#FIRSTLOOK: NEW TRAILER FOR “MESSI MEETS AMERICA”

Soccer legend Leo Messi changed the game entirely coming to play in the U.S. and new Apple TV+ Documentary MESSI MEETS AMERICA gives us an intimate glimpse at the life of this beloved sports figure. It arrives October 11, 2023 on Apple TV+.

Synopsis:

After over twenty unforgettable and record-breaking years of excellence between Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain, and winning the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 with the Argentina national football team, Leo Messi made a landmark decision that forever changed the face of soccer in North America by joining Major League Soccer and Inter Miami CF. Now, with unprecedented access to Messi and his new Inter Miami CF family, “Messi Meets America” takes viewers behind-the-scenes as the greatest player to ever step on the pitch leads his new team to a Leagues Cup title and beyond. From selling out record crowds across America at breakneck speed, to his incredible last-minute game-winning goal in his very first match, to moments with Messi and his Inter Miami CF teammates, the series chronicles Leo’s immersion in America, the remarkable journey and transformation of Inter Miami CF, and most significantly, the impact he is currently having on soccer in North America as “Messi Mania” crisscrosses the continent.

“Messi Meets America” is executive produced by Emmy Award winner Tim Pastore (“Free Solo,” “Jane”), Emmy and Tony Award winners Patrick Milling Smith and Brian Carmody, and Emmy Award winner Matt Renner (“Free Solo,” “Limitless with Chris Hemsworth”) of SMUGGLER Entertainment, alongside Scott Boggins (“The Circus,” “24/7”). The series is produced for Apple by SMUGGLER Entertainment, and produced in association with Major League Soccer.

Fans in more than 100 countries and regions can also watch Messi take the pitch with Inter Miami CF on MLS Season Pass, the subscription service from Apple and Major League Soccer on the Apple TV app.

(Photo/video credit: Apple TV+)

#FIRSTLOOK: NEW TEASER TRAILER & ARTWORK FOR “MAESTRO”

We cannot wait for this! Bradley Cooper writes, directs, produces and stars in MAESTRO. The Film premiered this weekend at the New York Film Festival and now we get new Artwork.

In select theatres December 1, 2023
On Netflix December 20, 2023

DIRECTED BY: Bradley Cooper
WRITTEN BY: Bradley Cooper & Josh Singer
PRODUCERS: Martin Scorsese, Bradley Cooper, Steven Spielberg, Fred Berner, Amy Durning, Kristie Macosko Krieger
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Carla Raij, Josh Singer, Bobby Wilhelm, Weston Middleton, Tracey Landon
CAST: Carey Mulligan, Bradley Cooper, Matt Bomer, Maya Hawke, Sarah Silverman, Josh Hamilton, Scott Ellis, Gideon Glick, Sam Nivola, Alexa Swinton, Miriam Shor

LOGLINE:

Maestro is a towering and fearless love story chronicling the lifelong relationship between Leonard Bernstein and Felicia Montealegre Cohn Bernstein. A love letter to life and art, Maestro at its core is an emotionally epic portrayal of family and love.

(Photo/video credit: Netflix)

#FIRSTLOOK: NEW TRAILER FOR THRILLER “LEAVE THE WORLD BEHIND”

Oscar winners Julia Roberts and Mahershala Ali star in LEAVE THE WORLD BEHIND, a new Thriller coming December 8, 2023 to Netflix. Here’s the new Trailer.

Logline: 
A family’s vacation is upended when two strangers arrive at night, seeking refuge from a cyberattack that grows more terrifying by the minute, forcing everyone to come to terms with their places in a collapsing world.

Cast:
Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali, Ethan Hawke, Myha’la, Farrah Mackenzie, Charlie Evans and Kevin Bacon

Written for the Screen & Directed By: Sam Esmail
Based on the Novel By: Rumaan Alam
Produced By: Sam Esmail, p.g.a., Chad Hamilton, p.g.a., Julia Roberts, p.g.a., Marisa Yeres Gill, p.g.a., Lisa Gillan p.g.a
Executive Producers: Barack and Michelle Obama, Tonia Davis, Daniel M. Stillman, Nick Krishnamurthy, Rumaan Alam
Music By: Mac Quayle
Costume Designer: Catherine Marie Thomas
Editor: Lisa Lassek
Production Designer: Anastasia White
Director of Photography: Tod Campbell

(Photo/video credit: Netflix)

#GIVEAWAY: ENTER FOR A CHANCE TO WIN PASSES TO AN ADVANCE SCREENING OF MARTIN SCORSESE’S “KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON”

Apple Original Films, Paramount Pictures and Mr. Will want to give Readers a chance to win passes to an Advance Screening of Martin Scorsese‘s KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON. This received a rousing response in Cannes already.

