DirectorLowell Dean
Year2024
Run Time91min
GenreHorror, Romance, Thriller
While fleeing to a safe refuge during a zombie apocalypse, Ethan (Smith) suffers an accident and is left suffering with amnesia and mysteriously separated from his girlfriend. When he meets Mae (Moss), a weary survivalist, she offers to help him on his quest to find her, even as their situation becomes increasingly perilous.
A brilliant blend of romance and horror, Die Alone is a refreshing take on the zombie genre with a heartfelt message at its core.
“This isn’t just a zombie film; it’s a haunting exploration of love, loss, and what it means to hold on when everything else falls apart.” – Thom Ernst, Original Cin
Director
Lowell Dean
Writer
Lowell Dean
Cast
Carrie-Anne Moss, Douglas Smith, Frank Grillo
Producers
Kevin DeWalt, Danielle Masters, Benjamin DeWalt
Genres
Horror, Romance, Thriller
Interest
Strong Female Leads
Original Language
English
Language Version
EN CC
Canadian Distributor
Quiver Distribution
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DirectorCharles-Olivier Michaud
Year2023
Run Time116min
GenreDrama
A family of Vietnamese refugees settles in Montreal in the hopes of starting a new life, charting successes and setbacks as they adapt to their new country. The film weaves together their experiences in Canada with a series of flashbacks to their comfortable life in Vietnam, the political upheaval that forced them to flee, and their perilous journey across the Pacific.
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. His most recent directorial work,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
Genre
Drama
Interests
BIPOC Stories, Family Relationships, Global Experiences, Literary Adaptation, Newcomer Stories
Original Languages
French, Other Language
Language Versions
EN Subtitles, FR CC
Canadian Distributor
Immina Films
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- Own Voice
DirectorStephen Dunn
Year2015
Run Time90min
GenreDrama
The coming-of-age story gets an imaginative makeover with Stephen Dunn’s debut feature, which mixes affecting drama with whimsical fantasy to tell the story of high school senior Oscar (Connor Jessup), a young man who is struggling with his identity and a turbulent volatile home life with his increasingly volatile father.
Oscar finds an escape from his troubled home life in a passion for special effects and fantasy makeup that he shares with his best friend Gemma (Sofia Banzhaf) and hopes to pursue in college. At home, he creates a different fantasy world, sharing a close bond with the pet hamster (voiced by Isabella Rosellini) who has talked to him since his childhood.
When Oscar meets the cool, handsome Wilder (Aliocha Schneider), he finally starts coming to terms with his own sexuality, which he has repressed since witnessing a terrible act of homophobic violence as a child.
Closet Monster premiered at the Toronto International FIlm Festival, winning the award for Best Canadian Feature Film and was named one of Canada’s Top Ten films of 2015.
Director
Stephen Dunn
Writer
Stephen Dunn
Cast
Connor Jessup, Isabella Rossellini, Aaron Abrams, Aliocha Schneider, Joanne Kelly
Producers
Fraser Ash, Kevin Krikst, Edward J. Martin
Genre
Drama
Interests
Arts and Culture, Discrimination, Family Relationships, LGBTQ2S+
Original Language
English
Canadian Distributor
Elevation Pictures
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Tony, a 16-year-old high school dropout, is desperate to escape from his home life and his struggling single mother. After this rebel without a cause gets into criminal trouble, he is forced to spend time in juvenile detention, where an inspiring teacher desperately tries to get through to him.
Captured in the raw, cinema-verité style in a way that only NFB films of this era can, this moving and realistic coming-of-age story features a truly remarkable performance from Jason St. Amour, and a timeless message of hope that resonates now more than ever.
Director
John N. Smith
Smith’s credits include award-winning TV docudramas such as The Boys of St. Vincent, Dieppe and Prairie Giant: The Tommy Douglas Story, as well as numerous feature films, including Dangerous Minds, A Cool Dry Place, Geraldine’s Fortune and Love & Savagery among others. Sitting in Limbo won the Best Canadian Feature Film award at TIFF 1986.
