Sunburn is a Canadian comedy-drama film, directed by Serville Poblete and released in 2026. The film centres on a group of young adult friends in Toronto, Ontario, wandering the streets of the St. James Town neighbourhood in search of adventure in a power outage during a summer heat wave.Etan Vlessing, "Toronto Festival Adds Zooey Deschanel, Michelle Yeoh, Simon Rex, Ed Helms, Barry Keoghan Films". The Hollywood Reporter, August 4, 2026.
The cast includes Joshua Obra and Dashawn Blackwood as Shay and Vince, as well as Arianna Shannon, Milan Deng, Trinity Lloyd and Ericka Leobrera in supporting roles.Courtney Small, "Sunburn Review: TIFF 2026". That Shelf, September 14, 2026.
Production In an interview earlier in 2026 regarding his short documentary film In the Morning Sun, Poblete noted that the earlier film's scene of his father whistling inspired him to write a similar scene into Sunburn.Nidhil Vohra, "Serville Poblete Talks In the Morning Sun and Giving Immigrants Their Flowers". Point of View, April 22, 2026.
Distribution The film premiered in the Centrepiece program at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival.Kate Erbland, TIFF Adds More Than 60 New Titles, Including Festival Winners ‘La Gradiva’ and ‘Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty!’". IndieWire, August 4, 2026. Sales rights have been acquired by MoreThan Films.Jamie Casemore, "MoreThan Films picks up sales rights to TIFF debut Sunburn". Playback, September 15, 2026.
Critical response For That Shelf, Courtney Small wrote that "thanks in part to the strong performances and effortless chemistry of the multi-ethnic ensemble cast, the audience truly feels as if they are a part of the St. James community. One where older teens like Shay and Vince ensure that all the younger kids they meet have everything they need to survive. By keeping the parents at the margins of the film, Poblete’s film allows room for his characters to sort out their various emotions amongst each other."
Awards At TIFF, the film won the award for Best Canadian Film.Pete Hammond, "‘La Bola Negra’ Wins Oscar Predictive Toronto Film Festival People’s Choice Award". Deadline Hollywood, September 20, 2026.
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