‘It means the world’: ‘Sunburn’ cast talks Toronto, cultural representation, and the city’s unofficial anthem at TIFF after-party

The cast of Sunburn had a major celebration on Monday after the Toronto-based film had its world premiere at TIFF 2026.

The film itself is a Canadian comedy-drama set in Toronto, following a group of young adult friends and pairs of kids experiencing a citywide blackout on one of the hottest days of the year.

Following Monday’s premiere of Sunburn at Scotiabank Theatre for the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), the cast rejoiced with friends and family at an exclusive after-party inside National at The Well, where they spoke to Now Toronto about what the opportunity of being a part of the film meant to them.

The movie has a diverse cast, bringing together Guyanese, Jamaican, Filipino, Ghanaian and Irish heritage.

For several of the actors, it was a chance to see their own intersecting identities reflected on screen.

Dashawn Blackwood, who plays one of the main characters, Vince, said seeing the film reach audiences was one of the highlights of his year.

“I’m happy. I’m grateful, and I’m proud of myself,” Blackwood said following the screening. “I’m pretty critical of my acting and seeing myself on camera, but I think I did a good job. I’m pretty happy.”

Blackwood added that the small cast became a family throughout production.

“Every day together, we’re on set every day,” he said. “Even the days when we weren’t slated to shoot, we pulled up… because we love it and we love the people so much.”

Blackwood, who is Guyanese and Jamaican, said representation is one of the biggest reasons he wants to continue working in the industry.

“It means the world,” he said. “Everything I do and everything I care about is making sure that people that are coming up after me get to see and have opportunities.”

Arianna Shannon, who plays the character Cee Cee, shares the same sentiment as Blackwood on representation and wanting to inspire younger actors joining the industry. 

She spoke about the importance of seeing more people with mixed backgrounds represented on screen.

Shannon is Jamaican, Guyanese and Irish. She told Now Toronto that the possibility of a young girl seeing someone with the same background on screen is something that makes her feel “so warm.”

“I hope I can inspire young girls to follow their dreams and just see themselves in these places because that’s where they deserve to be,” she said.

Joshua Obra plays the other lead, Shay, opposite Blackwood.

Obra’s mother is from the Philippines and his father is from Ghana. He said he had never personally seen a character described as Black and Filipino before.

“I was like, ‘Oh my god!’” he said. “I’ve never seen it before in my life.”

Obra added he was happy to be part of something that pushes positive representation forward.

“Anything that has to do with pushing an agenda forward, a positive one, I can get down with that,” he said.

Trinity Lloyd, who plays Britney, is Jamaican and Filipino and grew up in Mississauga. 

She said she remembered seeing a call specifically looking for someone who was Black and Asian, which she said was the first time she had seen something so specific to that ethnic mix.

“Growing up, I never had that kind of Blasian representation,” Lloyd said.

She added that the film gave her the rare opportunity to showcase the cultures being intertwined.

“We’re here, we’ve been here, we have such a unique upbringing, we have such a unique cultural landscape,” Lloyd said.

The cast’s favourite Toronto-isms

Aside from the importance of showing up in the film, Sunburn was also shot in Toronto and tells the story in and around the city.

So, it was only natural that the cast picked up some of the city’s slang along the way – if they didn’t know it already.

Blackwood admitted that his friend group had its own slang, eventually landing on “wavy.”

He also brought up a word that has recently been making the rounds online and with younger Torontonians: “Gerber,” or often spelled “Gerbert” amongst youth, a correlation to the popular baby product brand and which Urban Dictionary translates to “something that is for babies.”

“The word’s Gerber. No T at the end of it,” he said. “I don’t know what’s up with that.”

Shannon went with the classic Canadian “eh,” while Obra said he often throws “styll” into conversation.

Lloyd went with a phrase she remembered from a very popular video circulating online that showcased the Toronto accent to a tee: “If the business is true…”

When it came to identifying Toronto’s unofficial anthem, the cast chose some classic songs in the city.

Blackwood threw out “Griselda Blanco,” by Pengz and TwoTwo, and “Canada Goose” by Pressa, before eventually shouting out “No Hook,” by Hoodlum.

Shannon said “Passionfruit,” by Drake, while Obra said she listens to smaller artists like Nia Nadurata and Lowercase.

Lloyd also pointed to Toronto’s many smaller artists and venues.

“When I think of Toronto music, I think of just all these tiny little venues and all these small artists who are just doing what they love,” she said. “Shout out to them.”

Toronto is also known for its many cuisines, and the cast had plenty to say about their favourite foods.

For Blackwood, Guyanese food means roti, pumpkin and balanjay, also known as eggplant curry, while his Jamaican favourites include oxtail, porridge and ackee and saltfish.

Lloyd said her Jamaican go-to is her grandfather’s goat curry, which she added is always the first food to disappear at family functions. For her Filipino side, Lloyd chose sinigang, a sour soup, that she said was so addictive that it makes your face pucker.

Obra highlighted West African fufu and egusi from the West African side of her family, while Filipino favourites were tocino and lumpia.

Sunburn is set to play three more times until the end of TIFF. Fans should check out screenings while they can, as the movie is currently not slated to play in theatres following the festival.

The next screening for the Toronto film is at the Scotiabank Theatre at 6:10 p.m. on Wednesday.