TFS Students and Alumni Shine at TIFF® 50 with 22 Films Featured on Festival Street

Toronto Film School once again took centre stage during the Toronto International Film Festival®’s milestone 50th edition this September, celebrating the creativity and storytelling talent of its students and alumni.

For the second year in a row, TFS proudly sponsored the TIFF Festival Street Art Market in partnership with TIFF, transforming John Street at King Street West into a vibrant hub of film-inspired creativity from September 4-7. As part of the festivities, the TFS Cinema – a 10×20-foot outdoor mini theatre – showcased a curated selection of 22 short films created by TFS students and graduates.

Situated just steps from the TIFF Lightbox, the installation drew festival-goers and industry professionals alike, offering them a front-row seat to the innovation and passion emerging from Toronto Film School’s diploma programs.

Read on below for the full lineup of student and alumni films featured at this year’s TFS Cinema showcase.

59:59

Marky Hugh | Film Production ’26

Run time: 8:05

Synopsis: In this intense psychological short film, Alex is trapped in a dark room, confronted by a life-altering decision. Burdened by guilt over a past mistake that hurt his father, he faces the ultimate choice: save himself or sacrifice someone he loves. With the clock ticking down, Alex must confront his regrets and decide if he can ever reconcile with his father. 59:59 Time Starts Now! is a suspenseful tale of guilt, love, and redemption as every second counts.

Agon and Eba in Real Word with Cookies!  

Matthew Jones

Run time: 0:26

Synopsis: A dragon box creature and a zebra ball creature have stopped by a strange human creature’s place for a visit as he’s eating cookies…

All in, Baby

Olivia-Autumn Rennie | Video Production ’25

Run time: 9:08

Synopsis: All in, Baby follows the story of Ocean Rutherford, a broke but brilliant medical student who gets swept into the world of high-stakes poker and soon finds herself living a double-life: medical student by day, poker star by night. In Ocean’s journey to the top, she discovers that poker goes beyond cards on a table. As she is transformed from a timid girl into a fierce, fearless young woman, Ocean learns more than any textbook could ever teach her: that when it comes to life, you have to go ALL IN…

Calaverita a la Muerte

Luis Pacheco | Film Production ’25

Run time: 10:30

Synopsis: On his deathbed, Catrín confronts Death not to ask for more life, but to understand why she saved him 20 years earlier. When she denies it, his threat to kill himself forces her to reveal the truth: she is in love with him. After a final, tender moment, she lets him go, leaving herself alone forever.

Dance With Me

Grace Gahore | Film Production ’25

Run time: 11:32

Synopsis: When a traumatic memory is reinvoked by a childhood best friend, Alana, a successful businesswoman, must choose between advancing her corporate career or facing her fears to relive an old dream. Her decision could either solidify her success or reignite the passion she thought she’d lost forever.

Emulate

Frank McMahan | Acting for Film, TV & the Theatre ’26

Run time: 4:07

Synopsis: Emulate is a thrilling look into the mind of instability, chaos, and impulse. As people, we all have perspective on life and mental image, but Emulate tears down these walls and warps time for someone who fantasizes and emulates another human’s aura. This 4 1/2 minute short is a speaking to people who try to be someone they are not, as well as emulating and attempting to take over another person’s life.

Finesse

Chad Tailor | Acting for Film, TV & the Theatre ’13

Run time: 11:25

Synopsis: When Mickey offers a ride home to Frank, a stranded classmate, it seems like a simple act of kindness. Mickey brings Frank home to pick up her little brother Billy so she can take him to his basketball game. Later that night, when Mickey returns home, she is surprised to find her mother’s prized porcelain egg missing. Where did it go? STRANGER DANGER!!

Gender Reveal

Bryanny Bailey | Writing for Film & TV ’23

Run time: 9:15

Synopsis: A pregnant woman that has always done everything right has a gender reveal party where everything goes horribly wrong.

How I Remember Istanbul

Ellie B. 

Run time: 14:55

Synopsis: Through raw, unfiltered VHS footage, the film journeys into Istanbul’s hidden corners – its fractured streets and forgotten spaces. The city emerges not as a postcard image, but as a living metaphor for injustice: unplanned, rough, and unforgiving. Dedicated to Urban Planner Murat Çalık, unjustly imprisoned, the film imagines Istanbul through his eyes – a man who devoted his life to building livable spaces, now forced to watch the city from behind bars. In every crumbling wall, every shadowed alley, and every concrete wound, we glimpse both the failures of the metropolis and the silent resilience of those denied justice. Directed and edited by Ellie B. Written by S.S.

Hugging my ADHD

Andrea Lira | Film Production ’25 

Run time: 10:06

Synopsis: Although she always liked to have order and peace in her life, it was common for her to lose things, forget meetings, trip, or make some mistakes, but because she is an organized person, she always denied the fact that she maybe has been suffering from ADHD. One night, after she moved into her own home, Camila began to lose her cell phone, forget that she had a scheduled appointment, and get distracted from preparing her food. So many stimuli slowly started to become a roller coaster of emotions. That night, she gets overstimulated. This would be the last time her life would be normal. Upon awakening from her dream, she would find that in her apartment there is a strange man.

