Simple comme Sylvain (The Nature of Love)

Director Monia Chokri
Year 2023
Run Time 110min
Genre Comedy, Drama, Romance
This newest comedy from director Monia Chokri follows a university professor who is bored with her comfortable marriage, and finds herself drawn to the handsome contractor who’s renovating her summer home. Their budding relationship opens up the question of what happens when romance and class divisions intertwine.

Director

Monia Chokri

Writer

Monia Chokri

Cast

Pierre-Yves Cardinal, Monia Chokri, Magalie Lépine Blondeau, Francis-William Rhéaume

Producers

Nathanaël Karmitz, Sylvain Corbeil, Nancy Grant, Elisha Karmitz

Genres

Comedy, Drama, Romance

Interests

Female Filmmaker, Strong Female Leads

Original Language

French

I Used to be Funny

Director Ally Pankiw
Year 2023
Run Time 105min
Genre Comedy, Drama
A dark dramedy that follows Sam (Rachel Sennott), an aspiring stand-up comedian and au pair struggling with PTSD, as she decides whether or not to join the search for Brooke (Olga Petsa), a missing teenage girl she used to nanny.

Director

Ally Pankiw

Ally Pankiw is an accomplished writer and director who has worked on such television shows as Schitt’s Creek, The Great and Shrill. She directed the first season of the Netflix comedy series Feel Good, and recently wrote and directed her first feature film I Used to Be Funny which won the Audience Award for best narrative feature film at Inside Out. She is currently developing the TV show Standing By with Dan Levy.

Writer

Ally Pankiw

Cast

Rachel Sennott, Olga Petsa, Jason Jones

Producers

Breann Smordin, James Weyman, Jason Aita

Genres

Comedy, Drama

Interests

Female Filmmaker, Strong Female Leads

Original Language

English

Autumn and the Black Jaguar

Director Gilles de Maistre
Year 2024
Run Time 100min
Genre Comedy, Family

A young girl who befriended the last remaining black jaguar in the world goes on an incredible journey to fight the poachers who have depleted the jaguar population, and to prevent the extinction of the species.

Director

Gilles de Maistre

Writer

Prune de Maistre

Cast

Emily Bett Rickards, Lumi Pollack, Wayne Charles Baker, Paul Greene

Producers

Jonathan Vanger, Sylvain Proulx, Gilles de Maistre, Catherine Camborde, Marco Colombo

Genres

Comedy, Family

Interest

Strong Female Leads

Original Language

English

Lovable

Director Alan Zweig
Year 2007
Run Time 101min
Genre Documentary

Love: Why is it so difficult? That’s the question at the heart of Alan Zweig’s poignant and personal meditation about heartache and the inability to find ‘the one’. But rather than focusing solely on himself, he turns the camera outwards, getting a range of perspectives from single female friends that show the highs and lows of their relationships, and why they think it’s never worked out for them.


Using his distinctive style and wit, Zweig manages to make a film that anyone, no matter their relationship status, can relate to, and resonate with.

Director

Alan Zweig

Writer

Alan Zweig

Cast

Alan Zweig

Genre

Documentary

Interest

Biography

Original Language

English

Mr. Dressup: The Magic of Make-Believe

Director Robert McCallum
Year 2023
Run Time 90min
Genre Documentary

For so many Canadians, Ernie Coombs and his character Mr. Dressup was an enduring childhood fixture, promoting the power of creativity, play and imagination. This heartwarming documentary traces the roots of this universally celebrated and uniquely Canadian children’s programme, its enduring legacy, and how it stayed true to its aim throughout its run of almost 30 years.


Winner of the People’s Choice Award for Best Documentary at TIFF, Mr. Dressup: The Magic of Make-Believe is an absolute crowd-pleaser that is sure to bring a tear to your eye.


The Magic of Make-Believe not only serves as a reminder of the joy Coombs brought to our young lives, but it also emphasizes the need for Mr. Dressup's patience and kindness today more than ever.” – Rachel Ho, Exclaim!

Director

Robert McCallum

Writers

Robert McCallum, Jordan Christopher Morris

Producers

Nina Keogh, Matthew Hornburg, Mark J.W. Bishop, Jordan Christopher Morris, Aeschylus Poulos

Genre

Documentary

Interests

Arts and Culture, Biography, ESL, History, Newcomer Stories

Original Language

English

Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person

Director Ariane Louis-Seize
Year 2023
Run Time 90min
Genre Comedy, Drama, Romance

Young vampire Sasha is going to die if she doesn’t kill. Being entirely opposed to taking a human life to feed on, she has long relied on her family’s murderous habits to get her blood, until they suddenly cut her off. Enter Paul, a lonely teen who is considering ending his own life, and is more than willing to do so to help Sasha survive. As they each prepare for the next step in their budding doomed relationship, a true bond forms between them – one that is as sweet as it is inconvenient.


This truly unique coming-of-age story is a heartwarming and clever spin on the vampire genre, and has captured awards at festivals around the world.


