Canada's Top Ten


Canada's Top Ten is an annual honour, compiled by the Toronto International Film Festival and announced in December each year to identify and promote the year's best Canadian films. The list was first introduced in 2001 as an initiative to help publicize Canadian films.
The list is determined by tabulating votes from film festival programmers and film critics across Canada. Films must have premiered, either in general theatrical release or on the film festival circuit, within the calendar year; although TIFF organizes the vote, films do not have to have been screened specifically at TIFF to be eligible.
Originally, only a single list of 10 films was released. Although both short and feature films were eligible, the list was dominated primarily by feature films. Accordingly, in 2007 TIFF expanded the program, instituting separate Top Ten lists for feature films and short films. However, both lists remain inclusive of both narrative fiction and documentary films.
In most years the listed films were screened as a Canada's Top Ten minifestival, held in January of the following year. Prior to 2010, the films were screened at the Art Gallery of Ontario's Jackman Theatre as part of TIFF's Cinematheque Ontario program; following the opening of the TIFF Bell Lightbox in 2010, the festival was staged at that venue thereafter.
For the 2015 festival, TIFF introduced a People's Choice Award for the feature film program, modeled on the existing Toronto International Film Festival People's Choice Award and conducted in the same manner.
In 2018, TIFF discontinued the January festival, instead introducing a new model in which each film receives its own standalone theatrical run at the Lightbox in the following year.
Once per decade, TIFF also polls Canadian film critics and festival programmers to determine a list of the Top 10 Canadian Films of All Time, separately from the annual Canada's Top Ten survey.

2000s

YearFeature FilmsShort Films
2001
No short film lists were released from 2001 to 2006.
2002
  • AraratAtom Egoyan
  • Chaos and Desire Manon Briand
  • ' — Guy Maddin
  • Flower and GarnetKeith Behrman
  • Gambling, Gods and LSDPeter Mettler
  • Marion BridgeWiebke von Carolsfeld
  • The Negro Robert Morin
  • Ocean — Catherine Martin
  • SpiderDavid Cronenberg
  • TomMike Hoolboom
  • No short film lists were released from 2001 to 2006.
    2003
  • - Bernard Émond
  • The Barbarian Invasions Denys Arcand
  • The CorporationMark Achbar, Jennifer Abbott
  • Dying at GraceAllan King
  • Falling AngelsScott Smith
  • Far Side of the Moon Robert Lepage
  • Love, Sex and Eating the BonesSudz Sutherland
  • My Life Without MeIsabel Coixet
  • On the CornerNathaniel Geary
  • The Saddest Music in the World — Guy Maddin
  • No short film lists were released from 2001 to 2006.
    2004
  • ChildstarDon McKellar
  • The Five of Us Ghyslaine Côté
  • I, ClaudiaChris Abraham
  • It's All Gone Pete TongMichael Dowse
  • RyanChris Landreth
  • Saint RalphMichael McGowan
  • Scared SacredVelcrow Ripper
  • ' — Peter Raymont
  • What Remains of Us François Prévost, Hugo Latulippe
  • White Skin Daniel Roby
  • No short film lists were released from 2001 to 2006.
    2005
  • C.R.A.Z.Y.Jean-Marc Vallée
  • Dodging the Clock Ricardo Trogi
  • FamiliaLouise Archambault
  • A History of Violence — David Cronenberg
  • The Life and Hard Times of Guy TerrificoMichael Mabbott
  • Memory for Max, Claire, Ida and Company — Allan King
  • The Novena — Bernard Émond
  • A Simple CurveAubrey Nealon
  • WaterDeepa Mehta
  • Where the Truth Lies — Atom Egoyan
  • No short film lists were released from 2001 to 2006.
    2006
  • Away from HerSarah Polley
  • CongoramaPhilippe Falardeau
  • The Journals of Knud Rasmussen — Zacharias Kunuk, Norman Cohn
  • Manufactured LandscapesJennifer Baichwal
  • Monkey WarfareReginald Harkema
  • On the Trail of Igor Rizzi Noël Mitrani
  • Radiant CityGary Burns, Jim Brown
  • SharkwaterRob Stewart
  • A Sunday in Kigali Robert Favreau
  • ' — Mike Clattenburg
  • No short film lists were released from 2001 to 2006.
