Parachute

Director Martin Thibaudeau
Year 2012
Run Time 5min
Genre Comedy
A vacationing couple discovers an unconventional skydiving club. Should they take the plunge?

Director

Martin Thibaudeau

Writer

Martin Thibaudeau

Cast

Christine Beaulieu, Louis Tremblay

Producer

Martin Thibaudeau

Genre

Comedy

Interest

Sports

Original Language

French

Language Version

EN Subtitles

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Thunderbird

Director Erin Collins (Anishinaabe)
Year 2018
Run Time 3min
Genre Documentary

The amazing story of Steven Collins, a First Nations ski jumper who competed in the Olympics when he was only 15 years old.

Director

Erin Collins (Anishinaabe)

Genre

Documentary

Interests

Biography, BIPOC Stories, Female Filmmaker, History, Indigenous Filmmaker, Sports

Original Language

English

The Game

Director Andrew Chiang
Year 2012
Run Time 11min
Genre Drama
After a professional basketball player is cut from his team, he reflects on the talent and passion that brought him to this point by playing a game against three younger versions of himself.

Director

Andrew Chiang

Writer

Andrew Chiang

Cast

Arnold Pinnock, Alex Spencer, Juvon Taylor, Kataem O'Connor

Producer

Gerhard Gouws

Genre

Drama

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Sports

Original Language

English

  • Own Voice

Giants of Africa

Director Hubert Davis
Year 2016
Run Time 77min
Genre Documentary
This inspiring doc chronicles the work of Giants of Africa, a program founded by Toronto Raptors GM Masai Ujiri that uses basketball to educate and enrich the lives of underprivileged African youth.

Director

Hubert Davis

Davis’s first film, Hardwood, was nominated for an Oscar for Best Short Documentary. He received the Don Haig award at the Hot Docs festival for Invisible City, and has directed numerous award winning commercials, as well as the short film Aruba and the 2016 feature doc Giants of Africa. His 2017 short, Rivolta, won a Cannes Film Lion. his most recent feature doc Black Ice, premiered at TIFF 2022. Next, he is working on the series The Count.

Writer

Hubert Davis

Cast

Masai Ujiri

Producer

Josiah Rothenberg

Genre

Documentary

Interests

Black Filmmaker, Sports

Original Language

English

Canadian Distributor

Elevation Pictures

Last Woman Standing

Directors Juliet Lammers, Lorraine Price
Year 2013
Run Time 88min
Genre Documentary
World champion boxers and best friends Ariane Fortin and Mary Spencer must compete against one another for the first time ever as they fight for an Olympic dream that can only come true for one of them.

Directors

Juliet Lammers, Lorraine Price

Writers

Juliet Lammers, Lorraine Price

Cast

Ariane Fortin, Mike Moffa, Mary Spencer

Producers

Aisling Chin-Yee, John Christou

Genre

Documentary

Interests

Female Filmmaker, Sports, Strong Female Leads

Original Language

English

Canadian Distributor

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC)

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The Boxing Girls of Kabul

Director Ariel Nasr
Year 2011
Run Time 52min
Genre Documentary

The members of the Afghan women’s boxing team are determined to compete on the world stage, and all share a dream of representing their country in the Olympics. Constantly having to deal with political pressure, lack of funding, and improper training facilities, these young women still manage to break through the barriers before them in their fight to keep their boxing careers alive.

This powerful documentary follows the boxers’ lives both in and out of the ring, with interviews with their coaches and family members that not only show what they’ve had to overcome, but also the long journey that still lies ahead of them.

Winner of the Canadian Screen Award for Best Short Documentary.

Director

Ariel Nasr

Writer

Ariel Nasr

Producer

Annette Clarke

Genre

Documentary

Interests

Asian Filmmaker, BIPOC Stories, Global Experiences, Social Justice & Politics, Sports

Original Language

English

Language Version

FR Subtitles

Canadian Distributor

National Film Board (NFB)

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Run Woman Run

Director Zoe Leigh Hopkins (Heiltsuk/Mohawk)
Year 2021
Run Time 100min
Genre Comedy, Drama, Romance

Single mother Beck (Hebert) finds her life upended when she faces a health scare and is forced to make big changes to the way she lives. Beck decides to start training for a marathon to prove to herself and her family that she’s able to get back on track.


Guided by the ghost of her ancestor, legendary long distance runner Tom Longboat (Koostachin), she sets out on a journey that is both emotional and inspiring. Told in a lighthearted and charming way, Run Woman Run is a feel-good anti-rom-com about a woman who has to tackle the ghosts of her past before she can run toward a better future. Winner of the Audience Choice Award and Moon Jury Prize at imagineNATIVE.


