Special of the Day

Director Christopher Bevan
Year 2011
Run Time 5min
Genre Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Vita Nova, the city in the stars. Home to those of the human race deemed worthy to move on from the chaos of Earth. For those left behind a deadly hunt for outlaws takes place in the wilderness with the promise of living a new life and a new beginning the prize. The special of the day.

Director

Christopher Bevan

Genre

Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Original Language

English

Dead Lover

Director Grace Glowicki
Year 2025
Run Time 83min
Genre Comedy, Horror, Romance, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Thriller

A foul-smelling gravedigger's romance ends in tragedy, spurring her to attempt a resurrection through a madcap series of science experiments. Grace Glowicki and Ben Petrie’s film is a zany DIY horror that zaps fresh life into Mary Shelley's classic.

Director

Grace Glowicki

Producers

Yona Strauss, Grace Glowicki, Ben Petrie

Genres

Comedy, Horror, Romance, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Thriller

Original Language

English

Shivers

Director David Cronenberg
Year 1975
Run Time 87min
Genre Horror, Sci-Fi/Fantasy
The residents of a suburban high-rise apartment building are infected by parasites that turn them into mindless nymphomaniac fiends.
 

Director

David Cronenberg

A Companion of the Order of Canada, Cronenberg is a legendary filmmaker and pioneer of the body horror genre. His directing credits include iconic films such as Scanners, Dead Ringers, Videodrome, and Crash, for which he won the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival. He also directed eXistenZ, Crimes of the Future, The Shrouds, and others. He has won over 80 awards, including the Golden Coach at Cannes, and lifetime achievement awards from TIFF and the DGC.

 

Cast

Joe Silver, Paul Hampton, Lynn Lowry

Producer

Don Carmody

Genres

Horror, Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Interest

Cult & Offbeat Cinema

Original Language

English

Time Hoppers: The Silk Road

Director Flordeliza Dayrit
Year 2025
Run Time 80min
Genre Action/Adventure, Animation, Family, Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Time Hoppers follows four gifted children from The Aqli Academy who stumble upon time travel and are thrust into an adventure along the Silk Road to save great scientists from the evil alchemist Fasid. Will the Time Hoppers prevail?
 

Director

Flordeliza Dayrit

Writers

Flordeliza Dayrit, Sakina Fakhri

Cast

Emily Gin, Angel Haven Ray, Jayce McKenzie

Producer

Michael Milo

Genres

Action/Adventure, Animation, Family, Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Original Language

English

Space Cadet

Director Kid Koala
Year 2025
Run Time 86min
Genre Animation, Family, Sci-Fi/Fantasy
In this charming animated adventure set in the distant future, a young girl raised by a robot becomes a space cadet, and gets selected for her first interstellar adventure. As she encounters challenges on her quest, she is guided by the lessons and memories of her childhood.

Director

Kid Koala

Writer

Mylène Chollet

Producer

Ginette Petit

Genres

Animation, Family, Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Interests

Family Relationships, Strong Female Leads

Original Language

No Dialogue

40 Acres

Director R.T. Thorne
Year 2024
Run Time 113min
Genre Action/Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Thriller
2026 spotlight contributor Staff Pick
In the aftermath of a series of devastating plagues leading to a global food shortage, a former soldier and her family try to make the best of their isolated life on a small farm. But as they become the target of a violent militia trying to take over their land, they are forced into a defensive battle that they didn’t want, but are more than prepared for.

Anchored by an incredible performance from Danielle Deadwyler, 40 Acres is a pulse-pounding action thriller that was met with critical acclaim when it premiered at TIFF, and was named to their annual Canada’s Top Ten list.

“A riveting and fiercely political thriller as poignant as a T.S. Eliot poem and as gory as a George A. Romero flick.” — Barry Hertz, The Globe and Mail

Director

R.T. Thorne

Writers

R.T. Thorne, Glenn Taylor, Lora Campbell

Cast

Danielle Deadwyler, Michael Greyeyes (Plains Cree), Kataem O'Connor

Producer

Jennifer Holness

Genres

Action/Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Thriller

Interest

Black Filmmaker

Original Languages

Cree, English

Sk+te’kmujue’katik (At the Place of Ghosts)

Director Bretten Hannam (L'nu)
Year 2025
Run Time 81min
Genre Drama, Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Faced with a dark presence haunting both of their lives, two estranged brothers, Mise’l (Goodluck) and Antle (Miranda), head into Sk+te’kmujue’katik, a forest known as “The Place of Ghosts” in order to come to terms with their past and confront the trauma that continues to haunt them.