    2007
  • AmalRichie Mehta
  • Continental, a Film Without Guns Stéphane Lafleur
  • Days of Darkness — Denys Arcand
  • Eastern Promises — David Cronenberg
  • Fugitive PiecesJeremy Podeswa
  • My Winnipeg — Guy Maddin
  • ' — Peter Raymont
  • The Tracey FragmentsBruce McDonald
  • Up the YangtzeYung Chang
  • Young People FuckingMartin Gero
  • Code 13Mathieu Denis
  • The ColonyJeff Barnaby
  • Dust Bowl Ha! Ha!Sébastien Pilote
  • Farmer's RequiemRamses Madina
  • I Have Seen the FutureCam Christiansen
  • I Met the WalrusJosh Raskin
  • Madame Tutli-PutliChris Lavis, Maciek Szczerbowski
  • PoolChris Chong Chan Fui
  • The Schoolyard Chloé Leriche
  • TerminusTrevor Cawood
  • 2008
  • Adoration — Atom Egoyan
  • Before Tomorrow Marie-Hélène Cousineau, Madeline Ivalu
  • Fifty Dead Men WalkingKari Skogland
  • Heaven on Earth — Deepa Mehta
  • It's Not Me, I Swear! — Philippe Falardeau
  • Lost SongRodrigue Jean
  • Mommy Is at the Hairdresser's Léa Pool
  • The Memories of Angels Luc Bourdon
  • The Necessities of Life Benoît Pilon
  • Pontypool — Bruce McDonald
  • Beyond the Walls Guy Édoin
  • Block B — Chris Chong Chan Fui
  • Drux FluxTheodore Ushev
  • Ghosts and Gravel RoadsMike Rollo
  • Green DoorSemi Chellas
  • My Name Is Victor Gazon Patrick Gazé
  • Next FloorDenis Villeneuve
  • Nikamowin Kevin Lee Burton
  • PassagesMarie-Josée Saint-Pierre
  • Princess Margaret Blvd.Kazik Radwanski
  • 2009
  • Cairo TimeRuba Nadda
  • CarcassesDenis Côté
  • CrackieSherry White
  • DefendorPeter Stebbings
  • I Killed My Mother Xavier Dolan
  • The Legacy — Bernard Émond
  • Passenger SideMatthew Bissonette
  • Polytechnique — Denis Villeneuve
  • The TrotskyJacob Tierney
  • The Wild HuntAlexandre Franchi
  • The ArmoireJamie Travis
  • The CaveHelen Haig-Brown
  • Danse MacabrePedro Pires
  • ' — Cam Christiansen
  • Life Begins Émile Proulx-Cloutier
  • NaissancesAnne Émond
  • Out in That Deep Blue Sea — Kazik Radwanski
  • RunawayCordell Barker
  • The Spine — Chris Landreth
  • Vive la roseBruce Alcock
  • 2010s

    Films which won the People's Choice Award are bolded and marked with a †.
