The Wanted 18

Directors Paul Cowan, Amer Shomali
Year 2014
Run Time 75min
Genre Animation, Documentary

Directors

Paul Cowan, Amer Shomali

Writer

Paul Cowan

Producers

Dominique Barneaud, Saed Andoni, Nathalie Cloutier

Genres

Animation, Documentary

Interests

Discrimination, Global Experiences, Social Justice & Politics

Original Languages

English, Other Language

In Flames

Director Zarrar Kahn
Year 2023
Run Time 98min
Genre Drama, Horror

Set in modern-day Karachi, the film opens with the death of the family patriarch. Mother and daughter find themselves in a precarious situation where their existence is ripped apart. In order to survive in a hostile world dominated by men, the two women have to work together in the face of threats both real and supernatural.

Director

Zarrar Kahn

Writer

Zarrar Kahn

Cast

Ramesha Nawal, Bakhtawar Mazhar

Producer

Annam Abbas

Genres

Drama, Horror

Interests

Asian Filmmaker, BIPOC Stories, Family Relationships, Global Experiences, Strong Female Leads

Original Language

Other Language

Intersection

Director Cecilia Araneda
Year 2022
Run Time 99min
Genre Drama

Chilean refugee Daniela came to Canada as a child after her mother was assassinated during Chile's dictatorship. Her father, Pepe, never wants to speak about Chile, but when her daughter Rocío starts to ask questions, Daniela decides to apply for Chilean citizenship for a first trip back. This triggers the Chilean government to piece together records never before connected in the paper days and leads them to uncover much more than Daniela expected.

Director

Cecilia Araneda

Writer

Cecilia Araneda

Cast

Carmen Aguirre

Producers

Cecilia Araneda, Joseph Novak

Genre

Drama

Interests

Female Filmmaker, Global Experiences

Original Language

English

Ru

Director Charles-Olivier Michaud
Year 2023
Run Time 120min
Genre Drama, Family
After a perilous journey across the pacific, a family of Vietnamese refugees settles in Montreal, in the hopes of starting a new life. Through a series of flashbacks, the whole picture of their story comes into view, as seen by the youngest family member, Tinh (Djandji), who is still processing the trauma of what they left behind, and struggling with her new setting and language. 

Brilliantly adapted from Kim Thúy’s Governor General Award-winning novel of the same name, this compassionate story of resilience in the face of adversity is stunningly captured and deeply moving.

“An exceptional and beautiful film.” – Isobel Grieve, Montréal Guardian

Director

Charles-Olivier Michaud

Charles-Olivier Michaud is a director, writer, and producer from Saint-Romuald, Quebec. His directing credits include 4 Minute Mile, On the Beat, and Snow & Ashes, which have won awards from the Slamdance Film Festival and the Washington DC Independent Film Festival. His most recent directorial work includes Ru, had its world premiere at TIFF 2023 and was nominated for nine Canadian Screen Awards.

Writers

Kim Thúy, Charles-Olivier Michaud, Jacques Davidts

Cast

Chloé Djandji

Producers

André Dupuy, Marie-Alexandra Forget

Genres

Drama, Family

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Family Relationships, Global Experiences, Literary Adaptation, Newcomer Stories

Original Languages

French, Other Language

Baba (Drama)

Director Jay Kamal
Year 2021
Run Time 14min
Genre Drama
Twelve-year-old Samir struggles to come to terms with his father’s death while participating in the funeral ceremonies that reflect both his family’s Muslim and Christian beliefs.

Director

Jay Kamal

Genre

Drama

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Global Experiences

Original Languages

English, Other Language

Roses Sing on New Snow

Director Yuan Zhang
Year 2003
Run Time 7min
Genre Animation
Maylin, a fantastic chef, is kept in the shadows by her father who gives her brothers credit for her cooking. When a local dignitary visits, Maylin gets a chance to step into the spotlight.

Director

Yuan Zhang

Genre

Animation

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Global Experiences

Original Languages

English, French

So Much Tenderness

Director Lina Rodríguez
Year 2022
Run Time 118min
Genre Drama
Aurora (Noëlle Schönwald) is an environmental lawyer who flees to Canada from her home in Columbia after the death of her husband. With the help of a Canadian couple, she makes her way to Toronto, but her attempts to start a new life are challenging, and she comes to realize that the past is not so easily left behind.

Director

Lina Rodríguez

Writer

Lina Rodríguez

Cast

Noëlle Schönwald, Deragh Campbell, Natalia Aranguren

Producer

Brad Deane

Genre

Drama

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Female Filmmaker, Global Experiences

Original Languages

English, Other Language

In Her Place

Director Albert Shin
Year 2014
Run Time 115min
Genre Drama
In this compelling drama from writer-director Albert Shin, a wealthy woman from Seoul seeks to secretly adopt the unborn child of a troubled teenager from a desolate farm in the South Korean countryside. As the teenager’s pregnancy progresses, their business transaction becomes something that is far more complicated than they first expected.

Set against the misty South Korean countryside, the film treats its three subjects with equal affection, and Shin delivers an honest, powerful drama that packs an enormous emotional punch.

Director

Albert Shin

Writers

Pearl Ball-Harding, Albert Shin

Cast

Ji-hye Ahn, Hae-yeon Kil, Kyung-Ik Kim, Da-Kyung Yoon

Producers

Igor Drljaca, Albert Shin, Hyun Chan Yoon

Genre

Drama

Interests

Asian Filmmaker, BIPOC Stories, Global Experiences

Original Language

Other Language

Such a Long Journey

Director Sturla Gunnarsson
Year 1998
Run Time 113min
Genre Drama
Based on the award-winning novel by Canadian author Rohinton Mistry, Such a Long Journey is the story of Gustad Noble (Seth), whose life is thrown into turmoil when he is asked by an old friend to deposit a large sum of money at the bank where he works. Set in Bombay on the eve of the war between India and Pakistan, Gustad’s troubles become an allegory for the chaos and upheaval occurring around him.

His son would rather become an artist than attend engineering school, his daughter has malaria and his wife (Razdan) spends an increasing amount of time with a neighbour that he fears is a witch. On top of all this, the local government threatens to tear down the wall surrounding his housing complex. Ingeniously, Gustad asks an artist (Chowdhry) to paint a multi-faith mural on the wall so believers of all religions will be compelled to save it. A rich and thoughtful portrayal of the power of spirituality and how to overcome even the most daunting of circumstances.

Director

Sturla Gunnarsson

Born in Iceland and raised in Vancouver, Gunnarsson earned an Oscar nomination for his debut feature doc, After the Axe. His films include Beowulf and Grendel, Force of Nature: The David Suzuki Movie and Monsoon, and he has directed hit TV shows such as Motive, Degrassi: The Next Generation, The Art of More, and most recently Schitt’s Creek and Ransom.

Writer

Sooni Taraporevala

Cast

Roshan Seth, Soni Razdan, Ranjit Chowdhry, Om Puri, Kurush Deboo

Producers

Paul Stephens, Simon MacCorkindale

Genre

Drama

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Global Experiences, History, Literary Adaptation, Social Justice & Politics

Original Language

English

The Man Who Skied Down Everest

Directors Bruce Nyznik, Lawrence Schiller
Year 1974
Run Time 84min
Genre Documentary

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