Hungr

Robert Defina | Writing for Film & TV ’25 

Run time: 8:02

Synopsis: When Gavin feels like his partner, Jaime, gets more attention than him in their open relationship, he decides to switch bodies with Jaime to reap the benefits.

In The Moonlight

David Chiappetta | Writing for Film & TV ’22 

Run time: 6:11

Synopsis: A woman is drawn into a haze of memory, grief, and longing when her ex-girlfriend mysteriously returns for one final night.

Knocked Down

Lisanne Gamelin | Writing for Film & TV ’22 

Run time: 9:35

Synopsis: Rural Quebec, Canada. When Lenny comes home from a night of partying, he’s in for a tough conversation with his girlfriend Béatrice. And this time, she’s not holding back.

Legacy

Adam Levine | Writing for Film & TV ’25 

Run time: 7:13

Synopsis: In Legacy, 17-year-old Jackson grapples with the pressure of familial expectations as he prepares to reveal life-altering news to his conservative parents. His supportive friend, Conrad, encourages him to embrace his truth, but Jackson is haunted by the weight of his family’s illustrious history. When he finally announces that he wants to quit ballet school to pursue a career in hip-hop, his father’s explosive reaction invokes their lineage, demanding Jackson adhere to tradition. As tensions escalate, Jackson faces an ultimatum: conform to his family’s legacy or face abandonment. Ultimately, Legacy is a poignant exploration of self-discovery, acceptance, and the painful clash between personal dreams and familial loyalty.

Lifeline

Jamie Norie | Film Production ’21 

Run time: 14:19

Synopsis: Lifeline is a short film about the isolation, fear and suffering that happens to those who are trying to help their loved ones who are suffering from a mental health crisis. After years of trying to save someone she loves from recurring suicidal attempts, Janelle decides it’s finally time to call a suicide prevention hotline for help.

Love of My Lie

Daniel Bastone | Film Production ’25 

Run time: 13:38

Synopsis: Vincent (Matthew Corea), a 20-year-old who attends routine therapy sessions, is asked to bring along his lifelong girlfriend, Jennifer (Jay Fowler), for just one session. But as her hesitance to be there worsens, and Vincent’s psychiatrist, Dr. Waldron (Christopher Dyck), begins to poke holes in their relationship, he ultimately reveals to Vincent an unsavory truth. Jennifer is not real; but a mere character from an old show he would watch as a child during his abuse.

Meeting Damien

Levi Goethe-Bahlmann | Film Production ’25 

Run time: 8:14

Synopsis: Damien manages both excitement and nerves about returning to his family home for the first time since his transition, with the help of his supportive older sister, Victoria. However, the evening turns unexpectedly when his parents, not recognizing him, mistake him for Victoria’s new boyfriend. Damien navigates this awkward situation and easily wins over his parents. Amid laughter and shared stories, Damien’s identity is revealed. While his mother’s acceptance comes swiftly and with open arms, his father initially reacts with shock and anger. Damien realizes his hope for reconciliation is left hanging in the balance of a long-awaited confrontation.

The Appraiser

Camryn Anderson | Acting for Film, TV & the Theatre ’24 

Run time: 13:24

Synopsis: This satirical drama depicts a dystopian future where citizens must have their self-worth evaluated and monetized to secure their ascension; however, their fate is controlled by an insecure tyrant. As the face of this new mandate, The Appraiser must hide her gratification under the guise of an “impartial” valuation system while tearing down clients to feel better about herself.

The Battle Within

Andrew Iddon | Acting for Film, TV and Theatre ’25 

Run time: 5:29

Synopsis: Not all battles are fought on distant fields in foreign lands, and one soldier struggles with the battle he could never win. The battle within his mind. Struggling with distinguishing reality from his memories he must try and learn to be at peace within himself. This is a tribute to all Veteran’s who struggle with the ceaseless war of mental health.

Thief

Christian Fisher | Writing for Film & TV ’27 

Run time: 10:05

Synopsis: A young and petty criminal risks everything for a single photograph that holds the key to his escape from a dead-end life, only to find that the closer he gets, the more it slips beyond his reach.

Wake Up

Win Sum Chow | Acting for Film, TV & the Theatre ’25 

Run time: 9:28

Synopsis: Wake Up is a chilling mystery that plunges Lucy into a nightmarish loop where reality and dreams blur into something far more sinister.

Where is Home?

Barkai Ben Yakar | Acting for Film, TV & the Theatre ’24 

Run time: 13:43

Synopsis: Where Is Home is a short drama set in Toronto, Canada, following Emma, a lonely perfectionist living abroad who attempts to replicate the complex cup of coffee from her childhood. After many failed attempts, she finally succeeds, but the coffee doesn’t taste as she remembered, leaving her consumed by sadness. A knock on the door reminds her of a planned coffee gathering with friends. The movie comes to a climax as Emma shares her struggles about missing home and reveals her plan to visit. During her visit, she shares her childhood coffee with her family, but upon tasting it, she realizes it will never taste the same again because noting feels like home anymore – neither here nor there.