Genre: Romance
Sarah préfère la course (Sarah Prefers to Run)
Sarah (Sophie Desmarais) is a gifted young runner whose life changes when she’s offered a spot at McGill – far from her suburban life near Quebec City. But when her fearful mother refuses to give her financial support, Sarah marries her best friend Antoine (Jean-Sébastien Courchesne) in an attempt to qualify for the best scholarships, and they set out for Montreal on their own.
Antoine has feelings for Sarah, but it soon becomes clear that the only thing she truly loves is running. This assured feature-length debut from Robichaud is an unusual coming of age story and a heartfelt and subtle drama about an introverted protagonist’s late-blossoming sexuality.
After its premiere in the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival, the film won the Women in Film & Television Artistic Merit Award at the Vancouver International Film Festival.
“What makes Sarah Prefers to Run so touching is that we're not quite sure what the resolution will be for Sarah. She isn't, either. But she just keeps running.” – Tim Grierson, Paste Magazine
Director
Chloé Robichaud
Writer
Chloé Robichaud
Cast
Sophie Desmarais, Jean‑Sébastien Courchesne
Producers
Chloé Robichaud, Fanny-Laure Malo
Genres
Drama, Romance
Interests
Female Filmmaker, Sports
Original Language
French
Spinster
On her 39th birthday, Gaby (Chelsea Peretti) finds that she's hit a crossroad in her life. Fresh off of yet another failed relationship, everyone in her life is asking when she's going to settle down. It doesn't help that as a wedding caterer, she's constantly reminded of this pressure. With the dating scene looking bleaker than ever, Gabye begins to wonder whether she'd be happier if she never finds 'the one'.
Andrea Dorfman’s clever twist on the romantic comedy genre features a brilliant performance from Chelsea Peretti (Brooklyn Nine Nine), who brings a touching depth of character along with her trademark acerbic wit.
Director
Andrea Dorfman
Writer
Jennifer Deyell
Cast
Chelsea Peretti
Producers
Jay Dahl, Bill Niven, Marc Tetreault, William Woods
Genres
Comedy, Romance
Interest
Female Filmmaker
Original Language
English
When Chris Cutter (Gross) returns to his small hometown to bury his former curling coach, he is inspired to reunite the old team and try to win the Golden Broom. Nothing has been the same in town since Chris’s departure 10 years earlier — Chris’s old teammates and his own father (Nielsen) are disappointed in life, and the coach’s daughters Amy (Parker) and Julie (Nolden) have become, respectively, a drunk and an astronaut. Despite the odds, the rag-tag group of misfits unites to compete in the championship, with heartwarming and hilarious results.
Director
Paul Gross
Gross starred in the hit TV series Due South and Slings & Arrows. He directed, wrote and starred in Men With Brooms, which won a Canadian Comedy Award, as well as Hyena Road and Passchendaele, which won a Genie for best film. Gross also starred in the mini-series Alias Grace and Caught, the series Tales of the City and Y: The Last Man, and the films Falling and The Middle Man.
Writers
Paul Gross, John Krizanc, Paul Quarrington
Cast
Paul Gross, Leslie Nielsen, Molly Parker, Michelle Nolden, The Tragically Hip
Producer
Robert Lantos
Genres
Comedy, Romance
Interest
Sports
Original Language
English
Funny Boy
Based on the celebrated novel by Shyam Selvadurai, Funny Boy was nominated for nine Canadian Screen Awards, winning for directing, screenplay and score.
“An attractive journey, gilded in summery light throughout by Douglas Koch’s camera.” – Guy Lodge, Variety
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. Her most recent film Funny Boy has also won multiple awards, including the CSA for best direction. Most recently, she directed an episode of the series Yellowjackets. She has numerous projects in development as a writer, director and producer.
Writers
Deepa Mehta, Shyam Selvadurai
Cast
Brandon Ingram, Arush Nand, Nimmi Harasgama, Agam Darshi, Ali Kazmi
Producers
Hussaini Amarshi, Lodi Butler, Gopi Darmaratnam, David Hamilton, Neil Mathieson
Genres
Drama, Romance
Interests
Asian Filmmaker, BIPOC Stories, Bullying, Discrimination, Family Relationships, Female Filmmaker, Global Experiences, LGBTQ2S+, Literary Adaptation
Original Languages
English, Other Language
Twenty-one-year-old Ricardo (Boucher) is a screenwriting student in Montreal, where he dreams about striking up a romance with his classmate Marie-Ève (Gosselin). When she announces that she’ll be going on an exchange trip to Italy, Ricardo can only see one option for himself: to follow her — and his heart — on the trip, and perhaps reconnect with his own Italian roots along the way. Of course, nothing on the trip goes as he expects, and connecting with Marie-Ève seems further away than before.
The charming and funny story is based on director Ricardo Trogi’s own coming-of-age experiences, and was a box office smash and winner of the Golden Screen Award (for biggest Canadian box office gross of the year). The film was nominated for 16 Prix Iris awards and won five, including those for best film and best director.
