Out in the Ring leads the winners of the 2022 Inside Out 2SLGBTQ Film Festival. The organization announced the award winners in a ceremony over the weekend where Out in the Ring won the prize for Best Canadian Feature. Directed by Ryan Bruce Levey, the feature documentary chronicles the history of queer wrestlers and athletes who break barriers for representation and visibility through sport. The film is Levey’s first feature.
“Inside Out was the first film festival I attended after coming out 25 years ago,” Levey said in a statement. “To have it come full circle and win this prize with my first feature film is a true privilege.” Out in the Ring had its world premiere at Inside Out with professional wrestler Susan Tex Green in attendance.
Dylan Glynn’s animated work Thot or Not won the festival’s award for Best Canadian Short. The film by the Toronto artist is a satirical exploration of influencer culture and the canonization of queerness. Also winning on the Canadian front was Toronto’s Bria McLaughlin, who scored Inside Out’s prize for Emerging Canadian Artist. Her short film Save the Date screened alongside Thot or Not in the festival’s Local Heroes program. The film playfully examines the complexity and messiness of relationships that become entangled after coming out.
Best First Feature, meanwhile, went to American filmmaker Joseph Sackett for Homebody. The dramatic feature is a comedic exploration of gender identity and self-actualization.
Inside Out will announce additional winners, including the audience favourites, later this week.