Discoveries from Canada World Cinema

Mandy Leeds, a successful young woman living in Miami, is climbing her way up the corporate ladder in the hotel industry. Though she doesn’t get back to her small northern hometown much, this year her Gram is able to finally convince her to come home for Christmas. Mandy has another reason too – the quaint local inn is for sale, and she wants to acquire it for her company. With her eyes on the prize, Mandy travels back home but on her way there, she runs into Lucas Menzino—her high school rival—who also has his eye on the inn as well.

The film tells the story of three couples on the road between the Atlantic coast and the Northwest Territories in Canada.

A group of youngsters discover that Mr. Templeton has 40 grand hidden in his home. They figure they can get their hands on the cash by masking themselves as Newfoundland Mummers.

Anna (Laurie Gagné) is going through a particularly stressful time: she is preparing to reconnect with Jason (Thomas Lapointe), the son she was forced to place for adoption almost 20 years ago. Unable to go through with this meeting, she takes refuge, clandestinely, in the house of an elderly couple. A dramatic event changes everything and forces Anna to forge an impromptu relationship with Victorine (Louise Turcot). The strange cohabitation of these two women will help them find the courage to face their trials.

Red Fever is a witty and entertaining feature documentary about the profound -- yet hidden -- Indigenous influence on Western culture and identity. The film follows Cree co-director Neil Diamond as he asks, “Why do they love us so much?!” and sets out on a journey to find out why the world is so fascinated with the stereotypical imagery of Native people that is all over pop culture. Why have Indigenous cultures been revered, romanticized, and appropriated for so long, and to this day? Red Fever uncovers the surprising truths behind the imagery -- so buried in history that even most Native people don't know about them.

They belong to the armed wing of the PKK, the Kurdistan Workers' Party, which is also an active guerrilla movement. The mission of these female fighters? Defend Kurdish territory in Iraq and Syria, and defeat ISIS (the armed militants of the so-called Islamic State group), all while embodying a revolutionary ideal advocating female empowerment. As filmmaker Zaynê Akyol follows their highly regimented lives, seasoned fighters like Rojen and Sozdar openly share with us their most intimate thoughts and dreams. Even as fighting against ISIS intensifies in the Middle East, these women bravely continue their battle against barbarism. Offering a window into this largely unknown world, Gulîstan, Land of Roses exposes the hidden face of this highly mediatized war: the female, feminist face of a revolutionary group united by a common vision of freedom.

A darkly poetic fable that begins with a little girl drawing figures of people with chalk on the cement of a playground. She takes notice of an unusual crack in the pavement that is seeping a mysterious black fluid, which she follows to an ominous building. Inside, she encounters several bizarre phenomena, including walls that bleed black and tentacles that emerge from the ceiling to touch her. She then witnesses the birth of five terrifying supernatural beings that threaten the existence of her world.

Inspired by his real life, Harrison Browne’s self-assured directorial debut follows an ex-pro hockey player who time travels back to his pre-transitioned self, when he was waiting for life to begin — only to realize that he has always been the person he was waiting to become.

Born into a modest family, Gerry Boulet found fame with the Québec rock group Offenbach. After a life of drug and alcohol abuse and a great love story, Gerry died of cancer in 1990.

Three old men investigate the strange behavior of an alcoholic recluse when his son insists he's metamorphosing into a degenerate creature.

A millennial reels after breaking-up with a popular gay influencer. Insta Gay is a drama-comedy that explores the real world impact that vapid gay social media has on the queer community.

Mathieu is a brilliant neurosurgeon whose perfect life is falling apart. Impending divorce, job loss, substance abuse, and a mid-life crisis are all factors that can cause him to go off the rails. In addition, the sudden death of his father forces him to return home to Anishiinabe territory, a place he has tried to avoid since his youth. Nevertheless, Mathieu agrees to go and deposit his father's ashes in the heart of their ancestral territory and wishes to find himself at the same time. The break away from the city promises to be a nice getaway until Mathieu realizes that he is now the prey of an evil creature known as the Wendigo. Mathieu's pilgrimage quickly becomes an unimaginable nightmare that will change him forever. Like it or not, our vices always catch up with us eventually.

