TORONTO, ON – The Canadian film exhibition landscape is entering a new era with the launch of the Canadian Movie Marketplace at CanadianMovies.ca, the new marketplace connecting Canadian films with cinemas and audiences across the country.
Created by the Network of Independent Canadian Exhibitors (NICE) and supported by the Canada Council for the Arts and Telefilm Canada, CanadianMovies.ca offers a modern, accessible platform for discovering and programming Canadian stories.
“Since its inception, NICE has been hearing consistently from filmmakers and distributors who are curious about how to better connect with Canadian cinemas and audiences,” says Sonya Yokota William, Director of NICE. “On the cinema side, our conversations often come back to the same question: Who holds the rights to which film? Film booking can be frustratingly opaque.”
“Add to that the very small share of Canadian box office that goes to Canadian films, especially in English Canada, and the challenge becomes clear,” Yokota William continues. “With the Canadian Movie Marketplace, we’re addressing this gap by creating a single, centralized resource for discovering and booking Canadian films.”
“It’s not IMDb. It’s not run by Google or Amazon. It’s the filmmakers, the producers and the Canadian distributors themselves providing the information to keep these films alive,” says film producer Aeschylus Poulos of Hawkeye Pictures. “It’s like a digital Great Library of Alexandria for Canadian film. I can’t believe it didn’t already exist.”
With new titles being added every day, the Canadian Movie Marketplace is launching with over 400 Canadian films. The catalogue includes:
Beloved Canadian classics including Atom Egoyan’s The Sweet Hereafter, Denys Arcand’s Le Déclin de l’empire Américain (The Decline of the American Empire), Zacharias Kunuk’s Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner and Guy Maddin’s Tales from the Gimli Hospital Redux.
Glued-to-your-seat genre favourites including Vincenzo Natali’s Splice, Bruce McDonald’s Pontypool, Christian Sparkes’s The King Tide and Jeff Barnaby’s Rhymes for Young Ghouls.
Major comedies and their sequels with titles including Erik Canuel’s Bon Cop Bad Cop (and Alain Desrochers’s Bon Cop Bad Cop 2), Michael Dowse’s Fubar (and Fubar 2) and Mike Clattenburg’s Trailer Park Boys: The Movie (plus Trailer Park Boys: Countdown to Liquor Day and Trailer Park Boys: Don’t Legalize It).
Impactful indie documentaries including Hugh Gibson’s The Stairs, Christopher Auchter’s The Stand, Ron Mann’s Grass, Michael Mabbott and Lucah Rosenberg-Lee’s Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story, Marc Serpa Francoeur and Robinder Uppal’s No Visible Trauma, and Zack Russell’s Someone Lives Here.
Recent hits that tell Canada’s diverse stories including Anthony Shim’s Riceboy Sleeps, Amar Wala’s Shook, M. H. Murray’s I Don’t Know Who You Are, Noam Gonick’s Parade: Queer Acts of Love & Resistance and Meredith Hama-Brown’s Seagrass.
Exciting upcoming releases including Zacharias Kunuk’s TIFF 2025 selection Uiksaringitara (Wrong Husband), Mélanie Charbonneau’s Out Standing, Rob Grant’s This Too Shall Pass, Sinakson Trevor Solway’s Siksikakowan: The Blackfoot Man and Patrick Shannon’s Saints and Warriors.
The Canadian Movie Marketplace was built in collaboration with the Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA), Directors Guild of Canada (DGC) and the Documentary Organization of Canada (DOC). As self-distribution gains popularity across North America, direct engagement with filmmakers has become essential.
The resource was also built in collaboration with REEL CANADA, whose National Canadian Film Day presents Canadian films at over a thousand community screenings annually.
The Canadian Movie Marketplace is populated by filmmakers and distributors including the National Film Board of Canada, Sphère Films, Elevation Pictures, Game Theory Films, Criterion Pictures, VVS, Isuma Distribution, FilmOption, Films We Like, Lost Time Media, Capital Motion Pictures and Photon Films and Media.
The current Canadian Movie Marketplace is only in English, with plans for the website to expand into being fully bilingual in the coming year.
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About the Network of Independent Canadian Exhibitors (NICE)
The Network of Independent Canadian Exhibitors (NICE) is an alliance of Canadian independent exhibitors offering curated film programming to public audiences. NICE acts as an industry body on behalf of and in the interest of Canadian independent film exhibitors, and facilitates a network for information and resource sharing. nicecinema.ca
For more information, beautiful NICE venue photography and interview opportunities, contact Sonya Yokota William sonya@nicecinema.ca.
About the Canada Council for the Arts
The Canada Council for the Arts is Canada’s national public arts funder, with a mandate to foster and promote the study and enjoyment of, and the production of works in, the arts. Through its grants, services, prizes, initiatives, and payments, the Canada Council supports a dynamic and diverse arts and literary scene. These activities generate a meaningful economic, cultural and social impact for over 2,000 communities in all parts of the country and beyond. The investments and leadership of the Council help advance public engagement in the arts from coast to coast to coast while also contributing to the international recognition of artists and arts organizations from Canada.
About the Telefilm Canada
As a Partner of Choice, Telefilm Canada is a Crown corporation dedicated to the success of Canada’s audiovisual industry, fostering access and excellence by delivering programs that support cultural resonance and audience engagement. With a lens of equity, inclusivity and sustainability, Telefilm bolsters dynamic companies and a range of creative talent at home and around the world. Telefilm also makes recommendations regarding the certification of audiovisual coproduction treaties to the Minister of Canadian Heritage, and administers the programs of the Canada Media Fund. Launched in 2012, the Talent Fund raises private donations which principally support emerging talent. Visit telefilm.ca and follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/telefilm_canada and on Facebook at facebook.com/telefilmcanada
