The Canadian Film Festival, formerly known as the Canadian Filmmakers Festival, is an annual film festival in
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
. Showcasing a program of
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
independent films, it is held in March of each year and usually runs for five days.
The festival was launched in 2004, and ran annually until 2008 at the
Royal Cinema
The Royal Cinema is an Art Moderne event venue and cinema in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was built in 1939 and owned by Miss Ray Levinsky.
When it was built in 1939, it was called The Pylon, with an accompanying large sign at the front of the th ...
. Although not staged between 2009 and 2011, it was relaunched in 2012 and has run annually since. The festival has been staged at the
Scotiabank Theatre
Scotiabank Theatre (French: Cinémas Banque Scotia) is a Canadian banner of multiplex cinemas owned by Cineplex Entertainment. The brand was established in 2007 as part of a wider partnership between Cineplex and Scotiabank on their new Scene ...
since 2017.
The festival was formed in association with the
Toronto International Film Festival
The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the largest publicly attended film festivals in the world, attracting over 480,000 people annually. Since its founding in 1976, TIFF has grown to become a permane ...
Group, but operates independently of TIFF. It serves commonly, but not exclusively, as the Toronto premiere venue for films which premiered elsewhere on the Canadian or international film festival circuits in the previous year but have not yet screened in Toronto, although it also serves as the premiere venue for some films.
The 2020 festival was cancelled due to the
COVID-19 pandemic in Canada
The COVID-19 pandemic in Canada is part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (). It is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (). Most cases over the course of the pandemic have been in Ontario, Que ...
; instead, the organizers partnered with the pay TV service Super Channel to provide television and streaming broadcasts of the films that had been slated to screen at the festival. With the pandemic continuing into 2021, festival organizers again partnered with Super Channel to present the 2021 edition of the festival under the same model.Norman Wilner "Canadian Film Fest announces 2021 lineup, will stream on Super Channel" '' Now'', March 9, 2021.
Borealis
Borealis (Latin for ''northern'' or ''of the north'') may refer to:
Astronomy
* Borealis Basin or North Polar Basin, a basin on the planet Mars
* Borealis quadrangle, an area on the planet Mercury
** Borealis Planitia, a basin within the quadran ...
'' — Sean Garrity
*''Dead Rush'' — Zach Ramelan
*''
How to Plan an Orgy in a Small Town
''How to Plan an Orgy in a Small Town'' is a 2015 Canadian sex comedy film directed by Jeremy Lalonde.
Plot
The film stars Jewel Staite as Cassie Cranston, a newspaper sex columnist returning to her hometown for her mother's funeral, for the fi ...
'' —
Jeremy LaLonde
Jeremy LaLonde (born January 7, 1981) is a Canadian filmmaker. He is known for his work in Canadian film and television.
Early life
LaLonde grew up in Cayuga, Ontario. After graduating from Niagara College, LaLonde moved to Toronto to begin ...
*''Jackie Boy'' — Cody Campanale
*''The Sabbatical'' — Brian Stockton
Badsville
''Badsville'' is a 2017 American-Canadian action drama film directed by April Mullen and starring Robert Knepper and Emilio Rivera.
Cast
Production
According to the ''Niagara Falls Review'', Mullen expressed interest in directing the film after ...
Natty Zavitz
'' Degrassi: The Next Generation'' is a Canadian teen drama television series created by Linda Schuyler and Yan Moore. The series is now considered the first incarnation and premiered on CTV on October 14, 2001, and then ended on MTV Canada and ...
*''
Filth City
''Filth City'' is a 2017 Canadian comedy film, directed by Andy King.Great Great Great
''Great Great Great'' is a Canadian drama film, directed by Adam Garnet Jones and released in 2017. The film stars Sarah Kolasky as Lauren, a woman who begins having an affair when she decides that her five-year relationship with Tom (Dan Beirn ...
'' —
Adam Garnet Jones
Adam Garnet Jones is a Canadian filmmaker and screenwriter."Young, native and gay, filmmaker champions inclusion for all". '' Edmonton Journal'', March 24, 2007.
Personal life
Of Cree and Métis ancestry, Jones grew up in Alberta and British C ...
*''
The Heretics
''The Heretics'' is a feature-length, documentary film written and directed by Joan Braderman and distributed by Women Make Movies. It focuses on a group of New York-based feminist artists called the Heresies Collective, and their influential art ...
'' —
Chad Archibald
Chad Archibald (born 30 July 1981) is a Canadian film, television and music video producer and director.melissa ann deark hearts , melissa ann sainz co editor
Filmography Film
*''Bite (film), Dark hearts - dark souls, melissa ann'' (2005)
*''K ...
*''Lost Solace'' — Chris Scheuerman
*''Modern Classic'' — J.M.B. Hunter
Shorts
2018
Features
*''Becoming Burlesque'' —
Jackie English
Jackie English is a Canadian television host, actress, dancer, choreographer, director, filmmaker and performer.
Early life
English was born in Toronto, Ontario. English later moved to Montreal where she graduated from McGill University in the ...
