Interest: Strong Female Leads
Space Cadet
Director
Kid Koala
Writer
Mylène Chollet
Producer
Ginette Petit
Genres
Animation, Family, Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Interests
Family Relationships, Strong Female Leads
Original Language
No Dialogue
Canadian Distributor
Les Films Opales
Deux femmes en or (Two Women)
Director
Chloé Robichaud
Writer
Catherine Léger
Cast
Laurence Leboeuf, Mani Soleymanlou, Karine Gonthier-Hyndman
Producers
Martin Paul-Hus, Catherine Léger
Genres
Comedy, Drama
Interests
Family Relationships, Female Filmmaker, LGBTQ2S+, Strong Female Leads
Original Language
French
Language Versions
EN Subtitles, FR CC
Out Standing
Director
Mélanie Charbonneau
Quebec-based director Charbonneau started her career directing commercials. Her first short film, Seule (Single), played at several international festivals, including Cannes, and her short film Lunar-Orbit Rendezvous collected over 30 prizes at festivals internationally. Fabuleuses (Fabulous) was her first feature. She has also directed episodes of Je ne suis pas un robot (I am Not a Robot).
Writers
Mélanie Charbonneau, Martine Pagé, Sandra Perron
Cast
Antoine Olivier Pilon, Nina Kiri, Vincent Leclerc
Producers
Marcel Giroux, Julia Rosenberg
Genre
Drama
Interests
Biography, Discrimination, Female Filmmaker, History, Social Justice & Politics, Strong Female Leads
Original Language
English
Language Versions
EN CC, FR Subtitles
Sedna, Empress of the Sea
Director
Jerry Thevenet
Writer
Jerry Thevenet
Cast
Shawn Youngchief, Paula Davis
Producer
Jerry Thevenet
Genres
Animation, Family
Interests
BIPOC Stories, Indigenous Filmmaker, Strong Female Leads
Original Languages
English, French, Other Language
Language Versions
EN CC, EN Subtitles
- Own Voice
Nika & Madison
Eva Thomas’ urgent and thoughtful debut film premiered at TIFF to critical acclaim, was nominated for the Director’s Guild of Canada Team Award, and won several awards at festivals internationally.
“A gripping film that tackles systemic racism through the bond of two Indigenous women. Powered by authentic performances, it’s a timely, unflinching, and deeply human story.” — Louisa Moore, Screen Zealots
Director
Eva Thomas (Ojibwe)
Writers
Michael McGowan, Eva Thomas (Ojibwe)
Cast
Ellyn Jade (Ojibwe), Star Slade, Shawn Doyle
Producer
Eva Thomas (Ojibwe)
Genre
Drama
Interests
BIPOC Stories, Family Relationships, Female Filmmaker, Indigenous Filmmaker, Social Justice & Politics, Strong Female Leads
Original Language
English
Canadian Distributor
Game Theory Films
Eastern Promises
Featuring incredible performances, including an Oscar-nominated turn from Mortensen, this masterpiece from David Cronenberg received widespread acclaim, winning seven Genie Awards and the TIFF People’s Choice Award.
“A film that takes us beyond crime and London and the Russian mafia and into the mystifying realms of human nature.” — Roger Ebert, The Chicago Sun Times
Director
David Cronenberg
A Companion of the Order of Canada, Cronenberg is a legendary filmmaker and pioneer of the body horror genre. His directing credits include iconic films such as Scanners, Dead Ringers, Videodrome, and Crash, for which he won the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival. He also directed eXistenZ, Crimes of the Future, The Shrouds, and others. He has won over 80 awards, including the Golden Coach at Cannes, and lifetime achievement awards from TIFF and the DGC.
Writer
Steven Knight
Cast
Viggo Mortensen, Naomi Watts, Vincent Cassel
Producers
Paul Webster, Robert Lantos
Genres
Drama, Thriller
Interest
Strong Female Leads
Original Languages
English, Other Language
Language Version
EN CC
Les furies (The Furies)
This bold feminist sports comedy features a hilarious cast of characters that are sure to have you rolling in the aisles.
“Gabrielle Côté puts together all the ingredients of a classic sports comedy, with a healthy dose of ‘girl power’ and female solidarity” — Maxime Demers, Le Journal de Montréal
Director
Mélanie Charbonneau
Quebec-based director Charbonneau started her career directing commercials. Her first short film, Seule (Single), played at several international festivals, including Cannes, and her short film Lunar-Orbit Rendezvous collected over 30 prizes at festivals internationally. Fabuleuses (Fabulous) was her first feature. She has also directed episodes of Je ne suis pas un robot (I am Not a Robot).
Writer
Gabrielle Côté
Cast
Anne-Élisabeth Bossé, Gabrielle Côté, France Castel
Producers
Émilie Beaulieu, Sarah Châtelain, Stephanie Pages
Genre
Comedy
Interests
Female Filmmaker, Sports, Strong Female Leads
Original Language
French
Language Version
EN Subtitles
- Own Voice
Uiksaringitara (Wrong Husband)
This breathtaking romantic drama won the award for Best Canadian Feature Film at TIFF in 2025, and was named to their Canada’s Top Ten list.
