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“If a sickness that we can't even control knocks us off our rocker like that, are we really that safe? Are we really that firm in what we know?� Thorne recalls wondering.

“So it started to make me think, ‘Can I provide for my kids if everything were to shut down? Can I grow food? Do I know how to do that? Can I protect them?�

Thorne says those uncertainties were key inspirations for his debut film “40 Acres,� which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival this week.

The post-apocalyptic thriller centres on Hailey Freeman, an ex-military matriarch played by Danielle Deadwyler who leads her family in a future ravaged by famine. Faced with the threat of a ruthless band of cannibals intent on overtaking their farm, she clashes with her son Emanuel, played by Toronto’s Kataem O'Connor, on the best way to survive a crumbling world.

“At its heart, it's a mother and son story,� says Thorne, who cut his teeth directing music videos for artists including Sean Paul and Keshia Chanté before creating 2020 sci-fi series “Utopia Falls� and helming 2022 period drama “The Porter,� both of which aired on CBC.

“It’s a thriller that's about two different ideologies of how to move forward in a family.�

While Hailey believes her family’s safety depends on complete isolation, Emanuel craves connection, eager to explore the world outside their farm after encountering a young woman from a nearby homestead, played by Toronto-born Milcania Diaz-Rojas.

Thorne and co-writer Glenn Taylor weave the dystopian survival story together with a metaphor for the complex history of land ownership in North America. Hailey is a descendant of a Black family of farmers who settled in Canada after the American Civil War, while her partner, Michael Greyeyes’ Galen, is Indigenous.

“I wanted to make a story about a family I've never seen on screen before. It’s a blended Black and Indigenous family,� says Thorne.

“I think there are so many stories in Canada that can be told.�

Thorne says “40 Acres� draws on several current political and economic challenges, from racial inequality to food insecurity to Indigenous land rights.

“We've been in this space for almost a decade where socially there have been a lot of things that have been happening in the world that are causing a lot of people worry,� he says.

“Hopefully (we can) put these ideas out there and let people contemplate it, but take them for a little ride as well.�

Thorne says his film has been eight years in the making and premiering it at TIFF has been a “dream come true.�

“I've been coming to this festival for over 20 years as a film lover, just seeing amazing films that just rocked my world,� he says.

"I'm honoured to be able to come here and have my debut film at the festival that I love.�

This report by °µÍø½ûÇø was first published Sept. 8, 2024.