Blue Heron

In Sophy Romvari’s astonishing and award-winning feature debut, a family’s lives are rocked when their child starts displaying erratic behaviour.

It’s the 1990s and eight-year-old Sasha settles into the minutiae of her new life on Vancouver Island with her Hungarian-Canadian family. But there are hushed conversations between her parents and nobody can explain what’s troubling Jeremy, her older brother. Through Sasha’s quiet observations, unspoken fears and strained relationships soon come into focus.

Beautifully shot and boldly structured, Romvari draws from her own experiences to craft a sensitive and atmospheric drama. Through an articulate examination of childhood perception, emotional estrangement and the difficulty of understanding those closest to us, Blue Heron presents a poignant reflection on family bonds, and the fragile nature of memory. The film scooped the Locarno Film Festival 2025 Swatch First Feature Award and the Toronto International Film Festival 2025 Best Canadian Discovery.