Discoveries from Canada World Cinema

A serial killer, whose victims are men with similar pasts, is tracked by a policewoman.

The second coming is upon us, and Jesus has returned to earth. But before he can get down to the serious business of judging the living and the dead, he has to contend with an army of vampires that can walk in the daylight.

Type A personality, Sophie outgrows her job at a small mediation company, and secures a job at the famous Lower Manhattan mediation and wellness firm, Floating Lotus. Always up for a challenge, Sophie dives headfirst into her role as Associate Mediator. She finds herself at loggerheads with the companies chief Life Coach and lothario, Jason Sharpe who is the son of the firm’s President. Jason’s a loveable rouge, who charms his way into people’s hearts. The two are forced to work together.

Freshly engaged Nicole is having second thoughts as she wonders if the one she's really meant to be with is her mystery college pen pal whose letters she has kept all these years.

In this short film, a young man, a girl and a dog attempt to fly with wings more symbolic than practical.

Seventeen year old Izzy Marks lives in Toronto with her divorced mother and finds her life boring and directionless. Meant to be a sequel to Don Owen's acclaimed 1964 film "Nobody Waved Good-bye", "Unfinished Business" looks at life two decades later for Peter and Julie's (Peter Kastner and Julie Biggs) daughter Isabelle "Izzy" Marks (Isabelle Mejias). Curious, funny and intelligent, 17 year old Izzy feels the frustrations of her limiting environment and the pull of a more exciting, larger world. She meets passionate anarchist wannabe Jessie 'Fixit' (Peter Spence) and is quickly drawn into his free living alternative lifestyle. Much to the displeasure of her once free-thinking parents and friends.

A gifted teenager, dreaming of life beyond her small town, becomes inspired when a 15-year-old girl from New York moves in next door.

A dying lawyer belonging to a cult, seeks to be reincarnated through a young artist with the ritual involving the sacrifice of a virgin. With limited time, he searches for someone to pass on his accumulated memories. His path crosses with a struggling artist, raising questions of destiny and a mystic ritual that may alter their fates.

A reclusive Albertan DJ runs his popular pirate radio station in a remote farmhouse but begins to feel pressure from his romantic relationship with a fan and his producer who wants more mainstream content.

A glimpse into various people's ever-changing relationships over the course of a day

When a UFO crash lands nearby, it's up to a couple of kids to save the aliens from the local townspeople.

Two struggling music producers find themselves turning to nostalgia to bring up sales. Enter Johnny Rock an old-school-styled musician who is the label's only hope. Will Johnny Rock be able to save this failing business?

A professor of philosophy teaches lessons to his awakened students. One day, one of his students decides to put his lessons into practice, and she goes on a journey that shakes her deepest convictions.

Elly thinks she can handle bringing April to work with her, but the library has never before seen such destruction. April is very different from the other Patterson kids: the characters look back at Elly’s pregnancy and the circumstances around April’s birth,during a freak winter storm in the early hours of April 1st. Now that the older kids don't need them as much, John and Elly realize that, even though April is a handful, she’ll still grow up way too fast.

In Australia, four teenagers in a Sydney theater are astounded to hear the news that a nuclear war has broken out in Eastern Europe. They try to figure out the best way they can survive the coming conflagration.

Emma Bloom is given an ultimatum by her boss Rachel at Old Town Records: go home for the holidays and convince former boyfriend and national recording star, Tyler Thorn, to sign with Rachel’s label or find another job.

An animated version, starring the Care Bears, of the fairy tale that inspired the famous ballet.

Rudi is in her mid-thirties, in between jobs, lives in a run down East Vancouver apartment, oh and is completely in denial of her mental state. After making the decision to break up with her ex, Dave, a new owner of a bed and breakfast in the middle of nowhere B.C., the decision still haunts her. She takes a road trip to reconcile with him but things take an interesting turn.

It is an action, drama film about an NRI boy Mithu, coming to India to connect to his true roots.

A humanity student, Lucien is active in various extracurricular activities. Recognized by his peers, he represents other students in their challenge of college rules and the settlement of the fate of an incompetent professor. He ends up being thrown out of the school. After his mother's death, even though he dates Lise, a young woman with whom he does acting, he has to resist the advances of a homosexual whose death he will accidentally cause.

Jacob Bradley wakes up in a warehouse in the midst of a tactical raid, with no memory and no idea who he is. He is found by a young woman who helps him escape, and tells him that no matter what happens, he must survive. A terrorist organization is on the cusp of releasing a virus. They have provided the antidote to only a select few, to ensure the recreation of a utopian world and before he lost his memory, Jacob was one of the few people who had discovered the details. If they are to survive, he needs to rebuild the pieces of his past. They find themselves in a race for survival, for themselves and the rest of mankind, that will demand everything they have, and reveal that Jacob has always been closer to the truth then anyone ever thought.

Reggae documentary of the One Love Peace Concert held in Kingston, Jamaica in 1978. In addition to the music, this film features the return to Jamaica of Bob Marley after a 16-month hiatus following an attempt on his life.

A father and son struggle to make ends meet on the rodeo circuit.

