The Breakthroughs Film Festival (BFF) is the only festival in Canada devoted exclusively to short films by emerging women and gender-diverse filmmakers.
BFF’s mission to program independent films by emerging artists whose voices, perspectives, and artistic approaches counter dominant mainstream narratives continues to drive this year’s lineup. This year’s festival theme addresses Resistance, which can be explored through varied stories.
BFF 2025 Programming
The Truth Bleeds – Shorts Program
Friday, November 21 | 7pm ET
What happens when silence cracks open? In this lineup, women and gender non-conforming filmmakers confront medical gaslighting, ancestral grief, stolen desire, and memories that refuse erasure. Fierce and unflinching, these films show that truth has a body… and it bleeds.
Grant Management & Budget Clinic
Saturday, November 22 | 2pm ET
This workshop is designed to close the financial knowledge gap, starting with a clear, basic breakdown of the essential Do’s and Don’ts for managing that hard-won grant money and keeping your personal finances stable.
Too much, Not Enough – Shorts Program
Saturday, November 22 | 7pm ET
We like to punish things that don’t fit right. In this lineup, outsiders and misfits retreat into cocoons, wrestle with haunting relationships, navigate the weight of migration, and move between worlds that never fully embrace them. Tender, raw, awkward, and defiant — these films embrace the excessive.
Interview with BFF’s Board Chair
Nedda Sashar
This year’s BFF is dedicated to fostering and strengthening the larger arts community by being a resource and space that emerging filmmakers can rely on for support, guidance, professional development, and community.
I had the opportunity to speak with BFF Board Chair, Nedda Sashar, to learn more about BFF as a whole.
Additional Festival Details
The Grant Management & Budget Clinic will be held at POV Film in Toronto.
Each short film program features 10 films. Both programs will screen at Toronto’s Paradise Theatre.
For full lineup of films and festival tickets, please visit breakthroughsfilmfestival.com.
