The Atlantic International Film Festival (AIFF) has confirmed the first four films making their world premiere at its 45th edition, all hailing from the Atlantic region.

The titles include Blueberry Grunt (pictured) from writer-director Sherry White, marking her first feature screenplay since the 2017 film Maudie.

Blueberry Grunt stars Joel Thomas Hynes (Little Dog) and Liisa Repo-Martell (The Umbrella Academy) as a couple whose marriage quickly unravels when they embark on a camping trip. It was filmed in Newfoundland and Labrador in 2024. The film is produced by Ruth Lawrence. Rob Blackie and Jennifer Kawaja are executive producers. There was no distributor attached at press time.

Another film out of Newfoundland is writer-director Justin Oakey’s English- and Icelandic-language Hangashore. The film stars Icelandic actor Hera Hilmar (Driving Mum) as a woman haunted by the ghost of her father. It is produced by Oakey under the Petty Harbour, N.L.-based banner Black River Pictures alongside Tania Sarra and G. Patrick Condon. Telefilm Canada and PictureNL provided financial support. No distributor was attached at press time.

From Nova Scotia comes Dancing on the Elephant, directed by Julia Neill and Jacob Smith and written by Lisa Hagen. Mary Walsh (This Hour Has 22 Minutes), Sheila McCarthy (Women Talking) and Amanda Brugel (The Handmaid’s Tale) star in the dramedy about two women (Walsh and McCarthy) who form a friendship when they meet at a retirement home.

Dancing on the Elephant is produced by Dartmouth, N.S. prodco Gorgeous Mistake Productions. Producers are Walter Forsyth and Tanya Preyde. Executive producers are Thom Fitzgerald, Nicole Steeves, Avi Federgreen and William Schuyler. Indie Entertainment is attached as a distributor.

Out of New Brunswick is Taylor Olson’s What We Dreamed of Then (formerly titled Unseen). Olson wrote, directed and stars in the film as a person experiencing homelessness while working as a competitive swim coach. The film is produced by Stephen Foster of Saint John’s Hemmings Films, Britt Kerr of Halifax’s Brass Door Productions and Sandy Hunter of Fredericton-based Cazador.

Production on the film was supported by Telefilm Canada, the Canada Media Fund, the Province of New Brunswick and the Province of Nova Scotia. Vortex Media is the Canadian distributor with Crave attached to stream the film following its festival run.

“The films coming out of the Atlantic provinces this year tell intimate, vulnerable and emotional stories,” said AIFF director of programming Lisa Haller in a statement.

The full AIFF program will be announced on Aug. 13. The festival includes a spotlight on the Nordic region, featuring a copro panel with PictureNL, Telefilm and two Nordic film commissions. It will also feature a key conversation with fellow East Coast festivals, including the St. John’s International Women’s Film Festival, Halifax Independent Filmmakers Festival, Charlotte Film Festival and Lunenburg Doc Fest.

The 45th AIFF runs from Sept. 10 to 17.

Image courtesy of AIFF