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Dear friends and colleagues,
We’re heading to TIFF! The Toronto International Film Festival will run from September 10-20, and MFM will be there, as will many of you! Here’s where we’ll be, and what to look out for, if you’re also making the trip:
MFM at the Telefilm Canada Pavilion at the TIFF Market – September 12 from 12:30-4pm – join us for a presentation on filming in Manitoba and a panel focused on ‘Manitoba Producers Beyond Borders: Companies, Capabilities and Global Partnerships’. The panel will be moderated by Joy Loewen (Vice-President, Industry Development, Canada Media Fund), and feature Kyle Bornais (Farpoint Films), Ian Dimerman (Inferno Pictures), Chris McIvor (Frank Digital) and Ellen Rutter (Bonus Production Services).
We’re also hosting our annual invite-only party on Sunday, September 13 in downtown Toronto.
Screening:
Ian Bawa’s Strong Son will premiere on September 14 (read the interview with Ian below!)
Made-in-Manitoba American Hostage starring Jon Hamm will premiere on Friday, September 11.
Winnipeg-born Matthew Rankin’s Ladies and Gentlemen, Brian Mulroney world premiere is September 15.
Out and about:
MFM CEO Lynne Skromeda will be a part of the Access Canada panel on Interprovincial Coproductions – September 15 at the Access Canada Summit.
Ande Brown will be a part of the Trans Filmmaker Summit – Sept 13 @ 12:45-3pm (TIFF Lightbox, 350 King Street West).
Jessica Landry’s My Only Sunshine chosen as a part of the TIFF: The Market’s inaugural International Financing & Project Market (IFPM).
Tyson Caron’s feature-length project Dad Can’t Skate was chosen as a part of the DGC’s Market Accelerator delegation to the inaugural TIFF: The Market.
Manitobans Sami Tesfazghi and Chris Sharpe will be part of the Black Screen Office’s TIFF: The Market delegation.
Look forward to seeing everyone going to TIFF!
~From the team at MFM
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Chatting with filmmaker Ian Bawa about Strong Son
Ian Bawa’s feature adaptation of his 2020 short Strong Son will make its world premiere in the Discovery programme at TIFF next month. It takes a lot of time, love and a village to create any film, and this one was certainly a labour of love. We chatted with Ian about this film, his father, and how it all began as his ‘Sad Dad trilogy’.
Strong Son is premiering at TIFF next month. Congratulations! Where did the idea for Strong Son begin?
Thanks! Honestly, the idea came from a bunch of places. Back in 2020, I did the One Take Super 8 challenge and was working with Mandeep Sodhi, who ended up starring in the film. I remember looking at him and thinking, “Man, my dad would’ve loved this guy as a son.”
Around then I had a rough breakup, and on my birthday my dad took me for breakfast. I started crying at the restaurant and he kept saying, “Don’t cry. Be strong.” That just stuck with me.
Those threads became the first few lines of the short. When people responded to it, I thought, okay, what’s the feature version of this? A lot of it is also just my life. I lived at home into my 30s and helped take care of my dad. After my mom died, he became pretty introverted, so I’d bring him to the gym just to get him out of the house. Sometimes he’d work out, but most of the time he’d just sit on a bench and watch me.
For some reason, all those little things piled up into Strong Son. There was never really one straight line to the idea. It was an amalgamation of all these different moments in my life.
Making any film is a journey. What does it feel like to finally get to share this one with people?
Honestly, it’s been a long road. After the Strong Son short played at TIFF in 2020, my dad passed away about a month later. I knew I wanted to make the feature, but I just wasn’t ready.
So I made two other shorts. My Son Went Quiet was me dealing with grief and that silence between fathers and sons in a South Asian household. The Best was kind of a sequel to the original Strong Son short. Those three films became what I call my “Sad Dad trilogy,” and they all eventually found their way into what the feature became.
So yeah, it’s been slow, but I don’t think I could’ve made this film any sooner. I’m proud and excited for people to finally see it, but if I’m being honest, I’m also relieved. I’ve carried this story for years, and it’ll be nice to finally put it on the shelf, let people watch it and then ask myself, okay, now what?
What was the most Manitoba experience while making this movie?
Honestly, the most Manitoba thing was just how people showed up.
We filmed in a ton of public places, and people would wander over and be like, “What are you guys making? What’s going on?” Not in an annoying way, just genuinely curious and supportive.
Another big one was working with Winnipeg Pro Wrestling. They basically put on a real wrestling show for us, and a couple hundred wrestling fans showed up, cheered like crazy and stuck around while we shot the scene. It was incredible.
Then there were all these local places like Brickhouse Gym, Modern Electric and the West End Cultural Centre. People I knew said yes to helping us before anyone knew what this movie would become or that it would eventually premiere at TIFF.
Manitoba really does have that small-town feeling sometimes. People hear someone is doing something cool and they show up. It was a nice reminder of how lucky I am to make movies here.
What was the biggest roadblock in getting the project made?
The biggest roadblock was figuring out what movie I was even making after my dad passed away. I knew there was a story there, but I didn’t know what shape it was supposed to take.
For a while I thought maybe it was a road trip movie about a father and son going to a bodybuilding competition. Eventually I realized it wasn’t really about bodybuilding at all. It was about mental health, grief and caregiving. It took me a few years to figure that out.
The other huge challenge was casting Amrit, who plays the dad. We lost our original actor about a week before we went to camera and had to scramble. We found Amrit here in Winnipeg. He was 83, had never acted before and is legally blind. The character wasn’t written as blind, so suddenly we had to rethink how we shot certain scenes and even how we handled things like his eyelines. But he brought this honesty to the role that I can’t imagine the movie without now.