Screenings take place as follows:

TORONTO – Wednesday, October 18th at 7:00 PM, Scotiabank Theatre Toronto 

MONTREAL (ENG) – Wednesday, October 18th at 7:00 PM, Cinéma Banque Scotia Montréal

VANCOUVER – Wednesday, October 18th at 7:00 PM, TBC

EDMONTON – Wednesday, October 18th at 7:00 PM, Scotiabank Theatre Edmonton

WINNIPEG – Wednesday, October 18th at 7:00 PM, Scotiabank Theatre Winnipeg 

Synopsis: 

At the turn of the 20th century, oil brought a fortune to the Osage Nation, who became some of the richest people in the world overnight. The wealth of these Native Americans immediately attracted white interlopers, who manipulated, extorted and stole as much Osage money as they could before resorting to murder. Based on a true story and told through the improbable romance of Ernest Burkhart (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Mollie Kyle (Lily Gladstone), “Killers of the Flower Moon” is an epic western crime saga, where real love crosses paths with unspeakable betrayal. Also starring Robert De Niro and Jesse Plemons, “Killers of the Flower Moon” is directed by Academy Award winner Martin Scorsese from a screenplay by Eric Roth and Martin Scorsese, based on David Grann’s bestselling book.

To enter for a chance to win, click “like” on this Post at MR. WILL ON FACEBOOK. Indicate on the comments there your city. You can Re-Tweet via our X account for another shot!

We are thrilled to give Readers in select cities a chance to win passes to an Advance Screening of Martin Scorsese’s KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON!

Details: https://t.co/O9FkG9oZeR pic.twitter.com/oXFH3bNjCa

— MR. WILL WONG 📸 (@mrwillw) October 2, 2023

Rules and regulations here.

KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON arrives in theatres October 20, 2023.

(Photo/video credit: Apple Original Films)

#SPOTTED: NICOLE BYER, MICHELLE BUTEAU, NEAL BRENNAN, ANDREW SCHULZ, JAMEELA JAMIL, CAST OF “NAPOLEON DYNAMITE” AND MORE AT JUST FOR LAUGHS TORONTO 2023

It’s Festival Season and JUST FOR LAUGHS TORONTO, presented by Beneva in collaboration with SiriusXM, is back with yet another knockout lineup for us this year. One of the world’s premiere Comedy Festivals is back in its 11th year, running from September 21st to September 30th. A free Street Festival with shows by Jinx Monsoon and Fred Armisen. 15 venues. 42 Comedians. Huge headliners – names like Andrew Schulz, Leslie Jones, Nicole Byer, Ronny Chieng, Marlon Wayans, Jonathan Van Ness and more. We were floored by Just for Laughs going bigger than ever last year and this year proves a worthy followup.

A reel of highlights!:

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MICHELLE BUTEAU

Kicking things off opening night was Michelle Buteau who saw a huge profile boost this year with the success of her hilarious Comedy Series SURVIVAL OF THE THICKEST, based on her collection of essays of the same name. Above this, she is host of wildly-popular reality competition THE CIRCLE on Netflix. The funnywoman takes her FULL HEARTS, TIGHT JEANS Tour across North America, selling-out in many cities, before wrapping this December in Austin, Texas. So thrilled we got to catch Buteau who was a pure joy live as we’ve been waiting forever, bringing effervescent energy to Elgin Theatre for two back-to-back shows, of which the first was sold-out completely. She was awarded the Blaze Award in 2020 during TIFF by the Firecracker Department and couldn’t even make it then due to pandemic restrictions! This was so long overdue. This was the best and she even had everyone signing Earth, Wind & Fire’s “September“!

Not sure if you got to catch her as guest host on CTV‘s The Social, but she killed it!