“It’s one of the year’s best” – Alex Heeney, Seventh Row

 

Director

Zoe Leigh Hopkins (Heiltsuk/Mohawk)

Hopkins is an alumna of the Sundance Institute’s Feature Film Program, and has directed numerous shorts, including Button Blanket, Mohawk Midnight Runners, Impossible to Contain and a segment of The Embargo Project. She has directed the features Kayak to Klemtu and Run Woman Run, which won the Audience Choice award at imagineNATIVE 2021. She is currently writing and directing the series Little Bird. 

Writer

Zoe Leigh Hopkins (Heiltsuk/Mohawk)

Cast

Lorne Cardinal (Cree), Braeden Clarke (Cree), Asivak Koostachin (Cree/Inuk), Jayli Wolf (Anishinaabe), Dakota Ray Hebert (Dene)

Producers

Paula Devonshire (Mohawk), Pj Thornton, Laura Milliken (Ojibway)

Genres

Comedy, Drama, Romance

Interests

BIPOC Stories, ESL, Family Relationships, Female Filmmaker, Indigenous Filmmaker, Sports

Original Language

English

Canadian Distributor

levelFILM

Les Boys (The “Boys”)

Director Louis Saïa
Year 1998
Run Time 110min
Genre Comedy, Drama
This hockey comedy is a true phenomenon. Les Boys has captured the hearts of Canadian audiences with its rowdy humour, down-to-earth characterizations and appealing plots.

Stan (Girard), the very likeable tavern owner and hockey coach, allows himself to run up a huge gambling debt to Meo (Lebeau), the local Mob boss. 

Meo offers Stan a deal: If his pub's team, Les Boys, can defeat Meo's band of thugs at a game of hockey, the tavern remains his. If not, the Mob will take over Chez Stan. Naturally, Les Boys, an out-of-shape group of hockey enthusiasts, are highly motivated to win the game. How they go about doing so, however, is a slapshot of laughs.

Director

Louis Saïa

Montreal director/actor/writer Saïa is known for his trilogy Les Boys I, II and III, each of which won the Golden Reel Award for biggest box-office gross in Canada. Saïa’s TV directing credits include the French-language Vice caché, Max Inc. and the Les Boys television adaptation, as well as the feature Dangerous People.

Writers

Louis Saïa, Christian Fournier

Cast

Marc Messier, Rémy Girard, Patrick Huard

Producers

Richard Goudreau, Jeffrey Tinnell

Genres

Comedy, Drama

Interests

Classics, Sports

Original Language

French

Language Versions

EN Dub, EN Subtitles

Canadian Distributor

eOne

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Willie

Director Laurence Mathieu-Leger
Year 2019
Run Time 89min
Genre Documentary
The story of Willie O’Ree, the first black hockey player to join the NHL, who is now being inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Director

Laurence Mathieu-Leger

Cast

Willie O'Ree, Gary Bettman, Wayne Gretzky, Wayne Simmonds

Producers

Laurence Mathieu-Leger, Bryant McBride, Ted Leonsis

Genre

Documentary

Interests

Biography, BIPOC Stories, Female Filmmaker, History, Social Justice & Politics, Sports

Original Language

English

Canadian Distributor

Don Kee Productions

Face-off

Director George McCowan
Year 1971
Run Time 112min
Genre Drama

In his rookie season in the NHL playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Billy Duke (Art Hindle) finds the adjustment from the minor leagues is harder to deal with than expected. To complicate matters further, he becomes smitten with a professional singer, Sherri Lee Nelson (Trudy Young) and must balance his new relationship with his hockey dreams. While Sherri is concerned with the roughness of his chosen profession, his coach is worried about her effect on him, forcing him to make the ultimate decision: Love or Hockey?

Featuring the 1970 Maple Leafs players as part of the cast as well as other NHL legends of the time such as Bobby Hull, Jean Beliveau and Gordie Howe, Face-Off is one of the great hockey movies and a unique look into the National Hockey League of almost 50 years ago.

Director

George McCowan

Writer

George Robertson

Cast

Art Hindle, Trudy Young, John Vernon, George Armstrong

Producer

John F. Bassett

Genre

Drama

Interests

Classics, Sports

Original Language

English

Language Version

EN CC

Canadian Distributor

eOne

  • Own Voice

Poor Boy’s Game

Director Clement Virgo
Year 2007
Run Time 104min
Genre Drama

Racial tensions are reignited in working-class Halifax when a young white man (Rossif Sutherland) is released from prison and forced to face the family and community of his victim: a young Black man beaten so brutally he has been left handicapped for life. Also starring Danny Glover.

