Serve Films and Tinygiant have announced that the feature film Sunburn, directed by award-winning filmmaker Serville Poblete, has been acquired by MoreThan Films. Based between Barcelona and São Paulo, MoreThan Films is a boutique international sales agency that represents distinctive arthouse cinema from around the world, championing diverse voices and working with emerging and established filmmakers whose projects premiere at leading international festivals.
In addition to handling international sales, the company advises producers on festival strategy, financing, and international distribution to foster sustainable pathways for independent cinema. The acquisition was announced following the film’s highly anticipated world premiere in the Centrepiece Program at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) this week. MoreThan Films will manage international sales for the project, while Julien Levesque from Gersh will handle US domestic sales.
A Summer Day in St. James Town
Set in St. James Town, a high-rise community in Toronto, Sunburn unfolds during one of the hottest days on record. When a citywide blackout shuts down phone networks, a group of kids roams their neighborhood to escape the heat as their youth begins to slip away. Described as a hang-out movie, the film stars Joshua Obra (Settle Down), Dashawn Blackwood (Scaring Women at Night), Arianna Shannon (Plan B), and Milan Deng (Trap).
Praise From MoreThan Films
“Serville Poblete is one of the most exciting emerging voices in Canadian cinema today. 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,” said Lidia Damatto, co-founder of MoreThan Films. Damatto added that the film offers a vibrant mosaic of coming-of-age stories that speak to universal experiences of friendship, identity, and belonging.
Behind the Camera
Serville Poblete is a Filipino-Canadian screenwriter and film director based in Toronto. His previous work includes the short documentary King’s Court, which premiered at Hot Docs 2025 and earned a 2026 Canadian Screen Award nomination, and the short film In the Morning Sun, which won the Grand Jury Prize at SXSW 2026, the Golden Gate Award at SFFILM, and the Golden Reel at LAAPFF. Poblete was also selected for the TIFF Next Wave at this year’s festival.
Reflecting on the project, Poblete shared, “Making a movie about my neighbourhood with so many amazing collaborators felt like summer camp. We had so much fun making it. I’m so excited to partner with MoreThan Films and Gersh to share this project with the world and offer that same warmth with audiences. It’s something I feel the world needs right now.”
Sunburn is written and directed by Poblete and produced by Nicole Dane. Executive producers include Neil Champagne, Ryan Bobkin, Veronica Diaferia, and Sara Eolin. The creative team also features cinematographer Christian Bielz and Juno Award-winning composer Aaron Paris, who provided the film’s score.
