International sales agency MoreThan Films has acquired the rights to “ Sunburn ,” by award-winning director Serville Poblete , ahead of its world premiere as part of the Centrepiece strand of the Toronto International Film Festival. The agency will handle international sales, with Julien Levesque from Gersh handling domestic sales.

“Sunburn” is set in St. James Town, a high-rise community in Toronto, over the course of a citywide blackout that shuts down phone networks on one of the hottest days recorded in the city.

There, a group of kids roams their neighborhood trying to escape the heat as their youth begins to slip away. The film stars Joshua Obra (“Settle Down”), Dashawn Blackwood (“Scaring Women at Night”), Arianna Shannon (“Plan B”) and Milan Deng (“Trap”).

“Serville Poblete is one of the most exciting emerging voices in Canadian cinema today,” Lidia Damatto, co-founder of MoreThan Films, tells Variety . “We were immediately drawn to his distinctive aesthetic and his ability to transform a single summer day into a rich portrait of a community rarely represented on screen.”

“‘Sunburn’ is a deeply authentic and vibrant mosaic of coming-of-age stories that capture the energy, humor, and uncertainty of youth with remarkable warmth and specificity,” she goes on. “The film is both intimate and expansive, celebrating the beauty of everyday moments while evoking the emotional intensity of adolescence.

While firmly rooted in Toronto’s St. James Town community, the film speaks to universal experiences of friendship, identity and belonging, making it a title we believe will resonate strongly with audiences around the world.”

Serville Poblete is a Filipino-Canadian screenwriter and film director from Toronto. His short documentary “King’s Court” premiered at Hot Docs 2025 and was nominated for a 2026 Canadian Screen Award.

His latest short, “In the Morning Sun,” won the Grand Jury Prize at SXSW 2026 and is currently on the festival circuit and is eligible for consideration for the Academy Awards. Serville was selected for the TIFF Next Wave at this year’s festival.

“Sunburn” is featured in Variety’s TIFF 2026: 20 International Titles to Track selection .

“Making a movie about my neighbourhood with so many amazing collaborators felt like summer camp. We had so much fun making it,” says Poblete. “I’m so excited to partner with MoreThanFilms and Gersh to share this project with the world and offer that same warmth to audiences. It’s something I feel the world needs right now.”

“Sunburn” is written and directed by Serville Poblete (“In the Morning Sun”), executive produced by Neil Champagne (“Blue Heron,” “Good One”), Ryan Bobkin (“Infinity Pool”), Veronica Diaferia (“Blue Heron,” “Good One”) and Sara Eolin (“Blue Heron,” “Good One”), with cinematography by Christian Bielz (“This is Not a Test”).

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