The Willson Oakville Film Festival is returning for a fifth year, bringing bigger films, brighter stars and more local productions than ever before. With 18 feature-length films and 36 shorts, this is one of the largest lineups the Oakville Festivals of Film and Art (OFFA) has ever brought in to town.
To help you navigate this impressive docket, we put together a list of 11 Canadian films you have to see while they’re in town. Keep reading to start your cinematic journey…
Dramas:
1. Paper Year:
This VIP Gala Presentation follows young newlyweds Franny and Dan as they struggle through the first year of marriage without their parents’ support. Tensions are put on their relationship as they face the challenges of the adult world and new temptations.
Director & Writer: Rebecca Addelman (Writer on New Girl and Love)
Cast: Andie MacDowell (Groundhog Day), Avan Jogia (Ghost Wars), Eve Hewson (The Knick)
Date, Time and Location:
Never Steady, Never Still is the story of a mother trying to take control of her life as she faces the symptoms of advanced Parkinson’s disease. She attempts to keep her family together while her son also struggles with his sexual and emotional identity in the midst of violent Alberta oil field work camps.
This film was nominated for eight Canadian Screen Awards and director Kathleen Hepburn collected three awards at the Vancouver International Film Festival.
Director & Writer: Kathleen Hepburn
Cast: Shirley Henderson (Harry Potter franchise), Théodore Pellerin, Mary Galloway
Date, Time and Location:
3. The Drawer Boy:
Set in Ontario circa 1972, The Drawer Boy is about a young theater actor from Toronto who stays with two aging bachelor farmers to collect observations about rural life for a play he is writing. All three lives become intertwined and irreparably changed when the play crosses personal and ethical lines.
The Drawer Boy has collected 10 wins in 11 nominations throughout its tour on the festival scene.
Director: Arturo Pérez Torres, Aviva Armour-Ostroff (co-director)
Cast: Stuart Hughes (IT), Richard Clarkin (Murdoch Mysteries), Courtney Lancaster
Date, Time and Location:
This film jumps beautifully between time periods as Mohawk archaeologist Baptiste Asigny begins to search for his ancestors after discoveries are made following a terrain slump in the renowned Percival Molson Stadium.
Hochelaga: Land of Souls took home four Canadian Screen Awards in 2018.
Director & Writer: François Girard (Silk)
Cast: Samian, Raoul Max Trujillo (Jamestown), Vincent Perez (Riviera)
Date, Time and Location:
Action/Sci-Fi/Horror:
5. The Unseen:
The Unseen follows an estranged father risking everything to find his missing daughter while he tries to conceal the fact that he is becoming invisible.
Director: Geoff Redknap
Cast: Aden Young (Rectify), Camille Sullivan (Rookie Blue), Julia Sarah Stone (The Space Between Us)
Date, Time and Location:
Documentaries:
This chilling documentary uncovers the history of Canada’s first national internment operations between 1914 and 1920 when over 88,000 people were forced to register and more than 8,500 were wrongfully imprisoned in internment camps across Canada. Though public records were destroyed in 1954, That Never Happened follows investigators who have been digging since the 1980s to ensure future generations know about this history.
This film was made in Oakville and is narrated by Peter Mansbridge.
Director & Writer: Ryan Boyko
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7. When They Awake:
When They Awake is a continuation of the documentary Rumble. It documents Indigenous musicians as they shape and revolutionize their genres of music during a time of social, cultural and political resurgence. This powerful film includes musicians from genres such as hip-hop, rock, electro pop, EDM, country and more.
Director: Hermon Farahi and PJ Marcellino
Musicians: A Tribe Called Red, Tanya Tagaq, Leela Gilday, Iskwé
Date, Time and location:
8. United We Fan:
United We Fan explores the history and evolution of television fans who campaign for their favorite shows to be saved from cancellation. Through the voices of fans, stars, creators and more, this documentary follows the movement from letter-writing and product mail-in campaigns to social media and crowdfunding.
Director & Writer: Michael Sparaga
Cast: Helen Hunt (Mad About You), Zachary Levi (Chuck), Amy Acker (Angel)
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Suspense:
9. Ordinary Days:
This film begins with the disappearance of a young college student. It follows her heartbroken parents and the troubled detective assigned to her case throughout the five days following her disappearance.
Ordinary Days was made in Oakville.
Directors: Kris Booth, Jordan Canning (This Hour Has 22 Minutes), Renuka Jeyapalan
Cast: Jacqueline Byers (Salvation), Michael Xavier (Bitten), Joris Jarsky (Wynonna Earp)
Date, Time and Location:
Comedies:
10. Room For Rent:
Room For Rent is a hilarious tale about a broke 32-year-old ex-lottery winner who convinces his parents to rent out their spare room in order to keep their house. A creepy stranger with a hidden agenda moves in giving this family more than they bargained for.
This fun film won the Best Feature and Best Actress in a Feature awards at the 2017 Chicago Comedy Film Festival.
Director & Writer: Matthew Atkinson
Cast: Brett Gelman (Stranger Things), Mark Little (Mr. D). Mark McKinney (Kids in the Hall), Stephnie Weir (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend)
Date, Time and Location:
11. Love Jacked:
Wanting to leave work at her family’s hardware store to become an artist, a young African American woman travels to Africa and returns with a fiance who is not quite what he seems.
Director: Alfons Adetuyi
Cast: Amber Stevens West (The Charmichael Show), Shamier Anderson (Wynonna Earp), Keith David (ER/Community), Mike Epps (Uncle Buck), Lyriq Bent (Rookie Blue)
Date, Time and Location:
For more information about the Willson Oakville Film Festival, visit offa.ca
