Canada202479 minEnglish, FarsiToronto PremiereDrama, First Feature, Romance

Amir is an aspiring chef trying to get ahead, but he can’t seem to break out and meet his own expectations or those of his parents, while his favoured younger brother Mahyar can seemingly do no wrong. When news from Iran arrives that a family friend has died and passed his entire inheritance solely to Mahyar, the mystery of the gift’s provenance begins to unravel the family's story, the image of their parents, and the relationship between the two brothers.

Alireza Shojaei gives a simmering performance as the self-destructive Amir against Parham Rownaghi’s flashy Mahyar, while Gus Tayari and Mitra Lohrasb give a loving but weary weight as their parents. Set within Toronto’s significant Iranian community, Meelad Moaphi’s first feature is a measured study in shifting family roles and perceptions when the past comes calling, especially for first-generation families whose ties to other lives and lands are so far but carried closely every day.

– Aram Siu Wai Collier

France202355 minUyghurCanadian PremiereAvailable Online, Directed By Women, Drama, First Feature

Dilber is 27 years old, preparing for her younger sister Rena’s wedding while contemplating her own future. Despite the recent nuptials in the family, their mother continues to put pressure on Dilber to find a husband soon, responding to the heightened anxiety during a time when Uyghur people are being arrested without process or reason. Dilber's friend in Paris convinces her to marry a young Uyghur man in France, a proposition that feels very attractive. But will it work out?

Crafted with a powerful subtlety, Nikah is a beautiful, haunting tale of caution that masterfully portrays the immense tragedy of internment through a brief glimpse into the lives of one family and the decisions with which they must grapple. Told with a delicate restraint, including a closing sequence that quietly underscores the enormity of the moment, Nikah is a poignant portrayal of how quickly the unimaginable can become reality.

– Mariam Zaidi

Poland, Singapore, Taiwan2024104 minMandarinToronto Premiere2slgbtq+, Directed By Women, First Feature, Sports

Trouble seems to follow Jie and his family. Training to be a competitive fencer, Jie is lost, haunted by the childhood memory of a near-drowning incident with his menacing older brother Han. Years later, a teenage Han is imprisoned after killing a competitor during a fencing match (by accident, he swears). Meanwhile, Jie's mother has been spiteful and distant ever since, with no love to give her younger son. So when Han is finally released from prison, Jie is desperate to have some family love restored — and eager for some helpful fencing and boyfriend dating tips, too. But is Han’s reformed presence for real?

Director Nelicia Low draws on her experience as a competitive fencer to set this simmering pulp thriller of attacks, parries, and ripostes amidst a familial drama, while presenting a dilemma on forgiveness: How far do you extend your familial love to those who cause harm?

– Aram Siu Wai Collier

India20227 minEnglish, Kannada with English subtitlesAboriginal + Indigenous, Animation, Directed By Women, Environment, Family-friendly, First Feature

A little girl stumbles into a sacred grove near her village in south India.

Directors Bio

Nandini Rao, Nirupa Rao, Kalp Sanghvi

Nandini Rao was the winner of the 2021 Cannes residency program and is based in Paris.

Nirupa Rao is a botanical artist based in Bangalore whose work is inspired by field visits and close collaboration with natural scientists.

Kalp Sanghvi is an animation filmmaker who graduated from the Indian National Institute of Design and is based in Sydney.

Canada, Pakistan202398 minUrdu with English subtitles First Feature

Mariam, a medical student, is dealing with her grandfather’s passing, her grieving mother, and preparing for upcoming exams. When an estranged and suspiciously helpful uncle re-enters their lives and promises support with their property and finances, Mariam senses trouble. At school, she meets a charming fellow student who presents a tempting option of marriage and financial security, a supposed avenue of freedom and autonomy. When Mariam begins to feel haunted by the presence of men around her and the spirits of those long gone, escape starts to seem elusive.

In this chilling feature debut by director Zarrar Kahn, Mariam’s story evokes the sharply suffocating experience of gendered oppression that’s situated in but nowhere near unique to Pakistan. A visceral and unsettling yet ultimately triumphant narrative, and the first South Asian horror film to premiere at Cannes, In Flames is a remarkably bold and unwavering portrayal of how women navigate and conquer countless forms of violence and control in patriarchal societies.