    YearFeature FilmsShort Films
    2010
  • Above the KneeGreg Atkins
  • I Was a Child of Holocaust SurvivorsAnn Marie Fleming
  • The Legend of Beaver DamJerome Sable
  • Lipsett Diaries — Theodore Ushev
  • Little Flowers Vincent Biron
  • The Little White Cloud That Cried — Guy Maddin
  • Marius BorodineEmanuel Hoss-Desmarais
  • MokhtarHalima Ouardiri
  • On the Way to the SeaTao Gu
  • VaporKaveh Nabatian
  • 2011
  • Café de Flore — Jean-Marc Vallée
  • Citizen GangsterNathan Morlando
  • A Dangerous Method — David Cronenberg
  • Hobo With a ShotgunJason Eisener
  • Keyhole — Guy Maddin
  • Monsieur Lazhar — Philippe Falardeau
  • The Salesman — Sébastien Pilote
  • StarbuckKen Scott
  • Take This Waltz — Sarah Polley
  • Wetlands — Guy Édoin
  • ChokeMichelle Latimer
  • Doubles with Slight PepperIan Harnarine
  • ' — Igor Drljaca
  • Hope — Pedro Pires
  • No Words Came DownRyan Flowers, Lisa Pham
  • OraPhilippe Baylaucq
  • Rhonda's PartyAshley McKenzie
  • La RondeSophie Goyette
  • TrotteurArnaud Brisebois, Francis Leclerc
  • We Ate the Children LastAndrew Cividino
  • 2012
  • Cosmopolis — David Cronenberg
  • The End of Time — Peter Mettler
  • Goon — Michael Dowse
  • Laurence Anyways — Xavier Dolan
  • Midnight's Children — Deepa Mehta
  • My Awkward Sexual AdventureSean Garrity
  • War Witch Kim Nguyen
  • Still Mine — Michael McGowan
  • Stories We Tell — Sarah Polley
  • The World Before HerNisha Pahuja
  • BydloPatrick Bouchard
  • Crackin' Down Hard — Mike Clattenburg
  • Herd Leader Chloé Robichaud
  • KasparDiane Obomsawin
  • Keep a Modest Head Deco Dawson
  • LingoBahar Noorizadeh
  • MalodyPhillip Barker
  • Old GrowthTess Girard
  • ReflexionsMartin Thibaudeau
  • Wintergreen Joëlle Desjardins Paquette
  • 2013
  • Asphalt WatchesShayne Ehman, Seth Scriver
  • Enemy — Denis Villeneuve
  • The F Word — Michael Dowse
  • Gabrielle — Louise Archambault
  • Rhymes for Young Ghouls — Jeff Barnaby
  • Sarah Prefers to Run — Chloé Robichaud
  • Tom at the Farm — Xavier Dolan
  • Vic and Flo Saw a Bear — Denis Côté
  • Watermark — Jennifer Baichwal, Edward Burtynsky
  • When Jews Were FunnyAlan Zweig
  • A Grand CanalJohnny Ma
  • The Chaperone 3DFraser Munden, Neil Rathbone
  • The End of PinkyClaire Blanchet
  • An Extraordinary Person Monia Chokri
  • In Guns We TrustNicolas Lévesque
  • NoahWalter Woodman, Patrick Cederberg
  • Paradise FallsFantavious Fritz
  • Subconscious Password — Chris Landreth
  • Time Flies Stéphane Moukarzel
  • YellowheadKevan Funk
  • 2014
  • Corbo — Mathieu Denis
  • Felix and MeiraMaxime Giroux
  • In Her PlaceAlbert Shin
  • Maps to the Stars — David Cronenberg
  • Mommy — Xavier Dolan
  • MonsoonSturla Gunnarsson
  • The Price We PayHarold Crooks
  • Sol — Marie-Hélène Cousineau, Susan Avingaq
  • Tu dors Nicole — Stéphane Lafleur
  • ViolentAndrew Huculiak
  • Bison — Kevan Funk
  • The Cut Geneviève Dulude-De Celles
  • Cutaway — Kazik Radwanski
  • Day 40Sol Friedman
  • ' — Scott Brachmayer
  • Mynarski Death PlummetMatthew Rankin
  • Rebel Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers
  • Sleeping Giant — Andrew Cividino
  • StillSlater Jewell-Kemker
  • The Weatherman and the ShadowboxerRandall Okita
  • 2015
  • Closet MonsterStephen Dunn
  • The Demons Philippe Lesage
  • The Forbidden Room — Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson
  • Guantanamo's Child: Omar KhadrPatrick Reed, Michelle Shephard
  • Hurt — Alan Zweig
  • Into the ForestPatricia Rozema
  • My Internship in Canada — Philippe Falardeau †
  • Ninth FloorMina Shum
  • Our Loved Ones — Anne Émond
  • Sleeping Giant — Andrew Cividino
  • Bacon and God's Wrath — Sol Friedman
