''Morningside'' is a Canadian drama film, directed by Ron Dias and released in 2024.Aparita Bhandari
"From its people to its story, Morningside is pure Scarborough"
''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Newspapers in Canada, Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in Western Canada, western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of more than 6 million in 2024, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on week ...

'', February 19, 2025. The film explores the lives of seven diverse characters who meet at a

community centre A community centre, community center, or community hall is a public location where members of a community gather for group activities, social support, public information, and other purposes. They may be open for the whole community or for a sp ...

Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to: People * Scarborough (surname) * Earl of Scarbrough Places Australia * Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth * Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong * Scarborough, Queensland, sub ...

as they navigate the challenges of relationships, societal struggles, and the looming threat of gentrification. The film highlights themes of resilience, heritage, and the value of community. The film premiered at the

2024 Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival The 2024 edition of the Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival, the 36th edition in the event's history, was held from September 14 to 22, 2024 in Greater Sudbury, Sudbury, Ontario. The first titles in the program were announced on August 1 ...

, and was subsequently screened at the

ReelWorld Film Festival Reelworld Film Festival, founded in 2001 by Tonya Williams, is held annually in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The festival screens film and provides professional development for Canadian racially diverse and indigenous filmmakers and media artists. ...

and the St. Louis International Film Festival.

Production

The film faced challenges securing initial funding from Canadian institutions like Telefilm and the Canada Council for the Arts, who questioned the market demand for another Scarborough-focused movie following the success of ''

'' and ''

Brother A brother (: brothers or brethren) is a man or boy who shares one or more parents with another; a male sibling. The female counterpart is a sister. Although the term typically refers to a family, familial relationship, it is sometimes used ende ...

''. Despite setbacks, the film received grassroots support from the Scarborough community and businesses, with locations like Mona's Roti and The Real McCoy featured in the production. Funding from U.S.-based streamer AllBlk, which previously picked up Dias's earlier film '' Bite of a Mango'', helped bring the project to life. Telefilm later came on board to support the film's marketing after seeing the final cut. The film has been noted for shooting in various locations, including The Real McCoy burger shop and

Warden station Warden is a station on Line 2 Bloor–Danforth of the Toronto subway in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located at the southeast corner of St. Clair Avenue East and Warden Avenue. The station is located perpendicular to St. Clair Avenue East, a ...

, that have since shut down or undergone redevelopment.Kimia Afshar Mehrabi
"New movie about Toronto neighbourhood coming to theatres this month"
''BlogTO'', February 2025. The producers also partnered with the Scarborough Boys & Girls Club to raise funds for affordable housing in the area by selling film-branded sweatshirts. In a February 2025 interview on CBC's ''q'', Ron Dias spoke about how his upbringing in Scarborough influenced the themes and characters in ''Morningside''.

Cast

Fefe Dobson Felicia Lily Dobson (born February 28, 1985) is a Canadian singer. Born in Toronto, Ontario, she began performing as a teenager, during which time she received and refused an offer from Jive Records for a recording contract. Dobson signed with I ...

as Steph *

Oluniké Adeliyi Oluniké Adeliyi (born January 5, 1977) is a Canadian actress. She appeared in the 2010 horror film ''Saw 3D'' and starred as Leah Kerns in the television series '' Flashpoint''. Early life Adeliyi was born in Brampton, Ontario, of Jamaican-Nig ...

as Fi * Alex Mallari Jr. as Josh *

Lovell Adams-Gray Lovell Adams-Gray is a Canadians, Canadian actor.Tamara Shephard"Second Jen’s multicultural cast resonates with actor Lovell Adams-Gray" ''Toronto Star'', August 2, 2018. Career He is best known for the role of Dru Tejada in ''Power Book II ...

as Jay *

Kiana Madeira Kiana Madeira (born November 4, 1992) is a Canadian actress. She starred as Moe in the Netflix television series '' Trinkets''. Madeira played Deena in the 2021 Netflix horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit physical or psyc ...

as Nicki * Joanne Jansen as Shanice * Brandon McKnight as Mark * Orville Cummings as Breeze * Kiki Hammill as Amber * Nathan Taylor as Bandoh *

Zahra Bentham Zahra Bentham is a Canadian actress. She is most noted for her performance as Tamika in the 2024 film '' Village Keeper'', for which she received a Canadian Screen Award nomination for Best Supporting Performance in a Drama Film at the 13th Canadi ...

as Renee * Leighton Alexander-Williams

Release

''Morningside'' was commercially released on February 21, 2025. It made its U.S. premiere on March 27, 2025, at the Landmark Theatre in Westwood, Los Angeles. The red carpet event featured a panel discussion with cast and crew. The film was later released on April 3, 2025, on AMC’s ALLBLK streaming service in the United States and simultaneously on Hollywood Suite in Canada.Kaleef Starks
"Canadian film ‘Morningside’ makes stellar premiere in Los Angeles"
''Our Weekly Los Angeles'', April 1, 2025.

References

External links

* 2024 films 2024 drama films Canadian drama films Black Canadian films English-language Canadian films English-language drama films Films shot in Toronto Films set in Toronto 2020s English-language films 2020s Canadian films {{2020s-Canada-film-stub