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. 

Writers

Marguerite Pigott, Chaz Thorne, Clement Virgo

Cast

Danny Glover, Rossif Sutherland

Producers

Clement Virgo, Damon D'Oliveira, Chaz Thorne

Genre

Drama

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Black Filmmaker, Discrimination, Social Justice & Politics, Sports

Original Language

English

Canadian Distributor

Telefilm Canada

La course des tuques (Racetime)

Directors François Brisson, Benoit Godbout
Year 2018
Run Time 89min
Genre Action/Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Family
Racetime is the sequel to the highly successful animated film Snowtime!, which was the highest-grossing film in Canada in 2015.

This fun and action-packed sequel is a wild romp through the trials and tribulations, passionate joys and little victories of childhood. Frankie and Sophie are teaming up for a spectacular sled race through the village, and this time they’ve got some new friends along for the ride, including the mysterious Zac and his musical cousin Charly.

Directors

François Brisson, Benoit Godbout

Writers

Paul Risacher, Claude Landry, Maxime Landry

Cast

Mariloup Wolfe, Hélène Bourgeois Leclerc, Sophie Cadieux, André Sauvé

Producer

Marie-Claude Beauchamp

Genres

Action/Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Family

Interests

Bullying, Sports

Original Languages

English, French

Canadian Distributor

eOne

Les barbares de la Malbaie

Director Vincent Biron
Year 2019
Run Time 115min
Genre Comedy, Drama

In this warm-hearted comedy, Yves (Philippe-Audrey Larrue St-Jacques), while still the best player on his minor league team, knows that his chances of making it in the NHL are slowly fading. When he suffers a serious injury, he thinks that he might finally be done for good - until his cousin convinces him to take one last shot at a comeback. Together, they drive from northern Quebec to Thunder Bay in the hopes of having him play in a national tournament.

While it begins as a story about following one's dreams, Les Barbares de la Malbaie also looks at the journey of self-discovery that comes when dreams don't go quite as planned.

Director

Vincent Biron

Writers

Eric K. Boulianne, Alexandre Auger, Marc-Antoine Rioux

Cast

Jean-Michel Anctil, Luc Boucher, Etienne Béliveau

Producers

Hany Ouichou, Jeanne-Marie Poulain

Genres

Comedy, Drama

Interest

Sports

Original Languages

English, French

Canadian Distributor

Entract Films

Goalie

Director Adriana Maggs
Year 2019
Run Time 111min
Genre Drama
A look at the life of legendary hockey player Terry Sawchuck (Mark O’Brien), who played in the Original Six era and became one of the greatest goaltenders in NHL history. O’Brien won a Canadian Screen Award for his performance.

Director

Adriana Maggs

Writers

Jane Maggs, Adriana Maggs

Cast

Mark O'Brien, Kevin Pollak, Georgina Reilly, eric bruneau

Producer

Daniel Iron

Genre

Drama

Interests

Biography, Female Filmmaker, Sports

Original Language

English

Canadian Distributor

Mongrel Media

The Man Who Skied Down Everest

Directors Bruce Nyznik, Lawrence Schiller
Year 1974
Run Time 84min
Genre Documentary

While many explorers have climbed the legendary peak of Mount Everest, Yûichirô Miura had a different dream. This Japanese skier and daredevil became the first person to ever ski on the treacherous slopes of the highest mountain in the world, descending nearly 4200 feet. While becoming famous in Japan for his achievement, it wasn’t until Canadian filmmaker F.R. Crawley released this documentary that he received widespread international attention.

Showing all of the dangers and thrilling moments of his journey up and down the mountain, this tense and engaging film won the Oscar for Best Documentary and became a formative work in the sports documentary genre.

Directors

Bruce Nyznik, Lawrence Schiller

Writers

Yûichirô Miura, Judith Crawley

Cast

Yûichirô Miura, Douglas Rain

Producer

F.R. Crawley

Genre

Documentary

Interests

Global Experiences, Sports

Original Language

English

Canadian Distributor

Specialty Films

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Black Ice

Director Hubert Davis
Year 2022
Run Time 97min
Genre Documentary

This documentary, produced by Drake, LeBron James, Vinay Virmani, and Maverick Carter chronicles the legacy of anti-Black racism in hockey, from the early segregation of Nova Scotia’s Coloured Hockey League, its connections to the history of Africville and the experiences of today’s Black NHLers. This powerful film is a must-see critique of the systemic failures that have sidelined Black Canadians in a sport that’s built into the country’s DNA.