Writers
Sally Bochner, Sam Grana
Cast
Jason St. Amour
Producers
John N. Smith, Sam Grana
Genre
Drama
Interests
Classics, Family Relationships
Original Language
English
Canadian Distributor
National Film Board (NFB)
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DirectorPascal Plante
Year2020
Run Time107min
GenreDrama
At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Nadia achieves her dream of winning an Olympic medal, marking the peak of her athletic career – and its end. As she navigates the aftermath with her fellow athletes, Nadia goes on an inspiring journey of self-discovery, while contemplating what lies ahead as she comes to the end of this phase of her life.
Based on director Pascale Plante’s own competitive swimming career, and also featuring Olympic swimmer Katherine Savard in the lead role, this stunning drama perfectly captures an experience that awaits all athletes in a uniquely realistic way.
“Nadia, Butterfly takes the gold.” – Chris Knight, The National Post
Director
Pascal Plante
Writer
Pascal Plante
Cast
Ariane Mainville, Katerine Savard, Pierre-Yves Cardinal, Hilary Caldwell
Producer
Dominique Dussault
Genre
Drama
Interests
Sports, Strong Female Leads
Original Language
French
Language Version
EN Subtitles
Canadian Distributor
Nemesis Films Productions
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- Own Voice
DirectorJeff Barnaby (Mi’qmaw)
Year2013
Run Time88min
GenreDrama, Sci-Fi/Fantasy
It’s 1976 on the Red Crow Mi’kmaw reserve, and 15-year-old Aila (Jacobs) is the weed princess of her community. Hustling drugs with her uncle Burner, she sells enough dope to pay a “truancy tax” to Popper, the sadistic “Indian agent” who runs St. Dymphna’s Residential School.
It’s a tough life, but she’s making it work. That is, until the precarious balance of her world is threatened by her father’s return from prison and the theft of her drug money.
Part fable, part small-town drama, Rhymes for Young Ghouls is a richly imaginative and striking drama about growing up during a very dark time in Canada’s treatment of Indigenous people.
“A savvy [Indigenous] genre film with a strong, beautiful and ingenious heroine whose courage helps right an injustice.” — Liam Lacey, The Globe and Mail
Director
Jeff Barnaby (Mi’qmaw)
Writer
Jeff Barnaby (Mi’qmaw)
Cast
Kawennáhere Devery Jacobs (Mohawk), Glen Gould (Mi’qmaw), Brandon Oakes (Mohawk), Roseanne Supernault (Cree/Métis)
Producers
Aisling Chin-Yee, John Christou, Justine Whyte
Genres
Drama, Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Interests
BIPOC Stories, Indigenous Filmmaker
Original Language
English
Canadian Distributor
eOne
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DirectorAtom Egoyan
Year1997
Run Time111min
GenreDrama
A lawyer (Holm), pursued by concerns of losing a daughter to drugs, comes to a Canadian town where 20 children have died in a school bus accident. He wants the parents to sue to make those at fault pay. Told partly in flashbacks that dramatize the days leading up to the accident, this heart-wrenching story follows the lawyer from family to family as he coaxes each to join the lawsuit.
As momentum for the case builds, he finds himself squaring off against the lone survivor of the accident (Polley), battling against the power of long-held family secrets. Based on the bestselling novel by Russell Banks, this shattering film won eight Genie Awards and garnered two Oscar nominations for Egoyan.
