Region: BC
- Own Voice
Because We Are Girls
Three Punjabi-Canadian sisters await the verdict from the trial of the cousin charged with abusing them as children. In this heavy-hitting documentary, the sisters confront the culture that allowed the abuse to happen, including parents who encouraged their silence.
Director
Baljit Sangra
Writer
Baljit Sangra
Producer
Selwyn Jacob
Genre
Documentary
Interests
BIPOC Stories, Discrimination, Female Filmmaker
Original Language
English
- Own Voice
Beeba Boys
Gang violence and a maelstrom of crime rock Vancouver in this flashy, dangerous thriller about the Indo-Canadian underworld. Starring Randeep Hooda and Ali Momen.
Director
Deepa Mehta
Mehta gained acclaim for her trilogy, Fire, Earth and the Oscar-nominated Water. Her adaptation of Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children was nominated for eight CSAs. She has also directed Bollywood/Hollywood, Beeba Boys, Anatomy of Violence, and many others. Most recently, she directed an episode of the hit series Yellowjackets.
Writer
Deepa Mehta
Cast
Randeep Hooda, Ali Momen
Producer
David Hamilton
Genre
Drama
Interests
BIPOC Stories, Discrimination
Original Language
English
- Own Voice
Eve and the Firehorse
Director
Julia Kwan
Writer
Julia Kwan
Genre
Drama
Interest
Female Filmmaker
Original Language
English
When the Storm Fades
Directors
Genres
Comedy, Documentary, Drama
Interests
BIPOC Stories, Global Experiences
Original Language
English
Everything Will Be
Director
Julia Kwan
Writer
Julia Kwan
Producer
David Christensen
Genre
Documentary
Interest
BIPOC Stories
Original Language
English
Language Version
Other Subtitles
Hurt
Although his charity marathon in 1984 was a glorious success, his subsequent exploits — precarious jobs and petty crimes —find him in a state of financial ruin in one of Canada’s toughest neighbourhoods. The unbelievable run that became his life’s greatest achievement is now a crushing burden.
Zweig’s rare and sensitive portrait of a complex one-time hero won the inaugural Platform prize at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival.
Director
Alan Zweig
Writer
Alan Zweig
Cast
Steve Fonyo
Producers
Peter Gentile, Mikey Lalonde
Genre
Documentary
Interest
Biography
Original Language
English
One Week
A classic road trip movie featuring lots of Canadian icons (like Gord Downie of The Tragically Hip), One Week follows Ben’s journey from Toronto to Tofino. Along the way, Ben makes new friends and re-evaluates his life, his job and his upcoming marriage. As his fiancée and family back home struggle to understand his decision, Ben rediscovers himself, reawakens his old passion for writing and ultimately learns to appreciate life.
Director
Michael McGowan
McGowan made his film debut as a writer, director and producer with My Dog Vincent, and directed Saint Ralph, One Week, Score: A Hockey Musical and Still Mine, which was named by TIFF as one of Canada’s Top 10 films in 2012. He recently directed TV shows Reign and Between and wrote the film The Etruscan Smile. His most recent film, All My Puny Sorrows, premiered at TIFF 2021.
Writer
Michael McGowan
Cast
Joshua Jackson, Liane Balaban, Campbell Scott, Fiona Reid
Producers
Nicholas de Pencier, Jane Tattersall, Michael McGowan
Genre
Drama
Interests
ESL, Family Relationships
Original Language
English
Language Version
FR Dub
Sisters & Brothers
With a stellar cast (all of which collaborated on the film's script) including the late Cory Monteith, Gabrielle Miller and Amanda Crew, this lovably dysfunctional story presents a funny, off-kilter vision of familial connections and their intricacies.
Director
Carl Bessai
Writer
Carl Bessai
Cast
Cory Monteith, Gabrielle Miller, Amanda Crew, Tom Scholte, Dustin Milligan
Producers
Emily Alden, Carl Bessai, James Brown
Genre
Drama
Interest
Family Relationships
Original Language
English
Edwin Boyd: Citizen Gangster
Eddie gets his start by recruiting a gang of small-time crooks and slowly turns them into a crack team of professional thieves. He launches a series of spectacular bank robberies, gaining notoriety and quickly becoming both a beloved national celebrity and public enemy number one. Part action-packed crime caper, part romance, this vibrant film brings an incredible true story to life.
