Interest: Arts and Culture
Barbaracadabra
Directors
Renaud Lessard, Barbara Ulrich
Writers
Barbara Ulrich, Renaud Lessard
Cast
Barbara Ulrich
Genre
Documentary
Interests
Arts and Culture, Strong Female Leads
Original Language
French
Language Version
EN Subtitles
Clairtone
Director
Ron Mann
Writer
Len Blum
Genre
Documentary
Interests
Arts and Culture, History
Original Language
English
Midnight at the Paradise
Director
Vanessa Matsui
Writer
Bill Robertson
Cast
Kenneth Welsh, Allan Hawco, Liane Balaban
Producer
Bill Robertson
Genres
Drama, Romance
Interests
Arts and Culture, Female Filmmaker, Strong Female Leads
Original Language
English
The Movie Man
Director
Matt Finlin
Cast
Keith Stata
Producer
Karen Barzilay
Genre
Documentary
Interest
Arts and Culture
Original Language
English
Canadian Distributor
Mongrel Media
Mile End Kicks
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
Jay Baruchel, Barbie Ferreira, Devon Bostick
Producers
Pat Kiely, Matthew Miller
Genres
Comedy, Drama, Romance
Interests
Arts and Culture, Female Filmmaker
Original Language
English
Language Version
EN CC
Boxcutter
This inspiring first feature from longtime radio host Rez Dahya won the award for Outstanding Direction in a Feature Film at the Reelworld Film Festival and went on to play at South By Southwest.
“It is a portrait of a city that feels both nuanced and universal” — Barry Hertz, The Globe and Mail
Director
Reza Dahya
Writer
Chris Cromie
Cast
Ashton James, Zoe Lewis
Producers
Kirthiga Rajanayagam, Alison Almeida, Reza Dahya, Soko Negash
Genres
Comedy, Drama
Interest
Arts and Culture
Original Language
English
Language Version
EN CC
Bye Bye Blues
This acclaimed musical drama is a true Canadian classic, and was nominated for twelve Genie Awards, winning three, including Best Actress for Jenkins.
Director
Anne Wheeler
Writer
Anne Wheeler
Cast
Michael Ontkean, Rebecca Jenkins, Chad Krowchuk, Jyoti Dhembre, Sumant Mastaher
Producers
Anne Wheeler, Arvi Liimatainen
Genre
Drama
Interests
Arts and Culture, Family Relationships, History
Original Language
English
Canadian Distributor
Image Organization
Degrassi: Whatever it Takes
Featuring interviews with some of your favourite cast members (including Drake, arguably Degrassi’s most famous graduate), and the crews and creators of the various series, this is a nostalgic look at a seminal series that’s also not afraid to ask the tough questions about the sacrifices that were made to bring it to life.
“An ode to one of Canada’s greatest entertainment exports. It will make you laugh, it might make you cry, but more than anything, it will hopefully make you proud.” - Kevin Bourne, SHIFTER
Director
Lisa Rideout
Writers
Lisa Rideout, Celine Wong
Cast
Drake, Kevin Smith, Linda Schuyler
Producers
Erin Sharp, Carrie Mudd
Genre
Documentary
Interests
Arts and Culture, Female Filmmaker
Original Language
English
Language Version
EN CC
Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie
A hilarious romp that goes far beyond just being for fans of the show, this instant cult classic won the People’s Choice Midnight Madness Award at TIFF and was named to their Canada’s Top Ten list.
“A comedic delight from beginning to end, Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie is a must-see comedy worthy of spanning time for.” — Courtney Small, That Shelf
Director
Matt Johnson
Matt Johnson is a writer, actor, and director who co-created 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 were featured at the Slamdance and Sundance film festivals respectively. His third feature, BlackBerry, premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2023, and earned 28 awards, including 14 Canadian Screen Awards, and another 31 nominations internationally.
