Special Events + Off-site Programming
There's more to TCAF than just the main event at The Mattamy Athletic Centre on June 7 & 8 - TCAF organizes and plays host to many other incredible comics-related events in surrounding neighbourhood in the days leading up to the festival. Be sure to check out the events hosted by many of our wonderful community partners, as well!
Tuesday, June 3 6PM EST
Paying for It: Special TIFF x TCAF Screening with Sook-Yin Lee & Chester Brown
TIFF Lightbox ⋅ Cinema 2
350 King St W
Join TIFF for a special screening of Paying for It (TIFF ’24 and a 2024 Canada’s Top Ten selection) and Q&A with director and writer Sook-Yin Lee, cartoonist Chester Brown, and moderator Ho Che Anderson, General Programming Artistic Curator of the Toronto Comic Arts Festival. This event will be followed by a book sale and signing of Chester Brown’s graphic novel, Paying For It: The Film Edition.
Wednesday, June 4 7PM EST
Seeing Sounds ⋅ 18+
The Black Nerds presents
Now in its fifth volume, Seeing Sounds returns to Unit 2 — where live beat-making meets live drawing, and the room becomes a living sketchbook of sound and vision.
Brought to you by The Black Nerds, this special series brings together visual artists and music producers in real time, creating a vibrant space where the lines between audio and visual blur. Expect spontaneous collaboration, raw creativity, and the energy of a jam session that spills off the stage and into the crowd.
Come through, vibe out, and witness art in motion.
Unit 2
163 Sterling Rd
TCAF is extremely honoured to be partnering with Drawn & Quarterly and Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) to host a special TCAF kick off event to mark the paperback launch of Kate Beaton’s award-winning Canadian nonfiction graphic memoir, Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands.
Beaton’s special evening event will feature a live musical performance by Peter MacInnis and interview by Mark Medley, deputy opinion editor at the Globe & Mail. Join us for singing, slideshow, and conversation illuminating the rich tapestry of Ducks from Beaton’s childhood and education in the Maritimes to her move out West for economic opportunity amid crushing student loan debt.
The evening will conclude with book sales and signing organized by TCAF sponsor, The Beguiling.
Toronto Metropolitan University ⋅ Library Lecture Hall (LIB72), 350 Victoria St
Thursday, June 5 7PM EST
Kate Beaton launches DUCKS
With musical guest Peter MacInnis and interviewer Mark Medley.
Co-presented by TCAF, D&Q, and TMU
Friday, June 6 6PM EST
Canadian Comics Now: Cartooning In a Dangerous Time
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Panelists: Sanya Anwar, Guy Delisle, Faith Erin Hicks & Cole Pauls
Moderator: Amie Wright, TCAF Executive Director
What does it mean to make art and build comics community in the midst of a constant barrage of unprecedented historical moments? Book bans and challenges based on bigotry and oppression, a precarious international market, fears around travelling, disruptive and unethical tech companies — there seems to be no end to the challenges facing artists today, and yet we continue to create. Join four high-profile comics artists, illustrators, and featured guests with TCAF’s Executive Director in conversation as they explore being an artist in our current moment and the joy of creating and sharing art against the backdrop of these strange times of ours.
In the immortal words of cartoonist KC Green: “This is fine.”
Mattamy Athletic Centre ⋅ Jet Ice Lounge
50 Carlton Street
Friday, June 6 7PM EST
Queer Mixer
No registration required ⋅ 18+
Join us for a cozy, community-driven Queer Mixer at the beloved Café Pamenar, right in the heart of Kensington Market and around the corner from The Beguiling. This gathering is a warm welcome for 2SLGBTQIA+ creators, readers, organizers, and allies to connect, vibe, and celebrate the queer stories and voices shaping comics, illustration, and visual storytelling.
Whether you're tabling at TCAF, launching your latest work, or just here to soak in the joy and creativity of the fest, this mixer is a chance to meet kindred spirits, swap stories, and unwind with good drinks and even better company.
Limited copies of our curated Summer Comics Syllabus (Volume 2) — a handpicked guide to queer comics and creators — will be available upon arrival. First come, first served!
Pamenar ⋅ 307 Augusta Ave
Saturday, June 7 8PM - 9PM EST
2025 Doug Wright Awards
No registration required
The 2025 Doug Wright awards will be hosted by Anishinaabe writer, artist and television producer Jay Odjick, and will host dozens of featured artists from TCAF 2025. The 2025 Doug Wright Awards take place on Saturday, June 7th, at the Arts & Letters Club, 14 Elm Street. Doors open at 7PM EST, and the show starts at 8PM. This is a free event and all are welcome!
Or, watch it live on the Doug Wright Awards YouTube channel from the comfort of your own home - or join TCAF at the Courtyard Marriott in a laid back live screening of the 21st annual Doug Wright Awards. The ceremonies will be screened in both the University and College rooms. Bring a sketchbook, grab a drink, hang out with friends and celebrate the excellence of Canadian comics creators with TCAF.
Doug Wright Awards:
Arts & Letters Club ⋅ 14 Elm Street
TCAF Viewing Party:
Courtyard Marriott ⋅ Porter Room + College Room
475 Yonge Street
Saturday, June 7 9:15PM EST
Dungeons & Dragons & Drawing: The Battle of Bands & Bards
The Players: Henry Barajas, Jordan Morris, Gigi Murakami, Betty Robertson, Andrew Wheeler
Dungeon Master: MJ Lyons
A special fundraiser meets art jam meets Dungeons & Dragons actual play session, bring your sketchbooks and tablets, contribute to the art board through social media using the #BandsnBards hashtag. All proceeds will go to the Toronto Comic Arts Festival’s fundraising effort!
