Interest: Family Relationships
La soeur de Margot (Margot’s Sister)
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
Who’s Yer Father?
Director
Jeremy Larter
Writer
Jeremy Larter
Cast
Susan Kent, Chris Locke, Jess Salgueiro
Producers
Jenna MacMillan, Jeremy Larter, Jason Arsenault
Genres
Comedy, Drama
Interests
Family Relationships, Strong Female Leads
Original Language
English
Tautuktavuk (What We See)
Blurring the line between narrative and non-fiction, Uyarak and her eldest sister Saqpinak, embark on a difficult healing journey after a traumatic event that reminds them of the importance of community, culture, and family. Tautuktavuk (What We See) explores issues of trauma, resilience, and domestic violence from the perspective of two Inuit women.
Directors
Lucy Tulugarjuk (Inuk)
Tulugarjuk is an actor, throat singer, writer and director who has starred in Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner, L’iceberg, The Journals of Knud Rasmussen and Maïna, among other films. Tia and Piujuq was her directorial debut. She wrote, directed and starred in What We See, which won the Amplify Voices Award at TIFF 2023.
Writers
Lucy Tulugarjuk (Inuk), Gillian Robinson, Samuel Cohn-Cousineau, Norman Cohn
Cast
Carol Kunnuk (Inuk), Lucy Tulugarjuk (Inuk)
Producers
Jonathan Frantz, Lucy Tulugarjuk (Inuk)
Genre
Drama
Interests
BIPOC Stories, Family Relationships, Female Filmmaker, Indigenous Filmmaker, Strong Female Leads
Original Language
Inuktitut
Le temps d’un été (One Summer)
Featuring breathtaking cinematography and powerful performances, this latest feature from acclaimed director Louise Archambeault demonstrates the power of love and care, and the importance of supporting those who have fallen on hard times.
“Archambault delivers a delicately balanced, deeply moving story with One Summer.” – Pat Mullen, That Shelf
Director
Louise Archambault
Archambault’s first short film, Atomic Saké, won the Jutra Award for best short. Her first feature, Familia, won her the Jutra for best debut feature, and her follow-up Gabrielle was nominated for six CSAs. Archambault also directed the TV series Catastrophe and wrote and directed Il pleuvait des oiseaux, which premiered at TIFF. She has also directed the films Merci pour tout, Le temps d’un été, and Irena’s Vow, which won the Audience Award at VIFF.
Writer
Marie Vien
Cast
Patrice Robitaille, Sylvio Archambault, Élise Guilbault, Guy Nadon
Producers
Brigitte Léveillé, Antonello Cozzolino
Genres
Comedy, Drama
Interests
Family Relationships, LGBTQ2S+
Original Language
French
Cette maison (This House)
Drawing from the events surrounding her fourteen-year-old cousin’s murder in 2008, director Miryam Charles wants to finally unpack her grief and the trauma associated with it. Through dream-like reenactments of her own childhood and an imagined life for her cousin, Charles delves into the changing emotional, political, and historical climates surrounding her family as Haitian-Canadians in Quebec.
This beautifully crafted film is a bold and thought-provoking look at family, and a moving tribute to a life tragically cut short.
“A daring blend of documentary and fantasy that invests a deeply personal drama with a wide historical scope.” – Richard Brody, The New Yorker
Director
Miryam Charles
Charles is a filmmaker and cinematographer who has directed, produced, and shot many short films, including A Fortress, Drei Atlas, and Chanson pour le Nouveau Monde. She directed the features Mosaic, and Cette maison (This House), which premiered at the Berlinale Forum and was included in TIFF’s Canada’s Top Ten, and Sight and Sound’s Best Films of the Year. She was the inaugural recipient of TIFF’s Charles Officer Award for her body of work.
Writer
Miryam Charles
Cast
Schelby Jean-Baptiste
Producer
Felix Dufour-Laperriere
Genres
Documentary, Drama, Experimental
Interests
BIPOC Stories, Black Filmmaker, Family Relationships, Female Filmmaker, Newcomer Stories
Original Language
French
Brilliantly adapted from Kim Thúy’s Governor General Award-winning novel of the same name, this compassionate story of resilience in the face of adversity is uplifting and deeply moving.
“An exceptional and beautiful film.” – Isobel Grieve, Montréal Guardian
Director
Charles-Olivier Michaud
Charles-Olivier Michaud is a director, writer, and producer from Saint-Romuald, Quebec. His directing credits include 4 Minute Mile, On the Beat, and Snow & Ashes, which have won awards from the Slamdance Film Festival and the Washington DC Independent Film Festival. Ru had its world premiere at TIFF 2023 and was nominated for nine Canadian Screen Awards.
