Maria Todorov-Topouzov

Movies

Lessons in Temperament
Editor
The story of four neurodiverse brothers, told through a cinematic escape into the art and science of piano tuning. An instrument goes out of tune whether or not anyone plays it – something that musician and theatre-maker James Smith knows all too well. So after months of being unemployed during the pandemic, he decides that he will spend his lockdown visiting shuttered theatres, and doing what he can to keep their pianos in tune. This ritual soon unlocks James’ own search for balance, growing up as one of four brothers living with obsessive-compulsive disorder, autism, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia.
Patty vs. Patty
Editor
Patty vs. Patty tells the story of Toronto’s bizarre 1985 “patty wars,” when Jamaican-Canadian bakers went head-to-head with the federal government over the name of their beloved beef patty.
Sweet Memories
Editor
Alone in a homey Japanese eatery, a schoolboy reminisces his failed attempts to woo his crush. He daydreams an elaborate dance number and band performance to redeem his image in the hopes she might reconsider.
Between Realities Along the Edge of Time
Editor
Blake lives alone with her dog when she becomes consumed by the intensifying sounds coming from next door until one day they stop, forcing her to confront her own anger.
Ride Fair
Editor
Three fearless community organizers with a history of standing up against big tech corporations, embark on an uphill political fight to regulate Uber and Lyft in Toronto so that these companies operate in the public interest, respecting communities, drivers and passengers.