“Kunuk has once again created something special: a film made for and by Inuit, with a story that transcends culture.” — Matthew Simpson, Exclaim!
Director
Zacharias Kunuk (Inuk)
In 2015, Atanarjuat was selected as TIFF’s number one Canadian film of all time. Kunuk has directed shorts such as Exile and Home and features such as Maliglutit, which was nominated for two CSAs. He recently directed the series Hunting With My Ancestors and executive produced SGaawaay K'uuna (Edge of the Knife). His latest feature, One Day in the Life of Noah Piugattuk, premiered at TIFF 2019. Most recently, he directed the short The Shaman’s Apprentice, which won the CSA for Best Animated Short among other awards at festivals worldwide.
Writers
Zacharias Kunuk (Inuk), Samuel Cohn-Cousineau
Cast
Haiden Angutimarik (Inuk), Leah Panimera (Inuk), Theresia Kappianaq (Inuk)
Producers
Samuel Cohn-Cousineau, Carol Kunnuk (Inuk), Jonathan Frantz
Genre
Drama
Interests
Family Relationships, Indigenous Filmmaker, Strong Female Leads
Original Language
Inuktitut
Language Version
EN Subtitles
Canadian Distributor
Isuma Distribution International
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
Edouard Baer, Martin Gauthier, Julie Le Breton
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
Backspot
Riley (Jacobs) and her girlfriend Amanda (Rutendo) devote their whole lives to their passion for cheerleading. Given a chance to compete with an elite squad, Riley pushes herself to a point of dangerous dedication in order to impress her idol, the all-star coach Eileen (Wood). As the pressure mounts on both her and the squad, Riley’s obsession threatens to make her lose everything, leading to an exhilarating finale that is sure to get your blood pumping!
Featuring an all-star cast at the top of their game, this intense cheerleading drama is unlike any other that has come before it.
“Jacobs and Waterson are in the same perfect lockstep as the film's cheer squad itself.” – Marya E. Gates, RogerEbert.com
Director
D. W. Waterson
Writers
D. W. Waterson, Joanne Sarazen
Cast
Evan Rachel Wood, Kudakwashe Rutendo, Kawennáhere Devery Jacobs (Mohawk)
Producers
Kawennáhere Devery Jacobs (Mohawk), D. W. Waterson, Martin Katz, Alona Metzer
Genre
Drama
Interests
Female Filmmaker, LGBTQ2S+, Sports, Strong Female Leads
Original Language
English
Canadian Distributor
levelFILM
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
Village Keeper
Director
Karen Chapman
Writer
Karen Chapman
Cast
Maxine Simpson, Oluniké Adeliyi, Zahra Bentham
Producers
Karen Chapman, Enrique Baniqued
Genre
Drama
Interests
BIPOC Stories, Black Filmmaker, Family Relationships, Female Filmmaker, Strong Female Leads
Original Language
English
Canadian Distributor
Smallaxx Motion Pictures
Maria Chapdelaine
Director
Sébastien Pilote
Writers
Louis Hémon, Sébastien Pilote
Cast
Sebastien Ricard, Sara Montpetit, Hélène Florent
Producers
Sylvain Proulx, Pierre Even
Genre
Drama
Interests
History, Literary Adaptation, Strong Female Leads
Original Language
French
Language Versions
EN Subtitles, FR CC
Canadian Distributor
Sphere-Films
Matt and Mara
Director
Kazik Radwanski
Writers
Samantha Chater, Kazik Radwanski
Cast
Michael Michael Kolberg, Matt Johnson, Deragh Campbell
Producer
Candice Napoleone
Genres
Drama, Romance
Interest
Strong Female Leads
Original Language
English
Language Version
EN CC
Canadian Distributor
The Cinema Guild
- 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
Joel Oulette (Cree/Métis), Sandra Oh, Keira Jang
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
Dounia et la princesse d’Alep (Dounia and the Princess of Aleppo)
Directors
André Kadi, Marya Zarif
Writer
Marya Zarif
Cast
Elza Mardirossian, Rahaf Ataya
Producer
Judith Beauregard
Genres
Animation, Family
Interests
Female Filmmaker, Global Experiences, Strong Female Leads
Original Language
French
Language Versions
EN Dub, EN Subtitles, FR CC
Canadian Distributor
Maison 4:3
500 Days in the Wild
Director
Dianne Whelan
Writers
Dianne Whelan, Tanya Maryniak
Cast
Dianne Whelan
Genre
Documentary
Interests
Environment, Female Filmmaker, Strong Female Leads
Original Language
English
Young Werther
While on a simple errand to Toronto, a carefree and charming young writer named Werther (Douglas Booth) meets Charlotte (Alison Pill), who he believes love of his life. There's only one thing standing in the way - her engagement to another man. Despite the urgings of his hypochondriac best friend, Werther turns his world upside down in a desperate, misguided and hilarious quest to win her heart.
Director
José Lourenço
Writers
Johann Goethe, José Lourenço
Cast
Alison Pill, Patrick J. Adams, Iris Apatow
Producer
Douglas Booth
Genres
Comedy, Romance
Interest
Strong Female Leads
Original Language
English
Language Versions
EN CC, FR Dub, FR Subtitles
Canadian Distributor
Wildling Pictures
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