By Sophie Wallace

For most people, the first September after graduation is a strange one.

For Arianna Shannon, this was no different. She graduated from Toronto Metropolitan University’s (TMU) from the business management program earlier this year.

“This is my first September, I’m not going back to school, so I’m like, oh my god.”

But for Shannon, there’s another factor adding to the surreality—she plays a central character in one of Toronto International Film Festival’s (TIFF) most highly anticipated premieres: Sunburn (2026).

“We did not necessarily expect to be at TIFF. Like this was extremely low-budget,” said Shannon, in an interview with The Eyeopener.

The film, directed by Toronto’s own Serville Poblete, won the Best Canadian Feature Film Award, TIFF announced Sunday.

Sunburn follows a group of neighbourhood kids during a citywide blackout on one of Toronto’s hottest days on record. A hypnotic, visually striking coming-of-age film set over 24 sweltering hours, Sunburn captures the almost imperceptible way childhood slips into adulthood.

Shannon’s character, Cee Cee, shares an apartment with her older brother and his best friend. She doesn’t have her own room and struggles to be vulnerable in the shared space—claustrophobia is mirrored through the film’s towering apartment blocks and shimmering heat. But through unexpected connections and following her curiosity, irritation makes way for joy and tenderness over the course of an afternoon.

The movie was shot during August and early September last year. Most of the filming happened in St. James Town, with scenes also shot in widely-recognisable Toronto locations such as Riverdale Park.

Shannon was born in North York and grew up around the Greater Toronto Area. “It was kind of comforting just filming in a place that was already home to me,” she said.

The characters’ micro-dramas play out against the backdrop of a very recognizable Toronto. The city’s problems of extreme heat, the cost of living crisis and urban condo development are not left in ambiguity.

“These are issues that are always circulating front-of-mind,” said Shannon. “I have to give props to Serv’s writing because there’s so many, so many issues like that touched on, but then there’s also a philosophical aspect to it. And then somehow he made this into like an ensemble comedy,” said Shannon.

The film’s lilting rhythm skips between aching silences and bursts of comedic relief, capturing Toronto’s summer through atmospheric sun-baked wide-shots and pops of close-up colour.

Sunburn certainly leaves room for moments of joy and lightheartedness: kids drop everything and scramble at the first sound of the neighborhood ice cream truck and in one scene, Cee Cee reluctantly admits she never learned how to ride a bike.

When asked what that was like to film, Shannon laughed. “I know how to ride a bike! But it wasn’t that different because that bike was so tall and I’m only like five three.”

The crew’s off-screen relationships shine through on camera. “By the end of it, we were sad that it was over because we labelled it ‘summer camp.’ Like we would come into work every day and then just be laughing and having fun. And then you leave, and you’re looking forward to coming in the next day cause you’re just going to have more fun,” said Shannon.

In a written statement to The Eye, Poblete wrote “it’s a hangout film…but with kids who look like me: darker skin, curly hair, raised in immigrant and working-class Toronto, usually shown through grit or stereotype and rarely through beauty or tenderness.”

When speaking about their collaboration, Shannon was full of admiration for the director. “We just tried to make something, and Serv was our fearless leader,” she said.

Shannon is a firm believer in the idea you don’t have to choose only one path for yourself. Despite always having loved the arts, Shannon majored in law and business at TMU, taking acting classes and starring in CBC Gem’s Plan B alongside her studies. “I just wanted to see if I would even like acting,” she said. “It’s good to pour into different parts of you.”

Sunburn made its world premiere on Sept. 14 at TIFF 2026, with theatrical release dates to be announced.