Spotlight Sublist: 2023 - 10 - Freshly Picked
- Own Voice
Brother
Brother was named to TIFF’s annual Canada’s Top Ten list for 2022 and won a record 12 Canadian Screen Awards including Best Picture.
“Brother is a film that reaffirms why I love movies…This is a vital piece of cinema that hasn’t received the buzz it deserves.” – Valerie Complex, Deadline Hollywood
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.
Writer
Clement Virgo
Cast
Aaron Pierre, Lamar Johnson
Producers
Damon D'Oliveira, Sonya Di Rienzo
Genre
Drama
Interests
BIPOC Stories, Black Filmmaker, Family Relationships
Original Language
English
Canadian Distributor
Elevation Pictures
I Like Movies
A true movie for movie lovers, Chandler Levack’s debut feature is a charming coming of age story that perfectly captures small-town Canadian adolescence.
Director
Chandler Levack
Writer
Chandler Levack
Cast
Isaiah Lehtinen, Krista Bridges, Dan Beirne
Producer
Lindsay Blair Goeldner
Genre
Comedy
Interests
Arts and Culture, Family Relationships, Female Filmmaker
Original Language
English
Canadian Distributor
Mongrel Media
All My Puny Sorrows
Featuring outstanding performances and a strong emotional core, Michael McGowan’s incredible adaptation explores the depths – and limits – of familial love in sealing the cracks of tragedy and trauma.
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
Alison Pill, Donal Logue, Sarah Gadon, Mare Winningham
Producers
Michael McGowan, Tyler Levine, Patrice Theroux
Genre
Drama
Interests
Family Relationships, Strong Female Leads
Original Language
English
Canadian Distributor
Mongrel Media
Peace By Chocolate
Tareq (Abou Ammar), a Syrian refugee in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, is torn between his dream to become a doctor and his family’s chocolate-making legacy. When his family joins him in Canada, his father’s new chocolate business becomes an unexpected success, leading to new, unforeseen challenges. Tareq must make a choice between being there to support the family that needs him or pursuing the life in Canada that he always envisioned for himself.
Inspired by the true story of the formation of the artisanal chocolate company of the same name, Peace By Chocolate is an inspiring and quintessentially Canadian story.
“Peace By Chocolate is a bona fide crowd pleaser, and a true story to boot.” - Chris Knight, The National Post
Director
Jonathan Keijser
Writers
Jonathan Keijser, Abdul Malik
Cast
Hatem Ali, Ayham Abou Ammar
Producers
Catherine Léger, Jonathan Keijser, Martin Paul-Hus
Genres
Comedy, Drama
Interests
BIPOC Stories, Family Relationships, Global Experiences, Newcomer Stories
Original Languages
English, Other Language
Canadian Distributor
Vortex Media
- 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
Au revoir le bonheur (Goodbye Happiness)
The latest comedy from filmmaker Ken Scott (Starbuck), Au Revoir Le Bonheur is a heartfelt and fun film driven by outstanding performances from an all-star cast.
Director
Ken Scott
Writer
Ken Scott
Cast
François Arnaud, Antoine Bertrand, Louis Morissette, Patrice Robitaille
Producer
Christian Larouche
Genres
Comedy, Drama
Interest
Family Relationships
Original Language
French
Canadian Distributor
Les Films Opale
- Own Voice
Rosie
Fréderique (Bray), a struggling artist living in 1980s Montreal, is shocked when she’s put in charge of Rosie (Hill), the young daughter of her foster sister who recently passed away. With an impending eviction from her apartment, and no desire to be a mother, she must rely on her chosen family – two aspiring drag stars Flo and Mo – to take care of the spirited youngster and keep Rosie out of the foster care system that Fréderique herself hated.
The first feature from director Gail Maurice, ROSIE is a touching and warm comedy that is sure to charm audiences the world over.
Director
Gail Maurice (Cree/Métis)
Writer
Gail Maurice (Cree/Métis)
Cast
Constant Bernard, Keris Hope Hill, Melanie Bray, Alex Trahan
Producers
Gail Maurice (Cree/Métis), Jamie Manning
Genres
Comedy, Drama
Interests
BIPOC Stories, Family Relationships, Female Filmmaker, Indigenous Filmmaker, LGBTQ2S+, Social Justice & Politics
Original Languages
English, French, Other Language
Canadian Distributor
TVA Films
Viking
This unique and charming comedy from Stéphane Lafleur balances absurdist humour with a poignant reflection on the human condition.
Director
Stéphane Lafleur
Writers
Stéphane Lafleur, Eric K. Boulianne
Cast
Steve Laplante, Larissa Corriveau, Fabiola N. Aladin, Hamza Haq
Producers
Kim McCraw, Luc Déry
Genres
Comedy, Drama, Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Original Languages
English, French
Canadian Distributor
Les Films Opale
- Own Voice
Riceboy Sleeps
This stunning second feature from Anthony Shim follows a Korean single mother who moves to Canada with her young son in the early 1990s, following the death of her husband. As she struggles to make ends meet and provide the best life possible for her son, she has to contend with his changing attitudes towards her, and towards their Korean culture.
A profoundly affecting drama about the immigrant experience, Riceboy Sleeps premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival where it won the Platform Prize, and was named to their 2022 Canada’s Top Ten list. It also won the award for Best Original Screenplay at the Canadian Screen Awards.
Director
Anthony Shim
Writer
Anthony Shim
Cast
Choi Seung Yoon, Ethan Hwang, Hunter Dillon
Producers
Bryan Demore, Anthony Shim, Rebecca Steele
Genre
Drama
Interests
Asian Filmmaker, BIPOC Stories, Bullying, Discrimination, Family Relationships, Newcomer Stories, Strong Female Leads
Original Languages
English, Other Language
Canadian Distributor
Game Theory Films
- Own Voice
To Kill a Tiger
TIFF named To Kill a Tiger the Best Canadian Film of the 2022 festival, and one of the year’s best in their annual Canada’s Top Ten list.
Director
Nisha Pahuja
Writer
Nisha Pahuja
Producers
David Oppenheim, Nisha Pahuja, Cornelia Principe, Andy Cohen
Genre
Documentary
Interests
Asian Filmmaker, Family Relationships, Female Filmmaker, Global Experiences, Social Justice & Politics
Original Language
Other Language
Canadian Distributor
National Film Board (NFB)