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Arctic Song

Directors Germaine Arnattaujuq, Louise Flaherty (Inuk), Neil Christopher
Year 2021
Run Time 6min
Genre Animation
A traditional song sharing the Inuit creation stories for the land, waters, and sky, set to breathtaking animation.

Directors

Germaine Arnattaujuq, Louise Flaherty (Inuk), Neil Christopher

Genre

Animation

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Female Filmmaker, Indigenous Filmmaker

Original Language

Inuktitut

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Angel Money

Director Ian Keteku
Year 2022
Run Time 4min
Genre Animation
A black youth shares a heartfelt poem about coming to terms with his father’s death.

Director

Ian Keteku

Genre

Animation

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Black Filmmaker

Original Language

English

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Astronaut

Director Ian Keteku
Year 2022
Run Time 4min
Genre Animation
A whimsical animated poem about a twelve-year-old’s fantasy of what his life would be like as an astronaut, experiencing the world from above.

Director

Ian Keteku

Genre

Animation

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Black Filmmaker

Original Language

English

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Baba (Drama)

Director Jay Kamal
Year 2021
Run Time 14min
Genre Drama
Twelve-year-old Samir struggles to come to terms with his father’s death while participating in the funeral ceremonies that reflect both his family’s Muslim and Christian beliefs.

Director

Jay Kamal

Genre

Drama

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Global Experiences

Original Languages

English, Other Language

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Imran and Alykhan

Director Shakil Jessa
Year 2022
Run Time 14min
Genre Romance
At a Muslim youth retreat, sparks fly between two teenage boys, Imran and Alykhan, but they’re forced to keep their budding relationship a secret.

Director

Shakil Jessa

Genre

Romance

Interests

BIPOC Stories, LGBTQ2S+

Original Language

English

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N’xaxaitkw

Director Asia Youngman (Cree-Métis)
Year 2022
Run Time 16min
Genre Drama, Sci-Fi/Fantasy
An Indigenous teen gets pressured into a trip to a lake that’s supposedly the home of the legendary Ogopogo, which proves to be more than a myth.

Director

Asia Youngman (Cree-Métis)

Genres

Drama, Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Female Filmmaker, Indigenous Filmmaker, Strong Female Leads

Original Language

English

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Superhero Inc.

Directors Elizabeth Whitmere, Christine Bélanger
Year 2022
Run Time 5min
Genre Animation
A telekinetic job applicant begins to question the intentions of their prospective employer in this clever commentary on the treatment of neurodivergence in the workplace.

Directors

Elizabeth Whitmere, Christine Bélanger

Genre

Animation

Interest

Discrimination

Original Language

English

Sensei

Director Jill Roberts
Year 2022
Run Time 23min
Genre Documentary
The inspiring story of Natalie Olson, a young woman with Down Syndrome who attained a 2nd degree black belt in karate, as her sensei prepares her for the Parapan American Karate Championship.

Director

Jill Roberts

Genre

Documentary

Interests

Female Filmmaker, Sports, Strong Female Leads

Original Language

English

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Love, Leymo

Director Leymo Mohammed
Year 2023
Run Time 12min
Genre Documentary
Leymo, a charismatic teenager with autism, writes out a loving letter to his recently-deceased mother with updates about his life, experiences, and accomplishments.

Director

Leymo Mohammed

Genre

Documentary

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Family Relationships

Original Language

English

Black Boys Skate Too

Director Danica Ricamara
Year 2023
Run Time 5min
Genre Documentary
An incisive look at how a group of Black teenagers carve out a space for themselves in a skateboarding community that doesn’t appear welcoming to Black youth.

Director

Danica Ricamara

Genre

Documentary

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Discrimination

Original Language

English

  • Own Voice

I Live Here

Director Tyler Mckenzie Evans
Year 2022
Run Time 11min
Genre Drama
A forgotten key leads to a racially-fuelled confrontation between neighbours.

Director

Tyler Mckenzie Evans

Genre

Drama

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Black Filmmaker, Discrimination

Original Language

English

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Patty vs Patty

Director Chris Strikes
Year 2022
Run Time 19min
Genre Documentary
In 1985, restaurants in Toronto serving Jamaican patties went to war with the federal government over the right to call their beloved dish a “patty”.

Director

Chris Strikes

Genre

Documentary

Interests

Arts and Culture, BIPOC Stories, Black Filmmaker

Original Language

English

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Aqijuq: Playing on a Frozen Land

Director Adrijan Assoufi
Year 2019
Run Time 8min
Genre Documentary
Inuit youth from across Nunavut come together for an indoor soccer (or “futsal”) tournament that proves as inspiring as it is competitive.

Director

Adrijan Assoufi

Genre

Documentary

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Indigenous Filmmaker

Original Language

English

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Bones of Crows

Director Marie Clements (Métis/Dene)
Year 2022
Run Time 124min
Genre Drama

A powerful and moving exploration of the horrors and lasting impact of the Residential School System, Bones of Crows follows Aline Spears (Dove), a Cree musical prodigy forcibly removed from her family as a young girl. Following her traumatic experiences, Aline serves her country as a Cree Code Talker in World War II, and thereafter tries to carve out a life for herself, but the memories of what happened to her and her siblings never leaves her. Finding that her story is one shared by hundreds of thousands displaced Indigenous people, she sets herself on a pursuit of justice for herself and future generations.

