Genre: Thriller
Les chambres rouges (Red Rooms)
Director
Pascal Plante
Montreal-based Plante is a screenwriter and director whose short film credits include Drum de marde!, Blue-Eyed Blonde, and Nonna, among others. His features include Les faux tatouages, which premiered at the Berlinale, Nadia, Butterfly, which was selected for the Cannes Film Festival, and Les chambres rouges, which has garnered 15 awards and 34 nominations internationally.
Writer
Pascal Plante
Cast
Laurie Babin, Sasha Samar, Juliette Gariépy
Producer
Dominique Dussault
Genres
Horror, Thriller
Interest
Strong Female Leads
Original Language
French
Language Versions
EN Subtitles, FR CC
Canadian Distributor
Entract Films
- Own Voice
Seeds
In this tense thriller, a Mohawk internet personality receives her first sponsorship, promoting the seed and fertilizer company Nature's Oath. But when she returns to her reserve, she discovers a dark side to the company that threatens both her and her people.
Director
Kaniehtiio Horn (Mohawk)
Writer
Kaniehtiio Horn (Mohawk)
Cast
Kaniehtiio Horn (Mohawk), Meegwun Fairbrother (Ojibway), Cherish Violet Blood (Kainai), Graham Greene (Oneida)
Producers
Leonard Farlinger, Jennifer Jonas
Genres
Horror, Thriller
Interests
BIPOC Stories, Environment, Female Filmmaker, Indigenous Filmmaker, Social Justice & Politics, Strong Female Leads
Original Language
English
Canadian Distributor
levelFILM
Die Alone
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
Dean began his career as a director with short films such as Juice Pigs, which he co-wrote, and episodes of Canadian TV series such as Dust Up, and Blood, Lies and Alibis. He has gone on to direct six feature films which include comedy-horror Wolfcop, its well-deserved sequel Another Wolfcop, and the action-packed Supergrid. In 2024, he released two films, Dark Match and Die Alone, which premiered at Sitges Film Festival and took home the Midnight X-treme audience choice award.
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
The King Tide
After the mayor of an idyllic island village discovers a child with mysterious powers awash on their shores, the once peaceful community devolves into civil war, torn over the belief that the child is the next saviour.
Director
Christian Sparkes
Christian Sparkes is an acclaimed writer and director from Newfoundland whose films often evoke the darkness and beauty of Atlantic Canada. His debut feature film, Cast No Shadow, won Best Atlantic Feature as well as Best Director, Screenplay, Actress, Actor and Cinematography at the Atlantic Film Festival in 2014. Since then he has gone on to direct other notable films, releasing both The King Tide and Sweetland in 2024.
Writers
Kevin Coughlin, Ryan Grassby, Albert Shin, William Woods
Cast
Frances Fisher, Clayne Crawford, Alix West Lefler, Aden Young
Producers
William Woods, Allison White
Genres
Drama, Thriller
Original Language
English
Canadian Distributor
VVS
- Own Voice
Short Film Programme
If you’d like to show several short films together as a programme, please feel free to get in touch for advice and tips on selecting the perfect combination for your needs.
Director
Shorts Programme
Genres
Action/Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Documentary, Drama, Experimental, Family, Horror, Romance, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Thriller
Interests
Arts and Culture, Biography, BIPOC Stories, Bullying, Classics, Cult & Offbeat Cinema, Discrimination, Environment, ESL, Family Relationships, Female Filmmaker, Global Experiences, History, Indigenous Filmmaker, LGBTQ2S+, Literary Adaptation, Newcomer Stories, Social Justice & Politics, Sports, Strong Female Leads
Original Languages
English, French
- Own Voice
Indigenous-made Short Films
Director
Various
Genres
Action/Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Documentary, Drama, Experimental, Family, Horror, Romance, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Thriller
Interests
Arts and Culture, BIPOC Stories, Female Filmmaker, Indigenous Filmmaker
Original Languages
English, French, Other Language
- Own Voice
Kajutaijuq: The Spirit That Comes
Director
Scott Brachmayer
Writer
Scott Brachmayer
Cast
Johnny Issaluk
Producer
Nyla Innuksuk (Inuk)
Genres
Drama, Thriller
Interests
BIPOC Stories, Environment, Family Relationships, Indigenous Filmmaker
Original Language
Inuktitut
Language Version
EN Subtitles
Canadian Distributor
North Creative Films Inc.