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NICOLE BYER & NETFLIX JUST FOR LAUGHS TORONTO MIDNIGHT PARTY

This is the absolute pinnacle for me of the Fest! I love Nicole Byer too much. I am so grateful for discovering her comedic talents over the Pandemic, watching NAILED IT! on Netflix, the best flop baking reality competition series ever. Byer makes me giggle when she riffs off of Chef Jacques Torres, purely delightful. But above this, her actual Standup Comedy is raw, biting and relatable, giving us all this range and dimension we only get glimpses of on the Baking Show. Her BBW (Big Beautiful Weirdo) Netflix Comedy Special is one of my favourites of all time and she does it all so effortlessly. A dream come true seeing her perform live at Meridian Hall as one of the Festival’s Headliners. Nobody was spared in her set: Tom Cruise, John Cena and some of her exes and ongoing struggles to find love. She is so real and honest. Always a breath of fresh air.

We got to attend the Just for Laughs Toronto Midnight Party, held at Chef’s Hall where several of the Festival’s “42” Comedians and Headliners came out for some delicious snacks – Sliders, Tacos, Donuts, Bao, Mini Bagels, Spring Rolls, Cocktails and so much more! We got to have amazing chats with burgeoning star Dulcé Sloan, Reggie Watts, Ronny Chieng and Brandon Ash-Mohammed, the latter who crushed it opening for Byer earlier i the evening. Sloan even practiced some of her new material on us!

Check-out this epic reel:

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NEAL BRENNAN

Neal Brennan is certainly the moment. The three-time Emmy nominee writes, directs, produces and does stand-up Comedy, selling-out two shows at The Elgin easily and we see exactly why. His star continues to rise with his The Blocks Podcast being very popular, talking to his friends and colleagues about things that make them feel isolated and lonely.

JINKX MONSOON

This iconic Drag Queen and runaway winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars Season 7 is coming off a run on Broadway, with a historic starring role as Roxie Hart in CHICAGO. Her year couldn’t be getting any better and Toronto got to be a part of it with an add to the Just for Laughs Street Festival lineup. That’s right – it was completely free of charge to see her do a set live!

Bringing along her accompanying Pianist MAJOR SCALES, the audience got to her personal anecdotes, song and jokes. What more could we ask for? Monsoon got real personal going into detail about her struggles with rigidly-gendered airport scans which often cause her grief. What a force!

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JAMEELA JAMIL

The delightful and charming Jameela Jamil made her Toronto debut at JFL, taping an episode of her popular BAD DATES WITH JAMEELA JAMIL Podcast at The Elgin. You know Jamil from The Good Place, Marry Me, DC League of Super Pets and more recently Love at First Sight. Joining her on-stage for the conversation were Comedians Sabrina Wu (loved them in 2023’s JOY RIDE), Catherine Cohen and Gavin Crawford, while Dulce Sloan filled opener duties. The show was sold-out completely and Jamil‘s guests got really personal telling hilarious stories about their wild dating adventures. Only to be outdone by Jamil and a wild story involving two people in her life! Absolutely hilarious being a part of this sold-out audience.

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NAPOLEON DYNAMITE

19 years ago, eventual Cult Classic NAPOLEON DYNAMITE would get released. This small unsuspecting Indie Comedy with a $400k budget would go on to gross over $46.1 million around the world, celebrating awkwardness and geekdom. Almost 20 years later, the Film gets celebrated at JFL Toronto with stars Jon Heder, Efren Ramirez and Jon Gries here to present the Film at The Elgin once more for fans, followed by a conversation about NAPOLEON DYNAMITE‘s lasting legacy.

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COLIN QUINN

SNL Alumni Colin Quinn is still fire! We were obsessed in the late ’90s with his Weekend Updates and prominent roles in hits like Grown Ups, Girls, Trainwreck and Inside Amy Schumer. His Comedy Specials Colin Quinn & Friends: A Parking Lot Comedy Show and The New York Story show off his smart brand of humour and deep understanding of humanity. Was a blast seeing him live for the first time at JFL Toronto, just one a few shows at The Royal where he reflected upon people today and their incessant need to elevate themselves and their opinions to the world. I don’t disagree.

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JESSICA KIRSON

Jessica Kirson has risen as one of Comedy’s leading women and had the audience erupting with cheers. Of all the JFL shows I’ve been to, I have never seen as may fans queueing the stage door as I have for her, following her completely sold-out shows at The Elgin. She gain even more popularity over the Pandemic with her prank call album THE CALL GIRLS and also her Podcast DISGUSTING HAWK launching.

RORY SCOVEL

Rory Scovel has continued to build his impressive catalog of work, more recently on series like Superstore and Physical. He played The Elgin also, the first of two shows, ending this Festival on a high note! He is absolutely lovely!

