Imran and Alykhan

Director Shakil Jessa
Year 2022
Run Time 14min
Genre Romance
At a Muslim youth retreat, sparks fly between two teenage boys, Imran and Alykhan, but they’re forced to keep their budding relationship a secret.

Director

Shakil Jessa

Genre

Romance

Interests

BIPOC Stories, LGBTQ2S+

Original Language

English

A Dangerous Method

Director David Cronenberg
Year 2011
Run Time 99min
Genre Drama, Romance, Thriller
A fictionalized account of the early days of psychoanalysis and the turbulent relationship between Carl Jung (Michael Fassbender), his mentor Sigmund Freud (Viggo Mortensen), and the patient (Kiera Knightley) who tore them apart. 

Director

David Cronenberg

Cast

Keira Knightley, Michael Fassbender, Viggo Mortensen

Producer

Jeremy Thomas

Genres

Drama, Romance, Thriller

Interests

Biography, Literary Adaptation

Original Language

English

Sinking Ship

Director Sasha Leigh Henry
Year 2020
Run Time 13min
Genre Romance
On a seemingly ordinary date, a couple begins to frankly dissect their relationship, revealing the unexpectedly rocky foundation that it is built upon.

Director

Sasha Leigh Henry

Writer

Tania Thompson

Cast

Pip Dwyer, Edsson Morales, Madeleine Claude

Genre

Romance

Interest

Female Filmmaker

Original Language

English

Fire

Director Deepa Mehta
Year 1996
Run Time 104min
Genre Drama, Romance
Courageous and emotionally powerful, Fire follows Sita (Nandita Das) and Radha (Shabana Azmi), two women living in New Delhi who are disappointed with their arranged marriages. While Sita is trapped in a relationship with her cruel and unfaithful husband, Jatin (Jaaved Jaafei), Radha is married to his brother, Ashok (Kulbhushan Kharbanda), a religious zealot who believes in suppressing desire. Lonely and lacking in love and passion, the two women begin to seek solace and friendship in each other, only to discover a passionate romantic love that must be kept secret.

When it was released in the late 1990s, Fire’s incendiary subject matter led to protests and government interventions in India. Years later, the internationally acclaimed film is as seductive and moving as ever.

The film won seven awards at film festivals around the world, including "Most Popular Canadian Film" at the Vancouver International Film Festival.
 

Director

Deepa Mehta

Mehta gained acclaim for her trilogy, Fire, Earth and the Oscar-nominated Water. Her adaptation of Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children was nominated for eight CSAs. She has also directed Bollywood/Hollywood, Beeba Boys, Anatomy of Violence, and many others. Her most recent film Funny Boy has also won multiple awards, including the CSA for best direction. Most recently, she directed an episode of the series Yellowjackets. She has numerous projects in development as a writer, director and producer. 

Writer

Deepa Mehta

Cast

Shabana Azmi, Nandita Das, Karishma Jhalani

Producers

Bobby Bedi, David Hamilton, Deepa Mehta

Genres

Drama, Romance

Interests

Asian Filmmaker, Female Filmmaker, Global Experiences, LGBTQ2S+, Social Justice & Politics

Original Language

English

Modra

Director Ingrid Veninger
Year 2010
Run Time 80min
Genre Drama, Romance

Being a teenager isn’t always easy. 17-year old Lina (Hallie Switzer) is planning a summer holiday visiting her mother’s family in Modra, Slovakia with her boyfriend, when he unexpectedly breaks up with her. Not willing to let it ruin her summer plans, Lina asks Leco (Alexander Gammal), another cute boy from school, to join her on the trip.

While Lina’s Slovakian family assumes they’re a couple, she and Leco start to realize that they don’t have a whole lot in common after all – which doesn’t stop Leco from feeling hurt when Lina steps out with a local boy. An emotional journey of soul searching and self discovery, Modra lets its two young leads gently discover who they are while they navigate the unfamiliar challenges of being far from home.

The film was selected by the Toronto International Film Festival as one of Canada’s Top Ten films of 2010 and won an Audience Award in Slovakia, at the Bratislava International Film Festival.

“… a prime example of heartfelt DIY filmmaking that really works… poignantly alert to the nuances of teen life, perfectly capturing that confusing betwixt-and-between time." Alissa Simon, Variety

Director

Ingrid Veninger

Writer

Ingrid Veninger

Cast

Alexander Gammal, Hallie Switzer

Producer

Ingrid Veninger

Genres

Drama, Romance

Interest

Female Filmmaker

Original Languages

English, Other Language

Mariages (Marriages)

Director Catherine Martin
Year 2001
Run Time 95min
Genre Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Quebec filmmaker Catherine Martin made her feature debut with this film about a 19th century woman struggling against oppressive Victorian social norms. 20-year-old Yvonne (Marie-Ève Bertrand) is a free spirit whose prudish, strict older sister Héleène (Guylaine Tremblay) struggles to contain her.

Helene intends to send her sister to a convent, and when Yvonne falls in love with the rakish Charles (David Boutin), Hélène concocts a scheme to keep them apart by arranging for him to marry her own teenage daughter. Unwilling to give up her passionate desires, Yvonne heads to the woods to find her own solution.

