TIFF Next Wave Celebrates 15 Years with Chandler Levack’s ‘Roommates’ and More Family-Friendly Films
Chandler Levack’s Netflix comedy Roommates, featuring a star-studded cast including Sarah Sherman, Natasha Lyonne, Nick Kroll, Sadie Sandler, and Storm Reid, is set to be showcased at this year’s TIFF Next Wave Film Festival, which will take place from April 16 to 19. The full lineup of films is available below.
This year’s festival marks the 15th anniversary of the TIFF Next Wave Film Festival. The event is curated by the TIFF Next Wave Committee, composed of 12 teenagers from the Greater Toronto Area.
Past industry professionals who have participated in the festival include director Emma Seligman, known for Shiva Baby, actors Iman Vellani from Ms. Marvel and Emma Cheuk from Late Bloomer, as well as programmer and critic Winnie Wang of The Toronto Review.
TIFF Next Wave Committee 2025-2026 from L to R, F to B: Sally Shen, Presley Flores-Holz, Maya Satkunaratnam, Yehia El-Aboudy, Lillie Fauteux, Hana Nour-Eldin, Desmond Cudmore, Nikhil Gupta, Suhana Khatri, Sophia Pollard, Darania Taylor. Not pictured: Hamza Hashim. Photo Credit: TIFF.
Levack directs Roommates from a script co-written by Jimmy Fowlie and Ceara O’Sullivan of SNL. The film centers on Devon, a hopeful college freshman who asks the cool and confident Celeste to be her roommate. Their friendship gradually devolves into a battle of passive aggression.
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The film is produced by Adam Sandler for Netflix through Happy Madison Productions, alongside Tim Herlihy. The cast also features Chloe East, Billy Bryk, Martin Herlihy, Josh Segarra, Carol Kane, Janeane Garofalo, Aidan Langford, Bella Murphy, Jaya Harper, Ivy Wolk, and Bailee Madison.
In a statement, the TIFF Next Wave Committee noted, “This year’s Next Wave Film Festival lineup emphasizes self-expression through passionate, diverse, and DIY modes of storytelling and provides a platform for rising voices who thoughtfully disrupt conventions and embrace experimentation.”
They added, “We want the festival to be a place for the celebration of life in motion and the chaos that comes with growing up in this current moment. There is something for everyone at Next Wave, and we can’t wait for it to bring new opportunities for conversation, connection, and discovery.”
2026 Next Wave Film Festival Official Selection Films:
★ Big Girls Don’t Cry | dir. Paloma Schneideman | New Zealand
Canadian Premiere
In the ambiently homophobic environment of a rural town in the mid-2000s, a 14-year-old girl navigates sexual curiosity and a desire for acceptance over one transformative summer.
Virtual Q&A with director Paloma Schneideman
★ Burn | dir. Makoto Nagahisa | Japan
Canadian Premiere
A runaway teen (Nana Mori of Kokuho, TIFF ‘25) finds comfort and solace in a group of other young misfits, only to discover that danger can lurk even in what looks like a safe haven.
★ CAMP | dir. Avalon Fast | Canada
Toronto Premiere
A group of counselors at a Christian grief camp find catharsis through the occult, though not without consequences.
In-person Q&A with director Avalon Fast
★ If I Go Will They Miss Me | dir. Walter Thompson-Hernández | USA
Canadian Premiere
A 12-year-old struggles to connect with his idolized father and begins seeing ghostly figures of boys around his neighborhood.
★ Ish | dir. Imran Perretta | United Kingdom
Toronto Premiere
A childhood friendship is fractured following a traumatic interaction with the police in this poignant drama.
★ Isle Child | dir. Thomas Percy Kim | South Korea/USA
Canadian Premiere
An adopted New England teen, played by Ethan Hwang (Riceboy Sleeps, TIFF ‘22), confronts his feelings of otherness upon discovering that his Korean birth mother is terminally ill.
In-person Q&A with director Thomas Percy Kim
★ Niñxs | dir. Kani Lapuerta | Mexico/Germany
Toronto Premiere
Shot over eight years in the small town of Tepoztlán, Mexico, this vibrant documentary follows Karla through an adolescence marked by joy, resilience, and transition.
★ Our Hero, Balthazar | dir. Oscar Boyson | USA
Toronto Premiere
A lonely New York teen’s misguided attempt to impress a crush takes him to Texas, where he believes he can stop a future school shooter—his plan quickly spirals out of control.
In-person Q&A with director Oscar Boyson and actor Jaeden Martell
★ Thanks for Nothing | dir. Stella Marie Markert | Germany
Canadian Premiere
Four teens from a Berlin group home create their own anarchic utopia, but the unhelpful adults in their lives and harsh realities threaten to tear it apart.
In-person Q&A with director Stella Marie Markert
