Melissa Itwar Artistry heads to Inside Out with Tender Chosen

2SLGBTQ+ short film, Tender Chosen, is set to have its world premiere during the Shorts: Thrive Program at Toronto’s Inside Out 2SLGBTQ Film Festival on May 29, 2026.

Written and starring rising Toronto star Mason McDonald, Tender Chosen tells a delicate story of a transmasc man’s unexpected pregnancy, and the ensuing personal, medical and relationship dynamics he is forced to navigate.

Originally written as a full length theatre production, Mason transformed the story into a medium that would capture the cinematic nuances of such sensitive topics as trans pregnancy, transmasc healthcare in general, and managing polyamorous relationships and polycules. Tender Chosen was the 2025-2026 winner of OutActra’s Queer Your Stories Competition , allowing Mason to partner with an all-queer crew to create the safest, most gentle of sets telling one of the most imperative stories of modern society.

The Melissa Itwar Artistry team proudly joined the Tender Chosen crew, providing hair and makeup for Mason, along with Toronto powerhouses Kyana Teresa, Taha Arshad, and Jessica Greco . Openly pansexual Melissa lead the Hair & Makeup Department, assisted by Co-op Student, Rachel Buzza. Rachel learned important set etiquette surrounding shooting intimate scenes, and how Closed Sets are managed. These intimate scenes also allowed Melissa to field test her propriety formula of lip and body balms in order to cater to cast and crew allergies, and create sweat options that remained comfortable for actors on an extremely warm set - without staining costumes.

Melissa joins the other Tender Chosen crew and cast at the Shorts: Thrive Program Friday, May 29, 2026 at TIFF Bell Lightbox, starting at 6:45pm