Les triplettes de Belleville (The Triplets of Belleville)

Director Sylvain Chomet
Year 2003
Run Time 80min
Genre Action/Adventure, Comedy, Drama
A young boy is raised in the French countryside by his grandma, who buys him a bicycle and encourages his dream of winning the Tour de France, in this whimsical animation. However, he gets kidnapped by a group of Mafia gangsters and taken to the big city of Belleville, where he is used for his bicycling prowess in an elaborate gambling scheme. Along with her faithful companion Bruno, his grandmother sets out to rescue him, and ends up befriending a trio of aging musicians who were once the '30s jazz trio known as The Triplets of Belleville.

Features an original jazz musical score by Benoît Charest.

Director

Sylvain Chomet

Writer

Sylvain Chomet

Cast

Michèle Caucheteux, Jean-Claude Donda, Michel Robin, Béatrice Bonifassi, Lina Boudreau

Producers

Viviane Vanfleteren, Didier Brunner, Paul Cadieux

Genres

Action/Adventure, Comedy, Drama

Interests

Family Relationships, Strong Female Leads

Original Language

French

Les barbares de la Malbaie

Director Vincent Biron
Year 2019
Run Time 115min
Genre Comedy, Drama

In this warm-hearted comedy, Yves (Philippe-Audrey Larrue St-Jacques), while still the best player on his minor league team, knows that his chances of making it in the NHL are slowly fading. When he suffers a serious injury, he thinks that he might finally be done for good - until his cousin convinces him to take one last shot at a comeback. Together, they drive from northern Quebec to Thunder Bay in the hopes of having him play in a national tournament.

While it begins as a story about following one's dreams, Les Barbares de la Malbaie also looks at the journey of self-discovery that comes when dreams don't go quite as planned.

Director

Vincent Biron

Writers

Eric K. Boulianne, Alexandre Auger, Marc-Antoine Rioux

Cast

Jean-Michel Anctil, Luc Boucher, Etienne Béliveau

Producers

Hany Ouichou, Jeanne-Marie Poulain

Genres

Comedy, Drama

Interest

Sports

Original Languages

English, French

Psycho Goreman

Director Steven Kostanski
Year 2020
Run Time 95min
Genre Comedy, Horror, Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Two children accidentally resurrect an evil alien overlord, who they name Psycho Goreman (or PG for short). While a magical amulet allows the kids to control him into doing their bidding, PG still wants to destroy the universe - and soon their activities draw the attention of a Planetary Alliance that sends an elite assassin named Pandora to stop PG from carrying out his evil will. In this battle of good vs. evil, it’s anyone’s guess who will come out on top.

From Steven Kostanski, the creator of the cult-hit Manborg, Psycho Goreman is a fantastical ride that is as bizarre as it is hilarious.

Director

Steven Kostanski

Writer

Steven Kostanski

Cast

Nita-Josée Hanna, Owen Myre, Matthew Ninaber

Producers

Stuart F. Andrews, Shannon Hanmer, Steven Kostanski

Genres

Comedy, Horror, Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Interest

Cult & Offbeat Cinema

Original Language

English

Les mauvaises herbes (Bad Seeds)

Director Louis Bélanger
Year 2016
Run Time 105min
Genre Comedy, Drama

Jacques (Alexis Martin), a struggling actor on the run from a loan shark, reluctantly strikes a deal with Simon (Gilles Renaud), a rural farmer with a secret marijuana greenhouse, to help him cultivate a marijuana crop for harvest. In exchange, Simon will hide him from the gangster he owes money to and give him a cut of the profits so that he can pay off his debts.

When they are forced to bring in a sassy energy technician (Emmanuelle Lussier-Martinez) to help their secret grow-op thrive, both men’s secrets are threatened, and the race is on to complete the harvest before they’re discovered.

Les Mauvaises Herbes was nominated for four Canadian Screen Awards including Best Picture and won two Prix Iris for Best Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor.

Director

Louis Bélanger

Writers

Louis Bélanger, Alexis Martin

Cast

Alexis Martin, Gilles Renaud, Emmanuelle Lussier Martinez

Producers

Lorraine Dufour, Luc Vandal

Genres

Comedy, Drama

Original Language

French

Les invasions barbares (The Barbarian Invasions)

Director Denys Arcand
Year 2003
Run Time 99min
Genre Comedy
In this follow-up film to The Decline of the American Empire, Denys Arcand continues the story of Remy (Girard) a womanizing professor who is now terminally ill with cancer. It’s been 17 years, and Remy is divorced, estranged from his son and his friends, and in search of redemption and forgiveness. As Remy reunites with old friends and loved ones to reminisce about their younger days, the conversations are as gloriously all-encompassing in their scope as they were in Arcand’s previous film.

An illuminating bittersweet-comedy that won Canada’s first Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. The film also won the award for Best Screenplay at the Cannes Film Festival and nearly 50 other awards.

Director

Denys Arcand

Writer

Denys Arcand

Cast

Rémy Girard, Dorothée Berryman, Stéphane Rousseau, Marie-Josée Croze

Producers

Daniel Louis, Denise Robert

Genre

Comedy

Interests

Arts and Culture, Social Justice & Politics

Original Language

French

Fabuleuses

Director Mélanie Charbonneau
Year 2019
Run Time 112min
Genre Comedy, Drama

Laurie (O’Farrell) desperately wants to become a social media influencer, much to the chagrin of her roommate Elizabeth (Zazham). When she befriends her idol, Clara (Gosselin), a prolific content creator who seems to have a perfect life, Laurie starts to gain a following herself, and finally gets a taste of the life she wants. But as their friendship continues, and the façade that Clara constructed starts to fall away, Laurie comes to see the dark side of internet celebrity, and that she may already be in too deep.