Laura Cadieux and her friends are taking a cruise on the St. Lawrence River to celebrate Laura's 50th birthday.

Paul McCartney and his band performed at Halifax Commons on July 11 2009. One of the highlights of the concert was a performance of the song Mull of Kintyre with the Pipes and drums of the 78th Highlanders. The concert was originally shown on PPV in Canada.

June 1988…Summer Was Never The Same. In the House of Flies tells the story of young lovers whose lives are inadvertently changed forever. An innocent couple, Heather (Lindsay Smith) and Steve (Ryan Kotack) suddenly find themselves abducted. By whom? For what purpose? Alone, isolated and locked in an undisclosed, suburban basement, Heather and Steve find themselves pawns in a psychological, mind-game with their diabolical hosts. Surrounded by several mysterious and locked suitcases – each containing valuable clues to their very own survival - Heather and Steve must exploit what remains of their bruised intellect and depleting sanity, to escape the authority of their unidentified and brutal abductors (Henry Rollins, Ryan Barrett). From this day forward, summer was never the same

Filmed on location in Saskatchewan from the Qu'Appelle Valley to Hudson Bay, the documentary traces the filmmaker's quest for her Native foremothers in spite of the reluctance to speak about Native roots on the part of her relatives. The film articulates Métis women's experience with racism in both current and historical context, and examines the forces that pushed them into the shadows.

This story of espionage and counter-espionage is based on the novel by Ian Adams. Suspicious circumstances surrounded the mysterious death of a Canadian diplomat. At the height of The Cold War in October 1964, John Watkins, Canada's former ambassador to Moscow and a close friend of Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson, is kidnapped and held in a hotel for questioning by the RCMP at the urging of the CIA. Several days into the interrogation he died. The official obituary claimed that he suffered a heart attack in the company of friends during a farewell supper celebrating his illustrious career.

Alex Granger is a successful New York fashion photographer with a past - he is a former CIA operative specializing in surveillance work. Bored with his present life-style and craving adventure, Alex is lured back into the game by a beautiful, mysterious woman, who just happens to be in partnership with a major arms dealer. Alex is led to believe that he's being hired for industrial espionage and is paid a very large sum of money for his services.Former CIA partner is hot on the trail of the arms dealers and when Alex is confronted with the truth, realizes he's being implicated in their schemes. He is now caught between a "rock and a hard place" and must do whatever needs to be done to save himself.

The start of a new school year brings unexpected challenges for siblings Miles and Haley Miller as they navigate dramatic changes in their lives. Their newly separated mother Noelle works tirelessly to provide for her family while adjusting to their new reality. In an effort to bond with her brother, Haley coaches Miles through his romantic pursuits, only for him to face public humiliation. As sibling tensions rise, Noelle begins to notice troubling changes in her son – anger, isolation, and hostility toward her, Haley and friends at school. After yet another crushing rejection, Miles spirals into the toxic world of incels–a dark and shadowy online underworld that fuels his growing resentment. As he slips further into darkness, Noelle and Haley race against time to save him, desperate to reach him before he’s consumed completely.

Arising from several stays in First Nations and Inuit communities, Foretelling the Land is an introspective movie about our relationship to reserves, both Indigenous and natural, and to the colonization of land and of thought.

Ranch hand Roy Leckner tries to fulfill his employer’s dying wish to find his long lost son, bring him home and groom him to run the family’s failing cattle ranch.

A woman desperately wants to cry following a painful breakup. But her AI companion won't let her.

A group of strangers wake up in an abandoned hospital to find themselves stalked by a supernatural force with sinister intentions.

An undercover cop visits a drug company to get information on a program that gives convicted felons superpowers. With heat on his trail, he must use his newly acquired powers to stop the program and bring its powerful convicts to justice.

A man discovers his wife is having an affair and decides to win her back with a romantic candlelit dinner, champagne and chloroform.

