JEAN-MARC VALLÉE DGC DISCOVERY LONG LIST CELEBRATES BOLD NEW VOICES
Films in the running screen at festivals across Canada
TORONTO, Sept. 18, 2025 /CNW/ - The Directors Guild of Canada is pleased and proud to announce the 15 long-listed films for the 2025 Jean-Marc Vallée DGC Discovery Award, spotlighting emerging Canadian directors to watch out for this festival season.
The films will be screened at the Festival du nouveau cinéma (FNC), the Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF), the Calgary International Film Festival (CIFF), Atlantic International Film Festival (AIFF), the St. John's International Women's Film Festival (SJIWFF) and some have already been shown at Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), Hot Docs and ImagineNATIVE. Following the list of films is a summary of which festivals these films are playing at, for those festivals which have announced all or part of their slate of films.
"It's a privilege to spotlight these daring and original voices who are bringing fresh perspectives to the screen," said Warren P. Sonoda, DGC President. "Their work reflects the depth, innovation, and diversity that continue to define and elevate Canadian storytelling."
In 2022, the Discovery Award was rededicated to long-time DGC Director Member Jean-Marc Vallée. The Discovery Award Jury is chaired by Ana Valine, along with Ivan Madeira, Jessie Short, V.T. Nayani, Darlene Naponse and Ryan Couldrey.
Nominations for Television Series, Movies for Television and Mini-Series have already been released.
Nominations for Feature Film, Documentary and Short Film as well as the Jean-Marc Vallée DGC Discovery Award Short List will be announced on Monday, September 22nd.
2025 Discovery Award Long List:
100 Sunset, Kunsang Kyirong
Agatha's Almanac, Amalie Atkins
Bedrock, Kinga Michalska
Blue Heron, Sophy Romvari
Blueberry Grunt, Sherry White
Circo, Lamia Chraibi
Dinner with Friends, Sasha Leigh Henry
Endless Cookie, Pete Scriver & Seth Scriver
Folichonneries (Follies), Eric K. Boulianne
Foreigner, Ava Maria Safai
Le Train (The Train), Marie Brassard
Little Lorraine, Andy Hines
Nika & Madison, Eva Thomas
Siksikakowan: The Blackfoot Man, Trevor Solway
The Track, Ryan Sidoo
imagineNATIVE:
Endless Cookie, Siksikakowan: The Blackfoot Man
Hot Docs:
Agatha's Almanac, Endless Cookie, Siksikakowan: The Blackfoot Man, The Track
TIFF:
100 Sunset, Dinner with Friends, Folichonneries (Follies), Little Lorraine, Nika & Madison, Blue Heron
VIFF:
100 Sunset, Agatha's Almanac, Blue Heron, Folichonneries (Follies), Foreigner, Nika & Madison, The Track
CIFF:
Agatha's Almanac, Blue Heron, Folichonneries (Follies), Nika & Madison, Siksikakowan: The Blackfoot Man
AIFF:
Agatha's Almanac, Blue Heron, Blueberry Grunt, Folichonneries (Follies), Little Lorraine, The Track
FNC:
Le Train (The Train)
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The Directors Guild of Canada (DGC) is a national labour organization that represents over 7,000 key creative and logistical personnel in the screen-based industry covering all areas of direction, design, production and editing. The DGC negotiates and administers collective agreements and lobbies extensively on issues of concern for Members including Canadian content conditions, CRTC regulations and ensuring that funding is maintained for Canadian film and television programming.
SOURCE Directors Guild of Canada, National Office