*''The Cannon'' — Marshall Axani
*''
The Drawer Boy
''The Drawer Boy'' is a play by Michael Healey. It is a two-act play set in 1972 on a farm near Clinton, Ontario. There are only three characters: the farm's two owners, Morgan and Angus, and Miles Potter, a young actor from Toronto doing researc ...
The Go-Getters
''The Go-Getters'' is a 2018 Canadian comedy film, directed by Jeremy Lalonde.Norman Wilner"Review: The Go-Getters is a consciously grubby microbudget comedy thats very funny" '' Now'', December 5, 2018. The film stars Aaron Abrams and Tommie-Ambe ...
'' —
Jeremy LaLonde
Jeremy LaLonde (born January 7, 1981) is a Canadian filmmaker. He is known for his work in Canadian film and television.
Early life
LaLonde grew up in Cayuga, Ontario. After graduating from Niagara College, LaLonde moved to Toronto to begin ...
*''
Love Jacked
''Love Jacked'' is a Canadian romantic comedy film, directed by Alfons Adetuyi and released in 2018. The film was shot primarily in Hamilton, Ontario, Hamilton, Ontario, with some location shooting in Cape Town, South Africa.
Plot
The film stars ...
'' —
Alfons Adetuyi Alfons Adetuyi is a Canadian film and television director and producer."Greater Sudbury's cinematic family". ''Sudbury Star
''The Sudbury Star'' is a Canadian daily regional newspaper published in Sudbury, Ontario. It is owned by the media compan ...
*''Luba'' — Caley Wilson
*'' Ordinary Days'' — Kris Booth,
Renuka Jeyapalan
Renuka Jeyapalan is a Tamil Canadian film and television director. Her debut short film '' Big Girl'' won the Toronto International Film Festival Award for Best Canadian Short Film at the 2005 Toronto International Film Festival and was a shortlist ...
,
Jordan Canning
Jordan Canning is a Canadian director for film and television. She is known for her independent feature films ''We Were Wolves'' (2014) and '' Suck It Up'' (2017), as well as her work directing on television series ''Baroness Von Sketch Show,'' ' ...
*''Prodigals'' — Michelle Ouellet
*'' Room for Rent'' — Matthew Atkinson
*''A Swinger's Weekend'' — Jon E. Cohen
Shorts
2019
Features
*''Creep Nation'' — John Geddes
*''The Dancing Dogs of Dombrova'' — Zack Bernbaum
*''Honey Bee'' — Rama Rau
*''Nose to Tail'' — Jesse Zigelstein
*''Nowhere'' — Thomas Michael
*''Pond Life'' —
Gord Rand
Gord Rand is a Canadian actor and playwright. He is most noted for his recurring role as Det. Marty Duko in the television series ''Orphan Black'', for which he was a Canadian Screen Award nominee for Best Performance in a Guest Role in a Dramatic ...
*''
Red Rover
Red Rover (also known as The King's Run and Forcing the City Gates) is a team game played primarily by children on playgrounds, requiring 10+ players.
The game has changed over several decades, evolving from a regular "running across" game, wit ...
'' — Shane Belcourt
*''This Is North Preston'' — Jaren Hayman
*''Wolves Unleashed: Against All Odds'' — Andrew Simpson
Shorts
Awards
2020
Features
*''Alone Across the Arctic'' — Francis Luta
*''
Clapboard Jungle
''Clapboard Jungle: Surviving the Independent Film Business'' is a 2020 documentary film about working in the film business directed by Justin McConnell.
Synopsis
Development
McConnell came up with the idea for the documentary after making his ...
Sergio Navarretta
Sergio Navarretta is a Canadian film director who draws inspiration from Italian cinema. Navarretta is best known for ''The Cuban'' and his first feature film, ''Looking for Angelina'', based on the true-life story of Angelina Napolitano. The Int ...
*''Hazy Little Thing'' — Sam Coyle
*''A Perfect Plan'' — Jesse Ikeman
*''
Queen of the Morning Calm
''Queen of the Morning Calm'' is a 2019 Canadian drama film written and directed by Gloria Ui Young Kim in her feature directorial debut.Angela Morrison"CFF Review: 'Queen of the Morning Calm' Is a Must-See Debut from a Rising Canadian Director" ...
'' — Gloria Ui Young Kim
*''
Shoot to Marry
''Shoot to Marry'' is a 2020 Canadian documentary film, directed by Steve Markle.Chris Salce"Shoot to Marry" ''Film Threat'', June 9, 2020. The film centres on Markle's interviews with women he has called under the pretext of making a documentary ...
'' —
Steve Markle
''yes'Steve is a masculine given name, usually a short form (hypocorism) of Steven or Stephen
Notable people with the name include:
steve jops
* Steve Abbott (disambiguation), several people
* Steve Adams (disambiguation), several people
* Steve ...
Tony Dean Smith
Tony Dean Smith (born 12 October 1977) is a screenwriter director and editor for film and television.
Smith was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. He currently lives in Vancouver, British Columbia.
An award-winning graduate of the Vancouver F ...