Elevated
Director
Vincenzo Natali
Writers
Vincenzo Natali, Karen Walton
Cast
David Hewlett, Vicki Papavs, Bruce McFee
Producers
Steven Hoban, Vanessa C. Laufer
Genres
Drama, Thriller
Original Language
English
Canadian Distributor
Canadian Film Centre
ARQ
Director
Tony Elliott
Writer
Tony Elliott
Cast
Rachael Taylor, Robbie Amell, Shaun Benson
Producers
Mason Novick, John Finemore, Kyle Franke
Genres
Action/Adventure, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Thriller
Original Language
English
Canadian Distributor
Netflix
Through Black Spruce
Director
Don McKellar
A Member of the Order of Canada, McKellar is a prolific writer, filmmaker and actor whose work has garnered numerous awards. He wrote Highway 61, The Red Violin and Thirty-Two Short Films About Glenn Gould, and he wrote, directed and starred in Childstar and Last Night (which won the Prix de la jeunesse at the Cannes film festival). As an actor, he has starred in films such as Meditation Park and David Cronenberg’s Crimes of the Future. McKellar has also worked extensively in television, directing the series Sensitive Skin, as well as creating and showrunning The Sympathizer with Park Chan-wook.
Writer
Barbara Samuels
Cast
Tanaya Beatty (Kwakwakaʼwakw)
Producers
Tina Keeper (Cree), Phyllis Laing, Robert Lantos, Barbara Samuels
Genres
Drama, Thriller
Interests
BIPOC Stories, Family Relationships, Strong Female Leads
Original Language
English
Canadian Distributor
D Films
- Own Voice
Akilla’s Escape
Akilla’s Escape premiered at TIFF in 2020 and went on to win 5 Canadian Screen Awards.
“Akilla’s Escape is a profound, tender reworking of the crime thriller” – Melissa Vincent, The Globe and Mail
Director
Charles Officer
Actor, writer and filmmaker Officer’s first feature, Nurse.Fighter.Boy, was nominated for 10 Genies, winning one. Officer also directed the docs Mighty Jerome, The Skin We're In, Unarmed Verses, and Invisible Essence: The Little Prince, as well as the feature Akilla's Escape, which won five CSAs. He directed episodes of Coroner, and executive produced and co-directed The Porter, which was nominated for an Emmy. Officer passed away in 2023. He changed the Canadian film and television landscape with his fierce dedication to portraying Black perspectives and experiences, and is greatly missed.
Writers
Charles Officer, Wendy "Motion" Brathwaite
Cast
Saul Williams, Thamela Mpumlwana, Donisha Rita Claire Prendergast, Colm Feore
Producer
Jake Yanowski
Genres
Drama, Thriller
Interests
BIPOC Stories, Black Filmmaker, Family Relationships, Newcomer Stories, Social Justice & Politics
Original Language
English
Canadian Distributor
levelFILM
Happy Birthday to Me
Director
J. Lee Thompson
Writers
John C.W. Saxton, Peter Jobin, Timothy Bond
Cast
Melissa Sue Anderson, Glenn Ford, Lawrence Dane
Genres
Horror, Thriller
Interest
Strong Female Leads
Original Language
English
Canadian Distributor
Columbia Pictures of Canada
Un zoo la nuit (Night Zoo)
Director
Jean-Claude Lauzon
Cast
Corrado Mastropasqua, Lorne Brass, Gilles Maheu, Roger Lebel
Producers
Roger Frappier, Pierre Gendron
Genres
Drama, Thriller
Interests
Cult & Offbeat Cinema, Family Relationships, Social Justice & Politics
Original Language
French
Canadian Distributor
Telefilm Canada
Hobo with a Shotgun
This cult favourite started as a fake movie trailer in Quentin Tarantino & Robert Rodriguez’s Grindhouse. It includes several Canadiana Easter eggs and a memorable performance from Rutger Hauer, who at one point delivers a dramatic monologue to an audience of newborn babies.
A gleeful, gory sendup of 70s exploitation films, Hobo with a Shotgun delivers plenty of shocks, mayhem and vigilante justice, “one shell at a time.”
