Genre: Thriller
40 Acres
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
Eastern Promises
Featuring incredible performances, including an Oscar-nominated turn from Mortensen, this masterpiece from David Cronenberg received widespread acclaim, winning seven Genie Awards and the TIFF People’s Choice Award.
“A film that takes us beyond crime and London and the Russian mafia and into the mystifying realms of human nature.” — Roger Ebert, The Chicago Sun Times
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.
Writer
Steven Knight
Cast
Viggo Mortensen, Naomi Watts, Vincent Cassel
Producers
Paul Webster, Robert Lantos
Genres
Drama, Thriller
Interest
Strong Female Leads
Original Languages
English, Other Language
Les chambres rouges (Red Rooms)
Director
Pascal Plante
Montreal-based Plante is a screenwriter and director whose short film credits include Drum de marde!, Blue-Eyed Blonde, and Nonna, among others. His features include Les faux tatouages, which premiered at the Berlinale, Nadia, Butterfly, which was selected for the Cannes Film Festival, and Les chambres rouges, which has garnered 15 awards and 34 nominations internationally.
Writer
Pascal Plante
Cast
Laurie Babin, Sasha Samar, Juliette Gariépy
Producer
Dominique Dussault
Genres
Horror, Thriller
Interest
Strong Female Leads
Original Language
French
Seeds
In this tense thriller, a Mohawk internet personality receives her first sponsorship, promoting the seed and fertilizer company Nature's Oath. But when she returns to her reserve, she discovers a dark side to the company that threatens both her and her people.
Director
Kaniehtiio Horn (Mohawk)
Writer
Kaniehtiio Horn (Mohawk)
Cast
Kaniehtiio Horn (Mohawk), Meegwun Fairbrother (Ojibway), Cherish Violet Blood (Kainai), Graham Greene (Oneida)
Producers
Leonard Farlinger, Jennifer Jonas
Genres
Horror, Thriller
Interests
BIPOC Stories, Environment, Female Filmmaker, Indigenous Filmmaker, Social Justice & Politics, Strong Female Leads
Original Language
English
Die Alone
A brilliant blend of romance and horror, Die Alone is a refreshing take on the zombie genre with a heartfelt message at its core.
“This isn’t just a zombie film; it’s a haunting exploration of love, loss, and what it means to hold on when everything else falls apart.” – Thom Ernst, Original Cin
Director
Lowell Dean
Dean began his career as a director with short films such as Juice Pigs, which he co-wrote, and episodes of Canadian TV series such as Dust Up, and Blood, Lies and Alibis. He has gone on to direct six feature films which include comedy-horror Wolfcop, its well-deserved sequel Another Wolfcop, and the action-packed Supergrid. In 2024, he released two films, Dark Match and Die Alone, which premiered at Sitges Film Festival and took home the Midnight X-treme audience choice award.
Writer
Lowell Dean
Cast
Carrie-Anne Moss, Douglas Smith, Frank Grillo
Producers
Kevin DeWalt, Danielle Masters, Benjamin DeWalt
Genres
Horror, Romance, Thriller
Interest
Strong Female Leads
Original Language
English
The King Tide
After the mayor of an idyllic island village discovers a child with mysterious powers awash on their shores, the once peaceful community devolves into civil war, torn over the belief that the child is the next saviour.
Director
Christian Sparkes
Christian Sparkes is an acclaimed writer and director from Newfoundland whose films often evoke the darkness and beauty of Atlantic Canada. His debut feature film, Cast No Shadow, won Best Atlantic Feature as well as Best Director, Screenplay, Actress, Actor and Cinematography at the Atlantic Film Festival in 2014. Since then he has gone on to direct other notable films, releasing both The King Tide and Sweetland in 2024.
Writers
Kevin Coughlin, Ryan Grassby, Albert Shin, William Woods
Cast
Frances Fisher, Clayne Crawford, Alix West Lefler, Aden Young
Producers
William Woods, Allison White
Genres
Drama, Thriller
Original Language
English
Through Black Spruce
Director
Don McKellar
A Member of the Order of Canada, McKellar is a prolific writer, 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 he wrote, directed and starred in Childstar and Last Night (which won the Prix de la jeunesse at the Cannes film festival). As an actor, he has starred in films such as Meditation Park and David Cronenberg’s Crimes of the Future. McKellar has also worked extensively in television, directing the series Sensitive Skin, as well as creating and showrunning The Sympathizer with Park Chan-wook.
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
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
Jusqu’au déclin (The Decline)
"A first feature for director Patrice Laliberté and several of his principal collaborators, The Decline is lean, credible and well-crafted” - Dennis Harvey, Variety
Director
Patrice Laliberté
Writer
Patrice Laliberté
Cast
Guillaume Laurin, Marie-Evelyne Lessard, Réal Bossé, Nicolas Krief
Producer
Julie Groleau
Genre
Thriller
Original Languages
English, French