Spotlight Sublist: 2025 - The Power of Art
Mr. Dressup: The Magic of Make-Believe
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 the tv series Mr. Dressup, a universally celebrated and uniquely Canadian children’s programme, exploring 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
Rob McCallum is an award-winning filmmaker whose work focuses on subjects such as video games, heavy metal, fanboy fanatics, and more. His feature documentary credits include Nintendo Quest, Missing Mom, Power of Grayskull: The Definitive History of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, The Art of Protest, and Mr. Dressup: The Magic of Make Believe, which won several awards, including the CSAs for best writing and best direction in a documentary, and the TIFF documentary People’s Choice Award.
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
With this film, Zweig established his voice as a documentarian who is not content to be merely a fly on the wall in the lives of his subjects. Instead, he deploys the camera as a tool for engagement, rooting around in the margins of contemporary society to explore themes of beauty, addiction, love and longing in a profound and unique way.
Zweig’s breakout feature, this universally relatable documentary is celebrating its 25th anniversary, and still remains a deeply resonant look at the love behind a passion.
Director
Alan Zweig
Writer
Alan Zweig
Cast
Alan Zweig, Harvey Pekar, Alan Williams, Don McKellar
Producers
Alan Zweig, Greg Klymkiw, Bruce McDonald, David McCallum
Genre
Documentary
Interests
Arts and Culture, Cult & Offbeat Cinema
Original Language
English
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
La passion d’Augustine (The Passion of Augustine)
Céline Bonnier stars as Mother Augustine, a passionate and resilient Catholic nun who teaches music to children of all backgrounds in a convent school in rural Quebec in the 1960s. When her rebellious but musically gifted niece (Lysandre Ménard) joins the convent, Mother Augustine must confront a past that she strives to forget.
With the looming changes brought by Vatican II and Quebec's Quiet Revolution, the local government threatens to shut down the school in favour of public education, and Mother Augustine must search her soul for a solution – or perhaps a new calling. She and her fellow nuns are forced to confront the waves of modernity, but can Augustine move forward, or will she perish with tradition?
The film was nominated for two Canadian Screen Awards including Best Actress for Bonnier, and Best Original Score.
Director
Léa Pool
A Member of the Order of Canada, Pool has earned three Genie Award nominations for Best Direction. Her films include Emporte Moi, Mouvements du désir, Lost and Delirious, La dernière fugue, Et au pire, on se mariera and Hôtel Silence, as well as the documentaries Pink Ribbons, Inc and Double peine. La passion d'Augustine won 15 awards, among them six Prix Iris, including Best Film and Best Director.
Writers
Léa Pool, Marie Vien
Cast
Céline Bonnier, Lysandre Ménard, Diane Lavallée
Producers
Lyse Lafontaine, François Tremblay
Genre
Drama
Interests
Arts and Culture, Female Filmmaker, History
Original Language
French
When she receives an invitation to a poetry festival in Shiraz, Iran, Rosie embarks on a journey that unravels a personal mystery and brings her closer to her Persian roots.
Voiced by an all-star cast including Sandra Oh, Elliot Page and Don McKellar, Window Horses is a beautiful and poignant story about family, imagination, culture and finding your own voice.
"This is not just a visual treat, it's a rewarding and unexpectedly engrossing piece of female-led storytelling." - Wendy Ide, Screen International
Director
Ann Marie Fleming
Fleming is a visual artist, filmmaker and writer who has animated over 20 films, including the shorts Stories Sarah Tells, Big Trees, A Short Film About Tegan & Sara, Question Period, and Old Dog. Her features include New Shoes, The Magical Life of Long Tack Sam, The French Guy and Can I Get a Witness, which premiered at TIFF 2024. Fleming has won nearly 20 awards and nominations for her films, including 15 for Window Horses.
Writer
Ann Marie Fleming
Cast
Elliot Page, Don McKellar, Nancy Kwan, Sandra Oh, Shohreh Aghdashloo
Producers
Sandra Oh, Ann Marie Fleming, Shirley Vercruysse, Michael Fukushima
Genres
Action/Adventure, Animation, Drama, Family
Interests
Arts and Culture, Asian Filmmaker, BIPOC Stories, ESL, Family Relationships, Female Filmmaker, Global Experiences, Literary Adaptation, Strong Female Leads
Original Language
English
Jésus de Montréal (Jesus of Montreal)
Combining religion and some unconventional theories about Jesus, the troupe’s work begins to ruffle some feathers in the Catholic church, even as the life of main actor Daniel (Bluteau) starts to mirror the Messiah’s journey in unexpected and poignant ways.
Told with sharp humour and heart, the film received critical acclaim and won numerous awards, including the Genie for Best Picture and the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival.
Director
Denys Arcand
A Companion of the Order of Canada and a Knight of the National Order of Quebec, Arcand is an icon of Canadian and Quebecois cinema, and his work has earned him four Academy Award Nominations, including a win for Best Foreign Film for Les invasions barbares. Le Déclin de l'empire américain became the highest grossing film in Quebec, and his iconic Jésus de Montréal won 12 Genie Awards. His other films include Réjeanne Padovani, Stardom, and Testament.
