Comme un fleuve (Flowing Home)

Director Sandra Desmazières
Year 2021
Run Time 15min
Genre Animation

Over the course of 20 years, two sisters try to remain connected through a series of letters after their family is pulled apart by the Vietnam War.

Content note: Depictions of war and violence (in animation)

Director

Sandra Desmazières

Writer

Sandra Desmazières

Cast

Linh Dan Pham, Sara Martins

Producers

Julie Roy, Dora Benousilio

Genre

Animation

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Family Relationships, Female Filmmaker, Global Experiences, Newcomer Stories

Original Language

French

Found

Director Paramita Nath
Year 2009
Run Time 6min
Genre Experimental
An impressionistic journey told through old photos, animation and home movies as Toronto poet Souvankham Thammavongsa discovers her father's scrapbook documenting their family's escape from Laos in the 1970s.

Director

Paramita Nath

Writers

Souvankham Thammavongsa, Paramita Nath

Cast

Souvankham Thammavongsa

Producers

Paramita Nath, Ted Biggs

Genre

Experimental

Interests

Arts and Culture, BIPOC Stories, Family Relationships, Female Filmmaker, Global Experiences, History, Newcomer Stories

Original Language

English

Leftover

Director Eui Yong Zong
Year 2014
Run Time 19min
Genre Drama
A family of North Korean refugees tries to adjust to a new life in Etobicoke, Ontario, with painful memories of the oppressive regime still fresh in their minds.

Director

Eui Yong Zong

Writer

Eui Yong Zong

Producer

Andy Kloske

Genre

Drama

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Family Relationships, Global Experiences, Newcomer Stories

Original Language

Other Language

Al Ghorba

Director Alia Hijaab
Year 2019
Run Time 6min
Genre Animation, Drama
Through a conversation with her family back home, a Syrian immigrant in Canada expresses her loneliness, and faces her mounting fears about the future.

Director

Alia Hijaab

Writer

Alia Hijaab

Producer

Alia Hijaab

Genres

Animation, Drama

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Family Relationships, Female Filmmaker, Global Experiences, Newcomer Stories, Social Justice & Politics

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

La Mariposa

Director Andy Alvarez
Year 2019
Run Time 8min
Genre Drama

A 7-year-old refugee takes an emotional journey as she works towards being able to swim in the deep end at her local pool.

Director

Andy Alvarez

Genre

Drama

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Newcomer Stories, Sports

Original Language

English

Short Film Programme

Director Shorts Programme
Year 2022
Genre Action/Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Documentary, Drama, Experimental, Family, Horror, Romance, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Thriller
In addition to the feature films in this catalogue, we also offer a wealth of Canadian short films suitable for various grade levels. They cover a variety of themes and topics, and encompass fiction and documentary, live action and animation. For the full list, check out our Short Film Programme page, and use the filters at the top to find something that meets your needs. 

If you’d like to show several short films together as a programme, please feel free to get in touch for advice and tips on selecting the perfect combination for your needs. 

Director

Shorts Programme

Genres

Action/Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Documentary, Drama, Experimental, Family, Horror, Romance, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Thriller

Interests

Arts and Culture, Biography, BIPOC Stories, Bullying, Classics, Cult & Offbeat Cinema, Discrimination, Environment, ESL, Family Relationships, Female Filmmaker, Global Experiences, History, Indigenous Filmmaker, LGBTQ2S+, Literary Adaptation, Newcomer Stories, Social Justice & Politics, Sports, Strong Female Leads

Original Languages

English, French

Iron Road

Director David Wu
Year 2009
Run Time 99min
Genre Drama
A tale of forbidden love set against the building of the Canadian railway in the 1880s, Iron Road tells the story of a Chinese woman (Li) who disguises herself as a man and persuades the son of a railroad tycoon (Macfarlane) to hire her onto the explosives crew.

Soon, though, she finds herself falling in love with him, and as the physical terrain becomes more dangerous, so does the landscape of the heart. Beautifully shot and featuring screen legend Peter O’Toole in one of his last roles, Iron Road revisits an important and controversial time in Canadian history.

Originally broadcast as a CBC miniseries, REEL CANADA is proud to present the feature version of this epic tale that spans two continents.

Director

David Wu

Wu is a master editor who has worked with many legendary Hong Kong filmmakers. His directorial credits include the films The Snow Queen with Bridget Fonda, Plague City: SARS in Toronto (for which he earned the DGC Best Director nomination), See You Tomorrow, and the TV show Once a Thief. He recently edited the films You Are In My Heart and Bai du ren.

Writers

Barry Pearson, Raymond Storey

Cast

Sun Li, Luke Macfarlane, Sam Neill, Peter O’Toole

Producers

Zhao Haicheng, Anne Tait, Raymond Massey II

Genre

Drama

Interests

Asian Filmmaker, BIPOC Stories, Discrimination, ESL, History, Newcomer Stories, Social Justice & Politics, Strong Female Leads

Original Language

Other Language

Bollywood/Hollywood

Director Deepa Mehta
Year 2002
Run Time 105min
Genre Comedy, Drama, Romance
Set in Toronto and its wealthier suburbs, Bollywood/Hollywood joyfully subverts the romantic conventions of both cultures. Rahul (Khanna), a rich South Asian-Canadian dot-com entrepreneur, is pressured by his mother (Chatterjee) and grandmother to find a nice Hindu girl to accompany him to his sister’s (Malik’s) elaborate wedding ceremony.

As a joking way of accommodating them, he hires Sue (Ray), a beautiful escort girl, to pretend to be his fiancée. Naturally, the two fall in love, and just as naturally, complications ensue. Incorporating the wild stylistic excesses of Bollywood — the melodrama, the choreography and the music — Mehta allows Indian culture and societal attitudes to play out in Toronto.

“Much hilarity, joyful song and dance numbers and a surprisingly touching love story.” — Kevin Laforest, Montreal Film Journal

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.

Writer

Deepa Mehta

Cast

Rahul Khanna, Lisa Ray, Jessica Paré, Moushumi Chatterjee

Producers

Camelia Frieberg, David Hamilton, Ajay Virmani

Genres

Comedy, Drama, Romance

Interests

Arts and Culture, Asian Filmmaker, BIPOC Stories, ESL, Family Relationships, Female Filmmaker, Newcomer Stories, Strong Female Leads

Original Language

English

Green Grass

Director Michael Greco
Year 2020
Run Time 8min
Genre Drama

A father and daughter seek refuge in a far away land, but what they find there may not be what they were expecting.

Director

Michael Greco

Writer

Michael Greco

Producer

Mariana Ospina-Arteaga

Genre

Drama

Interests

Global Experiences, Newcomer Stories

Original Language

English