Nina Kiri is known for her roles in Undertone and The Handmaid's Tale. Out Standing performance is being honoured with the Rising Star Award at the 2026 Future of Film Showcase in Toronto.
Kiri said recognition matters deeply in an industry that can feel isolating. "So much of your job is very solitary" she told with adding that validation gives her the motivation to keep pursuing new opportunities despite the uncertainty of freelance acting work.
Much of the praise this year stems from her performance in Undertone with a low-budget horror film shot in Toronto at writer-director Ian Tuason's own home. Made for just $500,000 the film went on to gross over $21 million. Kiri plays Evy, a podcaster whose ordeal drives most of the story. She said she never expected such success from a small independent project and calling the response whether love or hate "nice" because it meant audiences genuinely engaged with the film.
To prepare, Kiri became intensely focused on memorizing her lines, which she later realized was a way of avoiding her deeper fear and carrying the film almost entirely on her own performance. Her breakthrough came during a Sunday night improv class in Toronto, where she suddenly understood her character's mindset. "Once I realized how she operates, I was like, I fully understand this person and then I wasn't scared" she said. Kiri added that actors need ongoing training and rehearsal opportunities also she said the industry has largely lost due to tight budgets and schedules.
Reflecting on her time playing Alma in The Handmaid's Tale, Kiri recalled the show's collaborative and almost theatrical atmosphere. She described a memorable stoning scene from Season 1 that felt like live theatre, aided by veteran actor Ann Dowd's stage background. She also recalled director Reed Morano personally operating the camera during an early scene, blending the intimacy of independent filmmaking with the resources of a major studio production. Beyond the craft, Kiri said the strongest memory was working alongside "true artists" who made the set feel special.
Kiri's award comes amid growing attention to Canadian film and television for the success of projects like Heated Rivalry, Off Campus and Undertone. While she acknowledged that predicting a project's success is impossible also she believes Canada's strength lies in original storytelling and made possible partly through government funding that allows filmmakers to take risks studios might avoid.
She hopes the current wave of interest encourages more risk-taking rather than imitation. "This was something that worked because no one else did it in that way" she said also adding that Canada's ability to fund unconventional projects should become a defining strength of its film industry.
