CFF is dedicated to showcasing Canadian films in a nationally recognized film festival to inspire filmmakers and cultivate a network of Canadian talent. Feature film highlights include the Canadian premieres of Love Jacked (dir. Alfons Adetuyi) with Keith David, Amber Stevens West, Michael Epps, Lyriq Bent, and Nicole Lyn and Caley Wilson's suspenseful drama Luba. 

The festival also welcomes the Toronto premieres of The Drawer Boy (dir. Arturo Perez Torres), based on Michael Healey’s critically acclaimed 1999 play, starring ACTRA-nominated actors Richard Clarkin and Stuart Hughes; A Swingers Weekend (dir. Jon E. Cohen) with Mia Kirshner, Erin Karpluk and Jonas Chernick; and Prodigals from Canadian Screen Award-nominated director and Canadian Film Fest award-winner, Michelle Ouellet.

This year’s shorts programme features some of the biggest names in Canadian film and television including Prom Night (dir. Samantha MacAdam) with Gerry Dee, Marty Adams, Frank Spadone, Chandra Michaels, and Trevor Flanagan-Tordjman; Martin's Hagge (dir. Penny Eizenga) written by Gordon Pinsent and starring Sheila McCarthy; and The Things You Think I'm Thinking (dir. Sherren Lee) with Jesse LaVercombe and Prince Amponsah.

The festival will open with Jackie English’s Becoming Burlesque starring Shiva Negar as a young Muslim woman who discovers a way to empower herself through the world of burlesque and close with the Canadian premiere of Jeremy LaLonde’s star-studded comedy The Go-Getters about two addicts who join forces to rip off the rest of the world.

The 12th edition of the festival returns to its home at Cineplex’s Scotiabank Theatre (259 Richmond St. W) and includes 10 features and 20 shorts, with nearly 50% from female directors. The Canadian Film Fest takes place March 20-24 and tickets can be purchased at canfilmfest.ca starting on Tuesday, March 6.

For the complete list of titles for this year’s festival, click HERE. More information can be found at canfilmfest.ca.