Love, Leymo

Director Randall Lloyd Okita
Year 2023
Run Time 12min
Genre Documentary
Leymo, a charismatic teenager with autism, writes out a loving letter to his recently-deceased mother with updates about his life, experiences, and accomplishments.

Director

Randall Lloyd Okita

Writer

Leymo Mohammed

Genre

Documentary

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Family Relationships

Original Language

English

I Live Here

Director Tyler Mckenzie Evans
Year 2022
Run Time 11min
Genre Drama
A forgotten key leads to a racially-fuelled confrontation between neighbours.

Director

Tyler Mckenzie Evans

Genre

Drama

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Black Filmmaker, Discrimination

Original Language

English

Black Boys Skate Too

Director Danica Ricamara
Year 2023
Run Time 5min
Genre Documentary
An incisive look at how a group of Black teenagers carve out a space for themselves in a skateboarding community that doesn’t appear welcoming to Black youth.

Director

Danica Ricamara

Genre

Documentary

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Discrimination

Original Language

English

Aqijuq: Playing on a Frozen Land

Director Adrijan Assoufi
Year 2019
Run Time 8min
Genre Documentary
Inuit youth from across Nunavut come together for an indoor soccer (or “futsal”) tournament that proves as inspiring as it is competitive.

Director

Adrijan Assoufi

Genre

Documentary

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Indigenous Filmmaker

Original Language

English

Patty vs Patty

Director Chris Strikes
Year 2022
Run Time 19min
Genre Documentary
In 1985, restaurants in Toronto serving Jamaican patties went to war with the federal government over the right to call their beloved dish a “patty”.

Director

Chris Strikes

Genre

Documentary

Interests

Arts and Culture, BIPOC Stories, Black Filmmaker

Original Language

English

Breakaway (Short Film)

Director Jenny Lee-Gilmore
Year 2019
Run Time 9min
Genre Drama
In 1970's Vancouver, 11-year-old Sammy, an ice hockey-obsessed Chinese Canadian girl, dreams of hockey stardom but her responsibilities at home and bullying older brother get in the way.

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

The Book of Negroes

Director Clement Virgo
Year 2015
Run Time 265min
Genre Drama

This CBC mini-series is based on the internationally celebrated novel by Canadian author Lawrence Hill. A compelling tale of loss, courage, love and the triumph of the human spirit, it follows the extraordinary journey of Aminata Diallo (Ellis), an indomitable African woman.

In 1750, 11-year-old Aminata is kidnapped from her village in West Africa and begins a rich journey that takes her through the harrowing ordeal of slavery, to the turmoil of the American Revolution and ultimately to freedom in the British colony of Nova Scotia. Brilliant and determined, Aminata is a remarkable heroine whose unshakeable connection to her own African heritage guides her over unimaginable obstacles in her quest for freedom and ultimately allows her to assume the mantle of leadership for which she is destined.

Deeply moving and inspiring, The Book of Negroes explores painful historical realities through the unblinking eyes of a strong female protagonist whose story will stay with you long after the telling.

Director

Clement Virgo

Virgo rose to prominence with his first feature, Rude, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and garnered two Genie nominations. He has also directed the films Poor Boy’s Game and Lie With Me, and hit TV shows such as The Wire, Regenesis and The Listener. He recently produced the show Greenleaf and directed episodes of Empire and Billions. His most recent film, Brother, premiered at TIFF 2022. 

Writers

Lawrence Hill, Clement Virgo

Cast

Aunjanue Ellis, Lyriq Bent, Cuba Gooding, Jr, Ben Chaplin, Allan Hawco

Producers

Damon D'Oliveira, Clement Virgo

Genre

Drama

Interests

BIPOC Stories, History, Literary Adaptation, Social Justice & Politics

Original Language

English

Les Pee-Wee (The Pee-Wee: The Winter that Changed My Life)

Director Éric Tessier
Year 2012
Run Time 122min
Genre Comedy, Drama, Family

In this uplifting story, 12-year-old Janeau (Pilon) and his father have moved to a new town after the tragic death of his mother. As they struggle to adjust, Janeau is befriended by Julie (Morel-Michaud), a goalie for the local pee-wee hockey team, The Lynx, who are preparing for a province-wide championship.

