The 43rd Toronto International Film Festival added another 19 Canadian features and 24 short films to its lineup on Tuesday.

“Ranging from science fiction to fantasy, myth to documentary, and romance to a dystopic vision of our neighbours to the south, this year’s Canadian films come from every region in the country, stretching from east to west and north to south,” said Steve Gravestock, Senior Programmer, TIFF.

TIFF presents the World Premieres of three films that showcase Indigenous talent: Gwaai Edenshaw and Helen Haig-Brown’s Edge of the Knife, the first feature-length film made in Haida, which is classified by UNESCO as an endangered language; Darlene Naponse’s Falls Around Her, starring renowned Métis actor Tantoo Cardinal; and Miranda de Pencier’s feature directorial debut The Grizzlies, a creative collaboration between De Pencier and Inuit producers Alethea Arnaquq-Baril and Stacey Aglok MacDonald that tells an inspiring, true story and that was shot on location in MacDonald’s home community in Nunavut.

“The films feature characters who push hard against prescribed boundaries, asking vital questions about the state of the world and the status quo. We are especially excited to have a strong slate of bold and dynamic women-centric stories. Forty percent of the Canadian film slate this year is directed by women,” said Danis Goulet, TIFF Canadian Features Programmer.

A highlight of the festival will be a Special Event World Premiere and tribute showcasing the illuminating documentary Sharkwater Extinction, the final work by the late filmmaker and conservationist Rob Stewart.

The Festival’s Canadian short-film selection showcases masterful films that tell stories of complex human relationships and introduce a range of characters facing diverse challenges, from coming to terms with one’s own identity to understanding the importance of heritage, family, and the fragility of friendships. Highlights from the Festival’s Canadian short-film selection include new works by Amanda Strong, Caroline Monnet, Guy Maddin, Sofia Bohdanowicz, Celia Perrin Sidarous, and Lina Rodriguez.

For the eighth year, the TIFF Rising Stars programme returns with a diverse crop of participants. This year’s Canadian lineup consists of Devery Jacobs, Lamar Johnson (The Hate U Give), Michaela Kurimsky (Firecrackers), and Jess Salgueiro (MOUTHPIECE).

“Hungry, new talent is the lifeblood of this industry,” said Cameron Bailey, Artistic Director of TIFF. “This year’s group are some of the most captivating, charismatic, and promising young Canadian talents Rising Stars has ever seen, so it’s no surprise they’re featured in some of the Festival’s most highly anticipated films. They are the ones to watch.”

The 43rd Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 6 to 16, 2018.