Writers
Kim Thúy, Charles-Olivier Michaud, Jacques Davidts
Cast
Chloé Djandji, Jean Bui, Chantal Thuy
Producers
André Dupuy, Marie-Alexandra Forget
Genres
Drama, Family
Interests
BIPOC Stories, Family Relationships, Global Experiences, Literary Adaptation, Newcomer Stories
Original Languages
French, Other Language
The Queen of My Dreams
Sumptuously capturing the feel of a Bollywood film while telling a relatable cross-continental story, Fawzia Mirza’s impressive debut feature is an instant classic.
“Mirza has created a film bursting with creative energy and distinctive aesthetic sensibilities.” – Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter
Director
Fawzia Mirza
Mirza is a writer, producer, actor and director whose work focuses on the Queer and Muslim experience in Canada, particularly on the intersection between the two. Her short films include The First Session, I Know Her, The Syed Family Xmas Eve Game Night and The Queen of My Dreams, which she adapted into her critically acclaimed debut feature of the same name.
Writer
Fawzia Mirza
Cast
Amrit Kaur, Nimra Bucha, Hamza Haq
Producers
Marc Tetreault, Jason Levangie, Andria Wilson
Genres
Comedy, Drama, Romance
Interests
Asian Filmmaker, BIPOC Stories, Family Relationships, Female Filmmaker, Global Experiences, LGBTQ2S+, Newcomer Stories, Strong Female Leads
Original Languages
English, Other Language
Bones of Crows
A powerful and moving exploration of the horrors and lasting impact of the Residential School System, Bones of Crows follows Aline Spears (Dove), a Cree musical prodigy forcibly removed from her family as a young girl. Following her traumatic experiences, Aline serves her country as a Cree Code Talker in World War II, and thereafter tries to carve out a life for herself, but the memories of what happened to her and her siblings never leaves her. Finding that her story is one shared by hundreds of thousands displaced Indigenous people, she sets herself on a pursuit of justice for herself and future generations.
This courageous generation-spanning epic premiered at TIFF to rave reviews, and received five nominations at the Canadian Screen Awards including Best Original Screenplay.
“[It] should be required viewing for all Canadians.” – Kim Hughes, Original Cin
Director
Marie Clements (Métis/Dene)
Clements works within a variety of mediums including film, television, radio, and live performance. Her work has screened at Cannes, TIFF, MOMA, VIFF, American Indian Film Festival and imagineNATIVE, and has garnered numerous awards. Her films include the musical documentary The Road Forward and Red Snow, her dramatic debut. She is currently directing the TV show Bones of Crows.
Writer
Marie Clements (Métis/Dene)
Cast
Gail Maurice (Cree/Métis), Phillip Lewitski (Mohawk), Grace Dove (Secwépemc), Rémy Girard, Alanis Obomsawin (Abenaki)
Producers
Trish Dolman, Christine Haebler
Genre
Drama
Interests
BIPOC Stories, Discrimination, Family Relationships, Female Filmmaker, History, Indigenous Filmmaker, Social Justice & Politics, Strong Female Leads
Original Languages
Cree, English
Through Black Spruce
Director
Don McKellar
A Member of the Order of Canada, McKellar is a prolific writer, filmmaker and actor whose work has garnered numerous awards. He wrote Highway 61, The Red Violin and Thirty-Two Short Films About Glenn Gould, and he wrote, directed and starred in Childstar and Last Night (which won the Prix de la jeunesse at the Cannes film festival). As an actor, he has starred in films such as Meditation Park and David Cronenberg’s Crimes of the Future. McKellar has also worked extensively in television, directing the series Sensitive Skin, as well as creating and showrunning The Sympathizer with Park Chan-wook.
Writer
Barbara Samuels
Cast
Tanaya Beatty (Kwakwakaʼwakw)
Producers
Tina Keeper (Cree), Phyllis Laing, Robert Lantos, Barbara Samuels
Genres
Drama, Thriller
Interests
BIPOC Stories, Family Relationships, Strong Female Leads
Original Language
English
Stuck in a seemingly endless car ride with nothing to do, four sisters use their imagination to create something amazing together.
Director
Anita Lebeau
Writer
Anita Lebeau
Cast
Nathalie Daudet, Emma Collins, Annie Rose Daudet, Maggie Collins, Anita Lebeau
Producer
Derek Mazur
Genres
Animation, Family
Interests
Family Relationships, Female Filmmaker
Original Language
English
