Toronto, ON - March 4, 2025 – Canadian Film Fest (CFF), the indie-spirited festival dedicated to celebrating Canadian filmmakers, today announced its lineup for the 2025 edition of the festival. Now in its 19th year, CFF continues to champion and support our country’s creatives and homegrown talent, bringing Canadian stories to Canadian audiences. This year, the festival will be showcasing 16 features and 50 shorts. Tickets go on sale March 10 and can be purchased at canfilmfest.ca. CFF returns to Cineplex’s Scotiabank Theatre in Toronto and runs from March 24-29, 2025..

This year , CFF welcomes films from across Canada, with feature films from British Columbia, Quebec, Ontario, Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. The festival kicks off with Naomi Jaye’s award-winning film Darkest Miriam, an adaptation of Martha Baillie’s novel The Incident Reporter, starring Britt Lower (Severance, Man Seeking Woman) and Tom Mercier (Synonyms, The Animal Kingdom). The film tells the story about  a librarian who lives in a fog of grief while working at the Allen Gardens branch of the Toronto Public Libraries. 

Other festival highlights include Tarique Qayumi’s CONCEIVING CLARA, a midwife who helps many women give birth but cannot bear a child. Under pressure from her mother-in-law, she undergoes IVF treatment and complications lead her to choose between her life and the baby's; LARRY (they/them), a documentary directed and written by Catherine Legault, focuses on a young non-binary trans photographer Laurence Philomène, who has emerged as one of the most original and inspiring voices of their generation and an LGBTQ+ community icon; The closing night film is LUNATIC: THE LUNA VACHON STORY, a documentary directed and produced by Kate Kroll, about WWF villain Luna Vachon, reaching the peak of her fame in the 90’s and her mental health struggles.

“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 Ashleigh Rains, Festival Director, Canadian Film Fest. “At CFF, we are passionate about bringing Canadian art to Canadian audiences, and continuing to elevate stories that otherwise might go unheard.” 

CFF will once again highlight a variety of short films through the six Homegrown Shorts programs, while also screening a short film before each feature presentation. These shorts span over a wide range of genres including Drama, Comedy and Sci-Fi. 

CFF is proud to partner with Scotiabank, Heritage Canada, xoTO, Telefilm, Super Channel, Brookstone Consulting, Touchwood PR, Sphere Media, Sesler, Rhombus, Shaftesbury, Pendulum, PurpleDOG Post Production, ACTRA Toronto, ACTRA National, Sunbelt Rentals Film & TV, Canadian Media Producers Association, and is grateful for their ongoing support of the festival and Canadian creatives. 

BY THE NUMBERS:

66 Total Films 29 (44%) BIPOC Filmmakers

16 Features 35 (53%) Female/Non-Binary Filmmakers

50 Shorts 31 (62%) Toronto Shorts

To view the complete festival schedule visit www.canfilmfest.ca/2025-Films. 

About the Canadian Film Fest:

The Canadian Film Fest is a non-profit organization whose mission is to celebrate the art of cinematic storytelling by exclusively showcasing Canadian films. The festival unites film-loving audiences with diverse selections of features and shorts from across the country. The CFF provides Canadian filmmakers with essential professional development and networking opportunities through its Industry Series and awards.

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Media Contact:

Sydney Clarke, Publicity and Promotions Coordinator, Touchwood PR
sydney.clarke@touchwoodpr.com

Hannah Veenendaal, Publicity and Promotions Coordinator, Touchwood PR
hannah.veenendaal@touchwoodpr.com