Genre: Drama
BlackBerry
From its humble origins in Waterloo, ON, in 1996, nobody expected the massive global success that the world’s first smartphone would become. Nobody, that is, except Jim Balsillie (Howerton). Taking a chance on then-struggling startup Research in Motion (RIM), he joins BlackBerry creators Mike Lazaridis (Baruchel) and Douglas Fregin (Johnson) as co-CEO. Together, they form a massive multinational tech giant, but the power and wealth soon begin to eat away at their relationship, putting everything they built into jeopardy.
Based loosely on the true story of the extraordinary development and spectacular demise of the BlackBerry, this high-stakes comedy featuring an all-star cast is a bona fide crowd pleaser and critical darling.
"An instant Canadian classic" – Barry Hertz, The Globe and Mail
Director
Matt Johnson
Matt Johnson is an innovative and internationally recognized writer, actor, and director. He is the co-creator, writer, and star of the cult web series Nirvanna the Band the Show, which he adapted for television in 2016. His first two features, The Dirties and Operation Avalanche, received widespread recognition, and were featured at the Slamdance and Sundance film festivals respectively. His third feature, BlackBerry, premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2023 to critical acclaim, and earned a record 17 Canadian Screen Award nominations.
Writers
Matt Johnson, Matthew Miller
Cast
Jay Baruchel, Glenn Howerton, Matt Johnson, Kelly Van der Burg
Producers
Fraser Ash, Matthew Miller, Niv Fichman, Kevin Krikst
Genres
Comedy, Drama
Interests
Biography, History
Original Language
English
Bones of Crows
A powerful and moving exploration of the horrors and lasting impact of the Residential School System, Bones of Crows follows Aline Spears (Dove), a Cree musical prodigy forcibly removed from her family as a young girl. Following her traumatic experiences, Aline serves her country as a Cree Code Talker in World War II, and thereafter tries to carve out a life for herself, but the memories of what happened to her and her siblings never leaves her. Finding that her story is one shared by hundreds of thousands displaced Indigenous people, she sets herself on a pursuit of justice for herself and future generations.
This courageous generation-spanning epic premiered at TIFF to rave reviews, and received five nominations at the Canadian Screen Awards including Best Original Screenplay.
“[It] should be required viewing for all Canadians.” – Kim Hughes, Original Cin
Director
Marie Clements (Métis/Dene)
Clements works within a variety of mediums including film, television, radio, and live performance. Her work has screened at Cannes, TIFF, MOMA, VIFF, American Indian Film Festival and imagineNATIVE, and has garnered numerous awards. Her films include the musical documentary The Road Forward and Red Snow, her dramatic debut. She is currently directing the TV show Bones of Crows.
Writer
Marie Clements (Métis/Dene)
Cast
Gail Maurice (Cree/Métis), Phillip Lewitski (Mohawk), Grace Dove (Secwépemc), Rémy Girard, Alanis Obomsawin (Abenaki)
Producers
Trish Dolman, Christine Haebler
Genre
Drama
Interests
BIPOC Stories, Discrimination, Family Relationships, Female Filmmaker, History, Indigenous Filmmaker, Social Justice & Politics, Strong Female Leads
Original Languages
Cree, English
Baba (Drama)
Director
Jay Kamal
Genre
Drama
Interests
BIPOC Stories, Global Experiences
Original Languages
English, Other Language
N’xaxaitkw
Director
Asia Youngman (Cree-Métis)
Genres
Drama, Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Interests
BIPOC Stories, Female Filmmaker, Indigenous Filmmaker, Strong Female Leads
Original Language
English
I Live Here
Director
Tyler Mckenzie Evans
Genre
Drama
Interests
BIPOC Stories, Black Filmmaker, Discrimination
Original Language
English
Through Black Spruce
Director
Don McKellar
McKellar is a prolific filmmaker and actor whose work has garnered numerous awards. He wrote Highway 61, The Red Violin and Thirty-Two Short Films About Glenn Gould, and wrote, directed and starred in Last Night (which won the Prix de la jeunesse at the Cannes film festival), and Childstar, and has directed several other films. He recently starred in Meditation Park, Crimes of the Future, and directed Sensitive Skin. Currently, he is writing episodes for Park Chan-wook’s The Sympathizer, which he is also executive producing.
Writer
Barbara Samuels
Cast
Tanaya Beatty (Kwakwakaʼwakw)
Producers
Tina Keeper (Cree), Phyllis Laing, Robert Lantos, Barbara Samuels
Genres
Drama, Thriller
Interests
BIPOC Stories, Family Relationships, Strong Female Leads
Original Language
English
Breakaway (Short Film)
Director
Jenny Lee-Gilmore
Writer
Jenny Lee-Gilmore
Cast
Kingston Chan, Kailee Lowe
Producer
Dide Su Bilgin
Genre
Drama
Interest
BIPOC Stories
Original Language
English
A Dangerous Method
Director
David Cronenberg
Cast
Keira Knightley, Michael Fassbender, Viggo Mortensen
Producer
Jeremy Thomas
Genres
Drama, Romance, Thriller
Interests
Biography, Literary Adaptation
Original Language
English
Tom à la ferme (Tom at the Farm)
Director
Xavier Dolan
Cast
Xavier Dolan, Pierre-Yves Cardinal, Lise Roy
Producers
Xavier Dolan, Nathanaël Karmitz, Charles Gillibert
Genres
Drama, Thriller
Interests
LGBTQ2S+, Literary Adaptation
Original Languages
English, French
So Much Tenderness
Director
Lina Rodríguez
Writer
Lina Rodríguez
Cast
Noëlle Schönwald, Deragh Campbell, Natalia Aranguren
Producer
Brad Deane
Genre
Drama
Interests
BIPOC Stories, Female Filmmaker, Global Experiences
Original Languages
English, Other Language