A World of Our Own

Director Morningstar Derosier (Anishinaabe)
Year 2018
Run Time 9min
Genre Drama, Sci-Fi/Fantasy
In a twist on futuristic sci-fi, a young woman becomes infatuated with a woman who removes a ubiquitous computer implant that has replaced most forms of communication.

Director

Morningstar Derosier (Anishinaabe)

Writer

Morningstar Derosier (Anishinaabe)

Cast

Curtis Carriere, Rebekah Manella, Kaitlyn Stewart

Producer

Morningstar Derosier (Anishinaabe)

Genres

Drama, Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Female Filmmaker, Indigenous Filmmaker

Original Language

English

I Met the Walrus

Director Josh Raskin
Year 2007
Run Time 5min
Genre Animation, Drama
In 1969, a 14-year-old Beatle fan sneaks into John Lennon's Toronto hotel room and convinces him to do an interview for his school paper. This clever animation illustrates the audio recording of that conversation.  

Director

Josh Raskin

Writer

Josh Raskin

Cast

John Lennon, Jerry Levitan

Producer

Jerry Levitan

Genres

Animation, Drama

Interest

History

Original Language

English

The Heart of the World

Director Guy Maddin
Year 2000
Run Time 6min
Genre Drama
The story of state scientist Anna and the two brothers who vie for her love while she tries to save the world. 
Content note: Sexual content

Director

Guy Maddin

Writer

Guy Maddin

Cast

Shaun Balbar, Caelum Vatnsdal, Leslie Bais

Producer

Jody Shapiro

Genre

Drama

Interests

Family Relationships, Global Experiences

Original Language

English

Me and My Moulton

Director Torill Kove
Year 2014
Run Time 13min
Genre Animation
In this Oscar-nominated short, a seven-year-old girl asks for a bicycle, knowing that her loving yet unconventional parents have other ideas. 

Director

Torill Kove

Writer

Torill Kove

Cast

Andrea Bræin Hovig

Producers

David Verrall, Marcy Page, Lise Fearnley

Genre

Animation

Interests

Family Relationships, Female Filmmaker, Global Experiences

Original Languages

English, French

No Ordinary Man

Directors Aisling Chin-Yee, Chase Joynt
Year 2020
Run Time 84min
Genre Documentary

Billy Tipton, a 20th Century jazz musician became a trans icon after his death, and his legacy continues to be carried forward by trans artists to this day. Featuring a unique documentary structure, the film uses an audition session for a proposed biopic about Tipton as a jumping off point for a group of contemporary trans artists to explore what Tipton has meant to them, and to share stories about their own lives and experiences.

Also featuring interviews with Tipton’s family, Aisling Chin-Yee and Chase Joynt’s remarkable tribute to a misunderstood artist was named one of Canada’s Top 10 in 2020.

"Approaching Tipton’s story with the free hand of an improvised jazz set, No Ordinary Man is an elegant riff on a classic progression that arrives at something transcendent." - Jude Dry, Indiewire

Directors

Aisling Chin-Yee

Chin-Yee is an award-winning filmmaker who directed the shorts Sound Asleep and Synesthesia, and the mini-series Plan B. Her feature directorial debut was The Rest of Us, and she co-directed the documentary No Ordinary Man, both of which premiered at TIFF. She was on DOC NYC’s 40 under 40 list and was named a Rising Film Star by Now Magazine. She has numerous producing credits, including the features Last Woman Standing and Rhymes for Young Ghouls.

 

Chase Joynt

Joynt is an award-winning director and writer. His first book, You Only Live Twice, was a Lambda Literary Award Finalist. He recently directed Framing Agnes, which played at Sundance and Hot Docs, and he is starring in John Greyson’s upcoming film, Door Prize.

Writers

Aisling Chin-Yee, Amos Mac

Cast

Billy Tipton Jr.

