EFM 2026

European Film Market (EFM) Market Accelerator

The National Directors Division (NDD) of the Directors Guild of Canada is proud to announce selections for the NDD Market Accelerator Delegation at the European Film Market (EFM) 2026 running from February 13 – 15

Projects are all seeking international co-producers.

Anna Fahr (ON): BEIRUT IN BETWEEN – Leila, an ambitious young Iranian woman, sets off to Canada for medical school in hopes of a better life, but when her visa is denied and she suddenly finds herself stuck in Lebanon, she begins to question her pursuit of the immigrant dream.

Elza Kephart (QC): THE GREAT CANADA DAY MASSACRE – Becca, a fierce climate activist, returns to her hometown, determined to crash its historic Canada Day parade. As she prepares for her action she uncovers mysterious deaths and must band together with Connor, her ex-boyfriend turned Sheriff, to stop the murderer before he puts in motion his deadly master plan.

Kathleen Hepburn (BC): CANYON – Amid the upheaval of new motherhood and the weight of grief, Jess, an olfactory artist, discovers an unlikely ally in her nihilistic mother-in-law Alwyn, as each navigates the complexities of loss, creativity, and the profound act of beginning again.

Tarique Qayumi (BC): OVER THE NEXT HILL – Zaby, a twelve-year-old refugee fleeing the Taliban, struggles to gain independence from his Mother as they embark on a dangerous journey across the Afghan mountains hidden in the back of a truck.

Dylan Pearce (AB): LEGENDS OF CONQUEST 3D – When a mismatched crew of teens, parents, and a washed-up esports star is thrust into a wild-card shot at the world’s biggest gaming tournament, they’ll have to overcome grief, old wounds, and generational clashes, discovering that the only way to win is to bridge the gap between past and present and fight as one.

Gail Maurice (ON): EAT DIRT – Set in the near future, EAT DIRT follows Jynx, Pisim, and T—three young Indigenous women determined to stay in control of their lives, bodies, and minds in a world where the government controls the majority of Indigenous women through surveillance, sterilization, and psychological warfare. Scrappy, tech-savvy, poor but fearless, they fight to liberate their sisters and reclaim what’s been stolen: their freedom. Inspired by real events, including the forced sterilization of Indigenous women, this story is told with defiance, heart, and a badass edge.

Noam Gonick (MB): THE FRUIT MACHINE – In the 1960s, the Canadian government adopts a controversial new experiment to find homosexuals which soon threatens the careers of Tom Hayward, a closeted man with a bright future, and his friend Dan Chance, a technician working on the experiment.

Vanessa Magic (ON): ECHINO – After her husband vanishes at sea, a pregnant marine biologist’s hope turns to horror when he returns mutated by a mysterious force, compelling her to confront the monstrous cost of love before it devours her and their unborn child.

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