Director
Ricardo Trogi
Writer and director Trogi’s first film, Québec-Montréal, earned him a Jutra Award for Best Direction and Best Screenplay. His credits also include Horloge biologique, Le Mirage, and the coming-of-age trilogy 1981, 1987, and 1991. He recently co-wrote two seasons of La Maison-Bleue and directed the feature Le Guide de la famille parfaite.
Writer
Ricardo Trogi
Cast
Sandrine Bisson, Jean-Carl Boucher, Mamoudou Camara, Giuseppe Cantore, Juliette Gosselin
Producer
Nicole Robert
Genres
Comedy, Romance
Interest
Biography
Original Language
French
Director
Patrick Péris
Writers
Sylvain Charbonneau, Patrick Péris
Cast
Émilien Néron, Jade Charbonneau
Producer
Marc Bertrand
Genres
Animation, Romance
Original Language
French
Bollywood/Hollywood
As a joking way of accommodating them, he hires Sue (Ray), a beautiful escort girl, to pretend to be his fiancée. Naturally, the two fall in love, and just as naturally, complications ensue. Incorporating the wild stylistic excesses of Bollywood — the melodrama, the choreography and the music — Mehta allows Indian culture and societal attitudes to play out in Toronto.
“Much hilarity, joyful song and dance numbers and a surprisingly touching love story.” — Kevin Laforest, Montreal Film Journal
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. Her most recent film Funny Boy has also won multiple awards, including the CSA for best direction. Most recently, she directed an episode of the series Yellowjackets. She has numerous projects in development as a writer, director and producer.
Writer
Deepa Mehta
Cast
Rahul Khanna, Lisa Ray, Jessica Paré, Moushumi Chatterjee
Producers
Camelia Frieberg, David Hamilton, Ajay Virmani
Genres
Comedy, Drama, Romance
Interests
Arts and Culture, Asian Filmmaker, BIPOC Stories, ESL, Family Relationships, Female Filmmaker, Newcomer Stories, Strong Female Leads
Original Language
English
Based on the last recording by one of Newfoundland's foremost traditional music performers, Emile Benoit's tender delivery of the 18th century French song is the heart of Vive la rose. The story of unrequited love and tentative obsession throughout the beloved's life, sickness and early death is the narrative focus, accompanied by an emotional interpretation of Benoit's strong Newfoundland French accent and wavering old man's voice. Vive la rose is animation on location, rooting the film in a location that evokes the past, and combines ink drawings with a variety of romantic and associative elements and objects.
Director
Bruce Alcock
Producers
Tina Ouellette, Annette Clarke, Michael Fukushima
Genres
Animation, Romance
Interests
Arts and Culture, History
Original Language
French
Passchendaele
While recovering, Dunne meets Sarah (Dhavernas) and becomes determined to win her heart. When Sarah’s asthmatic younger brother David (Dinicol) enlists to fight in the war, Michael returns to the battlefield in order to protect him. The two men are sent to fight against impossible odds in the battle of Passchendaele.
The film won six Genies, including Best Picture and Best Actor, for Paul Gross.
Director
Paul Gross
Gross starred in the hit TV series Due South and Slings & Arrows. He directed, wrote and starred in Men With Brooms, which won a Canadian Comedy Award, as well as Hyena Road and Passchendaele, which won a Genie for best film. Gross also starred in the mini-series Alias Grace and Caught, the series Tales of the City and Y: The Last Man, and the films Falling and The Middle Man.
Writer
Paul Gross
Cast
Paul Gross, Caroline Dhavernas, Gil Bellows, Joe Dinicol
Producers
Frank Siracusa, Paul Gross, Francis Damberger, Niv Fichman
Genres
Action/Adventure, Drama, Romance
Interests
ESL, History
Original Language
English
Sabah is frustrated at home with no means of escape. That is, until she meets non-Muslim Stephen (Doyle), who awakens her long-lost desire for independence and romance. Soon, Sabah is having a whirlwind cross-cultural affair that she must hide from her family.
Ruba Nadda’s witty and timely love story breathes new life into a classic tale of family, tradition, cultural difference and love.
Director
Ruba Nadda
Nadda is an internationally acclaimed writer and filmmaker whose credits include the features Inescapable and October Gale and television shows such as Killjoys; Frankie Drake Mysteries; Arrow; Roswell, Riverdale and many others. Her feature Cairo Time won the Best Canadian Feature at TIFF. She is currently producing the series Gray, and next she will direct the films Lifetime and Elizabeth.
Writer
Ruba Nadda
Cast
Arsinée Khanjian, Fadia Nada, Jeff Seymour, Shawn Doyle
Producers
Tracey Boulton, Atom Egoyan
Genres
Drama, Romance
Interests
BIPOC Stories, ESL, Family Relationships, Female Filmmaker, Newcomer Stories, Social Justice & Politics, Strong Female Leads
Original Language
English