Interest: LGBTQ2S+
Mambo Italiano
At nearly 30 years of age, Angelo shocks his parents — and the entire community — by brazenly defying tradition: He moves out to live his own life despite not being married. Free at last, he falls in love with his long-lost childhood chum Nino (Miller), and the two move in together. They try to keep their sexuality a secret, while their families worry, suspect and scheme to set them up with nice Italian girls. It’s not easy being Italian and gay, and when the pressures of his double life begin to overwhelm Angelo, his reactions set off an explosively funny chain of surprise revelations, comic reversals and unexpected outcomes.
Mambo Italiano was nominated for six Canadian Comedy Awards.
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
Steve Galluccio, Émile Gaudreault
Cast
Luke Kirby, Ginette Reno, Paul Sorvino, Peter Miller, Mary Walsh
Producers
Daniel Louis, Denise Robert
Genres
Comedy, Drama
Interests
Family Relationships, LGBTQ2S+
Original Language
English
Wildfire
Director
Bretten Hannam (L'nu)
Writer
Bretten Hannam (L'nu)
Cast
Guillermo Knockwood, Bobby Pierro
Producers
Bretten Hannam (L'nu), Gharrett Patrick Paon
Genre
Drama
Interests
BIPOC Stories, Family Relationships, Indigenous Filmmaker, LGBTQ2S+
Original Language
English
The Little Deputy
Director
Trevor Anderson
Writer
Trevor Anderson
Cast
Trevor Anderson
Producer
Blake McWilliam
Genre
Documentary
Interest
LGBTQ2S+
Original Language
English
Take Me to Prom
The high school tradition of prom is explored through a series of interviews with LGBTQ+ students over the years, sharing their own diverse stories and perspectives.
Director
Andrew Moir
Producer
Andrew Moir
Genre
Documentary
Interests
BIPOC Stories, LGBTQ2S+
Original Language
English
Reviving the Roost
Director
Vivek Shraya
Writer
Vivek Shraya
Producer
Justine Pimlott
Genres
Animation, Documentary
Interests
Arts and Culture, BIPOC Stories, Discrimination, Female Filmmaker, LGBTQ2S+
Original Language
English
C.R.A.Z.Y.
The film follows Zac as life takes him on an epic journey to come to grips with his sexual identity. Buoyed by a vibrant soundtrack, C.R.A.Z.Y. boasts countless moments of true movie magic. It is at once a crowd pleaser and a poignant auteur film.
Director
Jean-Marc Vallée
An Officer of the Order of Canada, Vallée garnered nine Genie nominations for his first feature, Liste noire. C.R.A.Z.Y. was a box office hit and was honoured at film festivals worldwide. He directed the Oscar-nominated films Dallas Buyers Club and Wild, as well as Demolition starring Jake Gyllenhaal and the hit TV series Big Little Lies and Sharp Objects. He tragically passed away in December 2021.
Writers
François Boulay, Jean-Marc Vallée
Cast
Michel Côté, Marc-André Grondin, Danielle Proulx, Pierre-Luc Brillant
Producers
Jean-Marc Vallée, Pierre Even
Genres
Comedy, Drama
Interests
Bullying, Family Relationships, LGBTQ2S+
Original Language
French
Closet Monster
The coming-of-age story gets an imaginative makeover with Stephen Dunn’s debut feature, which mixes affecting drama with whimsical fantasy to tell the story of high school senior Oscar (Connor Jessup), a young man who is struggling with his identity and a turbulent volatile home life with his increasingly volatile father.
Oscar finds an escape from his troubled home life in a passion for special effects and fantasy makeup that he shares with his best friend Gemma (Sofia Banzhaf) and hopes to pursue in college. At home, he creates a different fantasy world, sharing a close bond with the pet hamster (voiced by Isabella Rosellini) who has talked to him since his childhood.
When Oscar meets the cool, handsome Wilder (Aliocha Schneider), he finally starts coming to terms with his own sexuality, which he has repressed since witnessing a terrible act of homophobic violence as a child.
Closet Monster premiered at the Toronto International FIlm Festival, winning the award for Best Canadian Feature Film and was named one of Canada’s Top Ten films of 2015.
Director
Stephen Dunn
Born in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Dunn established himself as a writer/director with short films such as Swallowed and Life Doesn’t Frighten Me, which starred Canadian screen legend Gordon Pinsent and won the CBC Short Film Face Off in 2013. His first feature, Closet Monster was released in 2015 and won the TIFF prize for Best Canadian Feature Film. He has written episodes of the 2022 reboot of Queer as Folk, Little America, and two Historica Heritage Minutes.
Writer
Stephen Dunn
Cast
Connor Jessup, Isabella Rossellini, Aaron Abrams, Aliocha Schneider, Joanne Kelly
Producers
Fraser Ash, Kevin Krikst, Edward J. Martin
Genre
Drama
Interests
Arts and Culture, Discrimination, Family Relationships, LGBTQ2S+
Original Language
English
I’ve Heard the Mermaids Singing
Though timid on the outside, Polly’s inner life is rich and full of charming fantasies which Rozema brings to life in black & white sequences that punctuate the film with humour and whimsy.
The film won the award for Best First Feature at the Cannes Film Festival, and in 1993 was ranked as one of TIFF’s Top 10 Canadian Films of All Time.
Director
Patricia Rozema
Rozema is a director, writer, and producer whose work has garnered 13 awards, including the Le prix de la jeunesse at the Cannes Film Festival and two Emmys. Her credits include short films, television, and feature films such as I’ve Heard the Mermaids Singing, Mansfield Park, Grey Gardens, and Into the Forest. Her film Mouthpiece was named one of TIFF’s Top Ten Canadian Films of 2018.
Writer
Patricia Rozema
Cast
Sheila McCarthy, Paule Baillargeon, Ann-Marie MacDonald
Producers
Don Haig, Alexandra Raffe, Patricia Rozema
Genre
Drama
Interests
BIPOC Stories, Female Filmmaker, LGBTQ2S+
Original Language
English
Beautifully shot and featuring a killer '70s soundtrack, the new film from Canadian master Bruce McDonald and playwright and screenwriter Daniel MacIvor shakes up the coming-of-age road-movie concept with wit, charm and a lot of heart.
"What's not to love about Canuck hipster Bruce McDonald's return to a genre he's a master of – the indie road movie with a distinctly Canadian flavour and endearingly peculiar characters." – Michelle Reid, Victoria Times Colonist
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
Daniel MacIvor
Cast
Dylan Authors, Rhys Bevan-John, Julia Sarah Stone, Molly Parker, Allan Hawco
Producers
Marc Almon, Mike MacMillan
Genre
Drama
Interests
Cult & Offbeat Cinema, Family Relationships, LGBTQ2S+, Strong Female Leads
Original Language
English
Laurence Anyways
Passionate and powerfully acted, this epic film explores the tumultuous relationship between two lovers, one of whom is transitioning from male to female. Touching, enigmatic and genuine, Laurence Anyways is a powerhouse of contemporary Canadian cinema.
Director
Xavier Dolan
Writer
Xavier Dolan
Cast
Melvil Poupaud, Suzanne Clément, Nathalie Baye, Monia Chokri
Producers
Lyse Lafontaine, Nathanaël Karmitz
Genre
Drama
Interests
BIPOC Stories, Family Relationships, LGBTQ2S+
Original Language
French