ANDREW SCHULZ

So amazing meeting the Festival’s headliner, Andrew Schulz who played the first of two shows at Scotiabank Arena, where he brought us The Life Tour, selling-out both nights – setting a record for JFL’s fastest-selling arena tickets ever!

Everyone’s hooked on his commentaries about politics and life and we totally get why. He is everything!! Yet another formidable talent whonsaw a huge boost during the Pandemic with his Podcast FLAGRANT and Netflix Special, SCHULZ SAVES AMERICA.

More on tickets and this year’s complete lineup here.

(Photo/video credit: Mr. Will Wong)

#BOXOFFICE: “PAW PATROL” UNSTAWPPABLE IN DEBUT

PAW PATROL: THE MIGHTY MOVIE is unstawppable in its opening! The second installment in the Franchise takes $22 million from 3,644 theatres for Elevation Pictures/Paramount Pictures. It gets 80% on the Tomatometer. Its previous installment in 2021 opened with $13 million amidst the Pandemic. It also has the distinction of widest opening in Canada since 2011, playing at 404 screens, and also the biggest opening for a Canadian film in the North American Box Office over the last ten years!

Second is SAW X which is garnering some fantastic reviews with 87% on the Tomatometer, pulling-in $17.5 from 3,262 theatres for Cineplex Pictures/Lionsgate. Best opening for the Franchise still goes to 2006’s SAW III with $33.6 million.

Third this weekend is THE CREATOR with $16 million from 3,680 theatres for 20th Century Studios. The latest from Gareth Edwards gets 67% on the Tomatometer.

Fourth goes to THE NUN 2 with $5 million from 2,871 theatres for Warner Bros., a tally of $77 million in its fourth weekend.

Rounding things out is A HAUNTING IN VENICE with $4 million for 20th Century Studios, a total run of $31.8 million to date.

#FIRSTLOOK: 2023 TORONTO FALL HOME SHOW

With over 250+ Vendors and Experts on-site, the 2023 Toronto Fall Home Show is here at Enercare Centre September 29 – October 1, 2023! This is the perfect place to get some inspiration, ask questions, pick-up some hard-to-find items for your home… and more importantly, have a little fun! Did we mention there’s Pumpkin Painting?

The Show takes place at Hall A and is expected to draw a crowd this weekend, so ensure you get your tickets here.

We were so lucky to enjoy a Media Preview of the festivities which included:

Personalized coffee art from internationally celebrated Coffee Artist, Barista Brian, just in time for National Coffee Day. Has always been a dream to have a latte painted by Brian!

–Speakers Lounge, sponsored by Enbridge, where our experts will be appearing all weekend. Scott McGillivray will be speaking here.

-Pop-up Plant Sale with Urban Gardener with Co-owner Erin Klassen – the perfect spot to get a beautiful planter, some plant food and items to help your greenery grow

-The DIY Centre features a variety of home renovation and interior design experts who can speak about simple at-home DIY projects. Experts Desta Ostapyk, Jordan Spear, Mark Rason will be on hand to show you how to handle power tools safely, answer questions and more.

–DeAnne of AirWays Creative Painted Finishes will show attendees how to transform the walls of their homes with faux marble, tile, and more.

–Chairman-Mills will have displays set-up by Designer Nicholas Rosaci, who will be hosting interactive festive tablescape demonstrations during the show and will teach you how to fold napkins into turkeys so you can “wow” your dinner guests. There is Barbie-themed display!

The Home Efficiency Rebate Plus “Hidden House” booth, an immersive A/R experience that will show you how upgrades can transform your space and deliver lasting benefits. Presented by Enbridge.

Paint Your Own Pumpkin Workshop. Hosted by Leanne Dowdall of Crafty Creatures, you can design gourd-geous pumpkins to take home.

See a reel of highlights:

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#FOOD: CKTL & CO. LAUNCH WHISKY TASTING AND PAIRING WITH GLENFIDDICH

We had such a lovely time at Financial District’s CKTL & CO. and just wanted to let you know of this exciting new event for Whisky lovers, coming up in October.

Details of the event:

Whisky Tasting & Pairing Night with Glenfiddich
Date: October 16, 2023

Time: 5:30 PM – 8:00 PM

Location: CKTL & Co. – 330 Bay St., Toronto, ON

Tickets: $150 per person and can be purchased here.