Director
Nathan Morlando
Morlando’s first film, Edwin Boyd: Citizen Gangster, won Best Canadian First Feature at TIFF. He also directed Mean Dreams, which debuted in the Directors’ Fortnight section of the Cannes Film Festival. He recently produced Giant Little Ones and directed episodes of the show Cardinal.
Writer
Nathan Morlando
Cast
Scott Speedman, Kelly Reilly, Kevin Durand, Brian Cox, Charlotte Sullivan
Producer
Allison Black
Genres
Action/Adventure, Drama, Thriller
Interests
Biography, History
Original Language
English
Language Versions
EN CC, FR Subtitles
The Snow Walker
Everything changes when Charlie’s plane goes down in the wilderness, leaving him alone with the young girl. Forced to rely on each other, the two form a bond of friendship as the summer months quickly end and winter’s harsh conditions begin to take hold. Based on a story by acclaimed Canadian author Farley Mowat, this is a beautifully rendered tale, set in the gorgeous but desolate Arctic. Director Smith played a key role in an earlier Mowat adaptation, Never Cry Wolf.
“The Snow Walker is a powerful, poignant and transcendent film.” — Bruce Kirkland, Jam! Movies
Director
Charles Martin Smith
Actor/director Smith is known for roles in the 1973 classic American Graffiti and The Untouchables. He has directed episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Da Vinci’s Inquest, and his films include Stone of Destiny and Dolphin Tale. He directed A Dog’s Way Home, and most recently A Christmas Gift From Bob. He is currently completing the film Maybe This Time.
Writer
Charles Martin Smith
Cast
Barry Pepper, Annabella Piugattuk, James Cromwell
Producers
Rob Merilees, William Vince
Genres
Action/Adventure, Drama
Interests
BIPOC Stories, ESL, Literary Adaptation, Strong Female Leads
Original Language
English
- Own Voice
Totem: The Return of the G’psgolox Pole
In 1929, the Haisla people of British Columbia returned from a fishing trip to find their tribe’s nine-metre mortuary pole — otherwise known as the G’psgolox — missing, severed at the base. The pole’s fate was a mystery for over 60 years until it surfaced in a Stockholm museum, where members of the Haisla Nation journeyed to in order to get it back in 1991.
Mixing interviews, location photography and awesome footage of Haisla carvers, this unique documentary takes an incredible story and weaves in important commentary on the issue of cultural appropriation and art history.
Director
Gil Gardinal (Métis)
Writer
Gil Gardinal (Métis)
Producers
Jerry Krepakevich, Graydon McCrea, Bonnie Thompson
Genre
Documentary
Interests
BIPOC Stories, Environment, Global Experiences, History, Indigenous Filmmaker, Social Justice & Politics
Original Language
English
Language Versions
EN CC, FR Subtitles
A Place Called Chiapas
Filmmaker Nettie Wild notes that in Canada, the North American Free Trade Agreement, which went into effect in 1994, was a matter for lively discussion and political debate. In Chiapas, one of the poorest states in Mexico, it provoked an actual revolution.
In this remarkably clear-eyed and vivid documentary, Wild follows the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN) as they fight and evade the Mexican army. Wild takes viewers on a journey through fear and hope, telling a complex story of Indigenous rights and corporate interests in the wake of NAFTA.
The film won the Genie for Best Documentary, among several other awards.
Director
Nettie Wild
Writers
Manfred Becker, Nettie Wild
Producers
Betsy Carson, Kirk Tougas, Nettie Wild
Genre
Documentary
Interests
Environment, Female Filmmaker, Global Experiences, Social Justice & Politics
Original Language
English
Language Version
EN CC
- Own Voice
Better Than Chocolate
Maggie (Karyn Dwyer) is happy with her life in Vancouver. She works at an LGBTQ+ bookstore owned by Frances (Anne-Marie MacDonald) and has recently fallen head over heels with a young artist named (Christina Cox). When the couple decide to take their romance to the next level and move in together, everything seems perfect.
