top movies 2023

The top 10 movies in Canada from 2023

TIFF has unveiled the 23rd edition of its Canada Top Ten list, showcasing emerging Canadian talents from coast to coast, for both feature films and shorts.

Seven of these Canadian talents are on the list with their debuts.  All of the movies will be available to watch at the TIFF Lightbox from Jan. 25 to 28. 

Here are TIFF's top 10 features and shorts from Canadian filmmakers this year.

BlackBerry

Toronto director Matt Johnson's feature on the rise and fall of the titular smartphone stars 'golden god' Glenn Howerton as controversial former co-CEO of Research in Motion, Jim Balsillie, and Jay Baruchel as his other half and polar opposite, Mike Lazaridis. 

Hey, Viktor!

Back in 1998, Calgary child star Cody Lightning starred in a movie called Smoke Signals. Now he's back to poke fun at his Z-list status with a mockumentary debut about his attempts to self-produce a sequel.

Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person

Quebec's Ariane Louis-Seize's deadpan horror comedy is about a teenage Montrealer and vampire who can only feed on people she feels sympathy for — which is perfect for when she meets the suicidal Paul.

Kanaval

Henri Pardo's Kanaval tells the story of a young boy's journey from a Haitian port town in 1975, along with his and his mother's migration to rural Quebec after a traumatic incident.

The Queen of my Dreams

Fawzia Mirza's debut showcases the coming-of-age of a mother and daughter separated by a few decades, but united in their love of Bollywood star Sharmila Tagore.

Seagrass

Meredith Hama-Brown's debut focuses on a Japanese-Canadian woman who brings her family to a retreat as she's dealing with the death of her mother.

Seven Veils

Atom Egoyan's Seven Veils stars Amanda Seyfried as Jeanine, a theatre director preparing for a production of the opera, 'Salome,' while dealing with her own trauma.

Solo

Sophie Dupuis' movie centres on emerging drag queen Simon and his two central relationships: a passionate romance with Olivier and a reunion with his estranged mother Claire.

Someone Lives Here

Zack Russell's documentary profiles Khaleel Seivwright, who built shelters for the homeless in Toronto during the pandemic — despite the protests of the city's government.

Tautuktavuk (What We See)

Carol Kunnuk and Lucy Tulugarjuk's film focuses on two Inuit sisters — one in Montreal and the other in Nunavut — who reconnect over regular video chats during the pandemic.

Top ten shorts

Seven of the ten shorts are from Quebec filmmakers, with three from Ontario rounding out the list.

  • Baigal Nuur – Lake Baikal l by Alisi Telengut
  • Gaby’s Hills by Zoé Pelchat
  • I Used to Live There by Ryan McKenna
  • Katshinau by Julien G. Marcotte and Jani Bellefleur-Kaltush
  • Madeleine by Raquel Sancinetti
  • Making Babies by Eric K. Boulianne
  • Motherland by Jasmin Mozaffari
  • Mothers and Monsters by Edith Jorisch
  • Sawo Matang by Andrea Nirmala Widjajanto
  • Thriving: A Dissociated Reverie by Nicole Bazuin
Lead photo by

Blackberry


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