Interest: Sports
Parachute
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
- Own Voice
Thunderbird
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
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
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
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)
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)
- Own Voice
Run Woman Run
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”)
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
- Own Voice
Willie
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
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
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)
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
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
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
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
- Own Voice
Black Ice
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
- Own Voice
Superfan: The Nav Bhatia Story
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
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
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
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