Writers
Jay McCarrol, Matt Johnson
Cast
Jared Raab, Jay McCarrol, Matt Johnson
Producers
Matt Greyson, Matthew Miller
Genre
Comedy
Interest
Arts and Culture
Original Language
English
Language Version
EN CC
Dreaming of a Jewish Christmas
Every year, millions of people celebrate the Christmas season with a soundtrack of feel-good classics, most of which were written by Jewish songwriters. This insightful documentary showcases artists like Irving Berlin, Johnny Marks, and Mel Tormé who used universal themes of joy, love, and family to tell the story of the holiday.
Director
Larry Weinstein
Weinstein has received three Gemini awards for his work, including Best Direction for Beethoven’s Hair. Weinstein also directed the docs Mulroney: The Opera, The Devil’s Horn, Leslie Caron: The Reluctant Star, and Dreaming of a Jewish Christmas, and co-directed Our Man In Tehran. His latest, Propaganda: The Art of Selling Lies, premiered at Hot Docs 2019.
Genre
Documentary
Interests
Arts and Culture, History
Original Language
English
Canadian Distributor
Filmmaker
Tous toqués! (All Stirred Up!)
Director
Manon Briand
Briand is a filmmaker and writer whose first short film, Les sauf-conduits, won Best Canadian Short Film at TIFF. She also directed a segment of the anthology Cosmos. Her features include 2 secondes, La turbulence des fluides (Chaos and Desire, for which she won a Jutra Award), Liverpool and Tous Toqués !, all of which she wrote and directed.
Writer
Manon Briand
Cast
Julie Le Breton, Martin Gauthier, Edouard Baer
Producer
Pierre Even
Genres
Comedy, Family
Interests
Arts and Culture, Family Relationships, Female Filmmaker, Strong Female Leads
Original Language
French
Language Versions
EN Subtitles, FR CC
Canadian Distributor
Sphere-Films
- Own Voice
Tomson Highway: kipimâtisinaw tapâhpeyahk
Director
Barry Bilinsky (Métis/Cree)
Writer
Barry Bilinsky (Métis/Cree)
Cast
Tompson Highway (Cree)
Producer
Chehala Leonard (Aseniwuche Winewak)
Genre
Documentary
Interests
Arts and Culture, Biography, BIPOC Stories, Indigenous Filmmaker
Original Language
Cree
Language Versions
EN Subtitles, FR Subtitles
Canadian Distributor
National Film Board (NFB)
- Own Voice
Sweet Summer Pow Wow
Director
Darrell Dennis (Secwepemc)
Writers
Darrell Dennis (Secwepemc), Katya Gardner
Cast
Joshua Odjick (Algonquin/Anishinaabe), Tatyana Rose Baptiste (Syilx Okanagan), Graham Greene (Oneida)
Producers
Leslie D. Bland, Harold Joe
Genres
Comedy, Romance
Interests
Arts and Culture, BIPOC Stories, Indigenous Filmmaker, Social Justice & Politics, Strong Female Leads
Original Language
English
Canadian Distributor
Orca Cove Media
Can I Get a Witness?