An insightful look at contemporary young female relationships, Mélanie Charbonneau’s debut feature Fabuleuses was nominated for 5 Prix Iris, including best film and best actress. 

Director

Mélanie Charbonneau

Quebec-based director Charbonneau started her career with directing commercials. Her first short film, Seule played several international festivals including Cannes. Her short film Lunar-Orbit Rendezvous collected over 30 prizes at festivals internationally. Fabuleuses was her first feature. Most recently she directed episodes of Je ne suis pas un robot.

Writers

Mélanie Charbonneau, Geneviève Pettersen

Cast

Noémie O'Farrell, Alexandre Nachi, Juliette Gosselin, Genevieve Boivin Roussy, Mounia Zahzam

Producer

Nicole Robert

Genres

Comedy, Drama

Interests

Arts and Culture, Female Filmmaker

Original Language

French

The Incredible 25th Year of Mitzi Bearclaw

Director Shelley Niro (Kanien'kehaka)
Year 2019
Run Time 96min
Genre Comedy
When Mitzi Bearclaw (Angeline) turns 25, it’s time to start making big decisions for the future. Her dream to design cool hats is put on hold when she chooses to move from the city back to her isolated reserve to look after her sick mother.

With the reserve bully (Supernault) constantly at her heels and an old flame (Kapashesit) suddenly back in her life, she is grateful that her cousin (Martin) is there to help her in the fight to stay positive under trying circumstances. With a lot of laughs along the way, Mitzi embarks on a quest to get her family back on the right track!

Director

Shelley Niro (Kanien'kehaka)

Writer

Shelley Niro (Kanien'kehaka)

Cast

MorningStar Angeline (Navajo/Shoshone/Chippewa Cree/Blackfoot), Gary Farmer (Cayuga), Roseanne Supernault (Cree/Métis), Gail Maurice (Cree/Métis), Ajuawak Kapashesit (Ojibway/Cree)

Producers

Amos Adetuyi, Floyd Kane, Shelley Niro (Kanien'kehaka)

Genre

Comedy

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Female Filmmaker, Indigenous Filmmaker

Original Languages

English, Other Language

Picture Day

Director Kate Melville
Year 2012
Run Time 93min
Genre Comedy, Drama
Calling all fans of Degrassi: series writer-turned-director Kate Melville’s feature film debut is an adolescent slice-of-life that commands attention with its wry humour and awesome performance by Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black).

Forced to repeat her senior year in high school, Claire (Maslany) has a reputation for sliding into bad habits. At night, she escapes to would-be rock star Jim (McCarthy), while at school, she bonds with Henry (Van Wyck), a nerdy freshman she used to babysit.

Jim and Henry couldn’t be more different, but that becomes part of the point. In this playful, cool and whip-smart coming-of-age film, Emmy-winner Maslany shows us the emotional depth of a rare character that learns the difference between sex, intimacy and friendship.

Director

Kate Melville

Writer

Kate Melville

Cast

Tatiana Maslany, Spencer Van Wyck, Steven McCarthy

Producers

Lauren Grant, Peter Harvey, Daniel Iron, Kate Melville

Genres

Comedy, Drama

Interest

Female Filmmaker

Original Language

English

Better Than Chocolate

Director Anne Wheeler
Year 1999
Run Time 101min
Genre Comedy

Maggie (Karyn Dwyer) is happy with her life in Vancouver. She works at an LGBTQ+ bookstore owned by Frances (Anne-Marie MacDonald) and has recently fallen head over heels with a young artist named (Christina Cox). When the couple decide to take their romance to the next level and move in together, everything seems perfect.

That is, until Maggie’s recently-divorced mom Lila (Wendy Crewson) and brother Paul turn up at her doorstep, looking to stay with her. The unlikely foursome end up sharing Maggie’s Vancouver loft, and Maggie must decide whether to keep her relationship – and her sexuality – a secret, or reveal who she really is to her well-meaning but naïve and conservative mother.

“Anne Wheeler's sexy, funny, poignant film, from a bright script by Peggy Thompson, is a real charmer, with considerable brains.” – David Noh, FilmJournal International

Director

Anne Wheeler

Writer

Peggy Thompson

Cast

Wendy Crewson, Karyn Dwyer, Christina Cox, Christina Cox, Karyn Dwyer

Producer

Sharon McGowan

Genre

Comedy

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Female Filmmaker, LGBTQ2S+

Original Language

English

Spinster

Director Andrea Dorfman
Year 2019
Run Time 87min
Genre Comedy, Romance

On her 39th birthday, Gaby (Chelsea Peretti) finds that she's hit a crossroad in her life. Fresh off of yet another failed relationship, everyone in her life is asking when she's going to settle down. It doesn't help that as a wedding caterer, she's constantly reminded of this pressure. With the dating scene looking bleaker than ever, Gabye begins to wonder whether she'd be happier if she never finds 'the one'.

Andrea Dorfman’s clever twist on the romantic comedy genre features a brilliant performance from Chelsea Peretti (Brooklyn Nine Nine), who brings a touching depth of character along with her trademark acerbic wit.

Director

Andrea Dorfman

Writer

Jennifer Deyell

Cast

Chelsea Peretti

Producers

Jay Dahl, Bill Niven, Marc Tetreault, William Woods

Genres

Comedy, Romance

Interest

Female Filmmaker

Original Language

English