Interest: Cult & Offbeat Cinema
The Adventure of Faustus Bidgood
This brilliantly wacky and satirical cult comedy took almost a decade to make and was the first film to be produced entirely in Newfoundland. It was nominated for three Genie Awards including Best Screenplay.
Directors
Andy Jones, Michael Jones
Writers
Andy Jones, Michael Jones
Cast
Andy Jones, Greg Malone
Producers
Andy Jones, Michael Jones
Genre
Comedy
Interest
Cult & Offbeat Cinema
Original Language
English
Universal Language (آواز بوقلمون)
A pitch-perfect follow up to his acclaimed debut feature The Twentieth Century, this similarly absurdist comedy won the Director’s Fortnight Audience Award at Cannes, and was Canada’s 2024 selection for Academy Award consideration.
Director
Matthew Rankin
Matthew Rankin is an experimental film director of 30 short films, which have been screened at festivals around the world, including Berlinale, Sundance, Cannes and many others. His feature debut, the irreverent and surreal comedy, The Twentieth Century, received critical acclaim and three Canadian Screen Awards. His second feature, Universal Language, has won 16 awards, including the FIPRESCI prize in Venice, TIFF’s Best Canadian Discovery Award and the Cannes Directors' Fortnight Audience Award.
Writers
Matthew Rankin, Pirouz Nemati
Cast
Saba Vahedyousefi, Pirouz Nemati, Matthew Rankin, Rojina Esmaeili
Genres
Comedy, Drama
Interest
Cult & Offbeat Cinema
Original Language
Other Language
Vous n’êtes pas seuls (You Are Not Alone)
Léo, a lonely young pizza delivery man finds little purpose in his life, but that all changes when he falls head over heels for local musician Rita. As their romance begins to blossom, the couple is blissfully unaware of the threat of an alien who has targeted Léo for a mysterious and dangerous purpose.
A heartfelt drama with a sci-fi twist, You Are Not Alone takes you on a mysterious and beautiful journey that is completely captivating.
“Vous n’êtes pas seuls prouve, si nous en doutions encore, que notre cinéma est capable de continuer d’innover et de se renouveler.” – Isabelle Hontebeyrie, Le journal de Montréal
Directors
Philippe Lupien
Lupien is a director whose short film credits include L'Halloween de Monsieur Simard and Le diable en personne. Together with his partner Marie-Hélène Viens, he has co-directed the short films Bernard Le Grand, Amen and Nous sommes Le Freak Show, and the feature film Vous n'êtes pas seul, which won the Best Canadian Discovery Award at TIFF 2024.
Marie-Hélène Viens
Viens is a director and screenwriter who has worked in collaboration with Philippe Lupien for many years. Their short films Bernard Le Grand, Amen and Nous sommes Le Freak Show played at numerous festivals and won over 15 awards. Vous n'êtes pas seul was the duo’s first feature film, and won the Best Canadian Discovery Award at TIFF 2024.
Writers
Marie-Hélène Viens, Philippe Lupien
Cast
Marianne Fortier, Pier-Luc Funk, Sandrine Bisson
Producer
Fanny-Laure Malo
Genres
Comedy, Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Interests
Cult & Offbeat Cinema, Female Filmmaker
Original Language
French
Machotaildrop
Directors
Corey Adams
Corey Adams is a director, producer, and writer known for his work on the films Machotaildrop and The Edge of Sleep.
Alex Craig
Alex Craig is an award-winning Scottish filmmaker based in Vancouver, B.C. Accolades include a Canadian Screen Award for the Vice documentary series Abandoned, an Emmy nod for Hulu's Eaters Guide to the World, and his gonzo feature satire Machotaildrop premiered at the TIFF in 2009, becoming an instant cult classic.
Writers
Glen Bolland, Alex Craig, Corey Adams
Cast
Anthony Amedori, James Faulkner, Rick McCrank
Producers
Alex Craig, Oliver Linsley, Jared Valentine
Genres
Action/Adventure, Comedy
Interest
Cult & Offbeat Cinema
Original Language
English
Hey, Viktor!
Twenty-five years after starring in the hit 90s film Smoke Signals, Cody Lightning directs and stars in this uproarious mockumentary about a fictionalized version of himself attempting to make a sequel. When a mysterious fan offers a full budget for the film, Cody jumps at the chance, promising the full participation of the original cast. The only thing standing in his way is the small fact that the entire original cast hates him.