Shorts
Unscreened
Several films had been planned for the festival lineup, but were not able to be screened due to the shift from physical to broadcast screening. However, the films were still screened for the jury, and remained eligible for the festival awards.
*''All About Who You Know'' — Jake Horowitz
*''Nail in the Coffin: The Fall and Rise of Vampiro'' — Michael Paszt
*''Unidentified Woman'' — Katrina Saville
*''You Hired a Hitman'' — Ravi Steve
The Corruption of Divine Providence
''The Corruption of Divine Providence'' is a Canadian supernatural horror film, directed by Jeremy Torrie and released in 2020. Set in a small Métis community in Manitoba, the film centres on Jeanne Séraphin (Ali Skovbye), a teenage girl who be ...
'' — Jeremy Torrie
*''
Events Transpiring Before, During and After a High School Basketball Game
''Events Transpiring Before, During and After a High School Basketball Game'' is a Canadian comedy film, directed by Ted Stenson and released in 2020.Eric Volmers"Calgary filmmaker Ted Stenson heads back to school with Andrew Phung for indie debut" ...
'' — Ted Stenson
*''
Mad Dog and the Butcher
''Mad Dog and the Butcher'' (french: Les Derniers vilains) is a Canadian documentary film, directed by Thomas Rinfret and released in 2019. The film is a portrait of the Vachon family of professional wrestlers, including Maurice "Mad Dog" Vachon ...
(Les Derniers vilains)'' — Thomas Rinfret
*''
Range Roads
''Range Roads'' is a Canadian drama film, directed by Kyle Thomas and released in 2021 by Calgary-based production company North Country Cinema.Eric Volmers"The Quiet Road: Calgary filmmaker's sophomore film, Range Roads, a subtle drama about estr ...
'' — Kyle Thomas
*'' Sugar Daddy'' — Wendy Morgan
*''White Elephant'' — Andrew Chung
*''
Woman in Car
''Woman in Car'' is a 2021 Canadian psychological thriller film, written, produced, and directed by Vanya Rose. The film stars Hélène Joy as Anne, a former archer who has happily settled into life as the trophy wife of a wealthy businessman, bu ...
Jeremy LaLonde
Jeremy LaLonde (born January 7, 1981) is a Canadian filmmaker. He is known for his work in Canadian film and television.
Early life
LaLonde grew up in Cayuga, Ontario. After graduating from Niagara College, LaLonde moved to Toronto to begin ...
*''Beneath the Surface'' — Marie-Geneviève Chabot
*''
Carmen
''Carmen'' () is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the Carmen (novella), novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée. The opera was first perfo ...
'' —
Valerie Buhagiar
Valerie Buhagiar (born May 12, 1964) is a Maltese-Canadian actress, film director and television host.
She studied acting at George Brown College in Toronto, Ontario, graduating in 1986. Her debut as a filmmaker was ''The Passion of Rita Camill ...
*''
The Last Mark
''The Last Mark'' is a Canadian thriller film, directed by Reem Morsi and released in 2022. The film stars Shawn Doyle as Keele, a hitman who is on his final assignment before retiring; after he and his partner Palmer's (Bryce Hodgson) successful ...
'' — Reem Morsi
*''The Long Rider'' —
Sean Cisterna
Sean Cisterna is a Canadian film director and producer from Orillia, Ontario, most noted for his 2019 film '' From the Vine''.Barry Hertz, "From the Vine is worth sipping, if only for Joe Pantoliano's drunk-on-life performance". ''The Globe and Mai ...
*''
The Noise of Engines
''The Noise of Engines'' (french: Le bruit des moteurs) is a 2021 Canadian drama film, written, produced, and directed by Philippe Grégoire.Ben Croll"How ‘The Noise of Engines’ Director Philippe Gregoire Pulled Off the Ultimate Family Movie" ...
(Le Bruit des moteurs)'' —
Philippe Grégoire
Philippe Grégoire is a Canadian film director and screenwriter from Napierville, Quebec, Napierville, Quebec,Marc-André Couillard"Le bruit des moteurs : un premier long métrage tourné dans la région" ''Le Reflet'', June 17, 2019. whose debut f ...
*''
A Small Fortune
''A Small Fortune'' is a 2021 Canadian crime drama film, written and directed by Adam Perry.Chris Knight"Film review: A Small Fortune" ''National Post'', April 1, 2022. The film stars Stephen Oates as Kevin Doucette, a man living in a small village ...
'' — Adam Perry
*''Tehranto'' — Faran Moradi
*''
Tenzin
Tenzin ( bo, བསྟན་འཛིན) is a Tibetan given name, meaning "the holder of Buddha Dharma". Tenzin can alternatively be spelled as Tenzing and Stanzin as well. Stanzin is generally used by the Ladakhi people, since Ladakhi language ...
'' — Michael LeBlanc,
Josh Reichmann
Josh Reichmann is a Canadian indie rock singer-songwriter and filmmaker.
Biography
Formerly associated with the band Tangiers, since that band's breakup he has performed under the stage name Jewish Legend. He released his debut album as Jewish ...