The prospering relationship between Deepa Mehta and Mongrel Media is at the forefront again with her latest, the drama Heaven on Earth, opening Friday in Toronto before expanding to other markets next week.

It’s the third project from Mehta and producer/partner David Hamilton to be handled by Mongrel, which has had success with her previous films Bollywood/Hollywood and Water, both ringing in over $1 million at the Canuck box office, in 2002 and 2005, respectively.

Heaven on Earth is getting the quietest release of the three, bowing on four screens in Toronto before moving to Vancouver and Montreal next week, followed by other major markets on Nov. 14. The drama, about a young East Indian woman who moves to Canada to marry a man she’s never met, played as a special presentation at the Toronto International Film Festival this year.

Mongrel director of theatrical releasing Tom Alexander tells Playback Daily there’s great collaboration between the distributor and the filmmakers.

‘We’re always pretty open in terms of what we’re going to do and we welcome suggestions… certainly from their end,’ he says.

Heaven on Earth is targeted mostly at women and the South Asian market, according to Alexander, who says that feedback from recent screenings for special-interest groups has been very positive. Mongrel is also on board for Mehta’s next feature, the $35-million epic Komagata Maru, which goes to camera next year.

Meanwhile, Maple Pictures and Alliance Films will battle it out for male audiences at the weekend box office with the releases of horror sequel Saw V — from Canadian director David Hackl — and the cop drama Pride and Glory, starring Colin Farrell and Edward Norton.

Hackl went from being a production designer on the previous installments of the phenomenal horror franchise to helming Saw V, opening on 273 screens. It’s a slightly larger opening than Saw IV, which grossed over $5.3 million at the Canadian box office last year.

Pride and Glory, which also bowed at TIFF, will play on 122 screens.

Madonna makes her directorial debut in the comedy drama Filth and Wisdom, opening in Toronto via E1 Films, while KinoSmith Films bows the Kim Cattrall-starrer The Tiger’s Tail, also in Toronto.

Well-reviewed indie breakout comedy Who is KK Downey?, from Montreal directors Darren Curtis and Pat Kiely, will play exclusively at Toronto’s Royal theater beginning Oct. 25. It has already had a theatrical run in Montreal.

Among other wide U.S. releases is Disney’s High School Musical 3: Senior Year and Columbia’s thriller Passengers, starring Anne Hathaway.