Writer
Denys Arcand
Cast
Lothaire Bluteau, Catherine Wilkening, Johanne-Marie Tremblay, Rémy Girard, Gilles Pelletier
Producers
Roger Frappier, Pierre Gendron
Genre
Drama
Interests
Arts and Culture, Classics
Original Language
French
White Room
This brilliant second feature from acclaimed director Patricia Rozema is an enchanting journey that carries a warning about our societal obsession with celebrity culture that is as timely today as when the film was released.
Director
Patricia Rozema
Rozema is a director, writer, and producer whose work has garnered 13 awards, including the Le prix de la jeunesse at the Cannes Film Festival and two Emmys. Her credits include short films, television, and feature films such as I’ve Heard the Mermaids Singing, Mansfield Park, Grey Gardens, and Into the Forest. Her film Mouthpiece was named one of TIFF’s Top Ten Canadian Films of 2018.
Writer
Patricia Rozema
Cast
Kate Nelligan, Maurice Godin, Margot Kidder
Producer
Alexandra Raffe
Genre
Drama
Interests
Arts and Culture, Classics, Female Filmmaker
Original Language
English
Maudie
The fragile but determined Maudie (Sally Hawkins) yearns for independence from her over-protective family and dreams of creating art. When she answers an ad for a housekeeper placed by a reclusive fish seller (Ethan Hawke), she gains more than just the freedom she wanted, as the unlikely pair develops a relationship that is intensely intimate and just as challenging.
A touching and inspiring story about following one's dreams in spite of life's obstacles, Maudie is an absolute charmer.
"Maudie breaks your heart with its infectious positivity." - Tomris Laffly, Time Out
Director
Aisling Walsh
Walsh's projects include feature films The Daisy Chain and Song for a Raggy Boy, as well as directing over a dozen TV movies and shows, including Room at the Top, which won a BAFTA for Best Miniseries, and the TV movies A Poet in New York, Elizabeth is Missing, and An Inspector Calls.
Writer
Sherry White
Cast
Sally Hawkins, Ethan Hawke, Zachary Bennett
Producers
Mary Young Leckie, Bob Cooper, Mary Sexton, Susan Mullen
Genres
Drama, Romance
Interests
Arts and Culture, Biography, ESL, Family Relationships, Female Filmmaker, History, Strong Female Leads
Original Language
English
Long Time Running
Long Time Running chronicles the emotional and epic 2016 tour that The Tragically Hip embarked on after iconic frontman Gord Downie announced that he had been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. Intimate moments, behind-the-scenes and on-stage footage, personal interviews with the band and close friends reveal the heart-breaking final performances of that now-legendary final tour.
No other band encapsulated the rugged soul of Canada quite like the Hip, and it was completely in character for Downie – the everyman poet laureate of Canada – to go out on his own terms, with a powerfully galvanizing tour that delivered some of the most exhilarating performances of band’s history.
“Long Time Running, named after a languid blues song from the band's second album, is both a history lesson and a eulogy for a group with 16 Juno Awards to its credit.” – Brad Wheeler, The Globe and MailDirectors
Nicholas de Pencier
De Pencier is an award-winning documentary cinematographer and producer known primarily for his work with director Jennifer Baichwal. They made the CSA-winning Manufactured Landscapes, Watermark and Anthropocene in collaboration with Edward Burtynsky. Their other credits include The Holier It Gets, Payback, and Long Time Running, which won the DGC award for Excellence in Documentary. De Pencier also produced the drama One Week, directed the documentary Black Code, and was cinematographer on The Colour of Ink, for which he won a CSA.
Jennifer Baichwal
Baichwal is an award-winning director who frequently collaborates with her partner, producer and cinematographer Nicholas de Pencier, on documentaries such as the CSA-winning trilogy Manufactured Landscapes, Watermark and Anthropocene, with Edward Burtynsky. Their other credits include The True Meaning of Pictures: Shelby Lee Adams' Appalachia, Act of God, and Payback, among others. She has won 13 awards, including three CSAs.
Writer
Jennifer Baichwal
Cast
Gord Downie, Rob Baker, Paul Langlois, Davis Manning, Johnny Fay
Genre
Documentary
Interests
Arts and Culture, Asian Filmmaker, Biography, Female Filmmaker
Original Language
English
I Like Movies
A true movie for movie lovers, Chandler Levack’s debut feature is a charming coming-of-age story that perfectly captures small-town Canadian adolescence.
Director
Chandler Levack
Levack got her start directing music videos, which earned her two Juno Award nominations for Video of the Year. She went on to debut her first narrative short, We Forgot to Break Up, at TIFF 2017. Her first feature film, I Like Movies, premiered at TIFF 2022 and was named to TIFF’s Canada’s Top Ten list. She also directed several episodes of the 2024 Crave series My Dead Mom.
Writer
Chandler Levack
Cast
Isaiah Lehtinen, Krista Bridges, Dan Beirne, Romina D'ugo
Producer
Lindsay Blair Goeldner
Genres
Comedy, Drama
Interests
Arts and Culture, Family Relationships, Female Filmmaker
Original Language
English