That is, until Maggie’s recently-divorced mom Lila (Wendy Crewson) and brother Paul turn up at her doorstep, looking to stay with her. The unlikely foursome end up sharing Maggie’s Vancouver loft, and Maggie must decide whether to keep her relationship – and her sexuality – a secret, or reveal who she really is to her well-meaning but naïve and conservative mother.
“Anne Wheeler's sexy, funny, poignant film, from a bright script by Peggy Thompson, is a real charmer, with considerable brains.” – David Noh, FilmJournal InternationalDirector
Anne Wheeler
Writer
Peggy Thompson
Cast
Wendy Crewson, Karyn Dwyer, Christina Cox, Christina Cox, Karyn Dwyer
Producer
Sharon McGowan
Genre
Comedy
Interests
BIPOC Stories, Female Filmmaker, LGBTQ2S+
Original Language
English
Language Versions
EN CC, FR Subtitles, Other Subtitles
- Own Voice
The Road Forward
The film tells the tale of six generations of Indigenous activism, weaving in musical sequences that seamlessly connect past and present with blues, rock and traditional beats. A rousing tribute to those who tirelessly fight for the rights of First Nations people and a visceral and inspiring call to action!
“The Road Forward represents the bold and optimistic position where [Indigenous documentary] now stands.” – Kate Taylor, The Globe and Mail
Director
Marie Clements (Métis/Dene)
Clements works within a variety of mediums including film, television, radio, and live performance. Her work has screened at Cannes, TIFF, MOMA, VIFF, American Indian Film Festival and imagineNATIVE, and has garnered numerous awards. Her films include the musical documentary The Road Forward and Red Snow, her dramatic debut. She is currently directing the TV show Bones of Crows.
Writer
Marie Clements (Métis/Dene)
Cast
Chief Leonard George (Tsleil- Waututh), Ron Harris (Stō:lo/St’át’imc/Nlaka’pamux), Wayne Lavallee (Métis), Evan Leslie Adams (Tla’amin)
Producer
Shirley Vercruysse
Genre
Documentary
Interests
BIPOC Stories, Female Filmmaker, History, Indigenous Filmmaker, Social Justice & Politics
Original Language
English
Language Versions
EN CC, FR Subtitles
Kissed
A fellow student (Peter Outerbridge) develops feelings for Sandra, but struggles to cope with her unusual and disturbing sexual desires. Kissed is a rare film about sexual awakening that manages to be both profoundly subversive and extremely tender.
“Stopkewich has managed the unlikely feat of making a film about necrophilia that is neither a black comedy nor a horror outing. Rather, she has crafted a poetic, provocative love story about sex, romance and death that is surprisingly endearing.” – Brendan Kelly, Variety
Director
Lynne Stopkewich
Writers
Angus Fraser, Lynne Stopkewich
Cast
Molly Parker, Peter Outerbridge, Jay Brazeau
Genre
Drama
Interest
Female Filmmaker
Original Language
English
Language Versions
EN CC, FR Subtitles
The Corporation
For more than a hundred years, US corporations — including giants like Coca-Cola, Microsoft and Nike — have been treated as “persons” under the law.
But if a corporation is a person, what kind of person is it?
In answering this question, this provocative film takes a mischievous approach. Because the pursuit of profit is behind every corporate decision, corporations fit a classic psychiatric profile: They are psychopaths.
This unexpected conclusion prompts many moral, political and social questions. Full of interviews with corporate insiders and critics, this often humorous documentary is packed with fascinating insights.
Winner of 26 international awards, including 10 Audience Choice awards at film festivals around the world.
Directors
Jennifer Abbott
Abbott has edited the docs Let It Ride, Under The Poison Tree and I Am, and directed the docs The Film That Buys The Cinema, Us and Them, and most recently The Magnitude of All Things. She co-directed The Corporation.
Writers
Joel Bakan, Jennifer Abbott, Harold Croosk
Producers
Mark Achbar, Bart Simpson
Genre
Documentary
Interests
Arts and Culture, Female Filmmaker, Social Justice & Politics
Original Language
English
Language Version
FR Subtitles
Fido
Visually captivating, sly and clever, Fido follows the Robinson family, who have been hesitant to get a zombie of their own even though everyone on the block has one. All that changes when Mom (Moss) buys Fido (Connolly), and the loveable brute becomes young Timmy’s best friend. Fido is a funny, satirical and refreshing movie with an all-star cast and a standout performance by Billy Connolly as Fido.
