Original Language: Other Language
SKEET
Fresh out of prison, Billy Skinner returns to his transformed low-income neighbourhood, now populated by Syrian refugees. Struggling to overcome his dark past, Billy forges an unexpected bond with Mo, a compassionate Syrian immigrant determined to build a better life for his family.
Director
Nik Sexton
Writer
Nik Sexton
Cast
Sean Dalton, Lawrence Barry, Jay Abdo
Producer
Mary Sexton
Genre
Drama
Interest
Newcomer Stories
Original Languages
English, Other Language
Doors of War
Directors
Taras Lesiuk, Annick Sheedy McLellan
Writers
Annick Sheedy McLellan, Taras Lesiuk
Producers
Annick Sheedy McLellan, Taras Lesiuk
Genre
Documentary
Interests
Arts and Culture, Female Filmmaker, Global Experiences, History, Social Justice & Politics
Original Languages
English, Other Language
Universal Language (آواز بوقلمون)
A pitch-perfect follow up to his acclaimed debut feature The Twentieth Century, this similarly absurdist comedy won the Director’s Fortnight Audience Award at Cannes, and was Canada’s 2024 selection for Academy Award consideration.
Director
Matthew Rankin
Matthew Rankin is an experimental film director of 30 short films, which have been screened at festivals around the world, including Berlinale, Sundance, Cannes and many others. His feature debut, the irreverent and surreal comedy, The Twentieth Century, received critical acclaim and three Canadian Screen Awards. His second feature, Universal Language, has won 16 awards, including the FIPRESCI prize in Venice, TIFF’s Best Canadian Discovery Award and the Cannes Directors' Fortnight Audience Award.
Writers
Matthew Rankin, Pirouz Nemati
Cast
Saba Vahedyousefi, Pirouz Nemati, Matthew Rankin, Rojina Esmaeili
Genres
Comedy, Drama
Interest
Cult & Offbeat Cinema
Original Language
Other Language
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
Baba (Drama)
Director
Jay Kamal
Genre
Drama
Interests
BIPOC Stories, Global Experiences
Original Languages
English, Other Language
So Much Tenderness
Director
Lina Rodríguez
Writer
Lina Rodríguez
Cast
Noëlle Schönwald, Deragh Campbell, Natalia Aranguren
Producer
Brad Deane
Genre
Drama
Interests
BIPOC Stories, Female Filmmaker, Global Experiences
Original Languages
English, Other Language
In Her Place
Set against the misty South Korean countryside, the film treats its three subjects with equal affection, and Shin delivers an honest, powerful drama that packs an enormous emotional punch.
Director
Albert Shin
Writers
Pearl Ball-Harding, Albert Shin
Cast
Ji-hye Ahn, Hae-yeon Kil, Kyung-Ik Kim, Da-Kyung Yoon
Producers
Igor Drljaca, Albert Shin, Hyun Chan Yoon
Genre
Drama
Interests
Asian Filmmaker, BIPOC Stories, Global Experiences
Original Language
Other Language
SG̲aawaay Ḵ’uuna (Edge of the Knife)
Set in the Haida Gwaii region in the 19th century, Edge of the Knife (SG̲aawaay Ḵ'uuna in Haida) adapts a classic Haida folk tale of a man left for dead in the forest who becomes the Gaagiid/Gaagiixiid, or “the Wildman”. After an accident where he is separated from his family, Adiits'ii (York) wanders through the forest becoming driven mad by both natural and supernatural forces. As his loved ones, including best friend Kwa (Russ), set out to capture and cure him, Adiits’ii grows increasingly feral.
The first feature film made entirely in the critically endangered Haida language - fluently spoken by fewer than 20 people - the film is a spellbinding and mythical tale of pride, tragedy and love, set against the stunning backdrop of Canada’s Pacific northwest.
Made with a Haida cast and in collaboration with the Haida Council, this compelling film proves that cinema can be at once a powerful vessel for storytelling and a profound act of Indigenous language and culture revitalization.
Directors
Gwaai Edenshaw (Haida), Helen Haig-Brown (Tsilhqot'in)
Writers
Gwaai Edenshaw (Haida), Jaalen Edenshaw (Haida), Graham Richard, Leonie Sandercock
Cast
Curtis Brown, Diane Brown, Greg Brown, Tyler York (Haida), Sphenia Jones (Haida)
Producer
Jonathan Frantz
Genres
Action/Adventure, Drama
Interests
BIPOC Stories, Indigenous Filmmaker
Original Language
Other Language
Roméo onze (Romeo Eleven)
Director
Ivan Grbovic
Writer
Sara Mishara
Cast
Joseph Bou Nassar, Eleonore Millier, Ali Ammar, Sanda Bourenane
Genre
Drama
Interests
BIPOC Stories, Social Justice & Politics
Original Languages
French, Other Language