With a nod to the tropes of American situational comedies, a privileged gay Asian immigrant lands a job by perpetuating a harmful stereotype. It comes home to roost when his boss shows up at his doorstep, and he keeps up the pretence in front of his lover. Ultimately, he must make a choice to maintain the illusion or reveal the truth. Director: Ushmey Chakraborty • USA

A young man tries not to unravel as the anniversary of a traumatic attack looms closer. Coin Slot captures the many shades of trauma and healing through fragmented moments of honesty and vulnerability. Director/Writer: Scott Jones • Producer: Aly Kelly • Nova Scotia

Love is grand. Love hurts. Sometimes, love is a battlefield. Finally — although events might suggest otherwise — love is all around. So if you’re searching for love, it might be a good idea to get out of the house and take a look. Director: Lorne Warr • Producer: Bruce Brenton • Newfoundland and Labrador

A young soldier loses his friends in an air attack on a river. Thirty years later, he still searches for their remains with a white whale as the only sign. Director: Amir Mehran • Iran

With a dash of youth, a pinch of age, and an unrecorded recipe, this charming love letter to a mother — disguised as a superb documentary film — lifts our hearts like a pan-full of dough. Centred around baking raisin bread, “Mudder's Hands” shines a light on arthritis, while blending laughter, loss, and memories into baking tips. Director: Clint Butler • Producers: Clint Butler, Karen Shopsowitz • Newfoundland and Labrador

Following the death of her mother, a girl’s only companions are her pet turtle, and the fish in the nearby river. She begins to behave in a manner that justifiably upsets her father, who understands her motivation, but is unable to condone it. Loss, grief, compassion, and kindness are brilliantly woven together with imagination, sensitivity, and a sense of wonder, into a film that is sure to remain with us long after the end credits. Director: Soheila Pourmohammadi • Iran