What to know
- FIVEHEAD is a 19-minute dark comedy short written by and starring Toronto comedian Maddy Foley and directed by Christian Smith.
- The film follows Eve, whose childhood insecurity resurfaces after an arcade caricature artist draws her with an impossibly oversized forehead.
- Foley drew inspiration from her own experiences with appearance, acting and beauty standards, exploring how seemingly small insecurities can spiral.
- The independently made film was self-funded on a shoestring budget and brought together a group of Toronto actors, comedians and creators.
- FIVEHEAD is part of TIFF’s Short Cuts 2026 Programme 04, screening at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto on Sept. 13.
In a world of constant cameras, social media presence and celebrity comparisons, it’s hard to keep ourselves from becoming caught up on a few insecurities, but what happens when they become an obsession?
That’s the story in FIVEHEAD, a dark comedy short that follows Eve, a woman who spirals into paranoia after an arcade caricature artist portrays her with an oversized forehead, bringing an old childhood insecurity to the surface.
The film is one of the almost 300 screenings to be presented at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), which kicks off on Sept. 10, bringing a strong, lasting message which aims to resonate with spectators beyond its 19 minutes on the screen.
FIVEHEAD is part of TIFF’s Short Cuts 2026 Programme 04, which will screen at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto on Sept. 13.
FIVEHEAD’s writer and lead actor Maddy Foley tells Now Toronto the inspiration behind the movie came from her own experience as a woman and actor, who constantly deals with beauty standard pressures first hand.
“Whenever I’m thinking about writing things, especially comedy, it has to be something that kind of tickles me, like it grabs me, and then it’s an idea that I can’t really stop thinking about,” she said.
“As an actor, I’m very aware of my appearance… and you’re watching yourself back all the time, and it’s these little things you notice about yourself no one else would notice. They can make you spiral.”
Reflecting on the immense pressure that beauty standards can lead to, especially for women, Foley said the film aims to leave a simple message about the impossible work of satisfying beauty standards and make spectators reflect on how much one singular moment can impact a person.
“Ultimately, the takeaway message is that you will go crazy trying to satisfy society’s beauty standards, and there isn’t really even a point in trying to do that,” she added.
‘FIVEHEAD’ celebrates Toronto’s comedic talent
TIFF is known for spotlighting movies beyond the Hollywood scope, bringing not only renowned stars and highly-anticipated titles, but also independent projects expected to make spectators reflect and celebrate up-and-coming talent.
As an independently-made film, FIVEHEAD is expected to not only deliver a powerful message, but also celebrate Toronto’s comedy community, by bringing together a group of local creators in a self-funded, shoestring budget project.
The film features a series of local actors, comedians, and creators, including Foley herself, Dan Beirne, Daniel Stolfi, Anand Rajaram, Kyle Dooley, Tamara Almeida, Natalie Metcalfe and Jennifer De Lucia, as well as director Christian Smith.
As an actor and writer who didn’t attend a traditional theatre school, Foley said she spent a lot of time going to comedy events, including at The Second City Toronto. In these spaces, she formed connections with incredible local talent names, which inspired her to form this film’s casting.
“I was always just really inspired by the performers there, and I kind of just vibed or I just met more people in comedy… whenever I’m thinking about casting someone or who I want to work with, I always kind of lean towards the comedy community,” she explained.
“We have some of the funniest people in the world in Canada, and they all should be much more famous than they are because they’re all so talented.”
Film was self-funded
According to Foley, the incredible team behind the scenes were also an important back bone of getting the film off the ground, as FIVEHEAD was also a self-funded project.
Motivated to get her own voice out there and create something that reflected her own vision and the essence of Toronto’s comedy community, the writer decided to pour not only her ideas but also her own money into this film.
“I was committed to the idea of just going out and making something. It’s been really hard for actors the past few years, and so that lit a fire under my ass a little bit. If I wanted to do this, the reality is I was probably going to have to make my own stuff,” she explained.
Although presenting her project in front of one of the most celebrated film festivals in the world is an exciting opportunity, Foley said producing a self-funded film came with several challenges.
Besides the obvious risky financial investment, the writer said dealing with the anxiety of leading this project also took a toll on her.
“I’m a very anxious person, and I get in my head a lot. So there were times on set where I would just feel like I’ve just hired a bunch of adults to come play make believe with me, and that was a very weird feeling,” she explained.
“I very much avoided the fact that it was quite a big risk to invest money into your own project and not know where it’s going to go.”
Through this process, she said the support from her team of producers and talent was extremely important to get the project up and running, and eventually recognized by TIFF.
‘Not even remotely planned for’: TIFF spotlight came as a surprise
Besides pouring her heart into the project, Foley said having her film included in TIFF was wildly unexpected.
“[It was] crazy, not expected, like not even remotely planned for. Most people on the team were shocked to their core. It’s wild,” she said.
Having grown up in Ancaster, Ont. and moved into Toronto in 2011, Foley said she has attended TIFF since 2016, but never imagined being a part of the festival, besides dreaming about this possibility.
But as much as it’s an honour to be recognized for her work, the writer said TIFF’s spotlight is especially important for the talent featured in FIVEHEAD, as they find their way into the industry.
“I do think that the team I worked with [is] so talented and they are so good at what they do, and they deserve it more than anyone. So, for them to be able to have a project at TIFF is so exciting to me, and worth all the money, and worth all the time, and all the stress and anxiety,” she added.
