When the Toronto International Film Festival began in the mid-1970s, it was largely about bringing global cinema to Canadian audiences. Over time, its influence expanded so much that it now plays a key role in presenting Canadian voices to the world. TIFF programmer Robyn Citizen describes the shift as “a really great position to spotlight and platform all of the brilliant filmmakers and artists who come from Canada” — not just for local audiences, but for the global industry.
This year’s 50th edition showcases a mix of veteran filmmakers and rising storytellers. Here are five Canadian titles making their mark.
“100 Sunset”
Kunsang Kyirong’s debut feature dives into Toronto’s Tibetan-Canadian community, the largest in North America. Told partly through the grainy lens of a handheld camcorder, the film follows Kunsel (played by Tenzin Kunsel), a shy thief who befriends Passang (Sonam Choekyi), a woman struggling in an unhappy marriage. Together, they seek freedom from the roles imposed on them. Inspired by Parkdale, a neighbourhood rich with Tibetan culture, Kyirong says the film reflects both personal aspirations and collective resilience. The project itself embodied that spirit, relying on community collaboration and support. Screenings: Sept. 6 and 7.
“Blood Lines”
Director Gail Maurice returns with her second feature, weaving together her Métis heritage, her queerness, and the culture of her northern Saskatchewan roots. The story centers on a store clerk and storyteller trying to repair her relationship with her mother when she encounters a woman searching for her biological family. The film includes dialogue in Michif, spoken by just over 1,000 people, which made casting authentic voices essential. Maurice even returned to her village to find fluent speakers, ensuring emotional authenticity on screen. Screenings: Sept. 8 and 10.
“Nika & Madison”
Eva Thomas, a TIFF alumna who premiered her short Redlights in 2023, expands that story into a feature-length film. The drama draws on the history of “starlight tours,” when police would abandon Indigenous people in remote areas during freezing nights. Described by Thomas as “Thelma and Louise back to the rez,” the film is part crime mystery, part exploration of friendship, with its core built around the evolving bond between two Indigenous women. Strongly female-led, it presents a hard-hitting and deeply personal perspective. Screenings: Sept. 7 and 8.
“There Are No Words”
Acclaimed documentarian Min Sook Lee, known for Hogtown and Migrant Dreams, turns her camera inward for the first time. Her latest work reflects on the suicide of her mother more than four decades ago, a silence that haunted her family. Revisiting Toronto and her birthplace in South Korea, Lee explores both her mother’s story and her journey as a working-class Korean immigrant. “After my mother died, there were no stories. We didn’t talk about her life,” she says. This deeply personal documentary is both a search for understanding and an act of honouring her mother’s life. Screenings: Sept. 9 and 11.
“While the Green Grass Grows: A Diary in Seven Parts”
Peter Mettler delivers a bold, seven-hour project that straddles the line between documentary and personal diary. Filmed over three years, its 420 minutes unfold in seven distinct sections, blending verité-style conversations with psychedelic visual journeys. Mettler describes it as “life writing the script,” shifting between grounded reflection and hallucinatory episodes. Audiences must commit to two separate screenings — four parts first, then three — though both are covered by one ticket. Screenings: Sept. 7 and 8.
Together, these films show the breadth of Canadian storytelling — from intimate personal journeys to bold experiments in form — reaffirming TIFF’s role as both a showcase for global cinema and a stage for Canada’s most powerful voices.