Roots Rising Films Inc. is an independent film production studio based in Toronto. We develop, produce, and finish our own work — slowly, in small numbers, and with the expectation that each film should still be worth watching when the trend that would have sold it has passed.
Our slate is small on purpose. At any given time we are working on two or three projects and finishing one. This is not a growth strategy — it is the only way we know to make films that hold together all the way through.
We work across documentary, short fiction, and essay film. We are interested in stories rooted in place — in neighbourhoods, in families, in the ordinary work of keeping something alive across generations. The films we make tend to be about people who are still standing when the film ends.
We are federally incorporated and privately held. Our productions are self-financed or supported by arts councils and broadcast partners. The films are ours; the stories are theirs.
We make films at the pace they can be made well. Everything else — the schedule, the budget, the delivery format — is downstream of that. If we cannot make a film properly, we would rather not make it.
A short fiction about a palliative nurse in Scarborough who sings to her patients on Thursday afternoons — and the one patient who asks her to stop. Shot on 16mm in and around the hospital where the story began.
A hybrid essay film about the last commercial orchard inside the Toronto city limits, and the family who has been pruning it for four generations while the subdivisions arrived on three sides.
A feature documentary about a family restaurant on Lawrence Avenue that has been open for forty years, run by three generations of the same family — and the winter they nearly closed.
Our first narrative feature. Three families on one Scarborough street, from the arrival of the first of them in 1994 to the sale of the last house in 2024. Currently in research and casting.
We start with the story, not the runtime, the platform, or the format. If it turns out the story wants to be eighteen minutes of 16mm rather than ninety minutes of digital, that is what gets made — the format serves the story, not the other way around.
Every person we film has agreed, in writing, to be filmed, and has seen the film before it is released. We do not treat communities as locations. If a subject asks to be removed from a cut, they are removed.
We do not show work in progress, and we do not announce a release until the film is locked. The edit room is a quiet place. Films do not benefit from being discussed while they are still being made.
We submit to festivals we respect and release the film to the audience it was made for. We do not chase platform deals or algorithmic attention. A film that plays to the right one hundred people is not a failure.
For production enquiries, festival and broadcast interest, or general correspondence relating to Roots Rising Films Inc., please write to us directly.
contact@rootsrisingfilms.siteRoots Rising Films Inc. respects your privacy. This policy explains how we handle personal information when you visit rootsrisingfilms.site or correspond with us. We follow the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and applicable Canadian privacy law.
We do not sell or trade personal information. Information is shared only with service providers who help us operate the site, with production partners where necessary and with your consent, with professional advisers, or where required by law.
You may request access to, correction of, or deletion of personal information we hold about you, subject to legal and production retention requirements. Please write to contact@rootsrisingfilms.site.
Roots Rising Films Inc.
29-1121 Sandhurst Circle, Toronto, ON M1V 1V4, Canada
contact@rootsrisingfilms.site
By accessing rootsrisingfilms.site, you agree to these terms. If you do not agree, please do not use the site.
The information on this website is provided for general information only. While we try to keep it accurate and current, Roots Rising Films Inc. makes no warranties — express or implied — as to the completeness, accuracy, or reliability of the content. Descriptions of films in development describe intentions, not completed works.
Nothing on this website constitutes an offer to finance, distribute, or acquire rights in any film, or a solicitation of such an offer. Any such arrangements are made separately under written agreement.
All content on this site — text, marks, and design — belongs to Roots Rising Films Inc. unless otherwise noted, and may not be reproduced without prior written permission. Film titles and loglines are the studio's own.
To the fullest extent permitted by law, Roots Rising Films Inc. disclaims liability for any loss or damage arising from your use of this website or reliance on its content.
These terms are governed by the laws of the Province of Ontario and the federal laws of Canada applicable therein.
Roots Rising Films Inc.
29-1121 Sandhurst Circle, Toronto, ON M1V 1V4, Canada
contact@rootsrisingfilms.site
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We aim to follow the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA where practical.
If you find a barrier on this site, please email contact@rootsrisingfilms.site and we will try to fix it.
Roots Rising Films Inc.
29-1121 Sandhurst Circle, Toronto, ON M1V 1V4, Canada
contact@rootsrisingfilms.site