This courageous generation-spanning epic premiered at TIFF to rave reviews, and received five nominations at the Canadian Screen Awards including Best Original Screenplay.

“[It] should be required viewing for all Canadians.” – Kim Hughes, Original Cin

 

Director

Marie Clements (Métis/Dene)

Clements works within a variety of mediums including film, television, radio, and live performance. Her work has screened at Cannes, TIFF, MOMA, VIFF, American Indian Film Festival and imagineNATIVE, and has garnered numerous awards. Her films include the musical documentary The Road Forward and Red Snow, her dramatic debut. She is currently directing the TV show Bones of Crows.

Writer

Marie Clements (Métis/Dene)

Cast

Gail Maurice (Cree/Métis), Phillip Lewitski (Mohawk), Grace Dove (Secwépemc), Rémy Girard, Alanis Obomsawin (Abenaki)

Producers

Trish Dolman, Christine Haebler

Genre

Drama

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Discrimination, Family Relationships, Female Filmmaker, History, Indigenous Filmmaker, Social Justice & Politics, Strong Female Leads

Original Languages

Cree, English

Canadian Distributor

Elevation Pictures

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

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

Canadian Distributor

Elevation Pictures

Without Precedent: The Supreme Life of Rosalie Abella

Director Barry Avrich
Year 2023
Run Time 80min
Genre Documentary

As a fierce advocate for human rights, Rosalie Abella casts a long shadow. This lively documentary explores her life and career trajectory, including her successes as an attorney and judge, culminating with her historic appointment to the Supreme Court of Canada, which made her both the first refugee and first Jewish person ever to sit on the country’s highest court. With Rosalie already being an icon and inspiration to many, this portrait also places a focus on Rosalie’s unique personality, style and love of life that carries through all that she does.

Featuring interviews with Margaret Atwood, Brian Mulroney, Joe Clark and, of course, Rosalie herself, this critically-acclaimed film from Barry Avrich is the perfect introduction to one of Canada’s most important figures.

Director

Barry Avrich

Prolific producer, director, and writer Avrich has made many acclaimed documentaries including The Last Mogul, Show Stopper: The Theatrical Life of Garth Drabinsky and David Foster: Off the Record, and the recent Oscar Peterson: Black + White. Avrich has also authored three books, and produced and directed several film adaptations of theatrical productions. He is currently working on 2022 doc The Talented Mr. Rosenberg.

Writer

Barry Avrich

Cast

Margaret Atwood, Rosalie Abella, Joe Clarke

Producers

Barry Avrich, Mark Selby

Genre

Documentary

Interests

Biography, Social Justice & Politics, Strong Female Leads

Original Language

English

Canadian Distributor

Sherry Media Group

Big Drive

Director Anita Lebeau
Year 2011
Run Time 9min
Genre Animation, Family

Stuck in a seemingly endless car ride with nothing to do, four sisters use their imagination to create something amazing together.

Director

Anita Lebeau

Writer

Anita Lebeau

Cast

Nathalie Daudet, Emma Collins, Annie Rose Daudet, Maggie Collins, Anita Lebeau

Producer

Derek Mazur

Genres

Animation, Family

Interests

Family Relationships, Female Filmmaker

Original Language

English

Language Version

EN CC

Canadian Distributor

National Film Board (NFB)

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Awaskinawason (Children of Earth)

Director Antony Dubé (Atikamekw)
Year 2015
Run Time 3min
Genre Animation, Drama
Awaskinawason is made up of the Atikamekw words awacic (child), aski (earth) and takonawason (having the responsibility for). A plea to respect the great circle of life.

Director

Antony Dubé (Atikamekw)

Writer

Antony Dubé (Atikamekw)

Genres

Animation, Drama

Interests

Arts and Culture, BIPOC Stories, Environment, Indigenous Filmmaker

Original Language

Other Language

Language Versions

EN Subtitles, FR Subtitles

The Arrow

Year 1997
Run Time 180min
Genre Drama

Based on the true story of how Canada built — and then destroyed — the world’s most advanced fighter plane at the height of the Cold War, this gripping and critically acclaimed miniseries follows the Avro team under the leadership of charismatic president Crawford Gordon (Aykroyd), as they race to build the supersonic jet. Unfortunately, conflicting political agendas and pressure from the US ultimately unravel their dream, and the program is cancelled in 1959. Though the record-breaking Arrow itself does not survive, its creation remains a high benchmark in Canadian and international aerospace achievement.

The Arrow won nine awards, including six Geminis. Please note the long running time of this film.

 

The Arrow was originally aired as a miniseries and can be watched as a film or in two parts. 

Directors

Genre

Drama

Interest

History

Original Language

English

O Canada

Director Jerry Popowich
Year 2017
Run Time 2min
Genre Animation
Mercury Filmworks created this charming animated version of the national anthem for National Canadian Film Day 150. It screened at over 1,800 events around the world and became a classic.

Director

Jerry Popowich

Genre

Animation

Interest

Arts and Culture

Original Language

English