CANADIAN CINEMA

With TIFF just around the corner next week, Torontonians will once again be celebrating global cinema, meeting filmmakers from across the world, and taking part in one of the city’s biggest film events of the year.

Amid all the excitement surrounding international cinema, I thought it would be important to turn our attention to Canadian cinema and take a look at the Canadian movies that have been released since the last TIFF in September 2025 through this year’s TIFF.

So, if you haven’t had a chance to watch some of these Canadian films, or if you think you might have missed a few, let’s take a look at what Canadian cinema has brought us over the past year!

Telefilm Canada counted 139 Canadian theatrical releases in 2025 alone. This article covers the notable Canadian feature films released or reaching audiences between September 2025 and September 2026, i.e. from last TIFF till this TIFF.

Canadian Cinema

Canadian cinema has always had a distinctive identity, often quieter and more character-driven than mainstream Hollywood, while also making room for experimental storytelling, Indigenous voices, documentaries, animation, comedy and genre films. The period from September 2025 to September 2026 was particularly interesting, with filmmakers from across Canada exploring identity, family, friendship, cultural memory, grief and belonging.

The 2025 edition of TIFF's Canada's Top Ten later highlighted ten Canadian feature films, demonstrating the breadth of the country's filmmaking landscape.

Here are some of the notable Canadian films from this period.

1. Blue Heron — Sophy Romvari

Sophy Romvari's Blue Heron is an intimate family drama that looks at memory, childhood and complicated family relationships. The film follows a family gathering and gradually reveals the emotional tensions and unresolved experiences that exist beneath seemingly ordinary interactions.

The film was one of the major Canadian discoveries of TIFF 2025, where Romvari received the Best Canadian Discovery Award. It was subsequently selected for TIFF's Canada's Top Ten.

Why watch it: A thoughtful, personal film about family and the memories that shape us.

2. Mile End Kicks — Chandler Levack

Set against Toronto's indie-music scene, Mile End Kicks follows a young woman navigating friendship, ambition, music and adulthood. Chandler Levack brings a distinctly Toronto sensibility to the story, making the city feel almost like another character.

The film premiered at TIFF 2025 and became one of the ten Canadian features selected for Canada's Top Ten.

Why watch it: Particularly appealing for viewers who enjoy music, Toronto stories and coming-of-age narratives.

3. Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie — Matt Johnson

If you want something completely different, Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie offers a wildly inventive Toronto comedy.

Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol bring their long-running cult series to the big screen, turning their familiar comic dynamic into a time-travelling adventure. The film combines absurd humour, DIY filmmaking and Toronto nostalgia.

It won the People's Choice Midnight Madness Award at TIFF 2025 and was included in Canada's Top Ten.

Why watch it: A fun, unconventional Canadian comedy with a strong Toronto identity.

4. The Things You Kill — Alireza Khatami

The Things You Kill is a psychological drama from Iranian-Canadian filmmaker Alireza Khatami. The film explores family, grief, guilt and difficult relationships, using an unsettling narrative that gradually challenges the viewer's understanding of what is happening.

The film had a major festival run and was selected as Canada's submission for the Academy Award for Best International Feature. It was also included in TIFF's Canada's Top Ten for 2025.

Why watch it: A serious and psychologically layered film that explores the complicated nature of family relationships.

5. Tuner — Daniel Roher

Known for the Oscar-winning documentary Navalny, director Daniel Roher moved into narrative filmmaking with Tuner.

The film follows a talented piano tuner whose extraordinary ability to hear tiny differences in sound becomes connected to a dangerous world. It combines drama and crime elements while examining talent, obsession and moral choices.

Tuner was one of Canada's Top Ten films of 2025.

Why watch it: An intriguing transition from documentary filmmaking to narrative cinema.

6. Follies (Folichonneries) — Eric K. Boulianne

This French-language Canadian comedy brings humour and human awkwardness to the forefront. Follies explores relationships and everyday situations through an offbeat comedic lens.

Directed by Eric K. Boulianne, the film was one of the ten features chosen for Canada's Top Ten 2025.

Why watch it: A lighter, distinctly Québécois addition to Canada's 2025 film landscape.

7. At the Place of Ghosts (Sk+te'kmujue'katik) — Bretten Hannam

Bretten Hannam's supernatural drama combines Indigenous storytelling with elements of horror and fantasy.

The story centres on siblings who have grown apart. When a malevolent spirit enters their lives, they are forced to confront their past and return to a mysterious forest known as the Place of Ghosts.

The film premiered at TIFF 2025 and later received a theatrical release in Canada in March 2026.