A deeply affecting thriller that brilliantly combines the personal with the supernatural, Sk+te’kmujue’katik premiered at TIFF and was named to their annual Canada’s Top Ten list. 

“Compelling performances, atmospheric direction, and an evocative use of imagery help the film to stand out as a spirited exercise in genre-bending.” - Nadia Dalimonte, Next Best Picture

Director

Bretten Hannam (L'nu)

Writer

Bretten Hannam (L'nu)

Cast

Forrest Goodluck (Diné/Mandan/Hidatsa/Tsimshian), Blake Alec Miranda (Native American), Glen Gould (Mi’qmaw)

Producers

Martin Katz, Mitchel Fleming, Diana Elbaum, Marc Tetreault, Jason Levangie

Genres

Drama, Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Family Relationships, Indigenous Filmmaker, LGBTQ2S+

Original Languages

English, Other Language

Can I Get a Witness?

Director Ann Marie Fleming
Year 2024
Run Time 110min
Genre Sci-Fi/Fantasy
In a not so distant future, everyone is forced to end their life at 50, in order to save the planet. This weighs especially heavily on young artist Kiah (Kiera Jang), as her mother (Sandra Oh) prepares for this end of life ritual.

Director

Ann Marie Fleming

Fleming is a visual artist, filmmaker and writer who has animated over 20 films, including the shorts Stories Sarah Tells, Big Trees, A Short Film About Tegan & Sara, Question Period, and Old Dog. Her features include New Shoes, The Magical Life of Long Tack Sam, The French Guy, and Can I Get a Witness, which premiered at TIFF 2024. Fleming has won nearly 20 awards and nominations for her films, including 15 for Window Horses

Writer

Ann Marie Fleming

Cast

Keira Jang, Sandra Oh, Joel Oulette (Cree/Métis)

Producer

Ann Marie Fleming

Genre

Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Interests

Arts and Culture, Asian Filmmaker, BIPOC Stories, Environment, Female Filmmaker, Global Experiences, Strong Female Leads

Original Language

English

Vous n’êtes pas seuls (You Are Not Alone)

Directors Philippe Lupien, Marie-Hélène Viens
Year 2024
Run Time 105min
Genre Comedy, Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Léo, a lonely young pizza delivery man finds little purpose in his life, but that all changes when he falls head over heels for local musician Rita. As their romance begins to blossom, the couple is blissfully unaware of the threat of an alien who has targeted Léo for a mysterious and dangerous purpose.

A heartfelt drama with a sci-fi twist, You Are Not Alone takes you on a mysterious and beautiful journey that is completely captivating.

Vous n’êtes pas seuls prouve, si nous en doutions encore, que notre cinéma est capable de continuer d’innover et de se renouveler.” – Isabelle Hontebeyrie, Le journal de Montréal
 

Directors

Philippe Lupien

Lupien is a director whose short film credits include L'Halloween de Monsieur Simard and Le diable en personne. Together with his partner Marie-Hélène Viens, he has co-directed the short films Bernard Le Grand, Amen and Nous sommes Le Freak Show, and the feature film Vous n'êtes pas seul, which won the Best Canadian Discovery Award at TIFF 2024.  

Marie-Hélène Viens

Viens is a director and screenwriter who has worked in collaboration with Philippe Lupien for many years. Their short films Bernard Le Grand, Amen and Nous sommes Le Freak Show played at numerous festivals and won over 15 awards. Vous n'êtes pas seul was the duo’s first feature film, and won the Best Canadian Discovery Award at TIFF 2024.  

Writers

Marie-Hélène Viens, Philippe Lupien

Cast

Marianne Fortier, Pier-Luc Funk, Sandrine Bisson

Producer

Fanny-Laure Malo

Genres

Comedy, Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Interests

Cult & Offbeat Cinema, Female Filmmaker

Original Language

French

The Brood

Director David Cronenberg
Year 1979
Run Time 92min
Genre Horror, Sci-Fi/Fantasy

A man tries to uncover an unconventional psychologist's therapy techniques on his institutionalized wife, amidst a series of brutal murders.

Director

David Cronenberg

Writer

David Cronenberg

Cast

Art Hindle, Oliver Reed, Samantha Eggar

Producers

Victor Solnicki, Claude Héroux, Pierre David

Genres

Horror, Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Original Language

English