Jay Baruchel and Emily Hampshire lead the cast of Caitlin Cronenberg’s (pictured) feature directorial debut, Humane.

The dystopian thriller is written and produced by Michael Sparaga of Victory Man Productions and recently wrapped a four-week shoot in Hamilton, Ont.

Sparaga produced the film with Prospero Films, in association with XYZ Films. Elevation Pictures holds Canadian distribution rights.

Humane was financed through Telefilm Canada and Ontario Creates. It was also produced in association with Bell Media’s Crave and Super Écran, and Toronto-based equity financier Red Jar Capital.

Executive producers on the film include Prospero Pictures’ Martin Katz and Karen Wookey, XYZ Films’ Todd Brown and Nick Spicer, and Elevation Pictures’ Laurie May and Adrian Love. Elevation’s Noah Segal is production supervisor.

The film takes place during a single day, months after “global environmental collapse,” and follows a family as they cope with a decision from world leaders to drastically reduce the Earth’s population.

Joining Baruchel and Hampshire in the cast are Peter Gallagher (Grace and Frankie), Enrico Colantoni (Flashpoint), Sebastian Chacon (Emergency), Alanna Bale (Sort Of) and Sirena Gulamgaus (Transplant).

Cronenberg is a famed photographer who branched into filmmaking with music videos, commercial work, and the 2018 short film The Endings. She is the daughter of horror auteur David Cronenberg and sister of fellow director Brandon Cronenberg (Possessor).

“From my very first read, the all-too-possible dystopian world of Michael’s script left me breathless, and I immediately knew I had to be the one to make this movie,” said Cronenberg in a statement.

Added Sparaga: “[Caitlin Cronenberg’s] keen eye to detail, her rich compositions, and her ability to convey deep emotion made her my first and only choice to direct Humane.”

Photo by Ryan Francoz