“Currie’s zombie comedy is in a class by itself.”
— Lori Fireman, NOW Magazine
Director
Andrew Currie
Currie attended Simon Fraser University and the CFC. His feature films Mile Zero and Fido garnered international acclaim and awards. He recently directed The Steps and produced the feature Indian Road Trip and the short film Cloud Striker. He is currently writing and directing the feature The Invisibles.
Writers
Robert Chomiak, Andrew Currie, Dennis Heaton
Cast
Carrie-Anne Moss, Billy Connolly, Dylan Baker, Henry Czerny
Producers
Blake Corbet, Mary Anne Waterhouse
Genres
Comedy, Horror
Interests
Cult & Offbeat Cinema, Social Justice & Politics
Original Language
English
Language Version
FR Dub
- Own Voice
Iron Road
Soon, though, she finds herself falling in love with him, and as the physical terrain becomes more dangerous, so does the landscape of the heart. Beautifully shot and featuring screen legend Peter O’Toole in one of his last roles, Iron Road revisits an important and controversial time in Canadian history.
Originally broadcast as a CBC miniseries, REEL CANADA is proud to present the feature version of this epic tale that spans two continents.
Director
David Wu
Wu is a master editor who has worked with many legendary Hong Kong filmmakers. His directorial credits include the films The Snow Queen with Bridget Fonda, Plague City: SARS in Toronto (for which he earned the DGC Best Director nomination), See You Tomorrow, and the TV show Once a Thief. He recently edited the films You Are In My Heart and Bai du ren.
Writers
Barry Pearson, Raymond Storey
Cast
Sun Li, Luke Macfarlane, Sam Neill, Peter O’Toole
Producers
Zhao Haicheng, Anne Tait, Raymond Massey II
Genre
Drama
Interests
BIPOC Stories, Discrimination, ESL, History, Newcomer Stories, Social Justice & Politics, Strong Female Leads
Original Language
Other Language
Language Version
EN CC
The Whale
The Whale charts the community’s struggle to deal with Luna, since whales who are separated from their pods rarely survive in the wild. Raising more questions than it can answer, the film is a truly compelling exploration of our relationship with animals.
“The issues surrounding the emotional lives of animals — and the often presumptuous assumption of humans that they comprehend them — are explored in The Whale with a quiet dignity and gorgeous images.” — Andy Webster, New York Times
Directors
Michael Parfit
Parfit co-founded the BC-based Mountainside Films with Suzanne Chisholm, which Realscreen once named among the world’s 100 most influential production companies. Their work has aired on CBC, CNN, PBS, BBC and National Geographic. Their latest film is Call of the Baby Beluga and they recently executive produced the doc Doeville.
Suzanne Chisholm
Chisholm co-founded the BC-based Mountainside Films with Michael Parfit, which Realscreen once named among the world’s 100 most influential production companies. Their work has aired on CBC, CNN, PBS, BBC and National Geographic. Their latest film is Call of the Baby Beluga and they recently executive produced the doc Doeville.
Cast
Ryan Reynolds
Producer
Suzanne Chisholm
Genres
Documentary, Family
Interests
Environment, ESL, Female Filmmaker, Social Justice & Politics
Original Language
English
Language Versions
EN CC, FR Subtitles
- Own Voice
Grandfather on the Prairies
Jason meets his great-great-greatgrandfather and soon finds himself in a hilarious debate about what it means to be a hunter.
Director
Andrew Genaille (Sto:lo/Ojibway)
Writer
Andrew Genaille (Sto:lo/Ojibway)
Cast
Andrew Genaille (Sto:lo/Ojibway)
Producers
Andrew Genaille (Sto:lo/Ojibway), Lisa Marie Genaille (Cree), Robert Genaille (Cree)
Genres
Animation, Experimental, Family
Interests
BIPOC Stories, Family Relationships, History, Indigenous Filmmaker
Original Language
English
Language Version
None