Supported by Hollywood Suite
August | Endless Summer Vacation
Make your summer last with this month’s collection of films and shows that take place during the warm season. Whether it’s the cottage, beach, road trip, or a hometown staycation, soak in the sun-filled days and bask in the adventures of these summer stories.
Content Warning:
Some of the projects included in this collection deal with topics that may be distressing. Viewer discretion is advised – please check ratings and warnings on individual selections before engaging.
The Burning Season
Director: Sean Garrity
Directed by Sean Garrity (My Awkward Sexual Adventure), this fiery drama follows the owner of a lake resort (Jonas Chernick) as he reveals a long-kept secret in the lead-up to his wedding. Told through flashbacks and co-starring Sara Canning, The Burning Season is an affair film to remember.
The Company of Strangers
Director: Cynthia Scott
When a bus of women breaks down in the countryside, they take refuge at an abandoned cottage. As they take on shared responsibilities while waiting for rescue, they share their life stories with one another. Part documentary, part fiction, this heartwarming gem from director Cynthia Scott feels like a spiritual sister to Sarah Polley’s equally evocative Stories We Tell.
Distant Islands
Director: Bettina Maylone
This short animation uses appliqué and embroidered tapestries to recall a young girl’s happy summers spent sailing with her family off the coast of British Columbia. Each tapestry, meticulously stitched by hand with brightly coloured yarns, evokes the memory of leisurely days at sea, drifting among the islands.
The Lake
Director: Julian Doucet
A biting comedy with Jordan Gavaris, Julia Stiles and Madison Shamoun. After a divorce leaves Justin’s life in disarray, he must pick-up the pieces. This includes reconnecting with Billie, the daughter he gave up for adoption. Justin hopes summer at the lake will bring them closer. It does the opposite until they team up to take back the family cottage from Justin’s step-sister Maisy-May.
Oasis
Director: Justine Martin
At the dawn of their teenage years, Raphaël and Rémi are twins who see their fusional attachment crumble while one of them, suffering from an increasingly marked disability, remains a prisoner of childhood. During one last summer surrounded by nature, time seems to want to stand still.
One Summer (Le temps d’un été)
Director: Louise Archambault
For more than 25 years, street chaplain and parish priest Marc Côté has lived with the poor and the homeless at his church. Exhausted and with bills piling up, Marc faces the prospect of shutting everything down. Like a call from Providence, he inherits a property in the Bas-du-Fleuve region and takes a group of homeless people there on vacation with him.
*Also available on Crave
Race Against the Tide
Director: Graeme Lynch
Ten teams of two world-class sand sculptors compete against each other to create extraordinary works of art made entirely out of sand, while the world’s highest tide; New Brunswick’s iconic Bay of Fundy, is their unstoppable ticking clock.
Something You Said Last Night
Director: Luis De Filippis
Ren, a trans girl in her mid-twenties, accompanies her parents, Mona and Guido, and her teenage sister, Siena, on a beach resort holiday in Cottage Country. As Ren navigates the resort which caters to young families and retirees, she struggles to cope with her parents’ loving yet overbearing nature, and tries to balance the yearning for independence with the comfort of being taken care of. Looming in the back of Ren’s mind is the secret of her recent dismissal from work, and that once the holiday is over, she will need to rely even more on her family’s support.
Summer of 84
Directors: François Simard, Anouk Whissell & Yoann-Karl Whissell
It’s the summer of 1984, the perfect time to be 15 years old and free. But when neighbourhood conspiracy theorist Davey Armstrong begins to suspect his police officer neighbour might be the serial killer all over the local news, he and his three best friends begin an investigation that soon turns dangerous.
You’re Sleeping Nicole (Tu dors Nicole)
Director: Stéphane Lafleur
Making the most of the family home while her parents are away, Nicole is enjoying a peaceful summer with her best friend Véronique. When Nicole’s older brother shows up with his band to record an album, the girls’ friendship is put to the test. Their vacation takes an unexpected turn, punctuated by a heatwave, Nicole’s growing insomnia and the persistent courtship of a 10-year-old boy. You’re Sleeping Nicole takes a humorous look at the beginning of adulthood and all its possibilities.