The latest feature from Academy Award-nominated director Hubert Davis, Black Ice won over audiences and critics alike upon its TIFF premiere in 2022, winning the festival’s People’s Choice Award for Documentaries. It was also named to TIFF’s annual Canada’s Top Ten list.  

Director

Hubert Davis

Davis’s first film, Hardwood, was nominated for an Oscar for Best Short Documentary. He received the Don Haig award at the Hot Docs festival for Invisible City, and has directed numerous award winning commercials, as well as the short film Aruba and the 2016 feature doc Giants of Africa. His 2017 short, Rivolta, won a Cannes Film Lion. his most recent feature doc Black Ice, premiered at TIFF 2022. Next, he is working on the series The Count.

Writer

Hubert Davis

Cast

P.K. Subban

Producer

Vinay Virmani

Genre

Documentary

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Black Filmmaker, Discrimination, Social Justice & Politics, Sports

Original Language

English

Canadian Distributor

Elevation Pictures

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Superfan: The Nav Bhatia Story

Director Amar Wala
Year 2021
Run Time 44min
Genre Documentary

If you’ve ever watched the Toronto Raptors, chances are you’ve seen Nav Bhatia (aka the “Raptors Superfan”), stationed in the seat he’s sat in for every home game in the franchise’s history. Superfan explores how Nav found a home in Toronto, fell in love with the Raptors, and grew to be so beloved that he became the first fan ever to receive an NBA championship ring, as part of the 2019 championship Raptors team.

Featuring interviews with comedian Russell Peters, Vince Carter, Isiah Thomas, and Raptors head coach Nick Nurse, this compelling doc tells Nav’s inspiring story of perseverance, passion, overcoming adversity and ultimately finding success and joy. 

Director

Amar Wala

Amar Wala is an award-winning Toronto-based filmmaker and alumni of York University’s Film Program. His debut feature The Secret Trial 5 earned him jury recognition as an Emerging Filmmaker at Hot Docs and was named as one of the Top Ten Docs of the Decade by Realscreen. Wala has also directed and produced award-winning television series such as the acclaimed CBC Arts program In The Making and the award-winning comedy series Next Stop.   

Cast

Nav Bhatia

Producers

Vinay Virmani, Rinku Ghei

Genre

Documentary

Interests

Asian Filmmaker, Biography, BIPOC Stories, Global Experiences, Newcomer Stories, Sports

Original Language

English

Canadian Distributor

Good Karma Company

Luck

Director Peter Wellington
Year 2004
Run Time 91min
Genre Comedy, Romance
During the 1972 Canada–Russia hockey series, Shane Bradley’s failure to win the girl of his dreams leads to a fixation with luck and gambling. Starring Sarah Polley and Luke Kirby.

Director

Peter Wellington

Writer

Peter Wellington

Cast

Sarah Polley, Luke Kirby, Jed Rees

Producers

Simone Urdl, Jennifer Weiss

Genres

Comedy, Romance

Interests

History, Sports

Original Language

English

Canadian Distributor

Cineplex Odeon Films

Transformer

Director Michael Del Monte
Year 2017
Run Time 78min
Genre Documentary
A fascinating and insightful doc about Janae, a woman trying to find her place in an unfamiliar world. Janae was once known as US Marine and world record-holding weightlifter Matt “Kroc” Kroczaleski, until her life changed forever when she was outed as transgender in 2015.

Director

Michael Del Monte

Cast

Janae Marie Kroczaleski

Producers

Lyndon Hall, Tad Munnings

Genre

Documentary

Interests

Biography, LGBTQ2S+, Social Justice & Politics, Sports, Strong Female Leads

Original Language

English

Canadian Distributor

levelFILM

La petite reine (Downfall of a Champion)

Director Alexis Durand-Brault
Year 2014
Run Time 108min
Genre Drama
Years of training and dedication — and drug doping — come to a head as Julie (Laurence Leboeuf), a world-champion cyclist from Quebec, closes in on winning the World Cup.

Director

Alexis Durand-Brault

Writers

Catherine Léger, Sophie Lorain

Cast

Laurence Leboeuf, Patrice Robitaille

Producer

Richard Lalonde

Genre

Drama

Interests

Biography, Sports

Original Language

French

Canadian Distributor

Christal Films