Event description: Led by an expert guide, explore a carefully curated selection of some of Glenfiddich’s finest whiskies – Glenfiddich XX, Glenfiddich Gran Reserva (21 Year), and Glenfiddich Grand Cru (23 Year), each paired with delectable dishes by CKTL & Co. to enhance the tasting experience.

An amazing value, with great ambience and food!

#NEWMUSIC: ED SHEERAN “AUTUMN VARIATIONS” TRACKLIST UNVEILED

Announced last month, Ed Sheeran said of Autumn Variations -“Last autumn, I found that my friends and I were going through so many life changes. After the heat of the summer, everything either calmed, settled, fell apart, came to a head or imploded.”

“When I went through a difficult time at the start of last year, writing songs helped me understand my feelings and come to terms with what was going on, and when I learned about my friend’s different situations, I wrote songs, some from their perspectives, some from mine, to capture how they and I viewed the world at that time. There were highs of falling in love and new friendships among lows of heartbreak, depression, loneliness and confusion.”

“My dad and brother told me about a composer called Elgar, who composed ‘Enigma Variations’, where each of the 14 compositions were about a different one of his friends. This is what inspired me to make this album. When I recorded Subtract with Aaron Dessner, we clicked immediately. We wrote and recorded non-stop and this album was born out of that partnership. I feel he has captured the feeling of autumn so wonderfully in his sonics and I hope everyone loves it as much as I do.”

Ed Sheeran will play two sold out shows at London’s Royal Albert Hall on the 18th and 19th November. Set to perform his upcoming album ‘Autumn Variations’ in full on both nights – where Ed will also be accompanied by a live band and string section – it will be the only remaining chance to see him perform in the UK this year.

Autumn Variations tracklisting:

1. Magical
2. England
3. Amazing
4. Plastic Bag
5. Blue
6. American Town
7. That’s On Me
8. Page
9. Midnight
10. Spring
11. Punchline
12. When Will I Be Alright
13. The Day I Was Born
14. Head > Heels

#FIRSTLOOK: TELEFILM CANADA AND THE TALENT FUND ANNOUNCE PROJECTS IN “TALENT TO WATCH” PROGRAM

Telefilm Canada and the Talent Fund are welcoming 18 new filmmaking teams with this year’s selection of projects in the Talent to Watch Program. The lineup presents films from across the country, covering both English and French markets, as well as the Indigenous Stream. A commitment of $3.6 million will be invested into these projects by Telefilm and the Talent Fund.   

“Films from the Talent to Watch Program consistently shine a spotlight on emerging talent spread across the country,” said Julie Roy, Executive Director and CEO, Telefilm Canada. “The opportunity we give to propel their careers as filmmakers and establish themselves amongst our nation’s vibrant film community is one we take pride in. This year’s selections present a dynamic range of cinematic gems, and we cannot wait to see the final product.” 

“Investing in the next generation of filmmakers is at the heart of the Talent Fund, and we are honoured to support this year’s cohort on their first feature journey,” said Sandi Treliving, Chair of the Talent Fund Advisory Committee. “Through the generosity of our donors, like the continued support from the RBC Foundation through RBC Emerging Artists and a new contribution from Warner Bros. Discovery Access Canada, these emerging filmmakers are given a chance to bring their distinctive visions into reality. Canada is full of incredible talent with stories that need to be seen and heard – and the Talent Fund will continue to ensure that happens.” 

Film teams and their projects come from coast-to-coast-to-coast, with projects from Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia to the Northwest Territories, Manitoba, Alberta and more. There is also a strong linguistic diversity in this year’s selections, with films told in majority Spanish, Farsi, Wayuunaiki, in addition to English and French. Overall, 126 projects were submitted to the Talent to Watch Program for 2023-2024. 

This year’s films are: 

A Cree Approach (Documentary) 

Director/screenwriter: Tristin Greyeyes 

Producers: Kaitlyn Redcrow and Tristin Greyeyes 

Province:  British Columbia 

Languages: English and Nehīyaw (Plains Cree) 

Stream: Indigenous Stream 

Partner organization: imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival 

Autonomy & Dignity (Working Title) (Documentary) 
Directors: Daniel Ennett and Frederick Kroetsch 

Screenwriter: Daniel Ennett 

Producer: Rebecca Campbell   

Province: Alberta 

Language: English 

Stream: Industry Partner 

Partner organization: Directors Guild of Canada 

Blue Heron (Drama) 
Director/screenwriter: Sophy Romvari 

Producers: Ryan Bobkin and Sara Wylie 
Executive Producer: Riel Roch Decter 

Province: British Columbia 

Languages: English and Hungarian 

Stream: Filmmaker Apply-Direct 

Con Nhang I Enfants d’encens (Documentary) 

