In Bulles (Bubbles), a group of neurodivergent teenagers work together to put on a live show that brings their unique imaginary worlds to life. Directors Mélissa Lefebvre and Paul Tom spend time with teenagers living on the autism spectrum to understand their discomfort with how their lives have been labelled and stigmatized. They use their art as a bridge between their inner lives and the outside world, sharing the most authentic version of themselves while challenging the clichés that come with their diagnosis.

Joyful, compassionate, and at times surreal, Bulles speaks to the challenges faced by anyone living with some type of stigma. Lefebvre and Tom’s empowering documentary celebrates how finding a community can give unheard voices the power to amplify their message and reshape public perception. This insightful and compassionate film is a love letter to self-acceptance, challenging us all to live each day as the truest version of ourselves — without shame, hesitation, or apology.

Canadian filmmaker Tasha Hubbard makes her narrative film debut with an intimate family drama about the damaging legacy of the Sixties Scoop. Based on her documentary Birth of a Family, the film focuses on four siblings (Michael Greyeyes, Michelle Thrush, Carmen Moore, and Alex Rice) as they reunite over a weekend in Banff. Through serious conversations around unburied secrets and emotionally resonant experiences, each are given time and space to reconnect and build something tenuous and beautiful out of their traumatic past.

The film, along with Hubbard’s screenplay (co-written with Emil Sher) expertly positions the stunning beauty of The Rockies alongside a quiet regeneration of hope and a deeper understanding of the important work still to be done in the area of reflection and reconciliation with Canada’s Indigenous communities

CONTENT WARNING: Self-harm or suicide

It’s no secret that first responders witness and experience some of the worst societal trauma imaginable. How they deal with the debilitating effects of PTSD on a daily basis has been the subject of many films and studies, but Mike Bernard’s new Canadian documentary invites audiences to explore a new, innovative treatment program–Roots to Thrive–that’s using groundbreaking psychedelic medicines alongside group therapy to provide hope and healing to those affected.

The film follows three firefighters, each at a different stage of the program, as they face challenges, breakthroughs, and reconnections. It also features experts from the therapy, trauma and mental health spheres as they guide the trio on their individual journeys. Quiet the Sirens poses important questions about how we support our bravest citizens, how pioneering new drugs and therapies can best help them, and how societal stigmas can often get in the way of both.

It’s a tribute to those pushing forward despite obstacles, and the hope it may give those suffering from PTSD and similar conditions around the world.

What would a world without anxiety even look like? Life might feel more manageable, but ultimately, would things work out for the better? Director Christine Chevarie-Lessard’s O Fear, O Night explores the uneasy world of anxiety, delving deep into the fear driving so many of our inner dialogues. Chevarie-Lessard sits down with an Anxiety Anonymous group, gathering various perspectives and discovering how, in each unique case, the experience of living with anxiety is shockingly universal.

O Fear, O Night does an exceptional job of humanizing the experience, conveying what it’s like to exist on a perpetual hamster wheel of fear, shame, and dread. But the film’s beauty lies in its affirming message: the secret to “conquering” anxiety may be recognizing that anxious doom-spiraling comes from an inability to sit with our discomfort. The film posits that anxiety can be a reasonable response to an unreasonable world. Once we stop running from that discomfort and instead make space for it, the hamster wheel slows, and those overwhelming experiences become easier to manage.

Each weekend, fine-art photographer Travis Huggett takes his son Orson railfanning. His son’s love of the New York City subway system knows no bounds, so together they ride the rails, chasing Orson’s bliss. As Travis recognized that other children at his son’s special needs school shared this fascination, he began documenting the phenomenon through his photography, taking portraits of the children along their most beloved subway routes.

Railfan tells an inspiring story about embracing joy, no matter where you find it. It’s a story about appreciating what makes us unique, and how our passions give us the resilience to ride out life’s turbulence. For children on the autism spectrum, life can be uniquely challenging, and the freedom of railfanning allows a space to feel liberated from their struggles — and the independence to be their most authentic selves. Filled with beautiful photography and charming subjects who light up the screen, Railfan offers an eye-opening look at an underground culture that takes its devotees to a higher plane.

In the early ’70s, narrow-minded politicians and adversarial government agencies treated struggling communities across the South Bronx as an afterthought. The Black Panthers and the Young Lords took matters into their own hands, uniting to think outside the box in order to improve the state of their neighborhoods. Together, they combined community activism with their progressive politics to create America’s first acupuncture detoxification program.

Director Mia Donovan’s Dope is Death chronicles these heroic feats of activism while discussing how community-specific support systems can make or break the recovery process. It’s a story about the Black and Brown diaspora refusing to back down against the oppressive systems designed to keep them from thriving. Through archival material, Donovan spotlights the challenges faced by individuals fighting for change and the backlash thrust upon activists who never wavered from their convictions.

WITH SHORT FILM ——— Never Use Alone —— Colin Matthews | 2026 | Canada | Social Realist Drama | 26 minutes | English

An overdose intervention hotline operator fights to keep callers alive through a relentless overnight shift, racing to dispatch help when voices fall silent. Still haunted by the overdose death of her eldest daughter, Ramona forms raw, intimate connections with callers that force her to confront her own grief and guilt.

These students impressed in their Level 1 Grad Show and are now back for more! Come and witness 6 weeks of hard work and dedication boiled down to one amazing comedy night! These students will speak from the heart and (hope to) make you laugh till you drop!

Originally from Costa Rica and Colombia, Stephan Dyer and Juan Cajiao are bilingual corporate leadership and communication trainers who also happen to be award-winning comedians and improv experts. 

Leaving their executive positions in the banking world in 2017 to pursue their professional careers in stand up comedy, they have successfully founded MalPensando, a bilingual (English, Spanish) comedy and public speaking school.

CREATIVE TEAM

Juan Cajiao

Stephan Dyer

This program was made possible by the generous support of The Slaight Family Foundation in partnership with North York Arts.

CONTENT WARNINGS

Loud sounds

Swearing / Mature language

Sexual Content

Keywords: BIPOC Experience | Community | Depression | LGBTQ2S+ | Racism

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