#BFF2024

#BFF2024

BREAKTHROUGHS FILM FESTIVAL 2024

DECEMBER 6th - 8th, 2024

 2024 OFFICIAL SELECTIONS

This year’s line-up is programmed under the theme TRANSFORMATIONS, exploring the ways that we have, and continue to evolve, both personally and as a society. Transformation as a process of unlearning, relearning and breaking from tradition, in order to become new versions of ourselves. This journey leads us to grapple with identities, new and old, to eventually rise and embrace new and joyful ways of being.

 

BY CHANCE, BY CHOICE

FRIDAY, DEcember 6th, 7pm

In lives shaped by social and cultural forces, unexpected encounters and surprising experiences can be catalysts for profound transformation. To fully embrace this potential, we must be open to discovering new aspects of ourselves.

Featured
DEATH TO THE BIKINI!
Dec 6
DEATH TO THE BIKINI!

Lili, 10-year-old, rebels when her parents force her to wear a bikini top, even though she has always swam topless.

ADAGIO
Dec 6
ADAGIO

Sixteen year old Faye prepares for her final solo.

BLUE HOUR
Dec 6
BLUE HOUR

Two personal journeys intersect when a struggling young photographer is hired for a cheap last minute portrait gig. The unfolding photo session, while transient, leaves an indelible mark on both women.

DANDELION GREEN
Dec 6
DANDELION GREEN

Weeks before ageing out of the foster care system, 17-year old Kay falls into an electric friendship with Olivia, transforming the way they see themselves, and their future.

GEMMA
Dec 6
GEMMA

Gemma is a tenacious young woman trying out an exuberant number of activities and hobbies in her quest to find a special talent to call her own.

THE GREAT ARC
Dec 6
THE GREAT ARC

With nearly 70 monumental works of art scattered throughout the district, La Défense, Paris, is Europe's largest open-air museum. Sitting between the legs of the gigantic Red Spider, I wonder how I didn't notice them before.

WANDER TO WONDER
Dec 6
WANDER TO WONDER

Mary, Billybud and Fumbleton are three miniature, human actors who perform in an eighties kids TV series called “Wander to Wonder”. After the creator of the series has died, they are left alone in the studio.

THE PLEASURE IS ALL MINE
Dec 6
THE PLEASURE IS ALL MINE

When 76-year-old Amélia realizes she has never had an orgasm in her life, she becomes determined to have one at any cost.

YOU FEEL ME?
Dec 6
YOU FEEL ME?

“You Feel Me?” is an experimental movement film about longing for closeness and the (seeming) impossibility of connection. Through the use of intuitive & ritualistic movement, “You Feel Me?” both celebrates queer femme sensuality; as well as the ways that Black queer femmes see, reach out to, and care for each other.

THE NIGHT SHIFT
Dec 6
THE NIGHT SHIFT

Two paramedics from Ontario share their experiences working in the paramedic field. They share their struggles with how much it affects their mental health and body and how they choose to deal with the trauma they witness daily.

THE UNCOMFORT ZONE

Sunday, DEcember 8th, 2:30pm

When change is thrust upon us, it can be terrifying. When the world around us demands transformation, will we conform to outdated expectations or embrace the challenge and forge a new path?

Featured
BASIC TRAINING
Dec 8
BASIC TRAINING

A shy, idealistic teenager enlists in the Canadian Armed Forces, but soon after arriving at basic training he begins to lose his grip on reality.

LEVELED
Dec 8
LEVELED

On a day like no other, Safa embarks on a journey to not only help her mother who is sick with cancer but races against time in pursuit of her dreams, despite the levels of cultural stigma and islamophobia from her family and community.

MY INDEPENDENCE DAY
Dec 8
MY INDEPENDENCE DAY

Seven-year-old Manuela dreams of winning the "best folkloric dress" contest in the commemoration of Independence Day at her school. Meanwhile, her brother Gabo (16) takes the risk of protesting in the streets for the plebiscite that will put end to the dictatorship of Chile in 1988.

BECOMING
Dec 8
BECOMING

Becoming is a playful frame-by-frame 2D digital animation with analog watercolour backgrounds that explores the way Trans people come to be in our bodies more fully through transition.

GOOD BOY / 乖仔
Dec 8
GOOD BOY / 乖仔

When a troubled boy is suspended from school, he spends the week with his oddball immigrant grandma who teaches him how to collect cans - and how to cry.

NINTH STEP
Dec 8
NINTH STEP

When the ninth step of his “second chance” program involves reconciling with the same friend that sold him out, a recently incarcerated man is forced to discover the bounds of love and forgiveness.

REMEMBERING ME
Dec 8
REMEMBERING ME

Twenty years ago, a mother bought a camcorder and began filming her family's life. Now, two decades later, her daughter digitizes these tapes for the first time. Through never-before-seen family footage, mother and daughter trace their forgotten memories, continuing the legacy started all those years ago.

SWEET LIME
Dec 8
SWEET LIME

After eavesdropping on an intimate conversation, Amra is catapulted into a space between childhood innocence and adult reality, and must choose whether to reveal a tragedy she has discovered.

THE FUTURE ABOVE US
Dec 8
THE FUTURE ABOVE US

After a cosmic disaster leaves earth virtually empty, a hopeful yet sombre woman experiencing pareidolia who yearns to find connection must decide what lengths she will go to for companionship.

THE SKATES
Dec 8
THE SKATES

Mina loves to skate. Today, her father, recently divorced from her mother, accompanies her to her first figure skating lesson. An ordinary day if something hadn't happened to the skates.

 2024 INDUSTRY PROGRAMMING

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 7th

Featured
THE MAKING OF A SHORT FILM: A CASE STUDY OF UNIBROW
Dec 7
THE MAKING OF A SHORT FILM: A CASE STUDY OF UNIBROW

Ever wondered how a short film goes from an idea to the big screen? Join us and director Nedda Sarshar for an in-depth case study of the award-winning short-film Unibrow. Our panelist will share her firsthand experience, from the initial spark of an idea to the final stages of distribution. Discover the challenges and triumphs she faced, including securing funding, building a talented team, navigating the production and post-production process, developing a winning festival strategy, and effectively reaching audiences through distribution and marketing.

'WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?': EXPLORING WEB SERIES AS THE NEXT CAREER MOVE
Dec 7
'WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?': EXPLORING WEB SERIES AS THE NEXT CAREER MOVE

You did it! Your short film is out there, shining bright. But what’s next? Join our panellists, filmmakers Rabiya Mansoor, Nisha Khan and Marushka Almeida, as they discuss how to leverage your short film success to dive into the world of web series. They’ll share insights from their journey creating the CBC Gem series Get Up, Aisha! and offer advice on keeping the momentum going, making the most of your success, and launching your next big project. Together, they'll explore whether a web series is the “right” or “wrong” step forward, and how to decide what’s best for your career.

 THIS FESTIVAL IS MADE POSSIBLE WITH SUPPORT FROM

 THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS

THANK YOU TO OUR CO-PRESENTERS & COMMUNITY PARTNERS