Toronto, ON (November 12, 2026) – outACTRAto, the 2SLGBTQIA+ committee of ACTRA Toronto, proudly announces PUMP as the winner of the eighth Queer Your Stories Short Film Competition. The competition is a partnership between outACTRAto and Inside Out, Canada’s largest 2SLGBTQ+ film festival and the single largest promoter and exhibitor of 2SLGBTQ+ content in Canada.
PUMP is written and directed by Riley Reign and produced by Emmett Siobhan McCourt.
Road-tripping across rural Canada in search of gender affirming care, drag king Archie Glad has to pull himself up by his assless chaps when an unexpected ex (his period) arrives.
PUMP is about more than one guy’s lack of testosterone making him bleed. It’s about navigating adversity with community and coming out more joyful than before, putting yourself out there and pulling yourself back up when it doesn’t work out, picking your battles and confronting those you don’t get to pick. PUMP is a quintessential trans story told in a new, accessible and entertaining way.
Said PUMP writer and director Riley Reign: “This opportunity is huge for us, and so meaningful to me as a first-time filmmaker. The support we will receive through QYS will be the difference of PUMP being made or not. Thank you to QYS and Inside Out! We are so excited and grateful.”
Said outACTRAto co-chairs Madelaine Rose and Matt Lemche: “We are thrilled for the PUMP team on being selected as the QYS8 winner. Their pitch really resonated with the jury for its comedic and heartfelt take on a uniquely Trans experience. We very much look forward to supporting them through this journey of bringing their script to life and we can’t wait to see PUMP on the big screen next year at InsideOut.”
Said ACTRA Toronto President Kate Ziegler: “We are absolutely thrilled to continue Queer Your Stories for its 8th iteration as a platform for ACTRA Toronto members who are part of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community to share their stories. A huge thank you to outACTRAto, the jury members, Inside Out and sponsors for their time, effort and resources to help bring PUMP to life on our screens.”
outACTRAto’s Queer Your Stories 8 (QYS8) short film competition was open to 2SLGBTQIA+ ACTRA Toronto members interested in producing a short film. Submissions were reviewed by a jury of outACTRAto members and two senior programming staff from Inside Out. The winner receives financial and in-kind production support, and the film will play at the 2027 Inside Out Toronto 2SLGBTQ+ Film Festival.
QYS8 is sponsored by AFBS, Ontario Camera (Toronto), ACTRA Toronto, Sunbelt Rentals Film and TV, Alter Ego Post, TA2 SOUND+MUSIC, and the Inside Out Toronto 2SLGBTQ+ Film Festival.
About outACTRAto:
ACTRA Toronto’s outACTRAto Committee is dedicated to raising awareness about 2SLGBTQIA+ performers, our stories and our place in the industry and society. We value diversity and equality, and we aim to be recognized, supported and valued as queer performers. We aspire to educate and inform our industry about realistic queer representation on screen as we seek a more accurate and balanced reflection of our rich and multifaceted community. We denounce and will work to end harassment and stereotyping of any kind. We will work to achieve true-to-life queer onscreen visibility of our culture and our stories and to realize change in our industry.
About ACTRA Toronto:
ACTRA Toronto is the largest organization within ACTRA, representing over 15,000 of Canada’s 30,000 professional performers working in recorded media in Canada. An advocate for Canadian culture since 1943, ACTRA is a member-driven union that continues to secure rights and respect for the work of professional performers.
Media contact:
Jennifer McGibbon, Public Relations Officer, ACTRA Toronto jmcgibbon@actratoronto.com, 416-642-6710
outACTRAto social:
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