The next wave of Canadian and Indigenous storytellers
Hosting seven world premieres and welcoming several films that have already earned considerable acclaim on the festival circuit, Northern Lights once again serves notice that Canadian and Indigenous filmmakers are a force to be reckoned with. Many of the films found here take the form of involving journeys, be they across oceans or into the depths of memory. Elsewhere, there are accounts of indoctrination, incarceration, and fumbling bids for sexual liberation.
Presented by
100 Sunset
Kunsel, an introverted young woman in Toronto’s Tibetan community, commits petty theft and spies on her neighbours. When a newcomer moves into the neighbourhood with her older husband, however, Kunsel is gradually drawn out of her solitary existence.
Blue Heron
In the late 1990s, eight-year-old Sasha and her Hungarian immigrant family relocate to a new home on Vancouver Island. Their fresh start is interrupted by increasingly dangerous behaviour from Jeremy, the family’s oldest child.
Thanks to the Hard Work of the Elephants
High on LSD and eager to break loose, two teenage boys escape the youth treatment centre that has kept them confined. Four hundred kilometres later, they wrestle with the trauma of their experiences in director Bruce Hodgson's unsettling debut.
Akashi
In Mayumi Yoshida’s tender drama, struggling artist Kana journeys to Tokyo to attend her grandmother’s funeral. While there, she reconnects with her childhood love and stumbles across a family secret that prompts her to reconsider her place in the world.
Finch & Midland
Timothy Yeung’s film tells the story of four Hong Kong immigrants living in Scarborough, Ontario. With exceptional performances from its four leads, the film explores the Asian diaspora, social malaise, and the hardships of life under late capitalism.
Treasure of the Rice Terraces
Filipino Canadian filmmaker Kent Donguines returns to the Philippines to explore Indigenous Kalinga tattoos. Guided by 107-year-old artist Apo Whang-od, he discovers the strong role it has come to symbolize for Filippino cultural identity worldwide.
Clan of the Painted Lady
Jennifer Chiu’s engrossing documentary explores the Hakka — a people, a language, and a culture that have been obscured for far too long. Tracing her own lineage back to from Canada to China, the director creates an illuminating, bravely personal film.
Nika & Madison
Two young Indigenous women become fugitives following an act of self-defence and are forced to flee into the wilderness. Inspired by Thelma and Louise, this compelling story of unbreakable friendship sheds light on systemic injustices.
A Welcome Distraction
In the wake of a personal tragedy, a young man living in Vancouver does whatever he can to avoid reconnecting with his family. An ambient ode to our city, and a sensitive and relatable portrait of life within it.
Modern Whore
In director Nicole Bazuin’s cheeky, stylized documentary, Modern Whore-memoirist Andrea Werhun (Paying for It, VIFF 2024) recounts her experiences as an escort and stripper in Toronto, debunking misconceptions about the world’s oldest profession.
Nesting
Adjusting to her new life as a mother after the traumatic birth of her son, Pénélope witnesses a violent robbery that triggers visions of her sister’s death. Chloé Cinq-Mars’s debut feature is a tense psychological thriller exploring postpartum depression.
