Inside Out, Toronto's annual lesbian and gay film and video festival is happily celebrating its 17th season this year. The festival, which starts on May 17th and ends on May 27th, caters to 30,000 movie goers at multiple venues around the city.

"All the films aren't for everybody, but there's a film for everyone," says the festival's director of programming Jason St-Laurent.

St-Laurent and his team viewed close to 600 films to compile this year's titillating program line-up. The international focus is East Asia with King and the Clown as one of its feature films.

Other themed sections include "The Outsiders" which is a collection of more subversive and pornographic films. Some "Outsider" films are being screened at non-traditional movie venues to allow social interaction, and well, you can even drink beer while you watch. "Guilty Pleasures" features movies in the "leave your brain at the door" category with entertaining films like Triple X Selects--The best of Lezsploitation and Eating Out2: Sloppy Seconds on its roster of queer flicks.

Although St-Laurent is keen on all the selections this year, some of his highlights include: 

• Super Amigos: It's the real-life story of five modern-day superheroes in Mexico City. Self-named characters like "Super Gay" and "Super Animal" fight for social justice in this feature-length documentary.
• Demented: Laurent Achard's contemporary adaptation of Timothy Findley's The Last of the Crazy People.
• Red Without Blue: A documentary about the story of twin males in the U.S. who's failed double-suicide attempt precipitated their separation. Years later, the twins meet and we learn that one is now living life as a woman. 

Some events that surround this year's festival include Double-Dutch on Saturday May 19th featuring live performances, DJs and videos for its attendees. For more information on movies and to purchase tickets, visit insideout.ca.