I USED TO BE FUNNY is a dark dramedy that follows Sam Cowell (Rachel Sennott, CIFF ‘20 Selection SHIVA BABY), an aspiring stand-up comedian and au pair struggling with PTSD. Sam must decide whether or not to join the search for Brooke (Olga Petsa), a missing teenage girl she used to nanny. The story exists between the present, where Sam tries to recover from her trauma and get back on stage, and the past, where memories of Brooke make it harder and harder to ignore the petulant teen’s sudden disappearance.

Writer-director Ally Pankiw’s debut feature is equally funny and heartbreaking in its honest and refreshing look at trauma and recovery, and how they affect the relationships and communities that shape us.

Content Warning: themes of domestic violence.