A cash bar will be offered.
Courtyard Marriott ⋅ Porter Room
475 Yonge Street
Community Partner Events
It takes a community to make a comic book festival - throughout the week of TCAF, many of our friends and community partners host events which, alongside TCAF, transform Toronto into a vibrant destination for indie comics fans. Be sure to catch these events when you're in town for the festival!
Thursday, June 5 - Thursday June 12
"Paying for It" Limited Theatrical Run at the Carlton Imagine Cinemas
Paying For It will be playing between June 5th and June 12th at the Carlton Cinema (20 Carlton Street, steps away from the Mattamy Athletic Centre and TCAF).
There are multiple screenings a day but Sook-Yin Lee and Chester Brown will be present for Q&A's on June 5th and 6th after the 650pm shows and on June 7th & 8th after the 4pm shows. Book signing and merch will be available at the theatre.
Spread the word and follow @payingforitfilm for all the updates!
Carlton Imagine Cinemas ⋅
20 Carlton St. at Yonge
Toronto, ON
Thursday, June 5 6:30-9:30PM EST
RAID Gallery proudly presents:
"Toronto, A Love/Hate Letter": Maurice Vellekoop in conversation with Anita Kunz
An exhibition of original work by Maurice Vellekoop from his award-winning graphic memoir I’m So Glad We Had This Time Together (Penguin Random House).
Through intricate lines and deeply personal storytelling, Maurice explores identity, memory, and the complicated relationship between self and city growing up queer in 1970s Toronto.
📍Special Event: Artist Talk with Anita Kunz
An intimate conversation between two illustration legends, Maurice Vellekoop and Anita Kunz, as they dive into art, identity, and what it means to truly see the world around you.
🗓️ Date: Thursday June 5th ⋅ 🕕 6:30pm: Doors open ⋅ 🕖 7:00pm: Artist Talk begins ⋅ 🙋♂️ 7:45pm: Q&A ⋅ 🥂 8:00pm: Social + signed print & a drink on us
Event presented with support from BareBones Bartending
RAID Gallery & Cafe
1720 Queen St W · Toronto, ON
Saturday, June 7 10AM EST
The Japan Foundation presents:
So, What is Manga and Why Does It Matter?
A Walkthrough with School Librarian Jillian Rudes
Join us for a lecture with Jillian Rudes, author of Manga in Libraries and a New York-based school librarian, as we explore what manga is, why it matters, and how to integrate it into library collections and educational settings. In her first talk in Canada, she will cover the fundamentals of reading manga, its genres, publishers, and age ratings, as well as its impact on literacy and social-emotional development. She will also discuss collection development, including essential resources, recommended titles, shelving strategies, reader’s advisory, and digital content. Whether you’re a library worker, educator, parent, or manga enthusiast, this session offers valuable insights into manga’s growing role in education and libraries.
The lecture will be followed by the exclusive tour of the Japan Foundation, Toronto Library by our library staff. With the Jillian’s insights from the lecture in mind, explore the world of 20,000+ Japan-related books and audiovisuals, including approx. 3,000 manga books in collection!
The Japan Foundation, Toronto
2 Bloor St. East, 3rd Floor
Saturday, June 7 7PM EST
The Black Nerds presents:
Def By Temptation
35th Anniversary Screening!
As Sinners (2025) reignites global interest in Black vampire mythology with its groundbreaking vision and critical acclaim, The Black Nerds return to the genre’s roots to honor the blood-soaked trail that made such films possible. This June, we’re revisiting a foundational classic that helped shape the seductive, stylish, and subversive tradition of Black horror: DEF BY TEMPTATION (1990).
Part of Revue’s FANG-TASTIC WEEKEND (June 6–8), this cult gem sinks its teeth into the gothic underworld of early ’90s Brooklyn—where faith meets desire, and danger wears a dazzling smile.
Written, directed by, and starring James Bond III, Def by Temptation follows Joel, a sheltered seminary student who ventures from the quiet South to visit his streetwise friend K (Kadeem Hardison) in New York City. But what begins as a reunion spirals into a spiritual and supernatural reckoning, as Joel encounters a mysterious woman—the Vampire Temptress—whose beauty hides something far more terrifying. She doesn’t just lure men—she devours them. Spiritually. Physically. Completely.
Def by Temptation is a masterclass in mood and atmosphere—shot in sultry reds, deep shadows, and electric neons. Its soundtrack is pure ‘90s: New Jack Swing and R&B pulsing under smoky bar lights and whispered prayers. It’s a horror film that feels like a music video crossed with a fever dream—and it could’ve only come from Black cinema at the dawn of a new decade.
More than a vampire movie, it’s a reflection on faith, temptation, and the perilous space between salvation and surrender.
With Sinners ushering in a new era of Black vampire stories, we look back to celebrate the film that dared to make us ask:
What if what you desire most is what destroys you?
Join The Black Nerds on Saturday, June 7th at 7PM inside The Revue Cinema for a night of style, sin, and cinematic bloodlust.
— Faduma Gure, The Black Nerds
Revue Cinema 400 Roncesvalles Ave