Director
Jason Eisener
Writer
John Davies
Cast
Molly Dunsworth, Gregory Smith, Rutger Hauer
Producers
Niv Fichman, Rob Cotterill, Paul Gross
Genres
Action/Adventure, Comedy, Horror, Thriller
Interest
Social Justice & Politics
Original Language
English
Canadian Distributor
eOne
Jusqu’au déclin (The Decline)
"A first feature for director Patrice Laliberté and several of his principal collaborators, The Decline is lean, credible and well-crafted” - Dennis Harvey, Variety
Director
Patrice Laliberté
Writer
Patrice Laliberté
Cast
Guillaume Laurin, Marie-Evelyne Lessard, Réal Bossé, Nicolas Krief
Producer
Julie Groleau
Genre
Thriller
Original Languages
English, French
Canadian Distributor
Netflix
Les affamés (Ravenous)
In the bleak aftermath of an outbreak of zombies in rural Quebec, Bonin (Marc-André Grondin) struggles to survive along with the rapidly dwindling remaining population. When he encounters a group hiding in a house that is in the path of an invading horde of the undead, he must decide whether or not to save them, as doing so would put him and his companions in danger.
Les affamés is a brilliant and fresh take on the zombie genre, maintaining a tense atmosphere with exceptional moments of horror. It won the Best Canadian Feature prize at TIFF in 2017 and swept the Jutra Awards (now the Prix Iris) with ten wins, including Best Film and Best Direction.
“Robin Aubert's idiosyncratic and nuanced drama breathes fresh life into the zombie apocalypse subgenre.” - John Leydon, VarietyDirector
Robin Aubert
Saints-Martyrs-des-Damnés premiered at TIFF 2005. Aubert also directed the feature films À quelle heure le train pour nulle part, À l’origine d’un cri, and Tuktuq, and starred in De père en flic, the critical hit Guibord s’en va-t-en guerre, Jeune Juliette, and Mon cirque à moi. His latest film, Les Affamés won Best Canadian Feature at TIFF 2017 and ten Prix Iris. He is currently completing his next film, Tu ne sauras jamais.
Writer
Robin Aubert
Cast
Charlotte St-Martin, Marc-André Grondin, Monia Chokri, Micheline Lanctôt
Producers
C.S. Roy, Stéphanie Morissette
Genres
Action/Adventure, Horror, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Thriller
Original Language
French
Language Version
EN Subtitles
Canadian Distributors
Les Films Seville, Maison 4:3
Small Town Murder Songs
A modern gothic tale of crime and redemption about an aging police officer (Peter Stormare) from a small Ontario Mennonite town who hides a violent past until a local murder upsets the calm of his newly reformed life. Also starring Jill Hennessy.
Director
Ed Gass-Donnelly
Writer
Ed Gass-Donnelly
Cast
Peter Stormare, Jill Hennessy
Producers
Ed Gass-Donnelly, Lee Kim
Genres
Drama, Thriller
Interest
Social Justice & Politics
Original Language
English
Canadian Distributor
KinoSmith
Enemy
A mild-mannered history professor seeks out his exact lookalike after spotting him in a movie. A tense, adventurous thriller starring Jake Gyllenhaal in a dual performance.
Director
Denis Villeneuve
Writers
José Saramago, Javier Gullón
Cast
Jake Gyllenhaal, Mélanie Laurent
Producers
Miguel A. Faura, Niv Fichman
Genres
Drama, Thriller
Interests
Arts and Culture, Literary Adaptation
Original Language
English
Canadian Distributor
eOne
Pouvoir intime (Intimate Power)
A security guard at a government ministry tries to plan a heist with the help of some ex-cons, but it may all be blown apart by another security guard who takes his job very seriously.
Director
Yves Simoneau
Writers
Yves Simoneau, Pierre Curzi
Cast
Marie Tifo, Pierre Curzi, Jacques Godin
Producer
Claude Bonin
Genres
Drama, Thriller
Original Language
French
Canadian Distributor
National Film Board (NFB)
The Silent Partner
Director
Daryl Duke
Duke was a prolific filmmaker who directed episodes of numerous shows, including Night Gallery, Banacek, and The Bold Ones, for which he won a Primetime Emmy. He also directed TV movies such as I Heard the Owl Call My Name, Columbo Cries Wolf, and the miniseries The Thornbirds. His feature directing credits include Payday, Hard Feelings, and The Silent Partner, for which he won a Canadian Film Award for best direction. He passed away in 2006.
Writer
Curtis Hanson
Cast
Elliott Gould, Christopher Plummer, Susannah York
Producers
Garth H. Drabinsky, Stephen Young, Joel B. Michaels
Genres
Drama, Thriller
Interests
Classics, Literary Adaptation
Original Language
English
Canadian Distributor
Pan-Canadian Film Distributors