We, the undersigned, ask that programmer Peter Kuplowsky premier Mr. Seth’s film FCVK at the TIFF's 2026 Midnight Madness. 

FCVK is an arthouse-style exploration of the challenges of living with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), as seen through the lens of a horrifying romance. 

This film was written and directed by Mr. Seth, who lives with BPD. It’s characterized by emotional instability and a fragile sense of self, and is known by mental health professionals to be one of the most emotionally painful mental illnesses. It affects between 1-5% of the population, so chances are that you know someone with BPD and that they struggle with maintaining personal relationships, and this is where FCVK comes in.

What happens when you obsess over another rather than committing to your own self care? How do you love someone when your mental illness constantly undermines your self worth and questions your partner’s every action? Is it possible to break a cycle of pushing people away when you always assume they won’t stay?

FCVK answers these questions with disturbing answers that come from a very real place of human experience that we don’t get to see on screen. Depictions of BPD are few and far between in mainstream movies and even then, it’s often a diagnosis audience members infer, rather than being explicitly stated in the film.

By premiering FCVK, TIFF gives us a platform to join Mr. Seth in a conversation around one of the most misunderstood mental illnesses as we watch his protagonist grapple with the emotional roller coaster that comes with being in love.

This premier would also support one of Toronto’s disabled queer directors. Considering that  "14% of people in employment aged 16-64 consider themselves disabled, but only 0.3% of the total film workforce are disabled", and trans people face significant disadvantages to secure employment, TIFF has the ability to give voice to someone who is part of some of our most vulnerable communities.

FCVK also showcases actors typically underrepresented in film. 50% of the cast with speaking roles is female, and 50% of the cast is from racialized communities. In addition, it has a female lead which is especially poignant since only 39% of Hollywood films in 2025 featured girls and women in a lead or co-lead roles.

Premiering FCVK at TIFF would help showcase some of the most marginalized voices in the Toronto film community, and we think that’s worth seeing on the silver screen.

References: 

https://egale.ca/awareness/brief-employment/​

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/feb/09/let-disabled-actors-and-directors-make-their-own-films-shape-of-water​

https://deadline.com/2026/02/women-film-roles-seven-year-low-usc-annenberg-study-1236706727/