Winnipeg filmmaker brings a deeply personal story of masculinity, family and caregiving to the TIFF Discovery Program
South Asian filmmaker Ian Bawa is taking his acclaimed storytelling to the big screen with Strong Son, his feature directorial debut, which will have its world premiere at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) as part of the prestigious Discovery Program.
The Winnipeg filmmaker expands his award-winning short film of the same name into a feature that explores masculinity, family, caregiving and the complicated emotional bonds between fathers and sons.
Starring Mandeep Sodhi, Amrit Parbhakar, Raj Dhesi, also known as WWE star Jinder Mahal, and Michaela Kurimsky, Strong Son follows Harvinder (Sodhi), a former South Asian bodybuilder who returns home to care for his aging father. Once defined by his physical strength, Harvinder now faces a very different kind of challenge as he becomes his father’s primary caregiver.
As the responsibilities of caregiving reshape their relationship, Harvinder is forced to confront questions about identity, vulnerability and what it truly means to be strong.
The film grows out of Bawa’s ongoing “Sad Dad” series of short films, through which he has explored the emotional distance that can exist between fathers and sons, particularly within working-class immigrant families.
“Strong Son is inspired by my ongoing ‘Sad Dad’ trilogy of short films,” Bawa says. “With this feature, I wanted to tell a story about love expressed through responsibility, silence, and small everyday moments, and to ask what strength really means when physical strength alone stops being enough.”
For Bawa, the TIFF premiere represents another significant milestone in a filmmaking journey that has already seen his shorts screen at festivals including TIFF, Slamdance, Fantasia and Aspen Shortsfest. His work has also earned recognition from Vimeo Staff Picks, Urbanworld and Reelworld.
Strong Son has been developed through several prominent Canadian filmmaking programs, including the TIFF Filmmaker Lab, Canadian Film Centre Directors Lab, Netflix/Banff Diversity Initiative, ReelWorld E20 Program, ReelWorld Hollywood Connector Lab and the TIFF Every Story Accelerator. The screenplay was also shortlisted for the TIFF/CBC Screenwriting Award in 2024.
The film is produced by Fritzi Adelman for Thin Stuff Productions, along with Ian Bawa and Markus Henkel, with Kyle Bornais and Kathleen Easton of Farpoint Films and Evan Johnson and Galen Johnson of Thin Stuff Productions serving as executive producers.
Strong Son is distributed worldwide by Farpoint Distribution and received support from Telefilm Canada’s Talent to Watch Program, in partnership with TIFF, Winnipeg Film Group and On Screen Manitoba, as well as Manitoba Film & Music.
For Bawa, whose work draws on themes of family, grief, masculinity, mental health and cultural identity, Strong Son marks an important new chapter—bringing an intimate story rooted in immigrant family experiences to an international audience at one of Canada’s most influential film festivals.
About Ian Bawa
Ian Bawa is a South Asian filmmaker from Winnipeg, Manitoba. His award-winning short films have screened at TIFF, Slamdance, Fantasia and Aspen Shortsfest, among other festivals. His short The Best screened at TIFF in 2024, while Strong Son previously screened at TIFF in 2020. Bawa is an alumnus of the TIFF Filmmaker Lab, Canadian Film Centre Directors Lab and TIFF Every Story Accelerator. Strong Son is his feature directorial debut.
About Farpoint Distribution and Farpoint Films
Based in Winnipeg, Farpoint Distribution is the distribution arm of Farpoint Films, with sales agents in Vancouver, Toronto and London. Established in 2019, the company has built a diverse library spanning feature films, made-for-television movies and more than 700 hours of unscripted programming.
Farpoint Films is a Winnipeg-based film, television and digital media production company with extensive experience in national and international productions. Its portfolio includes award-winning projects across documentary, scripted television and feature film.
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