“Ariane Louis-Seize makes her feature-length directorial debut with this daring and daffy horror-comedy that plays like Romeo and Juliet meets Beetlejuice and Amelie [sic].” – Kristy Puchko, Mashable

Director

Ariane Louis-Seize

Writers

Ariane Louis-Seize, Christine Doyon

Cast

Félix-Antoine Bénard, Sara Montpetit

Genres

Comedy, Drama, Romance

Interests

Cult & Offbeat Cinema, Female Filmmaker, Strong Female Leads

Original Language

French

Seven Veils

Director Atom Egoyan
Year 2023
Run Time 107min
Genre Drama

After the death of her mentor, Jeanine (Seyfried) takes over the task of directing his production of the opera Salome, a piece they had collaborated on previously, to create his most celebrated work. But with the spectre of their complicated relationship still affecting her decisions, and mounting problems within the cast and crew as well as her personal life, Jeanine’s whole world could come crashing down at any second.


This stylish new psychological drama from Atom Egoyan, shot on location at the renowned Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, features an electric performance from Amanda Seyfried at the head of a terrific ensemble cast.


“A wildly ambitious, visually intoxicating reinterpretation of the Richard Strauss opera, Salome, that proves to possess almost as many layers as the Biblical princess’ famous dance routine.” – Michael Rechtshaffen, The Hollywood Reporter

Director

Atom Egoyan

Egoyan received the Governor General’s award in 2015 for Lifetime Artistic Achievement. He was the first-ever Canadian director to earn two Oscar nominations (for The Sweet Hereafter). His award-winning films include Exotica, Ararat and The Captive. His most recent film, Guest of Honour, premiered at TIFF 2019.

Writer

Atom Egoyan

Cast

Amanda Seyfried, Rebecca Liddiard

Producers

Niv Fichman, Fraser Ash, Atom Egoyan, Kevin Krikst, Simone Urdl

Genre

Drama

Interest

Strong Female Leads

Original Language

English

Testament

Director Denys Arcand
Year 2023
Run Time 115min
Genre Drama

Archivist Jean-Michel (Girard) doesn’t recognize the world he’s living in anymore. Feeling like society has moved on from him, he’s dismayed when the seemingly safe confines of his retirement home become the site for a protest centred on a culture clash of generational values. As it grows into a full-blown media sensation, he decides to involve himself in the conflict – with hilarious results.


Partly a reflection on life and legacy, partly a playful skewering of contemporary society, the latest from Canadian icon Denys Arcand is a touching comedy with a lot of heart.


“Arcand’s genius is in every frame of this movie.” – Ralph Lucas, Northernstars.ca

Director

Denys Arcand

Writer

Denys Arcand

Cast

Rémy Girard, Sophie Lorain

Producer

Denise Robert

Genre

Drama

Interest

Arts and Culture

Original Language

French

Ru

Director Charles-Olivier Michaud
Year 2023
Run Time 120min
Genre Drama, Family
After a perilous journey across the pacific, a family of Vietnamese refugees settles in Montreal, in the hopes of starting a new life. Through a series of flashbacks, the whole picture of their story comes into view, as seen by the youngest family member, Tinh (Djandji), who is still processing the trauma of what they left behind, and struggling with her new setting and 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 stunningly captured 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. His most recent directorial work includes 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

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

BlackBerry

Director Matt Johnson
Year 2023
Run Time 120min
Genre Comedy, Drama

From its humble origins in Waterloo, ON, in 1996, nobody expected the massive global success that the world’s first smartphone would become. Nobody, that is, except Jim Balsillie (Howerton). Taking a chance on then-struggling startup Research in Motion (RIM), he joins BlackBerry creators Mike Lazaridis (Baruchel) and Douglas Fregin (Johnson) as co-CEO. Together, they form a massive multinational tech giant, but the power and wealth soon begin to eat away at their relationship, putting everything they built into jeopardy.

Based loosely on the true story of the extraordinary development and spectacular demise of the BlackBerry, this high-stakes comedy featuring an all-star cast is a bona fide crowd pleaser and critical darling. 

"An instant Canadian classic" – Barry Hertz, The Globe and Mail

Director

Matt Johnson

Matt Johnson is an innovative and internationally recognized writer, actor, and director. He is the co-creator, writer, and star of the cult web series Nirvanna the Band the Show, which he adapted for television in 2016. His first two features, The Dirties and Operation Avalanche, received widespread recognition, and were featured at the Slamdance and Sundance film festivals respectively. His third feature, BlackBerry, premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2023 to critical acclaim, and earned a record 17 Canadian Screen Award nominations.

Writers

Matt Johnson, Matthew Miller

Cast

Jay Baruchel, Glenn Howerton, Matt Johnson, Kelly Van der Burg

Producers

Fraser Ash, Matthew Miller, Niv Fichman, Kevin Krikst

Genres

Comedy, Drama

Interests

Biography, History

Original Language

English