La soeur de Margot (Margot’s Sister)

Director Christine Doyon
Year 2022
Run Time 17min
Genre Drama

A shy pre-teen struggles when her classmates begin to make fun of her sister’s disability, until she finds the courage within herself to stand up to them.

Director

Christine Doyon

Genre

Drama

Interests

Bullying, Family Relationships, Female Filmmaker, Strong Female Leads

Original Language

French

Before I Change My Mind

Director Trevor Anderson
Year 2022
Run Time 89min
Genre Drama

1987: While the other students wonder if new kid Robin is a boy or a girl, Robin forges a complicated bond with the school bully, making increasingly dangerous choices to fit in.

Director

Trevor Anderson

Writers

Trevor Anderson, Fish Griwkowsky, Katrina Beatty

Cast

Lacey Oake, Dominic Lippa, Vaughan Murrae, Matthew Rankin, Shannon Blanchet

Producers

Alyson Richards, Katrina Beatty

Genre

Drama

Interests

Bullying, LGBTQ2S+

Original Language

English

Butterfly Tale

Director Sophie Roy
Year 2023
Run Time 88min
Genre Animation, Family
Patrick (Mena Massoud) is a butterfly with a dream: to take the journey of a lifetime and be a part of the great Monarch butterfly migration from Canada to Mexico! Unfortunately, he was born with a faulty, underdeveloped wing, so he can’t fly. Which means he can’t go…

Determined not to let his disability stop him, Patrick and his best friend, a goofy caterpillar named Marty (Lucinda Davis), stow away in a milkweed trailer to be part of the adventure. Facing challenges and trials along the way, Patrick faces his fear, embraces his uniqueness and overcomes adversity to become an unlikely hero!

Butterfly Tale is an inspiring animated adventure full of humour that reminds us that differences are less important than the bonds we share.

Director

Sophie Roy

Writers

Heidi Foss, Lienne Sawatsky, Michael Solomon

Cast

Tatiana Maslany, Mena Massoud, Nick Julius Schuck

Genres

Animation, Family

Interests

Bullying, Female Filmmaker

Original Languages

English, French

Blackbird

Director Jason Buxton
Year 2012
Run Time 103min
Genre Drama
Troubled teen Sean (Jessup) is misunderstood, alienated and bullied at school. When he establishes an unlikely friendship with preppy Deanna (Fast), her angry and threatened boyfriend forces a confrontation. In an attempt to protect himself, Sean makes a fateful online mistake, and is soon falsely accused of planning a Columbine-style school shooting. Thrust into the spotlight for all the wrong reasons, Sean must now overcome stereotypes, prejudices and the mistrust of his community and prove his innocence to the town, and especially to Deanna.

Tense, challenging and told with a great deal of emotional honesty, Blackbird is a powerful film with a breakout lead performance by Jessup.

Director

Jason Buxton

Buxton directed and produced the short films A Fresh Start, The Drawing, The Garden, and Solo: A Portrait of Angela Hewitt. He also wrote, directed, and produced the feature films Blackbird (which won Best Canadian First Feature Film at TIFF and received the Claude Jutra Award at the CSAs) and Sharp Corner (which won the WGC award for best feature). Both films won Best Atlantic Feature and Best Atlantic Director at the Atlantic International Film Festival.

 

Writer

Jason Buxton

Cast

Connor Jessup, Alexia Fast, Michael Buie

Producers

David Miller, Marc Almon, Jason Buxton

Genre

Drama

Interests

Bullying, Social Justice & Politics

Original Language

English

Le sens de l’humour (A Sense of Humour)

Director Émile Gaudreault
Year 2011
Run Time 110min
Genre Comedy
Luc (Houde) and Marco (Côté) are two comedians who tour second-rate theatres around Quebec. Every night, they choose some poor sap in the audience to ridicule to the delight of the other spectators. One night in a small town, the sap is Roger (Gendron), a mild-mannered fry cook. Unfortunately, Roger turns out to be the wrong guy to pick on, and the unlucky duo wake up in a cage, with madman Roger plotting his revenge.

With little to trade for their freedom other than their comedy skills, the duo offer to teach Roger the art of comedy and make him a local star. Thinking it might help him win the girl of his dreams, Roger accepts, and the hilarity and hijinks begin.

Director

Émile Gaudreault

Gaudreault co-wrote Louis 19, le roi des ondes, which Ron Howard adapted into EDtv. Gaudreault both co-wrote and directed De pere en flic (the highest-grossing French-language film in Canadian history), Le vrai du faux, Le sens de l'humour and Mambo Italiano, which earned six Canadian Comedy Award nominations. He also wrote and directed De père en flic 2, and most recently, the comedy Menteur. He also co-wrote the upcoming Lignes de fuite, and is producing the English-language remake of De père en flic, Fathers and Guns.

