Celebrate National Canadian Film Day with these must-watch Kanopy picks

#CanFilmDay is a coast-to-coast celebration of the creativity and diversity of Canadian storytelling! Canadian cinema brings landscapes, voices, and cultures to life. Grab your library card on Wednesday, April 15th to stream the 2026 spotlight titles on Kanopy from your library. Here are four featured films to get started:

I Like Movies (2022), directed by Chandler Levack
1hr 39min
Featuring Dan Beirne, Isaiah Lehtinen, Krista Bridges, Percy Hynes White & Romina D’Ugo

I Like Movies follows an awkward, movie-obsessed teenager working at a video store in Burlington, Ontario as he navigates friendship, ambition, and the messy path of adulthood. This film is filled with humor and nostalgia, sure to warm viewers' hearts. 

Loved the film? Checkout this YouTube video: Kanopy Conversation with Chandler Levack director of I Like Movies (2022)

Dance Me Outside (1994), directed by Bruce McDonald
1hr 24min
Featuring Adam Beach, Jennifer Podemski & Ryan Black

A coming-of-age drama set on an Indigenous reserve, where a group of young friends navigate love, identify, and injustice following a tragic act of violence. Blending humor and heartbreak, this film offers a powerful look at community, resilience, and systemic inequality.

Nuit #1 (2011), directed by Anne Émond
1hr 29min
Featuring Catherine de Léan & Dimitri Storoge

Nuit #1 is a story of two strangers who spend a night together in Montreal, confronting loneliness, intimacy, and the lingering weight of trauma in a raw, unfiltered conversation. Winner of Best Canadian First Feature Film at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Subjects of Desire (2021), directed by Jennifer Holness
1hr 41min

Subjects of Desire is a documentary that explores the cultural shift in North American beauty standards towards embracing Black female aesthetics and features while exposing the deliberate and often dangerous portrayals of Black women in the media. Set at the 50th Anniversary of the Miss Black America pageant, it examines representation and power in the politics of beauty. Named Toronto International Film Festival Canada’s Top Ten and an audience favorite at Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival. 

Interested in building your watchlist?  Browse this list on Kanopy of incredible films about Canada or directed by Canadians!

*Access to films may vary.

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