Julie immediately sniffs out Janeau’s hockey talent, and eventually convinces her coach to let Janeau join the team, much to the dismay of the team’s current star, Joey (Goulet), and his overbearing father.

This stirring hockey comedy will have audiences cheering for The Lynx as they race to settle their differences — both on and off the ice — before the championship.

Director

Éric Tessier

Tessier’s first film was the award-winning short Viens dehors! His feature films include Sur le seuil, Vendus, 5150 rue des Ormes, Junior Majeur, and Les Pee-Wee: L’hiver qui a changé ma vie, which won the Best Feature Film award at TIFF Kids. He recently directed the films Tu te souviendras de moi and When Love Blooms, and episodes of Hôtel and Transplant. He is currently directing The Amityville Curse.

Writers

Martin Bouchard, Emmanuel Joly, Jean-Sébastien Poirier

Cast

Alice Morel-Michaud, Rémi Goulet, Antoine Olivier Pilon

Producer

Christian Larouche

Genres

Comedy, Drama, Family

Interest

Sports

Original Language

French

Paul à Québec

Director François Bouvier
Year 2015
Run Time 98min
Genre Comedy, Drama
Paul is a cartoonist who lives with his girlfriend and their little daughter. His in-laws are a large, joyful clan with a much loved patriarch, whose health is failing. Based on a graphic novel of the same name, Paul à Québec is the touching story of a family coping with life’s troubles with courage, tenderness and lots of love.

Director

François Bouvier

Film and TV director Bouvier was nominated for the Best Director Genie in 1990 for his film Les matins infidèles. Since then, he has directed numerous television shows and films, including Histoires d'hiver and Maman Last Call, starring Patrick Huard. He recently directed the TV series Ruptures and the film La Bolduc. Currently he is completing work on the film La Cordonnière.

Writers

François Bouvier, Michel Rabagliati

Cast

François Létourneau, Julie LeBreton, Gilbert Sicotte, Louise Portal

Producers

Nathalie Brigitte Bustos, Valérie d'Auteuil, André Rouleau, Karine Vanasse

Genres

Comedy, Drama

Interests

Arts and Culture, Family Relationships, Literary Adaptation

Original Language

French

Pontypool

Director Bruce McDonald
Year 2008
Run Time 93min
Genre Comedy, Horror, Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Grant Mazzy (McHattie) is a big-city shock radio DJ who has lost his job and moves to the small Ontario town of Pontypool, where he frustrates his new station manager, Sydney (Houle).

Nothing ever happens in Pontypool, so when Mazzy arrives at the station to start his show one wintry morning, he and his team are surprised by strange reports from town.

The station’s tiny crew find themselves holed up in their church basement studio, trying to piece together what’s happening outside as disturbing details pour in. Callers are making very little sense, and it seems like the English language itself is infected with a strange virus.

“McDonald knows it’s the things you don’t see, but only imagine, that best chill the blood.”
— Peter Howell, Toronto Star

Director

Bruce McDonald

McDonald directed the cult hits Highway 61, Roadkill, Hard Core Logo, The Tracey Fragments, starring Elliot Page, Pontypool, and the award-winning series Twitch City, episodes of Degrassi and Heartland. His recent films include Trigger, The Husband, Hellions, Weirdos and Dreamland. He recently directed the series Creeped Out and Malory Towers and is currently working on the films Switched at Death and I Have a Bad Feeling About This.

Writer

Tony Burgess

Cast

Stephen McHattie, Lisa Houle, Georgina Reilly

Producers

Jeffrey Coghlan, Ambrose Roche

Genres

Comedy, Horror, Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Interests

Cult & Offbeat Cinema, Literary Adaptation

Original Language

English