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
Keira Jang, Sandra Oh, Joel Oulette (Cree/Métis)
Producer
Ann Marie Fleming
Genre
Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Interests
Arts and Culture, Asian Filmmaker, BIPOC Stories, Environment, Female Filmmaker, Global Experiences, Strong Female Leads
Original Language
English
Language Versions
EN CC, FR CC, FR Dub
Canadian Distributor
Mongrel Media
Doors of War
Directors
Taras Lesiuk, Annick Sheedy McLellan
Writers
Annick Sheedy McLellan, Taras Lesiuk
Producers
Annick Sheedy McLellan, Taras Lesiuk
Genre
Documentary
Interests
Arts and Culture, Female Filmmaker, Global Experiences, History, Social Justice & Politics
Original Languages
English, Other Language
Language Version
Other Subtitles
The Players
Director
Sarah Galea-Davis
Writer
Sarah Galea-Davis
Cast
Eric Johnson, Jess Salgueiro, Stefani Kimber
Producer
Sonya Di Rienzo
Genre
Drama
Interests
Arts and Culture, Female Filmmaker, Strong Female Leads
Original Language
English
Canadian Distributor
Hawkeye Pictures
Entre la mer et l’eau douce (Between Sweet and Salt Water)
Director
Michel Brault
Writers
Marcel Dubé, Michel Brault, Denys Arcand
Cast
Geneviève Bujold, Claude Gauthier
Producer
Pierre Patry
Genres
Drama, Romance
Interest
Arts and Culture
Original Language
French
Language Version
EN Subtitles
Canadian Distributor
Cooperative
- Own Voice
Red Fever
Directors
Neil Diamond (Cree)
Diamond has directed several award-winning documentaries that focus on Indigenous life and issues. He co-directed the short documentaries Cree Spoken Here, which garnered the Telefilm/APTN award for Best Aboriginal Documentary, and Inuit Cree Reconciliation, with Zacharias Kunuk. He also directed the feature documentary Reel Injun, which won ten awards, including three Geminis and a Peabody Award for best documentary, and co-directed Red Fever, and So Surreal: Behind the Masks.
Writers
Neil Diamond (Cree), Catherine Bainbridge
Producers
Rebecca Lessard, Lisa M. Roth
Genre
Documentary
Interests
Arts and Culture, BIPOC Stories, Discrimination, Female Filmmaker, Global Experiences, History, Indigenous Filmmaker, Social Justice & Politics
Original Language
English
Language Version
EN CC
Canadian Distributor
Les Films du 3 Mars
Mlle Bottine (Miss Boots)
An opera composer (Antoine Bertrand) suffering from writer’s block is unexpectedly entrusted with caring for his orphaned niece who he’s never met. While her rebellious and eccentric nature proves to be a challenge, she may be exactly the inspiration that he needs.
Director
Yan Lanouette Turgeon
Writer
Dominic James
Cast
Marilyn Castonguay, Antoine Bertrand, Marguerite Laurence
Producers
Antonella Cozzolino Giorlando, Dominic James, Brigitte Léveillé
Genres
Comedy, Family
Interests
Arts and Culture, Family Relationships, Strong Female Leads
Original Language
French
Language Versions
EN Subtitles, FR CC
Canadian Distributor
Immina Films
- Own Voice
Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story
A moving portrait that shines a light on the career of a trailblazer who was ahead of her time, this incredible story won the Special Jury Prize for Best Canadian Feature at Hot Docs 2024.
“A compelling investigation of an elusive life, as well as a talent so striking you’ll be amazed it remained forgotten for so long.” – Dennis Harvey, Variety
Directors
Michael Mabbott
Writer/director Mabbott made his debut with 2005’s Life and Hard Times of Guy Terrifico, winning Best Canadian First Feature Film at the Toronto International Film Festival. He followed with Citizen Duane and television shows like Baxter and The Yard. His short documentary Music Lessons premiered at Hot Docs 2015. He also wrote, produced, and co-directed Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story, which was named to the TIFF 2024 Top Ten List.
Lucah Rosenberg-Lee
Lucah Rosenberg-Lee is an independent filmmaker, speaker and entrepreneur. He is passionate about telling the stories of marginalized voices through film and he specializes in documentary and LGBTQ+ content. He produced For Nonna Anna, which won the Best Narrative Short Award at the Atlanta Film Festival, and he co-directed the 2024 films Passing and Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story, which won the DGC Special Jury Prize at Hot Docs 2024.
Writers
Alison Duke, Lucah Rosenberg-Lee, Michael Mabbott
Cast
Rob Bowman, James Baley, Bobby Dean Blackburn
Producers
Janet Bradey, Justine Pimlott, Michael Mabbott
Genre
Documentary
Interests
Arts and Culture, Biography, BIPOC Stories, Black Filmmaker, Discrimination, History, LGBTQ2S+, Social Justice & Politics, Strong Female Leads
Original Language
English
Language Version
FR Subtitles
Canadian Distributor
National Film Board (NFB)