And I’d say the last roadblock was probably me. I was constantly asking myself if the movie was good enough to do my dad justice. That pressure was pretty heavy.
You work with a lot of Manitoba cast and crew. What was that experience like?
Working with Manitoba cast and crew was grounding. I was surrounded by people who know me and who I can be real with.
This is also a really personal film about family, grief and mental health, so having people around me who understood me and understood when I might need a minute was really important.
I’ve worked in almost every department at some point over the years, from lighting and grip to camera, AD, producing and art department. Getting to come back now as a director and work with a lot of those same people is pretty special.
I basically get to make movies with my friends. We work hard, but we laugh a lot too. Making movies has never really felt like work to me, and getting to do it at home with people I respect and care about is a pretty great feeling.
What does this project mean to you?
It means my dad gets to keep living in a way. His voice is in the film, and he was such a huge part of how this whole thing started.
With both my parents gone, I’ve always had this weird fear that eventually people will forget them. When my mom died, I remember wondering, who is going to remember her? And I’ve thought the same thing about my dad. So I think part of making these movies has always been me trying to keep a little piece of them here for as long as I can.
But honestly, this movie also means I finally get to take a deep breath and move forward. I feel like I haven’t had a good stress-free breath in about two years. I made the movie, I got into the festival I wanted to get into, and now I finally get to show it to people.
I just hope when people walk out, they feel like it was worth the ride. And hopefully I can feel that too.
Find all of the showings of Strong Son at TIFF here. MFM is proud to have supported this project under our Feature Film Production Fund.
Be sure to follow Ian on Instagram for updates on Strong Son and future projects.
More to explore:
Violent Night 2 trailer featuring Kristen Bell as butt-kicking Mrs. Claus!
Kevin Nikkel’s MFM-supported doc The Mission is now on CBC Gem.
Other Side of Fame, has been selected as the Official Opening Night Film for the 29th Arpa International Film Festival.
Rich Kid, which was filmed in Manitoba in 2023, is streaming on Apple TV now.
New on the Manitoba Documentary Archive: Director John Whiteway’s Spirit Sands, and Directors Kevin Nikkel and Hanwakan Whitecloud’s The Road To Here - The Errol "C-Weed" Ranville Story.
Tell me more: MFM’s music funding programs
We offer a series of music funding programs to help grow Manitoba’s impressive music industry. Making music is an artistic pursuit and an economic driver which can be held back because of budgetary constraints. That's where we come in, we support local musicians, music producers, and music companies with a suite of funding programs.
Promote and Perform which have rolling deadlines, remain open for applications.
Two additional programs (Indigenous: IMPACT and Produce - recording) both have upcoming deadlines:
Indigenous: IMPACT program
What it is: The Indigenous: IMPACT (Incubator Music Program Audio Content Touring) is a funding and mentorship program designed to assist new and emerging Manitoba-based Indigenous artists launch a broad range of music initiatives and develop their careers.
What happens when you get funded: Successful applicants receive a funding award (up to $5000 for level 1, $10,000 for level 2) and will be paired with an Indigenous mentor who will guide the artist in completing the goals specified in their submitted application such as content creation, recording, video production, live concerts or promotion of a new or recent release.
Application deadline: November 12, 2026 at 5 p.m.
IMPACT Info Session: October 8 as a part of Manitoba Music’s Music Works workshop series. Details to come.
Learn more about Indigenous: IMPACT
*Camryn Dewar, pictured above, is a past recipient of Indigenous: IMPACT funding
Produce – recording program
What it is: This program is designed to support the recording and production of music made by Manitoba artists and/or music producers. This program funds everything from early demos to full albums.
What gets funded: Commercially viable music recording products – think it might have legs on the radio or be a streaming hit? This is the right program.
Application deadline: September 17, 2026 at 5 p.m.
*Do you have questions about our Produce - music recording funding program? Join us for an online "Office Hours" info session September 4 at 12 p.m. to get all your questions answered. If you’re a first-time applicant, or you’ve applied before and would like some advice on making successful applications, this is the session for you!*
Find out how to submit questions in advance and get the Zoom link here.
Learn more about the Produce program.
If you’ve got something up your sleeve, now may be the time. Put your application together today!
More to explore:
New music to check out: Ami Cheon - aries baby (ep), Virgo Rising - Bug Me (single)
First Revival music blog’s interview with Sundayclub
Manitoba Music’s Folk Canada Conference Spotlight Showcase sponsorship – application deadline: Sep. 3
Throwback! The Watchmen’s 1992 album, McLaren Furnace Room was nominated for the Slaight Family Polaris Heritage Prize
MFM Programs
Music – Produce Program: Deadline Sep. 17
Music – Produce (Out-of-Province Artists) Program: Deadline Sep. 17
Music – Indigenous: IMPACT: Deadline Nov. 12
Music – Promote Program: Open now
Music – Perform Program: Open now
Various Film & TV funding programs without deadlines: Open now (including Development Loans, Emerging Talent Grants, and Feature Film Marketing Funds)
Partner Opportunities
Performance Opportunity: Festival du Voyageur – Submission deadline: Aug. 31
Telefilm Canada launches industry consultation as part of the development of its 2027–2030 Strategic Plan. Take the survey by Sep. 13
Canadian Heritage’s National Survey on the Cultural Sector’s Readiness for Artificial Intelligence - Deadline: Sep. 15
On Screen Manitoba Annual General Meeting: Sep. 23
Alberta Music Cities in Calgary: Sep. 29-Oct. 1 (Get 25% off using MCC_OR_Alberta)
Spotlight
The Diabetic Kitchen, produced by Karen Tusa and airing on Bell Fibe TV1, has been renewed for a second season. And watch season one across Canada on YES TV beginning September 1!
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