“Cuts to the bone and stays there long after its end credits have finished rolling.” — Michael Dequina, TheMovieReport.com
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
Ian Holm, Sarah Polley, Bruce Greenwood, Arsinée Khanjian, Tom McCamus
Producers
Atom Egoyan, Camelia Frieberg, Robert Lantos, Andras Hamori
Genre
Drama
Interests
Classics, Family Relationships, Literary Adaptation, Strong Female Leads
Original Language
English
Language Version
EN CC
Canadian Distributor
eOne
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- Own Voice
DirectorDeepa Mehta
Year2005
Run Time114min
GenreDrama
Set in India during the rise of Mahatma Gandhi, Water recounts the story of Chuyia (Kariyawasam), a child bride. When her husband dies suddenly, Chuyia is forced to live in an ashram for Hindu widows, essentially cut off from society.
Fortunately, she finds friends in the beautiful Kilyani (Ray) and in the forward-thinking Narayan (Abraham). With their help, Chuyia attempts to escape the confines of her existence. Boasting lush visuals, Water could easily be a bleak story of deprivation and loss, but in Mehta’s gentle hands, it becomes one charged with hope and optimism.
Water was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
Director
Deepa Mehta
Mehta 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 others. Her most recent film Funny Boy has also won multiple awards, including the CSA for best direction. Most recently, she directed an episode of the series Yellowjackets. She has numerous projects in development as a writer, director and producer.
Writer
Deepa Mehta
Cast
Sarala Kariyawasam, Lisa Ray, John Abraham, Seema Biswas
Producers
David Hamilton, Mark Burton, Ajay Virmani, Doug Mankoff
Genre
Drama
Interests
Asian Filmmaker, BIPOC Stories, Discrimination, Female Filmmaker, Global Experiences, History, Social Justice & Politics, Strong Female Leads
Original Language
Other Language
Language Versions
EN Subtitles, FR Dub
Canadian Distributor
Mongrel Media
Related Films
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- Own Voice
DirectorClement Virgo
Year1995
Run Time89min
GenreDrama
Writer-director Clement Virgo’s groundbreaking debut feature is a vivid drama about three people wrestling with personal demons in Toronto’s inner city. General (Wint) is a drug dealer turned artist arriving home from prison to his estranged family. Jordan (Chevolleau) is a promising boxer who reluctantly participates in gay-bashing, even as he struggles with his own identity. Meanwhile, Maxine (Crawford) faces the end of her relationship after she chooses to end a pregnancy. Their tales are woven together by Rude (Lewis), the smoky-voiced pirate radio DJ whose words penetrate the community with wit and insight.
Director
Clement Virgo
Virgo rose to prominence with his first feature, Rude, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and garnered two Genie nominations. He has also directed the films Poor Boy’s Game and Lie With Me, and hit TV shows such as The Wire, Regenesis and The Listener. He recently produced the show Greenleaf and directed episodes of Empire and Billions. His most recent film, Brother, premiered at TIFF 2022.
Writer
Clement Virgo
Cast
Sharon Lewis, Rachael Crawford, Richard Chevolleau, Maurice Dean Wint, Clark Johnson
Producers
Karen King, Damon D'Oliveira
Genre
Drama
Interests
BIPOC Stories, Black Filmmaker
Original Language
English
Canadian Distributor
eOne
Related Films
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DirectorMiranda de Pencier
Year2019
Run Time106min
GenreDrama
Based on an inspiring true story, The Grizzlies is a powerful film about the determination and resilience of a group of Inuit youth struggling with the legacy of colonization.
When Russ Sheppard (Schnetzer) moves to Kugluktuk, NU, to be a teacher, he is shocked by the challenges facing the community, most especially the ongoing epidemic of teen suicide. Russ introduces a lacrosse programme and gradually wins the trust of his students. Together, the youth find a sense of pride and purpose in themselves and their community.
The Grizzlies was called “transcendently moving” by The Hollywood Reporter and has won multiple awards and been screened to acclaim at film festivals around the world. Cast members Paul Nutarariaq and Anna Lambe earned Canadian Screen Award nominations for their performances.
* Please note that this film has Indigenous producers, but not anIndigenous director. imagineNATIVE defines an Indigenous-made film as one directed or co-directed by an Indigenous person.
