The past few years have not been an especially easy time to run a film festival, but stepping into Inside Out Toronto earlier this year, newly appointed executive director Carly Beath faced an especially sizable challenge.
Executive Director Carly Beath has come into the organization with a five-year strategic plan, and a new year-round screening series.Supplied
Over the past five years, Canada’s largest queer-focused film festival has seen a revolving door of leaders. Lauren Howes joined in 2021, replacing Andria Wilson (who had been at the helm for a relatively lengthy five years), with Howes then stepping away and replaced by Elie Chivi and Andrew Murphy as festival co-heads in 2023. After Murphy left in 2024, Chivi was placed in charge, only to depart himself in the fall of 2025.
Those shifts might underline a certain level of instability inside the non-profit organization. Yet Beath, a Canadian film industry veteran with history at the Canadian Film Centre and Hot Docs, did her homework before joining Inside Out, and has come into the organization with a five-year strategic plan, and a new year-round screening series.
In the midst of Inside Out’s 36th edition, which runs till May 31 at the TIFF Lightbox, Beath talked with The Globe and Mail about keeping queer cinema alive, both in theatres and online.
Inside Out has gone through several rounds of leadership over the past few years, ever since the pandemic. What has it been like for you since you stepped into the role this past January?
I did my research when I was interviewing for this job, and I stepped in knowing that I’d have a challenge. But I was okay with that because I feel so strongly about Inside Out. I’ve really dug in, sifting through spreadsheets, getting to know the history, the numbers. I know leadership change can be hard for an organization, and it’s hard to plan long-term, but I’m lucky to have an amazing team who are ready to go. There’s a lot of instability in the non-profit arts world, but I came in with thoughts about what I wanted to do.
And what are those plans?
It’s about leaning into a couple of things. One is the community aspect, where people can find themselves in the programming. We want to provide that space, and make sure it’s a gathering place, where we’re showing the breadth of our community. And we want to shine a spotlight on our local filmmakers, as much as we want to bring the best kind of international queer cinema to Toronto audiences, who can see things they might not otherwise have the chance to see.
One of the initiatives that has set Inside Out apart is its Re:Focus fund on development for films. What’s the status of that program?
We have a couple of films in the festival that have either received funding through Re:Focus or have won our Pitch, Please competitions in the past, so it’s nice to see that throughline of filmmakers coming here with an idea in development and then having it premiere at the festival. Our closing-night gala film, Heels, was a previous Re:Focus recipient, and that’s something we want to grow as the industry faces all kinds of changes.
On that idea of industry shifts, Inside Out has retained its online-screening component, which a lot of other festivals have distanced themselves from since the heights of the pandemic. Why is that still an important element to pursue?
For us, it’s about accessibility of the films and making sure that we’re reaching the community wherever they are. The films in that program are available online anywhere across Ontario, and that’s important because there are a lot of queer folks who, well, like me, I grew up in a small town and there was nothing like that. It’s important to be able to reach people who can’t come to Toronto.
Coming into this organization just this year, how much are you able to balance putting on a festival and long-term strategic planning?
I have to do both at once, which is something that I’ve seen a lot of arts organizations balance because of resources and staffing. Things are always happening last-minute, and it puts you at a disadvantage. But I’m trying to make sure that we’re putting on a great festival, and I’m looking ahead at the same time. We’ve already started thinking about 2027.
The festival has already opened with a crowd-pleaser in Stop That Train, but what are some under-the-radar picks you’d highlight?
It’s hard to pick my favourite child, but we have a new program this year of shorts called Bloodlust, and it was not originally in the plan. It just came to be as the programming team was looking at submissions, and started to notice a lot of strong genre stuff, this weird kind of comedy-horror sensibility. There was something there. It’s strange and weird and a bit unhinged, but I’d point people to it.
Inside Out is on now until May 31 (insideout.ca).
This interview has been condensed and edited.