Selection 2023

Junior’s Giant by Paula Brancati

A close-knit Grandfather and his trans-Granddaughter struggle when his dementia sparks an imaginary giant and gender confusion, causing pain for them both.

JUNIOR’S GIANT is based on writer Deb McGrath’s real-life father’s experience with Lewy Body dementia and the imaginary giant who became a real comfort to him as his condition worsened.

Simon Without Notice by Jeremie Scoulsky-Lavigne

We follow the journey of a neglected electronics salesman on the run with a television. His escape will bring him to cross lunar heights and free himself from his burden.

Claire by Jean-Pierre Huot

A male prostitute becomes friends with an old lady who is his complete opposite. This friendship deeply transforms the young man. However, the old lady keeps a secret that will upset their relationship.

Illustration by Clayton Burns

In deep suburbia, Meghan struggles to come to terms with her son Jimmy’s deepening mental health issues, while her fierce husband Jason is in denial. While staying at home after a local cat is found mauled, therapy doesn’t help Jimmy’s, and the frequency of his hallucinations increases. A voice in his head, whom he calls Lucy, starts off by egging him on to cut himself. When the imaginary requests become increasingly sinister, the true motivation behind Jimmy’s fascination with drawing cats becomes clear. After suspecting his mother is lying to him, Lucy’s final request is one is so painfully irreversible that it will change his life forever.

WORK 05

Latchkey by Nathalie Therriault

Two seven-year-olds negotiate their after-school life without adult supervision which slowly chips away at their innocence.

Bring Back the Whistle Dog by Bob Simpson

Fast food menu items come and go, but none have ignited lasting passion quite like Canadian restaurant chain A&W’s Whistle Dog. This “hot dogumentary” profiles diehard fans fighting the good fight to bring back the iconic dog.

Till that day by Pier-Olivier Renaud

A couple receives a phone call from their son, Jacob, who has been in a car accident after returning from a party. The parents attempt to reach him, but he is nowhere to be found after the phone call is abruptly cut off. A pair of police officers will have to continue the search.

No Bedroom by Ryan Leedu

A young woman selectively arranges viewings for her one-bedroom house, which she may not be genuine about actually renting.

Mabel by James Alton

After a devastating loss, an elderly man must face the monotony of everyday life as he navigates denial and grief.

Death & the Mysteries of Raising Powerful Children by Joel Richardson

An absurd celebration of pop culture parenting that finds a way to make animal sacrifice fun again.

WAITING FOR LOLO : EN ATTENDANT LOLO : ESPERANDO A LOLO by Jules Ronfard

On a country road, a couple gone for a ride on a scooter find themselves immobilized after running out of gas. While waiting for their friend Lolo, a philosophical discussion ensues.

En una carretera rural, una pareja que ha ido a dar un paseo en scooter queda inmovilizada tras quedarse sin gasolina. Mientras esperan a su amigo Lolo, se produce una discusión filosófica.

Tabanca by Lauren Marsden

Dampened by office life during a wet Vancouver winter, a genderqueer Trinidadian woman, Marlinn, misses out on the chance to celebrate Carnival season back home. Until, one night, they discover that the power of masquerade is within them no matter where they are.

Rose by Gabriel Bissonnette

While World One was raging, somewhere in a small Village of Quebec, several children died a few weeks after their birth. Act of god or serial killer? The young inspector Josaphat Piché was sent to the scene to investigate the suspicious deaths.

Lior by Scott Glassman

Lior is an elderly man who lives alone and is recovering from a stroke. It requires a great amount of energy for him to walk, and he finds it extreme difficulty in completing everyday tasks. He has lost his sense of autonomy. One day, he approaches his at-home-care doctor with the possibility of an assisted death. He is frustrated when he finds out how long the process takes and decides to take matters into his own hands.

Ancestral Land by Gabriel Bissonnette

A young traveler thrives on the forest that surrounds him until, by chance, he spots an evil ax that makes him greedy.

Nîswayakan by Aaron Sinclair

Seventeen-year-old David has lived with a wall that has built up between himself and his estranged mother, and consequently his indigenous heritage. But he begins to break down those barriers when his mother visits over the winter holidays.

Weird Therapy by Pierre Fanzhu

A young man with an absurd issue goes to see a therapist.

Feeling Fine by Fateema Al-Hamaydeh Miller

Sara & Cameron, two actors who refuse to quit their shared Meisner class after they break up, deal with grief, closure and reminiscing their connection in this short that both honours and pokes fun at the experience of heartbreak.

Elsewhere by Simon S. O’Reilly

Elsewhere is a gentle story about love and loss told through the perspective of a grief stricken laborer. As the first snow descends on the province, she spends her day harvesting oysters along the river bank, and contemplating the nature of her grief. Waist high in the water, she pushes through the meandering currents, when she suddenly encounters a familiar creature rising from the shallows. Her muses awash, she finds herself elsewhere, succumbing to another shell.

MILES BEHIND: A Spider-Man Fan Film by Tito Guillen

Miles Morales (Eb Mensah) is still trying to find his footing and voice as the new Spider-Man of New York City, while also keeping up with his regular life as a student and son of New York Police Officer Jefferson Davis (Charles Payne). An attempted mugging becomes a defining moment for Miles and his father as Spider-Man comes between the New York City Police and Peter (Ralphy Miracle), a young man tired of being marginalized and stepped on.

Stranded by Emile Viens

After its space pod crashes, an alien telepathically calls for help, causing a grieving man to have hallucinations of his deceased boyfriend.

I Know You Are Here by Javier Aparisi

Caught up in the middle of the global pandemic, a young couple, Seiko and William try to remain connected to each other in these exceptional times. Seiko only wants to protect William, but William has an obligation to his community. The world needs people like him now more than ever. With the uncertainty of the situation, emotions run high.

Des racines nées (Birthed Uproots) by Jessica ALUNAYA

Uprooted from its land of origin, the diaspora tries to put its roots down elsewhere. But is it still possible to belong?

Persistence by Neil Schell

Alex and Brooke are taking their workplace flirtations out for a spin. What should have been a romantic coffee date suddenly gets more complicated when Sean arrives and makes the evening memorable for all the wrong reasons.

Orange Purpose by Brian O’Connor

A seemingly oblivious, orange-tinged man confronts two thugs terrorizing the street he’s on and it comes to an explosive ending for all.

Anew by Anthony Villanueva

A young woman on a quest to escape her past, seeks out a man renowned in the criminal underworld for helping people start fresh. Though upon meeting him, she discovers the price for her fresh start is more than she is willing to bear.

Chances by Rob Heschl

When Emma and Michael literally bump into each other by accident, do they take the opportunity to say what they really want to say?

Murder Pizza by Elizabeth Dowland

Script Competition