16 feature films and 50 shorts will screen at this year’s Canadian Film Festival (CFF). Running in Toronto March 24-29, CFF opens with the drama Darkest Miriam, directed by Naomi Jaye. On the non-fiction front, the festival includes world premieres of Ingrid Veninger’s Crocodile Eyes and Kate Kroll’s Lunatic: The Luna Vachon Story.
Crocodile Eyes, Veninger’s eight feature, is a “doc-dogme” hybrid that fuses documentary with her signature maplecore lens. The film reportedly contains both a real birth and a real death as it captures a family’s story across four generations.
Lunatic tells the tale of “WWF villain” Luna Vachon and her role as the key woman in a wrestling dynasty and the toll that life in the ring took on her family and children. Vachon’s story previously appeared as part of The Last Villains about related wrestlers Mad Dog and The Butcher. This unique portrait gives the fighter her due.
Also tapped for CFF is Catherine Legault’s Larry (They/Them) after its debut at RIDM. The film offers a character study of trans non-binary photographer Laurence Philomène. The doc provides an intimate glimpse into their work and process.
Meanwhile, the Canadian premiere of Gold Bars: Who the F*ck Is Uncle Ludwig, directed by Billie Mintz, explores a family secret and suspicions of Nazi stolen gold. Mintz previously looked into complicated characters in docs like Portrayal and The Guardians.
“Now more than ever, we are proud to be Toronto’s largest film festival dedicated to showcasing Canadian talent and supporting our country’s creative minds. This year’s program features films from five provinces, celebrating our rich culture and diverse regional perspectives, and bringing these stories to film-loving audiences,” said CFF festival director Ashleigh Rains in a statement. “At CFF, we are passionate about bringing Canadian art to Canadian audiences, and continuing to elevate stories that otherwise might go unheard.”
On the short docs front, CFF includes Michif Land-Based Knowledge, directed by Robyn Adams; Wanda Justice Warrior, directed by Josiane Blanc; Beyond the Gaze, directed by Arianna Bardesono; Tailor Made, directed by Quan Luong; Summer Love, directed by Virgile Ratelle; and Ezda, directed by Halime Akturk.