Why watch it: A powerful combination of Indigenous storytelling, family drama and supernatural elements.

8. Wrong Husband (Uiksaringitara) — Zacharias Kunuk

Directed by acclaimed Inuit filmmaker Zacharias Kunuk, Wrong Husband is an Inuktitut-language Canadian film that blends cultural storytelling with psychological and supernatural elements.

It was particularly significant at TIFF 2025, where it won the Best Canadian Feature Film Award. Kunuk also received a Special Tribute Award.

Why watch it: An important example of Inuit filmmaking and the diversity of Canada's cinematic voices.

9. Space Cadet — Kid Koala

Space Cadet is an unusual animated feature from Canadian musician and artist Kid Koala.

The film stands apart from conventional dialogue-driven animation, relying heavily on visual storytelling and music. Its playful, imaginative approach makes it one of the more experimental Canadian films of the period.

It was included in TIFF's Canada's Top Ten feature selection for 2025.

Why watch it: A visually imaginative Canadian animation that demonstrates how unconventional storytelling can work on the big screen.

10. Agatha's Almanac — Amalie Atkins

Agatha's Almanac is an imaginative documentary-style work from Canadian artist and filmmaker Amalie Atkins.

Rather than following a conventional documentary structure, the film blends observation, art and storytelling to create a distinctive portrait of its subject.

The film was named Best Canadian Feature Documentary at Hot Docs 2025 and later became part of Canada's Top Ten.

Why watch it: For audiences interested in experimental documentaries and the intersection of art and cinema.

Canadian Cinema in 2026

The Canadian film landscape continued to expand in 2026, with new features appearing in theatres and on the festival circuit. Telefilm Canada's current catalogue, for example, lists 2026 Canadian productions including Nightmare's Advice, The Parking Spot, All Night Wrong, Saigon Story: Two Shootings in the Forest Kingdom and others.

Undertone — Ian Tuason

One of the more interesting Canadian genre films of 2026 is Undertone, a psychological horror film from Ian Tuason. The story follows a podcaster spending time in her childhood home with her dying mother. Mysterious audio recordings begin to disturb the already isolated environment, gradually creating an atmosphere of uncertainty and psychological tension.

The film was highlighted by Vulture among its notable films of 2026.

Why watch it: A small-scale Canadian horror film that demonstrates how atmosphere and sound can create tension without relying on a huge production.

Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie

Although it premiered at TIFF in 2025, the film's broader release falls within the 2025–26 period and deserves another mention because of its uniquely Canadian sense of humour.

Its Toronto setting, independent spirit and deliberately chaotic storytelling make it a particularly recognizable piece of contemporary Canadian cinema. The film's TIFF recognition also helped establish it as one of the year's most distinctive Canadian titles.

A New Generation of Canadian Storytelling

What makes this period particularly exciting is the variety of Canadian voices.

The country's cinema is no longer easily defined by one particular genre or style. During this period, filmmakers explored:

• Indigenous and Inuit storytelling — Wrong Husband and At the Place of Ghosts

• Toronto's cultural identity — Mile End Kicks and Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie

• Family and personal memory — Blue Heron

• Psychological drama — The Things You Kill

• Crime and suspense — Tuner

• French-language comedy — Follies

• Animation and visual experimentation — Space Cadet

• Documentary and art cinema — Agatha's Almanac

• Horror and genre filmmaking — Undertone

This diversity reflects the broader Canadian film ecosystem. Telefilm Canada's 2025 report recorded 139 new Canadian theatrical releases, while 240 Canadian films were screened in Canadian theatres during the year.

The Canadian Film Industry Is Growing More Diverse

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of Canadian cinema between September 2025 and September 2026 is not simply the number of films being produced, but who is telling the stories.

From Inuit filmmakers working in Inuktitut to French-language Québécois comedies, Toronto indie stories, experimental animation and films from immigrant and Indigenous perspectives, Canadian cinema is becoming increasingly diverse in both language and experience.

TIFF's 2025 Canada's Top Ten is a particularly good snapshot of that diversity. Its ten selected features included films in English, French, Inuktitut, Turkish, Mi'kmaw and Hungarian, among other languages.

And that may be the most exciting thing about Canadian cinema today: there isn't one Canadian story anymore. There are many.

From intimate family dramas to supernatural Indigenous stories, from Toronto's music scene to experimental animation, the films released during this period show a Canadian film industry that is increasingly confident in telling stories that are personal, culturally specific and distinctly its own.

Note: This is a curated selection of notable Canadian feature films, rather than an exhaustive list of every Canadian film released during the 12-month period.