The life and murders of one of the worst serial killers in history, Robert Pickton who went unchallenged for decades.

Dedicated “to all victims of intolerance,” "The Devil’s Toy" is a faux–public service documentary that chronicles the early days of skateboarding in Montreal. Framed as mock anti-skateboarding propaganda, Claude Jutra contrasts official hostility with the exhilaration and freedom experienced by youths racing downhill through city streets, shortly before the activity was banned.

When young Anton Stingley wakes on Christmas morning he finds that instead of the 600 toys he has requested, his gift from Santa is one single simple orange. Why has St. Nick ignored his 16-page list?

1952, Québec - Alys Robi, vocalist at the top of her popularity and recognized worldwide, was interned in spite of herself, by her father. Medical authorities prescribe her the only cure for a possible cure: the lobotomy. Under the bright lights of the operating room, Alys sees her 28-year life flash before her eyes.

Camille wanders through the countryside talking with frogs and chickens: she sails through life as a carefree soul. But for her older sister, the introverted Mylia, things are more complicated. Mylia is lost between the uncertainty in her family life, the superficial atmosphere at her new school and her first experiences at house parties. It is Camille who eventually introduces Mylia to Jimmy. The boy from the nearby Abenaki reserve is different and he encourages her to break free.

Former pin-up model and actress Ginny had been cast aside by the heartless and exploitative modeling industry when she was a young woman due to her body type. Ginny didnt take rejection well and over the years developed into a revenge seeking, blood thirsty, broken woman. When her new neighbors Debbie and Sal move in, Debbie begins to notice strange things going on next door. Sal credits it to Debbies psychological instability and believes she is seeing things, falling deeper into her psychosis. Debbie is obsessively determined to figure out what secret life Ginny is leading. Her new nosey neighbor throws a damper on Ginnys lifestyle activities; such as her cannibalistic food addictions and ever growing body count. Both women become determined to put an end to the others obsession.

Hassan and Mario are neighbors. They have raised their daughters, Dina and Isabella together, supporting each other through tough times. When Hassan, faces the challenges of modern life, both inside and outside the home, his reactions propel a series of events that threatens everything he holds dear. When his daughter Dina becomes more than good friends, a life partner, with her best friend Isabella, hard decisions have to be made.

The Painted Door is a Canadian short drama film, directed by Bruce Pittman and released in 1984. Based on a short story by Sinclair Ross, the film was produced by the National Film Board of Canada and Atlantis Films of Toronto. It follows a housewife who struggles with loneliness after her husband ventures into a blizzard. The film received an Academy Award nomination for Best Live Action Short Film.

A young father routinely checks his daughter's room for mysterious noises, unaware of what he'll find on this particular night.

Rebellious Walter drags his reluctant brother to rob the homes of the dead while their wake takes place at their parent’s funeral home.

Carmen Aguirre and Tony Nardi star in a remarkable story of friends, lovers, seekers and thieves. Set at the intersection of the Latin American, First Nations and Italian communities, "Bella Ciao!" captures a struggle towards solidarity in East Vancouver's urban mix.

Archons is the story of falling-from-grace rock group, Sled Dog, half a decade after the release of their hit single, Backfire. After a chance encounter with rock-legend and life-long idol, Emerson Gilmore, Eric is willing to take one more chance at success, the way Emerson Gilmore did it back in the 70s—out in the Canadian mountains with a guitar and a bag of psychedelic drugs.

A small farm town in Kentucky bands together to prevent the evil mayor and his capitalist cronies from taking over and turning their town into a shopping mall. It all comes down to a bet – can the local village idiot, Dingus, beat an Olympic wrestling champion – Alekski “The Bear From Belarus” Cavalenko from Mother Russia in a wrestling match for the ages! This is one helluva match-up.

Runaway teens, hustlers and drug addicts on the streets of Canada in the mid-80's. A young teen boy new to the streets, a seasoned gay hustler and a girl who escapes sexual abuse from home. A local newswoman interviews the kids for a documentary. We see some real street footage as she pieces together her story. Adding to this mix of fiction and non-fiction is the casting of some real social workers trying to help out these lost souls. We see them interact with the actors as well as being interviewed by the newswoman.

From Paris to the Canadian wilderness, Elisa, a young writer must reunite with her ex-lover, to reach for her dreams of success.

Join internationally renowned Cuban singer, songwriter, and lyricist Carlos Varela as he celebrates his 30th anniversary as an artist.

What does it mean to lose a colour? Losing Blue is a cinematic poem about losing the otherworldly blues of ancient mountain lakes, now fading due to climate change. With stunning cinematography, this short doc immerses the viewer in the magnificence of these rare lakes, pulling us in to stand on their rocky shores, witness their power and understand what their loss would mean—both for ourselves and for the Earth.

Packing up his office on his last day, a university professor discovers that retirement may not be what he had hoped. A poignant glimpse of the fragility of meaning in human existence.

A survey of the artistic history of the comic book medium and some of the major talents associated with it.

The Madballs are a zany animated rock band who rock and roll their way across the galaxy. Music is illegal on their home planet so they make a break for it on Earth.