This finely crafted historical drama was awarded Best Feature by the Quebec Association of Film Critics in 2001.

Director

Catherine Martin

Writer

Catherine Martin

Cast

Marie-Ève Bertrand, Guylaine Tremblay, Hélène Loiselle

Producer

Lorraine Dufour

Genres

Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Interests

Family Relationships, Female Filmmaker, History

Original Language

French

Sarah préfère la course (Sarah Prefers to Run)

Director Chloé Robichaud
Year 2013
Run Time 97min
Genre Drama, Romance

Sarah (Sophie Desmarais) is a gifted young runner whose life changes when she’s offered a spot at McGill – far from her suburban life near Quebec City. But when her fearful mother refuses to give her financial support, Sarah marries her best friend Antoine (Jean-Sébastien Courchesne) in an attempt to qualify for the best scholarships, and they set out for Montreal on their own.

Antoine has feelings for Sarah, but it soon becomes clear that the only thing she truly loves is running. This assured feature-length debut from Robichaud is an unusual coming of age story and a heartfelt and subtle drama about an introverted protagonist’s late-blossoming sexuality.

After its premiere in the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival, the film won the Women in Film & Television Artistic Merit Award at the Vancouver International Film Festival.

“What makes Sarah Prefers to Run so touching is that we're not quite sure what the resolution will be for Sarah. She isn't, either. But she just keeps running.” – Tim Grierson, Paste Magazine

Director

Chloé Robichaud

Writer

Chloé Robichaud

Cast

Sophie Desmarais, Jean‑Sébastien Courchesne

Producers

Chloé Robichaud, Fanny-Laure Malo

Genres

Drama, Romance

Interests

Female Filmmaker, Sports

Original Language

French

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

Men with Brooms

Director Paul Gross
Year 2002
Run Time 103min
Genre Comedy, Romance
After the success of the TV series Due South, Paul Gross went on to create this mainstream Canadian comedy hit, with romance, music (The Tragically Hip appear as a rival team) and, of course, curling.

When Chris Cutter (Gross) returns to his small hometown to bury his former curling coach, he is inspired to reunite the old team and try to win the Golden Broom. Nothing has been the same in town since Chris’s departure 10 years earlier — Chris’s old teammates and his own father (Nielsen) are disappointed in life, and the coach’s daughters Amy (Parker) and Julie (Nolden) have become, respectively, a drunk and an astronaut. Despite the odds, the rag-tag group of misfits unites to compete in the championship, with heartwarming and hilarious results.

Director

Paul Gross

Gross starred in the hit TV series Due South and Slings & Arrows. He directed, wrote and starred in Men With Brooms, which won a Canadian Comedy Award, as well as Hyena Road and Passchendaele, which won a Genie for best film. Gross also starred in the mini-series Alias Grace and Caught, the series Tales of the City and Y: The Last Man, and the films Falling and The Middle Man.

Writers

Paul Gross, John Krizanc, Paul Quarrington

Cast

Paul Gross, Leslie Nielsen, Molly Parker, Michelle Nolden, The Tragically Hip

Producer

Robert Lantos

Genres

Comedy, Romance

Interest

Sports

Original Language

English

Funny Boy

Director Deepa Mehta
Year 2020
Run Time 109min
Genre Drama, Romance
This heartbreaking tale of love and loss follows Arjie (Nand as a child, Ingram as an adult), a Tamil child in Sri Lanka, who is referred to as a “funny boy” by his family, because he doesn’t behave like the other boys. He draws inspiration from his free-spirited Canadian cousin to explore his identity, and goes on to pursue his crushes on the boys in his class. When he reaches adulthood, his life, family, and his first real love are all threatened as the Sri Lankan Civil War breaks out and brings about life-changing tragedies and upheavals.

Based on the celebrated novel by Shyam Selvadurai, Funny Boy was nominated for nine Canadian Screen Awards, winning for directing, screenplay and score.

“An attractive journey, gilded in summery light throughout by Douglas Koch’s camera.” – Guy Lodge, Variety

Director

Deepa Mehta

Mehta gained acclaim for her trilogy, Fire, Earth and the Oscar-nominated Water. Her adaptation of Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children was nominated for eight CSAs. She has also directed Bollywood/Hollywood, Beeba Boys, Anatomy of Violence, and many others. Her most recent film Funny Boy has also won multiple awards, including the CSA for best direction. Most recently, she directed an episode of the series Yellowjackets. She has numerous projects in development as a writer, director and producer. 

Writers

Deepa Mehta, Shyam Selvadurai

Cast

Brandon Ingram, Arush Nand, Nimmi Harasgama, Agam Darshi, Ali Kazmi

Producers

Hussaini Amarshi, Lodi Butler, Gopi Darmaratnam, David Hamilton, Neil Mathieson

Genres

Drama, Romance

Interests

Asian Filmmaker, BIPOC Stories, Bullying, Discrimination, Family Relationships, Female Filmmaker, Global Experiences, LGBTQ2S+, Literary Adaptation

Original Languages

English, Other Language