EXCLUSIVE: Caroline Stern, managing director and owner of London-based Canoe Film, is at Toronto International Film Festval (TIFF) selling Eva T
EXCLUSIVE: Caroline Stern, managing director and owner of London-based Canoe Film, is at Toronto International Film Festval (TIFF) selling Eva Thomas’s Discovery entry Nika & Madison and has announced she is opening a sister sales company in Canada.
Screen understands Stern wanted to open a Vancouver office to better serve filmmakers on both continents and support compelling early-stage projects through her global network filmmaker, financier and studio contacts.
Stern, who will base herself in Vancouver with repeated visits to the UK, launched Canoe in 2017. The company sells five to six films a year, each with bespoke distribution strategies. She works closely with producers who have the opportunity to consult on and approve all offers and agreements.
“The UK provides so many opportunities for creators, distributors and financiers to connect,” said Stern. “In Canada, distance makes that much harder and the options for international representation are fewer.
“It’s so important to find the right sales agent and I’d like producers to know we’re here as an option,” Stern added. “About 20% of the work we do is consultancy for producers, platforms and rights-holders. Operating out of both countries provides more flexibility when a traditional deal does not serve the film.”
TIFF sales title Nika & Madison premieres on Sunday and follows two Indigenous women whose lives are upended after a violent encounter with police. The film stars Ellyn Jade, Star Slade, Amanda Brugel, Shawn Doyle, Jennifer Podemski, and Gail Maurice.
Thomas served as producer, and the executive producers are Jennifer Podemski, Paula Devonshire, Kaniehtiio Horn, Tyler Levine, and Katelyn Cursio.
Canoe’s TIFF line-up includes Dianne Whelan’s feature documentary 500 Days In The Wild, which is Paramount + Canada’s first original documentary; the Pickering brothers’ 2025 FrightFest premiere He Kills At Night; and Stanislav Tiunov’s Ukrainian war film, Bucha Unbroken.
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