MoreThan Films picks up Serville Poblete's Sunburn ahead of TIFF premiere
MoreThan Films has acquired the rights to "Sunburn", the debut feature from Toronto film-maker Serville Poblete, ahead of its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, according to Variety.
The film will launch in the festival's Centrepiece strand, a showcase for new international cinema, Variety reported on 14 September.
Sales will be split by territory. MoreThan Films will handle international sales, the business of licensing distribution rights country by country, while Julien Levesque from Gersh will handle domestic sales in Canada, according to Variety.
"Sunburn" is set in St. James Town, a high-rise community in Toronto. The story unfolds over a single stretch, during a citywide blackout that knocks out phone networks on one of the hottest days recorded in the city, Variety reported.
The cast is led by Joshua Obra, Dashawn Blackwood, Arianna Shannon and Milan Deng, according to Variety. Four young leads. One neighbourhood under pressure.
Poblete wrote and directed the film, Variety reported. He is a Filipino-Canadian screenwriter and director from Toronto, and "Sunburn" is his first feature.
His earlier shorts built a festival record. The documentary "King's Court" premiered at Hot Docs 2025 and was nominated for a 2026 Canadian Screen Award, while "In the Morning Sun" won the Grand Jury Prize at SXSW 2026 and is eligible for Academy Awards consideration, according to Variety. Poblete was also selected for TIFF Next Wave, a programme for emerging talent.
Behind the camera, cinematography is by Christian Bielz. The executive producers are Neil Champagne, Ryan Bobkin, Veronica Diaferia and Sara Eolin, according to Variety. MoreThan Films was co-founded by Lidia Damatto.
Festival listings identify "Sunburn" as a Canadian film and place it in both Centrepiece and TIFF Next Wave Selects, according to TIFF. TIFF lists screenings for Fri 11 at 3:30 PM at SCOTIA 9 and Mon 14 at 6:25 PM at SCOTIA 8. The 2026 Centrepiece programme as a whole presents films from 50 countries, according to TIFF.
For audiences in Toronto, this means a local story gets a home launch. TIFF describes Poblete as a local talent to watch, according to TIFF.
