ACTRA Toronto members are in the spotlight again at the 25th Annual Reelworld Film Festival+Summit! In its 25th year, Reelworld continues to champion bold and inclusive storytelling.
From October 16 to 19, 2025, Reelworld will showcase one ACTRA Toronto feature film and seven short films across various genres.
Explore this year’s ACTRA Toronto productions at the festival, featuring talented ACTRA Toronto members who bring these stories to life.
(3-minute read)
A TRIBE CALLED LOVE
A Tribe Called Love is a Romeo and Juliet story set in the Somali community of Toronto, in the style of Scott Pilgrim vs the World mashed with Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing. Farah and Halima are from different tribes, and traditional tribal conflicts drive their relationship towards inevitable catastrophe.
Featuring: Dalmar Abuzeid, Feaven Abera, Yonis Mohamoud; Stunt Coordinator: Daniel Lavigne
World premiere October 18, 2025, at 9 p.m.
I AM PLEASED
A promising high schooler’s aspirations of studying abroad are shattered by her father’s rejection, forcing her to confront her family’s past and find the strength to pursue her dreams in her own surreal way.
Featuring: Millie Davis, Rebecca Applebaum, Rodrigo Fernandez-Stoll, Chris Locke, Emma Hunter
Shorts Program: Grief; Canadian premiere October 17, 2025, at 7 p.m.
QUEEN MOTHER
When a mother visits her son, a drag performer, a night of raw confessions forces them to confront the unhealed wounds of their past.
Featuring: Ma-Anne Dionisio, Aldrin Bundoc
Shorts Program: Entanglements; world premiere October 17, 2025, at 3:30 p.m.
NANI’S KITCHEN
A recently widowed Nani feels free in her home, enjoying her music loudly and gallivanting through her morning routine in the nude. A lunch visit that she forgot about with her daughter Renee and grandchildren interrupts her morning. Her daughter confronts her about an affair she learned her father had. Nani says their relationship was complicated and loving, choosing to protect her husband’s secret that he was queer. Nani wraps up lunch with her family and stands firm in her choice, affirming to her daughter that she has loved her life and will continue to. She is the exploration of a new hero archetype, an immigrant elderly Indo-Caribbean woman. Dancing into her new beginning while balancing immense grief.
Featuring: Nadine Bhabha, Leela Sitahal, Nylan Parthipan
Shorts Program: Entanglements; world premiere October 17, 2025, at 3:30 p.m.
RAN SOM
Two small-time burglars kidnap a wealthy businessman’s son for ransom. But when they discover the boy is a victim of abuse, they’re forced into a dilemma blurring the line between criminals and protectors.
Featuring: Mike Dara, Nicco Lorenzo Garcia, Eliot Dahan; Stunt Performer Nick Stead
Shorts Program: Genre Fever; world premiere October 17, 2025, at 6 p.m.
SOUVENIRS FROM ASIA
A witty but volatile family drama about the cultural misunderstandings within cross-cultural adoption.
Featuring: Austin MacDonald
Shorts Program: Retrospective; October 17, 2025, at 8:30 p.m.
ANATOMY OF ASSISTANCE
When 15-year-old Talia challenges the assistance envelope given to her by her school, she’s suddenly thrust in a daisy chain of errors that lead her to face a larger system: growing up.
Featuring: Keeya King, Raven Dauda, Shamier Anderson, Matthew Owen Murray, Daniel Desa, Cle Bennett
Shorts Program: Retrospective; October 17, 2025, at 8:30 p.m.
TIME TRAVELER
A man with amnesia is forced to remember his past because of an unexpected visit from an old friend.
Featuring: Husein Madhavji, Emmanuel Kabongo
Shorts Program: Retrospective; October 17, 2025, at 8:30 p.m.
Capsule descriptions courtesy of Reelworld.
ACTRA Toronto is a proud sponsor of the 2025 Reelworld Film Festival+Summit. Congratulations to the Reelworld team on 25 inspiring years!