The crew of the Enterprise find themselves on a planet where they are confronted by Girl Power!

O Panama features a man confined to his apartment on a winter day as he suffers through an illness. Built on the polarity between hot and cold, the tedious reality of the man's sickness and the vivid hallucinatory visions of his delirium, O Panama conveys the workings of the subconscious.

Liz Newey, a recovering alcoholic, is in the midst of her early morning recitation of the Twelve Steps, when she's interrupted by a phone call. Her father, Frank Newey, estranged for twenty-three years, is on his death bed in a Toronto hospital.

A cargo ship embarks on its final voyage of the year to resupply Inuit communities in the far north of Canada. During a storm off the coast of Labrador, the ship’s cook is found murdered in his cabin. With no way to identify the culprit among the twenty crew members, suspicion falls on Alupa, an Inuit mechanic and close friend of the victim. Unfolding in reverse, from the investigation back to the night of the storm and the murder, the film transcends the boundaries of a traditional whodunit to probe deeper questions of race, class, and sexual desire.

This historical drama tells the story of Qin Shihuang, who unified China's vast territory and declared himself emperor in 221 B.C. During his reign, he introduced sweeping reforms, built a vast network of roads and connected the Great Wall of China. From the grandiose inner sanctum of Emperor Qin's royal palace, to fierce battles with feudal kings, this film re-creates the glory and the terror of the Qin Dynasty, including footage of Qin's life-sized terra cotta army, constructed 2,200 years ago for his tomb.

In a not so far future, the discovery of teleportation allows an historical shift towards a car-free world... But not without cost.

A young man is forced to confront his past traumas following his first day of work on a logging camp in the 1930s.

When Judith finds Adam after his attempted suicide, they end up on a search for their childhood haunt in the Californian desert. Home Again is a darkly humorous story about two queer friends moving forward after life has fallen apart.

An adaptation of “The Courier for Hell” (“Meido no Hikyaku”) by Chikamatsu Monzaemon (1653-1725).

A con-artist meets a tough fighter and sees him as her ticket to a better life. The two make an agreement and head off to New Orleans to arrange a match with "the man" - the mysterious king of bare-knuckled boxing. There are no rules for this fight...one man wins when the other dies.

A pregnant teen has difficulty accepting her father and mother, yet longs to keep the family together.

For ancient Mayans, cocoa was as good as gold. For subsistence farmer Eladio Pop, his cocoa crops are the only riches he has to support his wife and 15 children. As he wields his machete with ease, slicing a path to his cocoa trees, the small jungle plot he cultivates in southern Belize remains pristine and wild. His dreams for his children to inherit the land and the traditions of their Mayan ancestors present a familiar challenge. The kids feel their father's philosophies don't fit into a global economy, so they're charting their own course. Rohan Fernando's direction tenderly displays a generational shift, causalities of progress in modern times and a man valiantly protecting an endangered culture. Breathtaking vistas of lush rainforests contrast with the urban dystopia that pulled Pop’s children away from him. Will one child return to carry on a waning way of life

Harvey and Janet Stevens are living the perfect life in the perfect house or so it seems. Janet has been secretly having an affair with Harvey's best friend Frank. What they don't know is Harvey may not be as in the dark as they suspect.

Marlene is a film inspired by Marlene Truscott, a housewife who fought to exonerate her husband from a crime he didn't commit. Marlene became involved in the fight for justice at a young age, when Steven was arrested at 14 and sentenced to be hung. When Steven was released from prison ten years later, she fell in love with him. Marlene's story is a story of hiding, living under an assumed name and protecting her children. He was free, but now she was in prison. Through it all Marlene was determined that Steven would get justice, that they would find light in the darkness, a darkness that buried the truth. Surrounded by boxes of files Marlene found a world of lies, cover-ups, and secrets.

When they were children, Claire and Andrea would play Mary Worth (An old game where you say her name into a mirror three times). However, they could never muster the courage to say Mary's name the third time. Now curious and bored teenagers, they decide to play once more for fun. What they don't know is that the legend of Mary Worth is actually true, and if her name is recited at the right time of night, they will soon discover the terror that follows speaking the name... MARY WORTH.

An abandoned caboose becomes a junkie's hideout, a multiple murder has been committed. A police investigation leads nowhere, the crime remains unsolved, and Marceau, a hardened cop, resigns in the aftermath. But his troubles don't end there: someone is stalking him and his life is in danger. To save himself, Marceau recruits Camille, a young woman drummed out of the police academy for her inability to fire a gun. They make a pact: Camille agrees to flush out Marceau's potential murderer and Marceau, in exchange, undertakes to remunerate and train her. Camille plunges into Marceau's seedy underworld and encounters a raft of suspects. As Camille sinks deeper and deeper into this sordid world, she comes to terms with its violence and understands that the line between good and evil is narrow indeed. From this insight she draws the strength that had previously eluded her. Marceau's legacy... But who, exactly, is Marceau?

FISH BOY is a lyrical meditation on faith, love, and polyamory through the eyes of an Asian American teenager. When Patrick (played by Ian Chen, Fresh Off the Boat) questions his love for God, his self-discovery manifests in his skin.