Director/screenwriter: Eva-Loan Ponton-Pham 

Producer: Marie-Michèle Cyr  

Province: Québec 

Languages: French and Vietnamese 

Stream: Industry Partner 

Partner organization: HotDocs 

El Padrote (Drama) 
Director/screenwriter: Andrés Estrada 

Producer: Irène Bessone 

Province: Québec 

Language: Spanish  

Stream: Filmmaker Apply-Direct 

Foreigner (Horror) 
Director/screenwriter: Ava Maria Safai 

Producer: Nicco Graham 

Province: British Columbia 

Languages: English and Farsi 

Stream: Filmmaker Apply-Direct 

Her Last Supper (Drama) 
Director/screenwriter: Becca Willow Moss 

Producers: Becca Willow Moss and Stephanie Chiasson  

Province: Ontario 

Languages: English 

Stream: Filmmaker Apply-Direct 

Invisibles (Drama) 

Director/screenwriter: Junna Chif 

Producers: Leslie Dabit and Pierre Villepelet 

Executive Producers: Laurent Allaire, Yanick Létourneau and Junna Chif 

Province: Québec 

Language: French 

Stream: Industry Partner   

Partner organization: Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema – Concordia University 

Joan’s Kitchen Table: Stirring the Revolution (Documentary) 

Director: Olesya Shyvikova 

Screenwriter: Louise Delisle 

Producer: Karim Kafafy 

Executive Producer: Walter Borden 

Province: Nova Scotia 

Language: English 

Stream: Filmmaker Apply-Direct 

KUBANA (Documentary) 

Director/screenwriter: Alunaya 

Producer: Will Prosper  

Province: Québec 

Languages: English, French and Kinyarwanda 

Stream: Filmmaker Apply-Direct 

Last Stop Video Rentals (Comedy) 

Director/screenwriter: Eric Janvier 

Producer: Megan Shott 

Province: Alberta 

Language: English 

Stream: Indigenous Stream 

Mute Out Sound (Documentary) 

Director/screenwriter: Kenza Derkaoui 

Producer: Stefan Supplice 

Province: Ontario   

Languages: French, English, and Arabic (Darija) 

Stream: Filmmaker Apply-Direct 

Séga : la musique de l’océan Indien (Working Title) (Documentary) 

Director/screenwriter: Vincent Toi 

Producer: Guillaume Collin 

Province: Québec 

Language: French 

Stream: Industry Partner 

Partner organization: Main Film 

Strong Son (Drama) 

Director/screenwriter: Ian Bawa 

Producers: Ian Bawa and Markus Henkel 

Executive Producer: Kyle Bornais  

Province: Manitoba 

Languages: English and Punjabi 

Stream: Industry Partner 

Partner organization: TIFF, Winnipeg Film Group, and OnScreen Manitoba 

The Snake (Dark Comedy) 

Director: Jenna MacMillan 

Screenwriter: Susan Kent  

Producers: Sharlene Kelly 

Province: Prince Edward Island 

Language: English 

Stream: Filmmaker Apply-Direct 

The Wind’s Thirst (Documentary) 

Director/screenwriter/producer: Alejandro Valbuena 

Province: Ontario 

Languages: Wayuunaiki, Spanish, and English 

Stream: Filmmaker Apply-Direct 

Women of No Nation (Documentary) 

Director/screenwriter: Diana Saqeb Jamal 

Producer: Caroline Cox 

Province/Territory: Northwest Territories and Alberta  

Languages: Farsi and English 

Stream: Filmmaker Apply-Direct 

Yo, We’re Dying… (Comedy) 

Directors: Keisha Phoenixx-McLeggon and Jay Carolyn Wu 

Screenwriter: Keisha Phoenixx-McLeggon 

Producer: Fonna Seidu   

Province: Ontario  

Language: English 

Stream: Filmmaker Apply-Direct 

An advisory committee of external and internal representatives assessed the projects and made recommendations to Telefilm. The decision-making process considered Telefilm’s goal of fostering a diversity of voices in the industry, ensuring that Telefilm funds a balanced portfolio of productions that reflect a variety of genres, budgets and company sizes, regions of the country and points of view. Names of selection committee members will be published on the Project Financing Advisory Committees webpage once all funding decisions have been made.