Language Version: FR CC
Comme un fleuve (Flowing Home)
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
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
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
Roses Sing on New Snow
Director
Yuan Zhang
Genre
Animation
Interests
BIPOC Stories, Global Experiences
Original Languages
English, French
The Girl Who Hated Books
Director
Jo Meuris
Writer
Sugith Varughese
Cast
Michael Rudder, Elizabeth Lofranco, Harry Standjofski, Thor Bishopric
Producer
Tamara Lynch
Genre
Family
Interests
Family Relationships, Female Filmmaker, Strong Female Leads
Original Languages
English, French
Les Pee-Wee (The Pee-Wee: The Winter that Changed My Life)
In this uplifting story, 12-year-old Janeau (Pilon) and his father have moved to a new town after the tragic death of his mother. As they struggle to adjust, Janeau is befriended by Julie (Morel-Michaud), a goalie for the local pee-wee hockey team, The Lynx, who are preparing for a province-wide championship.
Julie immediately sniffs out Janeau’s hockey talent, and eventually convinces her coach to let Janeau join the team, much to the dismay of the team’s current star, Joey (Goulet), and his overbearing father.
This stirring hockey comedy will have audiences cheering for The Lynx as they race to settle their differences — both on and off the ice — before the championship.
Director
Éric Tessier
Tessier’s first film was the award-winning short Viens dehors! His feature films include Sur le seuil, Vendus, 5150 rue des Ormes, Junior Majeur, and Les Pee-Wee: L’hiver qui a changé ma vie, which won the Best Feature Film award at TIFF Kids. He recently directed the films Tu te souviendras de moi and When Love Blooms, and episodes of Hôtel and Transplant. He is currently directing The Amityville Curse.
Writers
Martin Bouchard, Emmanuel Joly, Jean-Sébastien Poirier
Cast
Alice Morel-Michaud, Rémi Goulet, Antoine Olivier Pilon
Producer
Christian Larouche
Genres
Comedy, Drama, Family
Interest
Sports
Original Language
French
Paul à Québec
Director
François Bouvier
Film and TV director Bouvier was nominated for the Best Director Genie in 1990 for his film Les matins infidèles. Since then, he has directed numerous television shows and films, including Histoires d'hiver and Maman Last Call, starring Patrick Huard. He recently directed the TV series Ruptures and the film La Bolduc. Currently he is completing work on the film La Cordonnière.
Writers
François Bouvier, Michel Rabagliati
Cast
François Létourneau, Julie LeBreton, Gilbert Sicotte, Louise Portal
Producers
Nathalie Brigitte Bustos, Valérie d'Auteuil, André Rouleau, Karine Vanasse
Genres
Comedy, Drama
Interests
Arts and Culture, Family Relationships, Literary Adaptation
Original Language
French
La disparition des lucioles (The Fireflies are Gone)
Feeling stifled by the confines of her small town, Leo (Karelle Tremblay) is reluctant to celebrate her 18th birthday, which brings her closer to an adulthood she doesn’t want to confront. Tired of her family nagging her about her future, she rebels against them by striking up a friendship with Steve (Pierre-Luc Brilliant), her much older guitar teacher who still lives in his mother’s basement. She is fascinated by both his musical ability and lack of ambitions to do anything else, which stands in stark contrast from everyone else in her life.
A quiet and poignant exploration of small-town life, this third film from acclaimed Quebecois director Sébastien Pilote claimed the prize for Best Canadian Film at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival.
Director
Sébastien Pilote
Writer
Sébastien Pilote
Cast
Karelle Tremblay, Pierre-Luc Brillant, François Papineau
Producer
Sébastien Pilote
Genre
Drama
Original Language
French
The Dingles
Director
Les Drew
Cast
Emma Levine, Christine Olivier
Producer
William Pettigrew
Genre
Family
Interests
Family Relationships, Literary Adaptation
Original Languages
English, French
Je m’appelle humain (Call Me Human)
After spending most of her life working as an Innu language translator and transcriber, Joséphine Bacon rose to fame late in life in her second career as an award-winning poet. This moving profile frames her life and work in a new context, offering a deeply personal look at an important literary figure in Canada.
Je m'appele humain premiered at the Quebec City Film Festival to great acclaim, and went on to receive four Prix Iris nominations, including Best Documentary.
Director
Kim O'Bomsawin (Abenaki)
A passionate activist for human rights, Kim O’bomsawin has written and directed multiple documentaries for film and TV. Her first film La ligne rouge, focused on three young Indigenous hockey players experiencing conflict between their love of hockey and their own cultural practices. She went on to direct Ce silence qui tue and Je m’appelle humain, which won VIFF’s Best Canadian Documentary award in 2020.
Writers
Kim O'Bomsawin (Abenaki), Nathalie Gressin
Cast
Joséphine Bacon (Innu), Adam Bouhouhou
Producer
Andrée-Anne Frenette
Genre
Documentary
Interests
Arts and Culture, Biography, BIPOC Stories, Female Filmmaker, Indigenous Filmmaker
Original Languages
French, Other Language