Edmonton - May 12-16, 2026
Feature Films
Montréal, ma belle
Dir. Xiaodan He
At 53 years old, Feng Xia, a Chinese immigrant in Montreal, finally confronts her repressed desire for women and begins a secret affair with a young Québécoise. This adventure brings her passionate love and a betrayal of her moral life. || À 53 ans, Feng Xia, immigrante chinoise à Montréal, en affrontant enfi n son désir refoulé pour les femmes, elle entame une liaison secrète avec une jeune Québecoise. Cette aventure lui apporte un amour passionné et une trahison de sa vie morale.
Cutting Through Rocks
Dir. Sara Khaki, Mohammadreza Eyni
As the first elected councilwoman of her remote Iranian village, Sara Shahverdi fearlessly breaks patriarchal traditions by training teenage girls to ride motorcycles and stopping child marriages. When accusations arise questioning Sara’s intentions to empower the girls, her identity is put in turmoil.
Wed May 13, 12:00 PM | Landmark Cinemas
Bento + Shorts: Cost of Connections
Papa's Coding Day
Dir. Michael Pogoy
Manny, a hardworking tricycle driver, struggles to make ends meet for his small family. His young son, Gelo, dreams of having his father watch him at the school’s poetry contest, where he plans to recite a poem he wrote just for Manny. Quietly, Gelo saves up coins to buy his Papa a day off.
A Taste Like Nothing
Dir. Tuấn Bảo Phan
After a tense dinner with her absent minded mother over a bowl of salty miso soup, Aiko a young Japanese photojournalist leaves home feeling lost. She sets out for Vietnam in search of a photo that holds meaning for both her work and herself, a place associated with childhood memories of family vacations exploring the culture of another country.
Thu May 14, 12:00 PM | Landmark Cinemas
Chinese Take-out + Shorts: Breaks and Boundaries
Find Me Outside
Dir. Ching Yu
Diudiu and Leo, both Mandarin-speaking immigrants' children, navigate the slopes of the Canadian Rockies as they ski. Celeste, deeply rooted in her Indigenous horse culture, showcases the beauty of riding Indian Horse Relay in the Alberta Prairie. Anika, born into a family of Indian and Austrian climbers, climbs the rocks in her neighbourhood of Squamish, BC. Jade and Ryan, adventurous coldwater surfing girls from Ucluelet, Vancouver Island, ride the waves with enthusiasm.
Searching For Color
Dir. Mikayla Yun lan Ashe
Megan, an Asian adoptee, struggles to assert her identity against her white mother's expectations, finding reprieve in her bond with Gina, a nail technician who becomes a motherly figure. Through the meaning of the color red, Gina brings a newfound confidence to Megan, bolstering her Asian identity. When Gina decides to return to China, Megan faces the emotional challenge of saying goodbye but ultimately embraces her newfound confidence and cultural roots by choosing bright red nail polish.
Fri May 15, 12:00 PM | Landmark Cinemas
Bánh Mì + Shorts: Mirrors & Mirages
Nader's Girl
Dir. Omar Mouallem
A lonely international student creates an imaginary girlfriend to impress his roommates – then struggles to let her go. Based on a short story by Saeed Teebi, Nader's Girl follows Nader (Anas Hasan), a Palestinian international student looking for friendship in a new country. Hoping to fit in with his exploitative roommates, Nader invents a girlfriend named "Cynthia" (Megan Tracz), who gradually becomes a warped projection of Nader’s insecurities as a foreigner. As fantasy and reality blur, he must decide whether to end the illusion or keep clinging to the only 'person' who values him.
Vic And His Nanay
Dir. Jillian Janairo
While trapped in his Los Angeles apartment recovering from COVID-19, an exasperated man named Vic is haunted by a nosy, persistent apparition of his late mother—a former ICU nurse. The film, which blends comedy with emotional depth, centers on this "ghostly" visitation as Vic navigates grief, his Filipino heritage, and his queer identity.
Sat May 16, 3:00 PM | Landmark Cinemas
Saturday Short Films Matinee: The Ones We Leave Behind
A Good Day Will Come
Dir. Amir Zargara
Arash is a professional wrestler with dreams of representing his country and winning gold medals. The country is in turmoil and its people are suffering. Arash must decide between using his platform to stand up to tyranny, or put his head down and remain silent.
Khmerican
Dir. Jimmy Chhiu
When wounded gangsters seek refuge in his father's donut shop, a Cambodian-American teen striving to escape the gang violence and debts that plague his family is thrust into a life-or-death standoff that tests his loyalty, challenges his identity, and threatens his future.
The One Who Plays
Dir. Shobhita Thakur
Sapna, a 12-year-old girl from the denotified Banchhada caste of Madhya Pradesh (India), dreams of becoming a doctor, inspired by the confidence of a lady doctor who works at the village primary healthcare clinic. However, her dreams are crushed by her community's generational tradition of caste-based prostitution, where girls are forced into the trade to fund their brothers' marriages and run the household.
Edmonton Festival Program
Tue
May
12
BIPOC Media Lab: Screenwriting with Eric Janvier
Tue
May
12
Opening Ceremony Reception
Tue
May
12
Akashi + Q&A
Wed
May
13
Bento + Shorts: Cost of Connection
Wed
May
13
BIPOC Media Lab: Masterclass with Baljit Sangra
Wed
May
13
Have You Heard Judi Singh? + Q&A w/ Baljit Sangra
Thu
May
14
Chinese Take-out + Shorts: Breaks and Boundaries
Thu
May
14
BIPOC Media Lab: NSI Workshop
Thu
May
14
Montréal, ma belle + Q&A
Thu
May
14
Community Mixer (Free)
Fri
May
15
Bánh Mì + Shorts: Mirrors & Mirages
Fri
May
15
AMAAS: Off the Beaten Filmmaker's Path
Fri
May
15
Cutting Through Rocks + Q&A
Sat
May
16
Space Cadet
Sat
May
16
Shorts: The Ones We Leave Behind
Sat
May
16
Closing Banquet & Awards Night
For tickets and program details, please visit the Edmonton Box Office site via the link below.
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