Interest: Literary Adaptation
Night of the Zoopocalypse
After a mysterious meteor crashes at Colepepper Zoo, unlikely friends Dan, a short-tempered mountain lion, and Gracie, a fierce teenage wolf, team up to stop the unleashed virus that is transforming their friends into “zoombies”.
Chock-full of both scares and laughs, this gorgeously animated family-friendly horror-comedy is fun for kids and adults alike.
“In a world dominated by Pixar and Dreamworks, Night of the Zoopocalypse is a fun reminder that other studios produce good work, and there’s never been a better time to go to the movies and support a Canadian production.” – Matthew Simpson, That Shelf
Directors
Ricardo Curtis, Rodrigo Perez-Castro
Writers
James Kee, Steven Hoban
Cast
Pierre Simpson, Gabbi Kosmidis, David Harbour
Producers
Wes Lui, Joe Iacono, Yohann Comte, Steven Hoban, Mark Smith
Genres
Action/Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Horror
Interest
Literary Adaptation
Original Language
English
The Magic of Anansi
Director
Jamie Mason
Genre
Animation
Interest
Literary Adaptation
Original Languages
English, French
This Is Not a Test
Director
Adam MacDonald
Writers
Adam MacDonald, Courtney Summers
Cast
Olivia Holt, Missy Peregrym, Luke Macfarlane
Producers
Adam MacDonald, Cybill Lui
Genres
Action/Adventure, Horror, Thriller
Interests
Literary Adaptation, Strong Female Leads
Original Language
English
Mille secrets, mille dangers (Lovely Day)
Director
Philippe Falardeau
Québécois director and screenwriter Falardeau has won more than 32 international awards for his films, which include Monsieur Lazhar, La moitié gauche du frigo, C’est pas moi, je le jure!, The Good Lie, Guibord s’en va-t-en guerre, and My Salinger Year. He also directed the TV shows Le temps des framboises, and Lac-Mégantic - ceci n’est pas un accident.
Writers
Philippe Falardeau, Alain Farah
Cast
Rose-Marie Perreault, Clodine Desrochers, Georges Khabbaz
Producers
Luc Déry, Kim McCraw
Genres
Comedy, Drama
Interests
Family Relationships, Literary Adaptation
Original Language
French
Maria Chapdelaine
Director
Sébastien Pilote
Writers
Louis Hémon, Sébastien Pilote
Cast
Sebastien Ricard, Sara Montpetit, Hélène Florent
Producers
Sylvain Proulx, Pierre Even
Genre
Drama
Interests
History, Literary Adaptation, Strong Female Leads
Original Language
French
La petite et le vieux (Blue Sky Jo)
Based on the award-winning novel of the same name, La petite et le vieux is a touching coming-of-age story that wears its heart on its sleeve.
"A bright and rich film, filled with colourful and endearing characters" - Maxime Demers, Le Journal de Montreal
Director
Patrice Sauvé
Writers
Sébastien Girard, Marie-Renée Lavoie
Cast
Juliette Bharucha, Gabrielle B. Thuot, Gildor Roy
Producers
Sonia Despars, Marc Biron
Genres
Comedy, Drama
Interests
Family Relationships, Literary Adaptation
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
A Dangerous Method
Director
David Cronenberg
A Companion of the Order of Canada, Cronenberg is a legendary filmmaker and pioneer of the body horror genre. His directing credits include iconic films such as Scanners, Dead Ringers, Videodrome, and Crash, for which he won the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival. He also directed eXistenZ, Crimes of the Future, The Shrouds, and others. He has won over 80 awards, including the Golden Coach at Cannes, and lifetime achievement awards from TIFF and the DGC.
Cast
Keira Knightley, Michael Fassbender, Viggo Mortensen
Producer
Jeremy Thomas
Genres
Drama, Romance, Thriller
Interests
Biography, Literary Adaptation
Original Language
English
Tom à la ferme (Tom at the Farm)
Director
Xavier Dolan
Dolan is an acclaimed filmmaker and actor, whose films have won over 90 awards internationally. J’ai tué ma mere and Heartbeats both won the Regards Jeunes Prize at the Cannes Film Festival. Laurence Anyways won the Queer Palm at Cannes, and Best Canadian Feature at TIFF, and Mommy won the Jury Prize at Cannes, 10 Jutra awards and nine CSAs. He also directed Tom at the Farm, It’s Only the End of the World, Matthias & Maxine, and others.
Cast
Xavier Dolan, Pierre-Yves Cardinal, Lise Roy
Producers
Xavier Dolan, Nathanaël Karmitz, Charles Gillibert
Genres
Drama, Thriller
Interests
LGBTQ2S+, Literary Adaptation
Original Languages
English, French
The Book of Negroes
This CBC mini-series is based on the internationally celebrated novel by Canadian author Lawrence Hill. A compelling tale of loss, courage, love and the triumph of the human spirit, it follows the extraordinary journey of Aminata Diallo (Ellis), an indomitable African woman.
In 1750, 11-year-old Aminata is kidnapped from her village in West Africa and begins a rich journey that takes her through the harrowing ordeal of slavery, to the turmoil of the American Revolution and ultimately to freedom in the British colony of Nova Scotia. Brilliant and determined, Aminata is a remarkable heroine whose unshakeable connection to her own African heritage guides her over unimaginable obstacles in her quest for freedom and ultimately allows her to assume the mantle of leadership for which she is destined.
Deeply moving and inspiring, The Book of Negroes explores painful historical realities through the unblinking eyes of a strong female protagonist whose story will stay with you long after the telling.
Director
Clement Virgo
Virgo rose to prominence with his first feature, Rude, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and garnered two Genie nominations. He has also directed the films Poor Boy’s Game and Lie With Me, and hit TV shows such as The Wire, Regenesis and The Listener. He recently produced the show Greenleaf and directed episodes of Empire and Billions. His film, Brother, premiered at TIFF 2022 and won 12 CSAs, including Best Motion Picture, Best Direction, and Best Adapted Screenplay.
Writers
Lawrence Hill, Clement Virgo
Cast
Aunjanue Ellis, Lyriq Bent, Cuba Gooding, Jr, Ben Chaplin, Allan Hawco
Producers
Damon D'Oliveira, Clement Virgo
Genre
Drama
Interests
BIPOC Stories, History, Literary Adaptation, Social Justice & Politics
Original Language
English