– Mariam Zaidi

South Korea202395 minKorean with English subtitlesCanadian PremiereDrama, First Feature, Sports

Ho-jun, a flailing actor, has found relative success as a social media influencer, hawking fishing hacks. He preps his live stream at his preferred fishing spot, only to be disrupted by an obnoxious stranger whose bad vibes are ruining the morning. The stranger is Director Nam, a hotshot (and hot-headed) independent film director about to shoot his first commercial feature. He’s invited rising actress Hee-jin for a quiet pondside chat to convince her that his film will be a star-making breakout role—only Hee-jin isn’t sure about Director Nam’s film, or his ulterior motives. As the day progresses, links between Ho-jun, Director Nam, and Hee-jin entwine and unravel to reveal each character’s ambition, pettiness, and pathos as they try to reel in their respective dreams.

In an impressively lean and resourceful production, Small Fry director Joongha Park and co-writer Howon Kim (who also stars as Ho-jun) have crafted a funny, biting, and heartfelt meta film commentary about the strains on artistic process and purpose, especially when confronted with the demands of the commercial industry.

– Aram Siu Wai Collier

Canada202378 minEnglishToronto Premiere2slgbtq+, Directed By Women, Documentary, First Feature, Social Issue/Justice

The Good Guise is an artist collective in Toronto formed to spark conversations around healthy masculinity. From photography and beat-boxing to poetry and martial arts, these talented artists share their unique lived experiences with inspiring confidence and welcome others to join in their mission of finding radical alternatives to shame and punishment. As each of them grapple with upheavals in their personal lives, their resolve is further tested by a dire lack of resources and the burden of racialized discrimination.

An intimate and deeply compassionate feature debut by director Chrisann Hessing, We Will Be Brave is an evocative glimpse into a narrative shift around masculinity. Unafraid to express vulnerabilities, the group’s affirming work recognizes healing as non-linear and our worth as inherent. A bond held together by an extraordinary commitment to do right by their communities, the collective and the documentation of their work promises to leave an impact in the Toronto arts landscape for years to come.

– Mariam Zaidi

Lebanon, USA202393 minArabic, English Canadian PremiereDirected By Women, Documentary, Drama, First Feature

Jude Chehab, a Lebanese American cinematographer and filmmaker, has always known her mother and grandmother to be women devoted to their Muslim faith. During a trip to Lebanon, Chehab is propelled by a curiosity to understand the quest for love, acceptance, and meaning that brought three generations of women in her family to pledge loyalty to a secretive matriarchal religious order operating clandestinely in the country.

Deftly balancing a delicate and determined approach to uncovering and documenting her family’s reflections, Chehab illuminates the unspoken ties and long-lasting consequences of loyalty that have not only bonded the women in her family, but left an unshakeable sense of longing and ostracization—for some, years after leaving the religious order. Utilizing incisive imagery and rich aural textures to evoke the sublime, Chehab asks us to question the line between love and devotion in this commanding and precisely crafted debut feature.

– Mariam Zaidi

Canada2023115 minEnglish Directed By Women, Family, First Feature

Judith, a Japanese Canadian woman, and her reluctant white husband attend a week-long couple’s retreat on a coastal British Columbia island, their two daughters in tow. With Judith grieving the recent loss of her mother, and her connection to her Japanese Canadian identity, the couple’s disconnect grows as she finds herself infatuated with another, seemingly perfect, interracial couple at the retreat. The parents’ rift impresses upon their daughters, as Emmy, the fearful younger sister, becomes increasingly anxious, while the eldest, Stephanie, cautiously navigates the preteen social dynamics of day camp.

Set in the mid-90s and shot on 35 mm film, Meredith Hama-Brown’s tense, layered family drama is a nuanced look into the legacy of Japanese Canadian internment and how trauma weaves through generations in silences, detachment, and ambiguity. Standout performances by Shortcomings’ Ally Maki (Judith) and Nyha Breitkreuz (Stephanie) anchor the film as it explores womanhood, sisterhood, grief, and racial identity in this remarkable debut feature.

– Vidhya Elango

USA202383 minEnglish, Urdu with English subtitlesCanadian PremiereComedy, Family-friendly, First Feature

When 13-year-old Ilyas’s parents yank him out of his comfortable Islamic private school and force him to adjust to life in public school, he develops a plan to change their minds. After a staged fondness for non-halal food and explicit music fails to sufficiently scandalize his parents, Ilyas asks his whip-smart former classmate, Yasmeen, to help devise a more foolproof plan. However, underneath those faux concerns, what really preoccupies prepubescent Ilyas is his wispy, dark mustache growing much sooner than that of his peers, prompting a self-loathing born and reinforced by the taunting and teasing of classmates.

Director Imran J. Khan’s gently humorous and refreshing take on the Muslim American coming-of-age experience, as well as lead Atharva Verma’s impeccable performance as the charming and determined Ilyas, are the perfect combination in this timeless, hilarious, and heartwarming journey of pre-teen self acceptance.

– Mariam Zaidi