Special Events

Catch the international premiere screening of our opening night film, Luther: Never Too Much, including an exclusive Q&A with director Dawn Porter and special guests from the film.

During an era marked by political, economic and social challenges, acclaimed filmmaker, author and organizer Astra Taylor has created a body of urgent, thought-provoking work that offers insight into the networks of power that govern society and our existence. Whether through her documentary What is Democracy? or her latest book The Age of Insecurity, Taylor fearlessly engages with cultural concerns through a lens of curiosity and courage. Join us for an illuminating conversation hosted by Brett Story, a writer, geographer and the filmmaker behind the Sundance award-winning film Union, about their artistic practices, sources of inspiration, political commitments and charting a path forward during times of crisis.

Bread & Roses offers a powerful window into the seismic impact on women’s rights and livelihoods after Kabul fell to the Taliban in 2021. The film follows three women, in real time, as they fight to recover their autonomy. Sahra Mani captures the spirit and resilience of Afghan women through her raw, intimate depiction of their harrowing plight.

The Bones traverses the globe alongside paleontologists on a quest to unearth dinosaur fossils that may hold the key to save humanity from extinction. It’s a race against time before the bones disappear into the hands of fossil dealers, who stand to make millions by selling them on the open market. A cinematic adventure that reaches from the Mongolian Gobi Desert to the floor of a Paris auction house, The Bones exposes the clash between science, post-colonial reckoning, and hard-headed capitalism.

Planet Fantastic presents Force of Will, a free program including a screening of the Mighty Jerome documentary and an insightful Q&A with Charles Officer’s industry colleagues and excerpts from the previously unseen last full-length video interview with Charles Officer in late 2022.

On the Festival’s final night, join us to celebrate our Canadian filmmakers and to announce the winner of this year’s Rogers Audience Award. The top Canadian feature film in the audience poll will receive a $50,000 cash prize, courtesy of Rogers.