TORONTO — The films and series showcased at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival offer a diverse range of options, showcasing age-old terrors and high school queer angst. Despite the absence of A-listers due to the Hollywood actors’ strike, Canadian filmmakers are still excitedly promoting their latest projects.
Speaking with five directors set to participate in the festival, The Canadian Press explores the unique stories being told through Canadian cinema.
One such film is “In Flames” by Pakistani-Canadian director Zarrar Kahn. This Urdu-language film follows the death of a family patriarch, which upends the lives of a mother and daughter who are now haunted by ghosts. To overcome the malicious influences that surround them, they must rely on each other for strength and resilience.
Kahn, originally from Karachi but now based in Canada, expands on his 2018 short film “Dia” with his feature debut, “In Flames,” which explores the shifting lives of women in Pakistan.
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“Fitting In,” directed by Montreal-born filmmaker Molly McGlynn, is a semi-autobiographical movie that follows a 16-year-old girl’s exploration of sex and pleasure, only to be thrown off by a congenital condition affecting her reproductive organs. The film delves into the themes of gender, womanhood, and sexuality, featuring Maddie Ziegler and Emily Hampshire in leading roles.
“Seven Veils” stars Amanda Seyfried in Atom Egoyan’s film as a playwright tasked with reworking the production of “Salome” after her mentor and the original director’s death. As her personal traumas begin to seep into her work, her world starts to unravel.
“Backspot,” the feature directorial debut of Canadian DJ-turned-director D.W. Waterson, takes a unique approach to cheerleaders, highlighting LGBTQ+ representation and teenage angst. The film centers around Riley, an anxious perfectionist striving to make an elite cheer squad alongside her girlfriend, featuring Devery Jacobs and Elliot Page as producers.
“Bria Mack Gets A Life” is a Crave comedy series helmed by showrunner Sasha Leigh Henry, known for producing “When Morning Comes” and “Black Bodies.” Co-directed by Kelly Fyffe-Marshall, creator of “When Morning Comes,” the series follows the journey of Bria “Mack” McFarlane, a Black woman navigating a predominantly white institution, with the help of her invisible hype girl, Black Attack.
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Fyffe-Marshall emphasizes the importance of Black representation and showcasing positive Jamaican narratives with the series.
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