Grade: Grade 12
Monsieur Lazhar
Coming from a completely different culture, Monsieur Lazhar must go through a steep learning curve as he comes up against a stubborn class of quirky 11- and 12-year-olds and the school’s rigid administrative standards. And while the school goes through the long process of grieving and healing, it is gradually suspected that Monsieur Lazhar is not entirely who he has claimed to be. This is a touching story of loss and an emotionally powerful exploration of how adults help children cope with intractable issues of life and death for which none of us is truly equipped.
The film was short-listed for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar.
Director
Philippe Falardeau
Québécois director and screenwriter Falardeau has won more than 32 international awards for his films, which include Monsieur Lazhar, La moitié gauche du frigo, C’est pas moi, je le jure!, The Good Lie, Guibord s’en va-t-en guerre, and My Salinger Year. He also directed the TV shows Le temps des framboises, and Lac-Mégantic - ceci n’est pas un accident.
Writer
Philippe Falardeau
Cast
Mohamed Fellag, Sophie Nélisse, Émilien Néron, Danielle Proulx, Bridgette Poupart
Producers
Luc Déry, Kim McCraw
Genre
Drama
Interests
BIPOC Stories, Newcomer Stories
Original Language
French
The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open
Two Indigenous women from vastly different backgrounds find their worlds colliding on an East Vancouver sidewalk when domestic violence forces one of them, a pregnant teen named Rosie (Violet Nelson), to flee her home.
Àila (Tailfeathers) swiftly offers her shelter, and as their intimate yet challenging encounter develops, the women weave a fragile bond, and must face their own unique struggles with the complexities of motherhood, class, race, and the ongoing legacy of colonialism.
Directors
Kathleen Hepburn, Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers (Blackfoot/Sámi)
Writers
Kathleen Hepburn, Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers (Blackfoot/Sámi)
Cast
Charlie Hannah, Violet Nelson (Kwakwakaʼwakw), Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers (Blackfoot/Sámi)
Producers
Lori Lozinski, Tyler Hagan, Alan Milligan
Genre
Drama
Interests
BIPOC Stories, Female Filmmaker, Indigenous Filmmaker, Strong Female Leads
Original Language
English
Only Light Will Touch Us
Director
Alicia K. Harris
Writer
Alicia K. Harris
Cast
Tony Arthur
Producers
Jason Aita, Sharon Corder
Genre
Drama
Interests
Arts and Culture, BIPOC Stories, Female Filmmaker
Original Language
English
The Porter
This acclaimed eight-episode series won a Directors Guild of Canada award for Charles Officer, and was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award.
Directors
Charles Officer
Actor, writer and filmmaker Officer’s first feature, Nurse.Fighter.Boy, was nominated for 10 Genies, winning one. Officer also directed the docs Mighty Jerome, The Skin We're In, Unarmed Verses, and Invisible Essence: The Little Prince, as well as the feature Akilla's Escape, which won five CSAs. He directed episodes of Coroner, and executive produced and co-directed The Porter, which was nominated for an Emmy. Officer passed away in 2023. He changed the Canadian film and television landscape with his fierce dedication to portraying Black perspectives and experiences, and is greatly missed.
Cast
Aml Ameen, Ronnie Rowe, Mouna Traoré, Loren Lott
Genre
Drama
Interests
BIPOC Stories, Discrimination, History, Social Justice & Politics
Original Language
English
Cree Code Talker
Director
Alexandra Lazarowich (Cree)
Producers
Alexandra Lazarowich (Cree), Cowboy Smithx (Blackfoot)
Genre
Documentary
Interests
Biography, BIPOC Stories, Female Filmmaker, History, Indigenous Filmmaker
Original Language
English
Divinations
Directors
Simon Mutabazi, Dan Boos
Producer
Sharon Corder
Genre
Documentary
Interest
BIPOC Stories
Original Language
English
Found
Director
Paramita Nath
Writers
Souvankham Thammavongsa, Paramita Nath
Cast
Souvankham Thammavongsa
Producers
Paramita Nath, Ted Biggs
Genre
Experimental
Interests
Arts and Culture, BIPOC Stories, Family Relationships, Female Filmmaker, Global Experiences, History, Newcomer Stories
Original Language
English
We Went Out
Poet Ian Kamau reflects on the ways he and his friends claimed urban spaces in Toronto to form a community in the 1990s.
Director
Ian Kamau
Writer
Ian Kamau
Cast
Mia-Skye Sagara, Ian Kamau, Danilo McCallum, Paul Sackichand
Producers
Dian Marie Bridge, Pip Bradford
Genre
Documentary
Interests
Arts and Culture, BIPOC Stories
Original Language
English
Throat Song
Director
Miranda de Pencier
De Pencier is a director and producer whose first short film Throat Song won four awards including a CSA for Best Live Action Short. The Grizzlies won the DGC’s Outstanding Directorial Achievement Feature Film Award. She has produced several films, including Cake, Beginners and Thanks for Sharing, and executive produced the series Anne With an E, Black Life: Untold Stories, and North of North.
Writer
Miranda de Pencier
Cast
Ippiksaut Friesen (Inuk)
Producers
Alethea Arnaquq-Baril (Inuk), Qajaaq Ellsworth (Inuk)
Genre
Drama
Interests
BIPOC Stories, Female Filmmaker, Indigenous Filmmaker, Strong Female Leads
Original Language
English
Wapawekka
Director
Danis Goulet (Cree/Métis)
Danis Goulet is an award-winning Cree/Métis filmmaker from La Ronge, SK, now based in Toronto. Her films have screened at festivals worldwide including Sundance, Berlinale, TIFF, and MoMA. She has directed numerous short films, including Wapawekka, Barefoot, Wakening, Blind Spot, and others. Night Raiders was her first feature film. It premiered at TIFF 2021 and went on to win 14 awards, including six CSAs. She has also directed episodes of Reservation Dogs and North of North.
Writer
Danis Goulet (Cree/Métis)
Producers
Christine Kleckner, Danis Goulet (Cree/Métis)
Genre
Drama
Interests
BIPOC Stories, Family Relationships, Female Filmmaker, Indigenous Filmmaker
Original Languages
English, Other Language