A refreshing and occasionally raunchy comedy, this charming underdog story is a great movie about how to make a terrible one.
Director
Cody Lightning (Cree)
Lightning is an actor and filmmaker who has been working in films since he was a child. Early roles include his performances in The Brave and Smoke Signals, and he went on to appear in films such as Manic and Run Woman Run. His performance in 2007’s Four Sheets to the Wind earned him the American Indian Film Festival award for Best Actor, and in 2023 he wrote, directed and starred in Hey,Viktor! which earned three Canadian Screen Awards nominations. He has also appeared on the Marvel TV series Echo.
Writer
Cody Lightning (Cree)
Cast
Cody Lightning (Cree), Roseanne Supernault (Cree/Métis)
Producers
Blake McWilliam, Sara Corry, Samuel Miller, Kyle Thomas
Genre
Comedy
Interests
Arts and Culture, BIPOC Stories, Cult & Offbeat Cinema, Indigenous Filmmaker
Original Language
English
Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person
Young vampire Sasha is going to die if she doesn’t kill. Being entirely opposed to taking a human life to feed on, she has long relied on her family’s murderous habits to get her blood, until they suddenly cut her off. Enter Paul, a lonely teen who is considering ending his own life, and is more than willing to do so to help Sasha survive. As they each prepare for the next step in their budding doomed relationship, a true bond forms between them – one that is as sweet as it is inconvenient.
This truly unique coming-of-age story is a heartwarming and clever spin on the vampire genre, and has captured awards at festivals around the world.
“Ariane Louis-Seize makes her feature-length directorial debut with this daring and daffy horror-comedy that plays like Romeo and Juliet meets Beetlejuice and Amelie [sic].” – Kristy Puchko, Mashable
Director
Ariane Louis-Seize
Writers
Ariane Louis-Seize, Christine Doyon
Cast
Félix-Antoine Bénard, Sara Montpetit
Genres
Comedy, Drama, Romance
Interests
Cult & Offbeat Cinema, Female Filmmaker, Strong Female Leads
Original Language
French
Living with a curse that turns her into a wolf if she’s out of the house after midnight, Heather (Menuez) is kept on a tight leash by her overbearing parents. But everything changes when she falls for the new girl in town, Jonny (Stenberg). The two form an instant connection, but as their relationship develops, it causes Heather to rebel, increasing the risk that her secret could be exposed – with disastrous consequences.
A stylish and tense horror-romance, this exciting first feature from director Jacqueline Castel features amazing performances from its two emerging leads, brought together with a cast of Canadian icons.
“My Animal marks an impressive, confident feature debut for several key talents.” – Leslie Felperin, The Hollywood Reporter
Director
Jacqueline Castel
Writer
Jae Matthews
Cast
Amandla Stenberg, Bobbi Salvör Menuez
Producers
Andrew Bronfman, Michael Solomon
Genres
Drama, Horror, Romance
Interests
Cult & Offbeat Cinema, Female Filmmaker, LGBTQ2S+
Original Language
English
WolfCop
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
Leo Fafard, Amy Matysio, Sarah Lind, Corinne Conley, Jesse Moss
Producers
Lowell Dean, Bernie Hernando, Deborah Marks, Danielle Masters, Hugh Patterson
Genres
Comedy, Horror
Interest
Cult & Offbeat Cinema
Original Language
English
Pontypool
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. He has also directed the features Trigger, The Husband, Hellions, Weirdos and Dreamland, and episodes of Creeped Out and Malory Towers.
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
With this film, Zweig established his voice as a documentarian who is not content to be merely a fly on the wall in the lives of his subjects. Instead, he deploys the camera as a tool for engagement, rooting around in the margins of contemporary society to explore themes of beauty, addiction, love and longing in a profound and unique way.
Zweig’s breakout feature, this universally relatable documentary is celebrating its 25th anniversary, and still remains a deeply resonant look at the love behind a passion.
Director
Alan Zweig
Writer
Alan Zweig
Cast
Alan Zweig, Harvey Pekar, Alan Williams, Don McKellar
Producers
Alan Zweig, Greg Klymkiw, Bruce McDonald, David McCallum
Genre
Documentary
Interests
Arts and Culture, Cult & Offbeat Cinema
Original Language
English