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Aside from boasting a talented roster of athletically inclined performers, the film can also be proud of its unique Toronto connection, as both writer Annmarie Morais and director Ian Iqbal Rashid hail from the GTA.

The film centres on main character Raya Green (played by Rutina Wesley); the daughter of Jamaican immigrants. Raya stands out through her academic and social achievements as the family's great hope.

Through her work, Raya is given the rare chance to break out of her drug- and crime-infested neighborhood, as she is accepted into the exclusive Seaton Academy. But when her sister dies of an overdose, the family is shattered and Raya is forced to return to the place she has tried so hard to escape. Looking for a way out, Raya learns about a step competition with a $50,000 cash prize that could change her fate.

"The story's really about one girl's journey to figure out her life, and step gives her a power and a voice to find her way in the world," Morais said. "I tried to put all of Raya's pain and anger and frustration into motion and, as I was writing, I always saw her movements in my head. The heart of the story are the relationships that influence who Raya is - but the dance became an expression of those things, a reaction to those things and a drive for those things."

Morais set her story in a unique locale few film-goers have seen - Toronto's Jane-Finch corridor - an area recognized as a melting pot of multi-ethnic culture, composed of new and often impoverished immigrants from across the globe. Although the area is widely recognized as a high-density setting rife with drug and gang-related crime, it is also a vibrant community that is home to some of Canada's most promising young achievers.

For Morais, it was important that Raya sees that leaving Jane-Finch behind - turning away from her own personal history - is not the key to starting her life anew.

"The idea that you have 'to leave to achieve' is no longer true, and I think people need to be reminded that you can effect change wherever you are and whatever your situation is. Your success is not about your location," Morais said. "It's about your determination. Whatever it is that you desire, it's not a matter of you have to be from here or you can't be from Jane-Finch. It's your own determination that charts your future."

Film director Rashid also recognizes the important complexities connected with the immigrant experience exposed in the film.

"I saw How She Move so clearly as I was reading it," said Rashid who, like the film's lead character, grew up in urban Toronto as an immigrant, his family having sought asylum there from his native Tanzania. "I love dance and music, and dance tells so much of this story - so much texture and emotion are played out through it. Yet the film also speaks to the scars of migration, a theme that very much interests me and runs through all of my work. I was also drawn to it because it's a story that talks about different ways of winning; and how winning doesn't always look how you think it's going to look."

With a story of determination, downfall and redemption, How She Move is sure to be one of this season's most enjoyable film experiences. To find out about venues, scheduling and show times, check your local listings.

Jon Sarpong is the diversity officer at Durham College. He provides independent diversity training and consultation for various organizations. Contact Jon by e-mailing jsarpong@hotmail.com.