Writers

Émile Gaudreault, Benoît Pelletier

Cast

Michel Côté, Louis-José Houde, Benoît Brière, Anne Dorval

Producers

Daniel Louis, Denise Robert

Genre

Comedy

Interest

Bullying

Original Language

French

Babine

Director Luc Picard
Year 2008
Run Time 112min
Genre Action/Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Sci-Fi/Fantasy

In the small village of Saint-Élie-de-Caxton, whenever something bad happens, the villagers blame Babine, the son of the village witch. Babine was born an outsider, and has spent his life being teased. When the local church burns down, the new priest becomes determined to find the culprit, and puts the blame on Babine, deciding he must be punished once and for all.

Babine is an offbeat comedy and a charming fairy tale filled with eccentric characters and has a strong message of acceptance that will resonate with audiences of all ages.

Director

Luc Picard

Luc Picard is a celebrated actor with over 50 film and television credits and two Jutra Awards to his name. He has directed Audition, Babine, Ésimésac, and a segment in the anthology film 9. Les rois mongols earned six Canadian Screen Award nominations. His latest film is Confessions and he recently starred in Arsenault & Fils and French Girl.

Writer

Fred Pellerin

Cast

Vincent-Guillaume Otis, Luc Picard, Alexis Martin, Isabel Richer, René Richard Cyr

Producer

Lorraine Richard

Genres

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

Interest

Bullying

Original Language

French

And That’s Remarkable

Director Linnea Ritland
Year 2013
Run Time 1min
Genre Animation, Drama
“It’s remarkable how easily a human spirit can be broken,” this punchy short about bullying laments. But, as the animation assures us, it’s just as remarkable how it can be fixed.

Director

Linnea Ritland

Genres

Animation, Drama

Interests

Bullying, Female Filmmaker

Original Language

English

The Basketball Game

Director Hart Snider
Year 2011
Run Time 5min
Genre Animation, Drama

When nine-year-old Hart attends Jewish summer camp, his group must play an epic basketball game against the students of a notorious Holocaust denier. What awaits him on the court? 

Director

Hart Snider

Writer

Hart Snider

Producer

Yves J. Ma

Genres

Animation, Drama

Interests

Bullying, Discrimination, Social Justice & Politics, Sports

Original Language

English

Funny Boy

Director Deepa Mehta
Year 2020
Run Time 109min
Genre Drama, Romance
This heartbreaking tale of love and loss follows Arjie (Nand as a child, Ingram as an adult), a Tamil child in Sri Lanka, who is referred to as a “funny boy” by his family, because he doesn’t behave like the other boys. He draws inspiration from his free-spirited Canadian cousin to explore his identity, and goes on to pursue his crushes on the boys in his class. When he reaches adulthood, his life, family, and his first real love are all threatened as the Sri Lankan Civil War breaks out and brings about life-changing tragedies and upheavals.

Based on the celebrated novel by Shyam Selvadurai, Funny Boy was nominated for nine Canadian Screen Awards, winning for directing, screenplay and score.

“An attractive journey, gilded in summery light throughout by Douglas Koch’s camera.” – Guy Lodge, Variety

Director

Deepa Mehta

A member of the Order of Canada, Mehta is an award-winning filmmaker who gained acclaim for her trilogy, Fire, Earth and the Oscar-nominated Water. Her adaptation of Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children was nominated for eight CSAs. She has also directed Bollywood/Hollywood, Beeba Boys, Anatomy of Violence, and many other films. Her film Funny Boy won multiple awards, including the CSAs for best direction and best screenplay. Her television credits include episodes of Leila, Yellowjackets, and Little America.

Writers

Deepa Mehta, Shyam Selvadurai

Cast

Brandon Ingram, Arush Nand, Nimmi Harasgama, Agam Darshi, Ali Kazmi

Producers

Hussaini Amarshi, Lodi Butler, Gopi Darmaratnam, David Hamilton, Neil Mathieson

Genres

Drama, Romance

Interests

Asian Filmmaker, BIPOC Stories, Bullying, Discrimination, Family Relationships, Female Filmmaker, Global Experiences, LGBTQ2S+, Literary Adaptation

Original Languages

English, Other Language

Snow

Director Kim Barr
Year 2017
Run Time 10min
Genre Drama
A young girl who recently immigrated to Canada encounters racism from her classmates when she reacts to seeing snow for the first time. When a new friend helps her see how beautiful a snowfall can be, she learns to identify with it and embrace her uniqueness.

Director

Kim Barr

Writer

Kathy-Ann Thomas

Cast

Hannah Chantée van Herten

Producers

Kathy-Ann Thomas, Kim Barr

Genre

Drama

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Bullying, Discrimination, Female Filmmaker, Newcomer Stories, Social Justice & Politics

Original Language

English