A young university student, bored at work, finds herself at a crossroads. One way leads to a prestigious, but expensive, master's program in finance. Another way leads straight back to her current dead-end job. A third way involves a charming, flirtatious stranger who recognizes her from school. All in all, a strange night to get robbed.

A young child tries to convince her parents to get a dog.

Katherine Sullivan, an acute agoraphobic, witnesses the murder of her husband and speaks with the investigating detective. Then both the body and the detective disappear. Katherine hires private investigator Jack Mize to figure out, only Mize isn't so sure Katherine's version of reality is the truth...

Matt, although married, is completely in love with a hustler called Dick. One night Matt leaves his wife and goes to Dick’s apartment where he waits for his loved one. But Dick’s roommate tells Matt that if Dick catches him there he will kill him.

Two women attending a women's seminar on personal development walk out in acute embarrassment during the introduction. They meet up with a woman who arrived too late to be admitted. Thrown together by chance, they discuss their emotional lives in intimate detail.

From "SCTV" and "Home Alone" to "Best in Show" and "Schitt’s Creek", Catherine O’Hara collaborates with fellow performers throughout her legendary career to take comedy to new heights.

Angelique's Isle is the true story of a harrowing tale of perseverance and survival that unfolds during the great copper rush of 1845, when newlyweds ANGELIQUE, a young Ojibway and CHARLIE, her voyageur husband, are left stranded and forced to survive a brutal and harsh winter on their own in the wilderness.

The story of how Dr. Mutulu Shakur, stepfather of Tupac Shakur, along with the Black Panthers and the Young Lords, combined community health with radical politics to create the first acupuncture detoxification program in America in 1973 — a visionary project eventually deemed too dangerous to exist in America.

A man deeply in debt to a vengeful creditor tries to repay his loan by diverting funds to a Caribbean island.

Three ski instructors are busier in accumulating love than in giving lessons so they spend more time in bed than on the slopes.

A 23-year-old Canadian wanders aimlessly throughout his wasted life.

A mother struggles to take control of her life in the face of advanced Parkinson's disease, while her son battles his sexual and emotional identity amongst the violence of Alberta's oil field work camps.

Leo, a lonely, anxious pizza delivery guy, stumbles upon John, a mysterious taxi driver seeking lonesome souls. This unusual encounter throws the young man into a dizzying delirium, disrupting his blossoming romance with Rita. As the leaves start falling from the trees, days are getting shorter, and the cold is settling in... Luckily, the first flames of love warm Leo’s heart. But beware: if you play with fire, you might get burned.

A film documenting work shortages during the Depression of the 1930s and the attempts to deal with the unemployed, in particular young men. The film discusses the establishment of relief camps and projects, where men were paid twenty cents per day; the founding of organizations such as the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF), Workers' Unity League, and Relief Camp Workers' Union; general unionization and protest of the unemployed, including the On To Ottawa Trek, Regina Riot, sit-in strike from May to June 1938 at the Vancouver Main Post Office, Vancouver Art Gallery and Hotel Georgia, and the resulting Bloody Sunday of June 19.

16-year old Arielle's world is rattled when her mother mysteriously returns, driving a wedge into the seemingly perfect relationship she has with her father while unraveling family secrets hidden long ago on their isolated foothills farm.

A narcotics officer returns to Niagara Falls to check smuggling of "black tar" heroin.

After years of best friendship, teenage Tom and Lucy finally surrender to spending the night together. As their new love blossoms, and Lucy's 'time of the month' is late, the pair are forced to face the music of adulthood head-on.

Jake De Long is one of the top computer programmers in the world. Hiding in an abandoned warehouse in Luxembourg, he is working on a secret website to be launched soon. As he does, he is warned that the police have discovered his whereabouts and are about to storm in. He manages to escape and fly back to Canada, where his colleague Valérie is waiting for him to get on with their life mission: the kidnapping of four very influential personalities.

