Murder by undertakers, fortune from tragedy and the psychological craziness that occurs after a first kiss are just a few of the plotlines that reinvigorate movie genres in this year’s Canada First! section.

The prestigious opening slot for the program, which features works from first-time directors as well as those bringing a feature to TIFF for the first time, was garnered by Young People Fucking, which, despite its title, is not a film about pornography.

It’s ‘a frank, romantic comedy about sex and relationships,’ says director/cowriter Martin Gero.

In an entirely different vein, Just Buried is a ‘very dark comedy’ that tells the tale of a cash-starved undertaker who drives drunk and kills a hitchhiker, managing to pass it off as an accident before he cashes in by handling the victim’s funeral. Emboldened, the undertaker and his sexy mortician go on a killing spree because, after all, death is good for business.

Director Chaz Thorne, who cowrote Clement Virgo’s Poor Boy’s Game, which also screens at TIFF, got the idea for Just Buried from ‘my best friend’s girlfriend. The concept immediately appealed to my dark sense of humor, and whenever I imparted the idea to others, it always got a laugh.’

Among Just Buried‘s cast members is heavyweight Canadian thesp Graham Greene, who plays Henry, the funeral home’s handyman. ‘I wrote the part for Graham Greene,’ says Thorne. ‘He described the script as being ‘funny and sick,’ so I knew we were on the same page.’

Thorne says the ending has a twist: ‘You think its moral is going to be ‘crime doesn’t pay,’ but it doesn’t quite play out that way.’

Meanwhile, Richie Mehta’s Amal — which won the 2005 Telefilm Canada Pitch This! competition — is about an auto rickshaw driver in New Delhi, India.

A decent human being, Amal is left a fortune by a grateful, extremely rich former passenger who dies. The story of how this good fortune throws Amal’s world into chaos — and what this chaos says about humanity in general — is central to the film.

The rich morality of Amal is akin to those stories told in Bombay musicals, according to Mehta.

‘Bombay musicals — referred to as ‘Bollywood’ which I find derogatory — are all morality tales about right, wrong, good, evil, and heroism,’ he says. ‘They appeal to people who experience hardships every day, and want to believe in something. With Amal, we tried very hard to tell a morality tale that is incomplete without the audiences’ own input, because these types of morality tales can put off Western audiences.’

ALSO SCREENING IN CANADA FIRST!

Le Cèdre Penché – Rafaël Ouellet (Quebec): This family drama follows the Provencher sisters after their mother dies. Brigitte (Marie-Neige Chatelain) revisits her past, while Candide (Viviane Audet) becomes reclusive and is unable to find inspiration for her songs. Though the sisters inhabit different worlds, they struggle to communicate with one another and come to terms with their loss.

Continental, un film sans fusil (A Film Without Guns) – Stéphane Lafleur (Quebec): This debut film follows four people whose lives unexpectedly intersect due to one man’s disappearance in the woods. His wife awaits his return, while a hotel receptionist dreams of settling down, a compulsive gambler is confronted by the foibles of old age, and a young father goes through a difficult patch with his wife. The cast includes Gilbert Sicotte, Fanny Mallette, Réal Bossé and Marie-Ginette Guay.

They Wait – Ernie Barbarash (British Columbia): The terrifying tale of a family’s encounter with angry spirits during Ghost Month, a traditional Chinese festival. After living in Shanghai for three years, Sarah (Jamie King) returns to North America, where her son falls ill and she must save him from the grip of a tormented spirit.

This Beautiful City – Ed Gass-Donnelly (Ontario): Beautiful City is adapted from the director’s own play Descent, which cataclysmically weaves through five lives that connect when a woman plummets from her balcony. The film stars Kristin Booth, Caroline Cave, Noam Jenkins, Stuart Hughes and Aaron Poole.

Walk All Over Me – Robert Cuffley (Alberta/Manitoba/Quebec): In this comedy thriller, a woman runs into serious trouble when she takes on her friend’s identity as a dominatrix in order to pay the bills. Her first trick is interrupted by a trio of criminals. Stars include Leelee Sobieski, Tricia Helfer, Lothaire Bluteau and Jacob Tierney.