The 17th Annual Inside Out Toronto Lesbian and Gay Film and Video Festival had its official launch earlier this week at the Gladstone (following a recent fundraiser) where it announced its lineup to the public.

The opening night gala will be the Canadian premiere of Duncan Roy's The Picture of Dorian Gray, a modern update of the classic Wilde novel starring teen dream David Gallagher as the amoral muse. Other gala screenings include 2005 Korean blockbuster King and the Clown, an historical drama about cross-dressing court jesters and a part of this year's East Asian Focus, and the Canadian premiere of Itty Bitty Titty Committee, a film by Jamie "But I'm a Cheerleader" Babbit about a gang of flat-chested lesbian guerillas who seek direct political action against plastic surgeons.

Films range from documentaries, to slapstick comedies, to intense dramas, to pseudo-pornography. Here are a few highlights:

Triple X Selects—The Best of Lezsploitation: A lot of aficianados complained that Tarantino and Rodriguez left one key element entirely out of Grindhouse: boobies. Director Michelle Johnson has come to the rescue, culling heaps of het-fantasy girl-on-girl scenes from old B-movies and reclaiming them for a lesbian audience.

Dante's Cove, The Lair and Sugar Rush: This year, Inside Out is offering up several opportunities to check out queer TV shows from abroad. Dante's Cove is a cheesy gay supernatural drama from the states; The Lair is an even cheesier gay vampire show produced by the same people and starring Shortbus hunk Peter Stickles; Sugar Rush is a lesbian teen drama from the UK.

Red Without Blue: This documentary tackles a particularly fascinating subject matter. It follows the lives of the Farley siblings, who were born twin brothers. When they were 14, both siblings came out as gay and attempted to kill themselves. Now adults, one of the siblings is now a trans woman.

The festival runs May 17-27.

Photo by JaMmCat from the Torontoist Flickr Group.