  • Balmoral HotelWayne Wapeemukwa
  • Bring Me the Head of Tim Horton — Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson, Galen Johnson
  • Interview with a Free Man — Nicolas Lévesque
  • The Little DeputyTrevor Anderson
  • My Enemy, My BrotherAnn Shin
  • Never Steady, Never StillKathleen Hepburn
  • NinaHalima Elkhatabi
  • O NegativeSteven McCarthy
  • Overpass Patrice Laliberté
  • 2016
  • Angry InukAlethea Arnaquq-Baril
  • Hello Destroyer — Kevan Funk
  • It's Only the End of the World — Xavier Dolan
  • Mean Dreams — Nathan Morlando
  • Nelly — Anne Émond
  • Old Stone — Johnny Ma
  • Searchers — Zacharias Kunuk and Natar Ungalaaq
  • Those Who Make Revolution Halfway Only Dig Their Own Graves — Mathieu Denis and Simon Lavoie
  • Werewolf — Ashley McKenzie
  • Window Horses — Ann Marie Fleming
  • Blind Vaysha — Theodore Ushev
  • EmmaMartin Edralin
  • FishHeather Young
  • FluffyLee Filipovski
  • Frame 394Rich Williamson
  • A Funeral for LightningEmily Kai Bock
  • Her Friend AdamBen Petrie
  • MarinerThyrone Tommy
  • MutantsAlexandre Dostie
  • SnipTerril Calder
  • 2017
  • Adventures in Public SchoolKyle Rideout
  • AllureCarlos Sanchez, Jason Sanchez
  • AvaSadaf Foroughi
  • The Little Girl Who Was Too Fond of Matches — Simon Lavoie
  • Luk'Luk'I — Wayne Wapeemukwa
  • Never Steady, Never Still — Kathleen Hepburn
  • Our People Will Be HealedAlanis Obomsawin
  • Ravenous Robin Aubert
  • ' — Alfonso Maiorana, Catherine Bainbridge
  • Unarmed VersesCharles Officer
  • The Argument Daniel Cockburn
  • The BotanistMaude Plante-Husaruk, Maxime Lacoste-Lebuis
  • The Crying ConchVincent Toi
  • The Drop InNaledi Jackson
  • FloodAmanda Strong
  • Milk — Heather Young
  • Pre-DrinkMarc-Antoine Lemire
  • RuptureYassmina Karajah
  • The Tesla World Light — Matthew Rankin
  • ThreadsTorill Kove
  • 2018
  • ' — Jennifer Baichwal, Nicholas de Pencier, Edward Burtynsky
  • Edge of the KnifeGwaai Edenshaw, Helen Haig-Brown
  • FirecrackersJasmin Mozaffari
  • The Fireflies Are Gone — Sébastien Pilote
  • FreaksZach Lipovsky, Adam Stein
  • Genesis — Philippe Lesage
  • Giant Little Ones — Keith Behrman
  • Mouthpiece — Patricia Rozema
  • Roads in February Katherine Jerkovic
  • What Walaa WantsChristy Garland
  • Accidence — Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson, Galen Johnson
  • AltiplanoMalena Szlam
  • Biidaaban — Amanda Strong
  • Brotherhood Meryam Joobeur
  • FauveJérémy Comte
  • Little Waves Ariane Louis-Seize
  • My Dead Dad's Porno TapesCharlie Tyrell
  • PaseoMatthew Hannam
  • The Subject — Patrick Bouchard
  • Veslemøy's SongSofia Bohdanowicz
  • 2019
  • And the Birds Rained Down — Louise Archambault
  • Anne at 13,000 Ft. — Kazik Radwanski
  • AntigoneSophie Deraspe
  • Black ConfluxNicole Dorsey
  • The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open — Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers and Kathleen Hepburn
  • Matthias & Maxime — Xavier Dolan
  • Murmur — Heather Young
  • One Day in the Life of Noah Piugattuk — Zacharias Kunuk
  • The Twentieth Century — Matthew Rankin
  • White LieCalvin Thomas and Yonah Lewis
  • AcadianaGuillaume Fournier, Samuel Matteau and Yannick Nolin
  • CityscapeMichael Snow
  • Delphine — Chloé Robichaud
  • Docking — Trevor Anderson
  • I Am in the World as Free and Slender as a Deer on a PlainSofia Banzhaf
  • JarvikEmilie Mannering
  • No Crying at the Dinner TableCarol Nguyen
  • The Physics of Sorrow — Theodore Ushev
  • Please Speak Continuously and Describe Your Experiences as They Come to YouBrandon Cronenberg
  • Throat Singing in Kangirsuk Eva Kaukai and Manon Chamberland