impact on queer film in Toronto and beyond.
The Homotown Heroes lineup includes:
Steam Clean (1990), Dir. Richard Fung
13 Eggs (2022), Dir. TJ Cuthand
Making of Monsters (1991), Dir. John Greyson
Passing (2015), Dir. Lucah Rosenberg-Lee
The Housesitter (2001), Dir. Melissa Levin
Midnight at the Continental (2015), Dir. Sonya Reynolds and Lauren Hortie
Seating is GA; first-come, first-served, but you must reserve your spot in advance— Grab your ticket now and meet us at the cinema. Limited to 2 tickets per person.
Date: March 25, 2025
Time: 6:30PM
Location: Paradise Theatre
After celebrating Homotown Heroes, stick around for an advance screening of On Swift Horses. Starring Jacob Elordi and Daisy Edgar-Jones, this sweeping queer drama follows a newlywed whose life is upended when her husband’s charismatic brother reappears, drawing her into a world of risk and desire.
This Pay What You Can screening directly supports Inside Out in our 35th year—helping us continue to bring bold, queer stories to the big screen.
Time: 9:15PM
Suggested PWYC price: $20 per ticket.
Inside Out’s Run It Back series kicks off with a 4K restoration of Isaac Julien’s Young Soul Rebels!
In 1991, Isaac Julien gifted us Young Soul Rebels, an energetic and thought-provoking journey into 1970s Britain and the counterculture movements pushing for change. The film introduces us to best friends and music collaborators, Caz and Chris, who run their own underground radio show, broadcasting soul music across the airwaves. However, their happy times come to an abrupt halt when a murder triggers a police investigation and sparks waves of controversy within London’s Black community.
Young Soul Rebels delves into the intersections of race, class, and sexuality, examining how these identities shape the ways those in power treat marginalized communities. This coming-of-age thriller is a vibrant exploration of community, friendship, love, and some damn good music. We couldn’t think of a better way to kick off our retrospective series than by celebrating a film born in the same year as our very first festival edition—beautifully restored in 4K!
We extend our sincere gratitude to our sponsors, RBC and the Pride and Remembrance Run, for making your ticket complimentary. If you’d like to show your support, we welcome pay-what-you-can (PWYC) donations at checkout or during the event.
Access Notes: The screening will have open captions. Paradise Theatre is a fully accessible venue. ASL interpretation is available upon request.
Please email access@insideout.ca with your request by February 14 if required.
Date: February 23, 2025
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