The Vancouver International Film Festival has added 18 Canadian films to its lineup, including five world premieres.

The Truth North stream, which celebrates Canadian filmmakers from across the country, will feature nine films including Indian Horse (pictured), directed by Stephen Campanelli and adapted from Richard Wagamese’s novel of the same name. World premiering in the program is Helene Choquette’s Like a Pebble in the Boot and Pascal Plante’s Tattoos. Charles Officer’s Unarmed Verses, which won best Canadian feature doc at Hot Docs, will screen in the program, as will Robert Morin’s Infiltration, Bobbi Jo Hart’s Rebels on Pointe, Denis Cote’s A Skin So Soft and Jordan Canning’s Suck It Up, which was recently selected as the closing night film at the Calgary International Film Festival.

The Vancouver festival also announced that Mina Shum’s Meditation Park will open its 36th edition. The film, which received financing through CBC’s inaugural Breaking Barriers Film Fund, is produced by Shum, Raymond Massey and Stephen Hegyes.

Meanwhile, VIFF’s Future/Present stream, which highlights emerging indie filmmakers, will feature eight Canadian films, including three world premieres. Antoine Bourges’ Fail to Appear will bow at the fest, alongside Matthew Taylor Blais’ Forest Movie and Winston Degiobbi’s Mass for Shut-Ins. Also screening in the program are Cory Bowles’ Black Cop, Jacquelyn Mills’ In the Waves, Sofia Bohdanowicz’s Maison du Bonheur, Blake Williams’ Prototype, and Sophie Goyette’s Still Night, Still Light. 

Last week, VIFF announced the 12 B.C.-made films added to its Sea to Sky program. All Canadian films will be eligible for the $10,000 Best Canadian Film award, sponsored by the DGC. Meanwhile, documentaries are eligible for the $15,000 Best Canadian Documentary award, presented by the Rogers Group of Funds.