Shakespeare's As You Like It is a delightful romantic comedy , lavishly staged by the renowned Stratford Festival. A favorite with audiences throughout the centuries, this fairy tale is a brilliant magical celebration of romance, passion and unity. Pitting young love against the vanity of the court. It is the familiar story of exiled lovers reunited, of woodland meanderings, of mistaken identity and disguise, and of political wrongs set right. As in all of Shakespeare's plays, this is a story rich in mythology which deals with the transformation of souls from evil to good.

An up-and-coming indie band consider signing a record deal.

A woman who only has a couple of months left to live decides to go on a final journey, crossing several countries.

A Canadian college student learns about life and love during a trip to her cousin's wedding in California.

Filmed in the quaint prairie town of Herbert, Saskatchewan, Heaven or Not by filmmakers Zuzana Hudackova and Danijel Margetic is an intimate portrayal of one man's tireless journey to give his life greater meaning. John Gerbrandt, a WWII veteran, has been singlehandedly building a 7,000-square-foot house over the past three decades with nothing more than his pension and salvaged materials. With no formal training, he is fuelled by a powerful determination to prove his worth to his God, his family, and his community. John's story transcends day-to-day life in a small town and reaches the realm of deep spirituality marked by an unwavering commitment. Now at the age of 84, suffering from health problems and the financial burden of property taxes, John might not be able to finish his lifelong endeavor.

The people of Unamenshipu (La Romaine), an Innu community in the Côte-Nord region of Quebec, are seen but not heard in this richly detailed documentary about the rituals surrounding an Innu caribou hunt. Released in 1960, it’s one of 13 titles in Au Pays de Neufve-France, a series of poetic documentary shorts about life along the St. Lawrence River. Off-camera narration, written by Pierre Perrault, frames the Innu participants through an ethnographic lens. Co-directed by René Bonnière and Perrault, a founding figure of Quebec’s direct cinema movement.

Sally, the little sister of teddy bear Ben's owner, Simon, would like her very own teddy bear and asks Santa Claus for one. Simon teases Sally about her letter to Santa, whose existence he is a little skeptical about, and at the same time tries to find out what it is she wants. But for Sally, it is a secret between herself, Santa and Ben.

The Hong Kong martial arts version of Jekyll and Hyde, with Hyde as the mythical fighting champion known as the White Tiger battling the Triads, drug trafficking and illegal organ transplants.

Dead by Monday is a darkly comic tale of love and death... but not necessarily in that order. Julie is a sweet, vulnerable young woman who lacks confidence and is obsessed with the memory of her dead husband whom she idealizes. Alex is an angry writer. Talented but unable to repeat the success of his first novel, he has nothing left to say. Or live for. He just wants to die. Fate introduces these two lost souls at the edge of a cliff. While picking flowers Julie accidentally falls off. Alex, who has come to blow his brains out, is interrupted by her cry for help, just before he pulls the trigger.

An early-autumn sequence documenting domestic life and a coordinated communal caribou hunt at a river crossing camp.

A young woman named Anne interviews her enigmatic grandmother Mary, who raised 11 children while suffering from a severe mental illness.

Some 9 years ago, Walter Karl is convicted for the brutal murder of 11-year-old Annie Gordon and sentenced to 17 years in prison. Now, out early for good behaviour, his release sends shock waves through the city. The result is a marvelous moral contemplation of society's standards, citizen's rights, courage for the sake of love and the path to redemption.

Sawyer would love nothing more than to have a sleepover with her new best friend, Nola, in her giant, bougie home. But Nola's house has rules that must be followed. Rules that conceal a dark secret that arrives each night at 3:03 AM.

As Alison prepares for new ocean adventures, business executive Joel navigates his way into her heart and they become co-captains for life.

Ridden with guilt after the untimely death of his wife from a rare blood disease, grief-stricken Getty turns his hobby shed into a bloody altar of worship and brutal sacrifice in his relentless search for Redemption. As he descends into madness, many will bleed.

Two Canadian women return to the Netherlands to recount the terrifying ordeal they experienced as children at the hands of the Nazis, and to connect with the individuals and families who risked their lives to save them.