Producer

Sarah Spring

Genre

Documentary

Interests

Arts and Culture, Asian Filmmaker, Biography, Female Filmmaker, History, LGBTQ2S+, Social Justice & Politics

Original Language

English

Run Woman Run

Director Zoe Leigh Hopkins (Heiltsuk/Mohawk)
Year 2021
Run Time 100min
Genre Comedy, Drama, Romance

Single mother Beck (Hebert) finds her life upended when she faces a health scare and is forced to make big changes to the way she lives. Beck decides to start training for a marathon to prove to herself and her family that she’s able to get back on track. 

 

Guided by the ghost of her ancestor, legendary long distance runner Tom Longboat (Koostachin), she sets out on a journey that is both emotional and inspiring. Told in a lighthearted and charming way, Run Woman Run is a feel-good anti-rom-com about a woman who has to tackle the ghosts of her past before she can run toward a better future. Winner of the Audience Choice Award and Moon Jury Prize at imagineNATIVE.

 

“It’s one of the year’s best” – Alex Heeney, Seventh Row

 

Director

Zoe Leigh Hopkins (Heiltsuk/Mohawk)

Hopkins is an alumna of the Sundance Institute’s Feature Film Program, and has directed numerous shorts, including Button Blanket, Mohawk Midnight Runners, Impossible to Contain and a segment of The Embargo Project. She has directed the features Kayak to Klemtu and Run Woman Run, which won the Audience Choice award at imagineNATIVE 2021. She is currently writing and directing the series Little Bird. 

Writer

Zoe Leigh Hopkins (Heiltsuk/Mohawk)

Cast

Lorne Cardinal, Braeden Clarke (Cree), Asivak Koostachin (Cree/Inuk), Jayli Wolf (Anishinaabe), Dakota Ray Hebert (Dene)

Producers

Paula Devonshire (Mohawk), Pj Thornton, Laura Milliken (Ojibway)

Genres

Comedy, Drama, Romance

Interests

BIPOC Stories, ESL, Family Relationships, Female Filmmaker, Indigenous Filmmaker, Sports

Original Language

English

Away From Her

Director Sarah Polley
Year 2006
Run Time 110min
Genre Drama, Romance
2026 spotlight contributor Neve Campbell
Based on Alice Munro’s short story “The Bear Came Over the Mountain,” this moving film tells the story of Fiona (Christie) and Grant (Pinsent), a couple who have been married for over 40 years. As Fiona’s “forgetfulness” grows worse, the couple are forced to come to terms with the fact that it is actually Alzheimer’s, and she is placed in a new nursing home.

At the end of the difficult 30-day “no visitor” policy, Grant comes to visit Fiona, except there are some wrinkles: Fiona remembers little of the life they shared, and has found a new partner in the home. Beginning a journey that will test the bond they’ve shared for decades, Grant must draw upon his deep love for Fiona in order to adjust to this reality, and help ensure her continued happiness and support.

An enduring love story with a powerful message about friendship, generosity, and devotion, Away From Her was nominated for two Oscars and won over 39 other awards. It won seven Genies, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Screenplay, among others. 

Director

Sarah Polley

Polley won a screenwriting Oscar nomination for Away From Her, and directed Take This Waltz and Stories We Tell. She wrote and produced Alias Grace, a miniseries based on Margaret Atwood’s novel, which premiered at TIFF 2017. In 2022 she published the essay collection Run Toward the Danger. Her most recent feature, an adaptation of Miriam Toews’ Women Talking, premiered at TIFF 2022.

Writer

Sarah Polley

Cast

Julie Christie, Gordon Pinsent, Olympia Dukakis, Michael Murphy, Kristen Thomson

Producers

Daniel Iron, Simone Urdl, Doug Mankoff, Atom Egoyan, Jennifer Weiss

Genres

Drama, Romance

Interests

ESL, Family Relationships, Female Filmmaker, Literary Adaptation, Strong Female Leads

Original Language

English

Maurice Richard (The Rocket)

Director Charles Binamé
Year 2005
Run Time 124min
Genre Drama
The Rocket traces the meteoric rise of hockey legend Maurice Richard (Dupuis), from his humble beginnings as a Montreal machinist during the Depression to star of the Canadiens and the greatest scorer in hockey.