Director
Miranda de Pencier
De Pencier is a director and producer whose first short film Throat Song won four awards including a CSA for Best Live Action Short. The Grizzlieswon the DGC’s Outstanding Directorial Achievement Feature Film Award. She has produced several films, including Cake, Beginners and Thanks for Sharing and episodes of Anne With an E. She is currently producing the film The Chocolate Money.
Writers
Graham Yost, Moira Walley-Beckett
Cast
Emerald MacDonald (Inuk), Paul Nutarariaq (Inuk), Anna Lambe (Inuk), Ben Schnetzer, Ricky Martin-Pahtaykan (Plains Cree/Stoney Nakoda)
Producers
Stacey Aglok MacDonald (Inuk), Alethea Arnaquq-Baril (Inuk), Damon D'Oliveira, Miranda de Pencier, Zanne Devine
Genre
Drama
Interests
BIPOC Stories, Bullying, Discrimination, ESL, Family Relationships, Female Filmmaker, Social Justice & Politics, Sports
Original Language
English
Language Version
EN CC
Canadian Distributor
Mongrel Media
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DirectorMoze Mossanen
Year2018
Run Time83min
GenreDocumentary
What would you do if 6,600 people unexpectedly landed in your small town with no place to stay? For the 11,000 people of Gander, Newfoundland, this incredible event happened in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, when nearly 40 planes are rerouted and grounded there.
This documentary shows how this town in Newfoundland came together to feed, shelter and support all of the stranded airline passengers for 6 days.
With interviews from a selection of airline passengers and residents of the town, this emotional and inspirational documentary tells the incredible true story that inspired the smash-hit musical Come From Away.
Director
Moze Mossanen
Moze Mossanen is a director, writer and producer who has created a body of popular and critically acclaimed work that have included a unique blend of drama, documentary, music and performance. These films include Dance for Modern Times, Year of the Lion, Roxana, and Nureyev. His 2013 doc, Unsung, won the Canadian Screen Award in 2015. His most recent feature doc, You Are Here: A Come From Away Story, was released on HBO Canada in September 2018 and won two CSA Awards including Best Documentary in March 2019. The film was also released in over 800 theatres across the United States in September 2019. Â
Writer
Moze Mossanen
Producer
Peter Gentile
Genre
Documentary
Interests
Asian Filmmaker, ESL, History
Original Language
English
Canadian Distributor
Bell Media
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DirectorBruce McDonald
Year2008
Run Time93min
GenreComedy, Horror, Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Grant Mazzy (McHattie) is a big-city shock radio DJ who has lost his job and moves to the small Ontario town of Pontypool, where he frustrates his new station manager, Sydney (Houle).
Nothing ever happens in Pontypool, so when Mazzy arrives at the station to start his show one wintry morning, he and his team are surprised by strange reports from town.
The station’s tiny crew find themselves holed up in their church basement studio, trying to piece together what’s happening outside as disturbing details pour in. Callers are making very little sense, and it seems like the English language itself is infected with a strange virus.
“McDonald knows it’s the things you don’t see, but only imagine, that best chill the blood.”
— Peter Howell, Toronto Star
Director
Bruce McDonald
McDonald directed the cult hits Highway 61, Roadkill, Hard Core Logo, The Tracey Fragments, starring Elliot Page, Pontypool, and the award-winning series Twitch City, episodes of Degrassi and Heartland. His recent films include Trigger, The Husband, Hellions, Weirdosand Dreamland. He recently directed the series Creeped Out and Malory Towers and is currently working on the films Switched at Death and I Have a Bad Feeling About This.
Writer
Tony Burgess
Cast
Stephen McHattie, Lisa Houle, Georgina Reilly
Producers
Jeffrey Coghlan, Ambrose Roche
Genres
Comedy, Horror, Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Interests
Cult & Offbeat Cinema, Literary Adaptation
Original Language
English
Language Version
EN CC
Canadian Distributor
eOne
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