But this is much more than a sports movie. Director Binamé frames the story in a cultural context: It isn’t until Richard, a man of few words, begins to speak his mind about the inequalities and prejudice directed toward French Canadians that he finds his voice.

Many feel that the riots caused by Richard’s suspension in 1955 were the spark that fuelled the Quiet Revolution in Quebec. This hockey blockbuster is chock-full of heart and history.

The Rocket was nominated for 13 Genie Awards and won nine.

Director

Charles Binamé

Binamé has directed numerous films, including Eldorado (which screened at the prestigious Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes), Séraphin: Heart of Stone, Maurice Richard (The Rocket), which won nine Genies, including Best Direction, and Elephant Song, which won three awards, including a CSA for Adapted Screenplay. Has also directed episodes of hit TV shows such as Flashpoint, Rookie Blue, Republic of Doyle and Reign, among others.

 

Writer

Ken Scott

Cast

Roy Dupuis, Julie Le Breton, Stephen McHattie, Patrice Robitaille

Producers

Daniel Louis, Denise Robert

Genre

Drama

Interests

Biography, Discrimination, History, Social Justice & Politics, Sports

Original Languages

English, French

Maudie is based on the true story of Nova Scotia painter Maud Lewis, who overcame the physical challenge of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis to become one of Canada's best known and most loved folk artists.

The fragile but determined Maudie (Sally Hawkins) yearns for independence from her over-protective family and dreams of creating art. When she answers an ad for a housekeeper placed by a reclusive fish seller (Ethan Hawke), she gains more than just the freedom she wanted, as the unlikely pair develops a relationship that is intensely intimate and just as challenging.

A touching and inspiring story about following one's dreams in spite of life's obstacles, Maudie is an absolute charmer.

"Maudie breaks your heart with its infectious positivity." - Tomris Laffly, Time Out

Director

Aisling Walsh

Walsh's projects include feature films The Daisy Chain and Song for a Raggy Boy, as well as directing over a dozen TV movies and shows, including Room at the Top, which won a BAFTA for Best Miniseries, and the TV movies A Poet in New York, Elizabeth is Missing, and An Inspector Calls

Writer

Sherry White

Cast

Sally Hawkins, Ethan Hawke, Zachary Bennett

Producers

Mary Young Leckie, Bob Cooper, Mary Sexton, Susan Mullen

Genres

Drama, Romance

Interests

Arts and Culture, Biography, ESL, Family Relationships, Female Filmmaker, History, Strong Female Leads

Original Language

English

Meditation Park opens with Maria (Cheng Pei Pei), the matriarch of a Chinese-Canadian family, hosting a birthday celebration for her workaholic husband, Bing, (Tzi Ma), along with her similarly overworked daughter (Sandra Oh in a brilliant performance) and her own family.

Maria clearly reveres Bing and the sacrifices he has made for their family – so when she discovers another woman’s panties in his pocket, she's forced to confront the harsh reality that her world may not be what it seemed.

As Maria wrestles with what to do about her discovery, she befriends a group of local eccentrics and a grumpy neighbour (Don McKellar). Maria’s journey of self-discovery soon teaches her everyone’s lives are more complicated than she has been led to believe. 

“Shum mines her favourite theme – immigrant experience in Canada – in what seems at first to be a gentle slice of life but eventually develops a powerful emotional force.” – Susan G. Cole, NOW Magazine
 
 

Director

Mina Shum

Vancouver-based Shum is best known for her feature films Double Happiness and Meditation Park, both starring Sandra Oh. Her documentary Ninth Floor was on TIFF’s 2015 list of Canada’s top ten films. Other features include Long Life; Happiness and Prosperity; Drive She Said; and One (Nine). She has also directed episodes of Frankie Drake Mysteries, Murdoch Mysteries, The Good Doctor, and October Faction.

Writer

Mina Shum

Cast

Tzi Ma, Cheng Pei-Pei, Sandra Oh

Producers

Raymond Massey II, Mina Shum, Stephen Hegyes

Genre

Drama

Interests

Asian Filmmaker, BIPOC Stories, ESL, Female Filmmaker, Newcomer Stories, Strong Female Leads

Original Language

English