The Toronto International Film Festival has completed the entire lineup for its its 37th edition.
For 2012, TIFF has 289 feature films and 83 shorts (20 more features than last year), including new works from Ben Affleck, Deepa Mehta, Tom Tykwer, Andy Wachowski, Lana Wachowski, David O. Russell, Joe Wright, Xavier Dolan, Paul Thomas Anderson, Spike Lee, Ramin Bahrani, Neil Jordan, Mira Nair, Robert Redford, Cate Shortland, Harmony Korine, Susanne Bier, Sarah Polley, Francois Ozon, Joss Whedon, Derek Cianfrance, Walter Salles, Noah Baumbach, Sally Potter and Terrence Malick.
Below is a list of all the titles announced, with descriptions provided by the festival. The festival runs September 6-16, 2012.
Galas:
A Royal Affair Nikolai Arcel, Denmark/Sweden/Czech Republic/Germany North American Premiere
A Royal Affair is a gripping tale of brave idealists who risk everything in their pursuit of freedom for the people, but above all it is the story of a passionate and forbidden romance that changed an entire nation. Starring Mads Mikkelsen and Alicia Vikander.
Argo Ben Affleck, USA World Premiere
When militants storm the U.S. embassy in 1979 Tehran, six Americans manage to slip away. Knowing it's only a matter of time before they are found, a CIA "exfiltration" specialist comes up with a plan to get them out of the country: a plan so incredible, it could only happen in the movies. Starring Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston, John Goodman and Kyle Chandler.
"Argo"
Jim Grant (Robert Redford), a civil rights lawyer and single father, must go on the run when a brash young reporter (Shia LaBeouf) exposes his true identity as a former 1970s radical fugitive wanted for murder. Sparking a nationwide manhunt, Grant sets off on a cross-country journey to clear his name. Also starring Susan Sarandon, Terrence Howard, Anna Kendrick, Stanley Tucci, Chris Cooper and Nick Nolte.
Dangerous Liaisons Hur Jin-ho, China North American Premiere
As war looms in Shanghai, glamorous libertine Mo Jietu (Cecilia Cheung) runs into playboy Xie Yifan (Dong-gun Jang), an ex-boyfriend who's never stopped loving her. She persuades him to play a treacherous game: Xie must seduce the innocent and naïve Du Fenyu (Zhang Ziyi) and then dump her. But the game becomes increasingly dangerous as Xie falls in love with Du, leading them all to tragic and shocking consequences.
Emperor Peter Webber, Japan/USA World Premiere
In the aftermath of Japan's defeat in World War II and the American occupation of the country, a Japanese expert (Matthew Fox) on the staff of Gen. Douglas MacArthur (Tommy Lee Jones) is faced with a decision of historic importance, in this epically scaled drama from director Peter Webber (Girl With a Pearl Earring).
English Vinglish Gauri Shinde, India World Premiere
Money, fame and a knowledge of English. In India, these 3 factors play a huge role in how society judges an individual. English Vinglish is the story of Shashi, a woman who does not know English and in turn is made to feel insecure by her family and society at large. The film is the lighthearted yet touching and transformational journey of Shashi. Circumstances make her determined to overcome this insecurity, master the language, teach the world a lesson on the way to becoming a self assured and confident woman. This film marks the comeback of India’s biggest female star, Sridevi.
Free Angela & All Political Prisoners Shola Lynch, USA/France World Premiere The documentary Free Angela & All Political Prisoners tells the dramatic story of how a young philosophy professor’s social justice activism implicates her in the botched kidnapping attempt of a judge that ends in bloody shootout. Newsweek asks: what would prompt Angela Davis, “the daughter of the black bourgeoisie, to take a desperate turn to terrorism?”
Great Expectations Mike Newell, United Kingdom World Premiere
Orphan Pip rises from humble beginnings thanks to a mysterious benefactor. Moving through London’s class-ridden world as a gentleman, Pip uses his new status to pursue Estella, a beautiful, heartless heiress he’s always loved. The shocking truth behind his fortune will have devastating consequences for everything he holds dear. Starring Holliday Grainger, Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter and Jeremy Irvine.
Hyde Park on Hudson Roger Michell, United Kingdom World Premiere
In June 1939, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (Academy Award® nominee Bill Murray) and his wife Eleanor (Olivia Williams) host the King and Queen of England (Samuel West and Olivia Colman) for a weekend at the Roosevelt home at Hyde Park on Hudson in upstate New York — the first-ever visit of a reigning English monarch to America. With Britain facing imminent war with Germany, the Royals are desperately looking to FDR for support. But international affairs must be juggled with the complexities of FDR's domestic establishment, as wife, mother, and mistresses all conspire to make the royal weekend an unforgettable one. Seen through the eyes of Daisy (Academy Award nominee Laura Linney), Franklin's neighbour and intimate, the weekend will produce not only a special relationship between two great nations, but also a deeper understanding of the mysteries of love and friendship.
Inescapable Ruba Nadda, Canada World Premiere
One afternoon, on a typical day at work, Adib is confronted with devastating news: His eldest daughter, Muna, has gone missing in Damascus. Now Adib, who has not been back in over 30 years, must return to Syria and deal with his secret past in order to find her. Inescapable is a thriller about a father’s desperate search for his daughter and the chaos of the Middle East he left behind.
Starring Alexander Siddig, Marisa Tomei and Joshua Jackson.
Jayne Mansfield’s Car Billy Bob Thornton, USA/Russia North American Premiere
Jayne Mansfield’s Car is a funny, poignant and searching look at three generations of fathers and sons in the South during the tumultuous ‘60s. It follows the family's heartfelt — and sometimes hilarious — struggles with long-held resentments, secrets, the memories of war, and how life, death and loss shaped them all. Starring Robert Duvall, Kevin Bacon, Billy Bob Thornton and John Hurt.
"Looper"
In the futuristic action thriller Looper, time travel will be invented – but it will be illegal and only available on the black market. When the mob wants to get rid of someone, they will send their target 30 years into the past, where a “looper” – a hired gun, like Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) – is waiting to mop up. Joe is getting rich and life is good… until the day the mob decides to “close the loop,” sending back Joe’s future self (Bruce Willis) for assassination. Also starring Emily Blunt, Paul Dano and Jeff Daniels.
Love, Marilyn Liz Garbus, USA World Premiere
Nearly 50 years after her death, two boxes of Marilyn Monroe's private writings and musings were discovered in the home of her acting coach. These papers, brought to life in this innovative documentary film by some of our contemporary icons and stars, give us a new understanding of Monroe — revealing her carefully guarded inner life. Featuring Elizabeth Banks, Lindsay Lohan, Evan Rachel Wood, Ben Foster, Uma Thurman, Paul Giamatti, Viola Davis, Jeremy Piven, Ellen Burstyn, Adrien Brody, Marisa Tomei and Glenn Close.
Midnight's Children Deepa Mehta, Canada/ United Kingdom World Premiere “Born in the hour of India’s freedom. Handcuffed to history.” Midnight’s Children is an epic film from Academy Award-nominated director Deepa Mehta, based on the Booker Prize-winning novel by Salman Rushdie. At the stroke of midnight on August 15, 1947, as India proclaims independence from Great Britain, two newborn babies are switched by a nurse in a Bombay hospital. Saleem Sinai, the illegitimate son of a poor Hindu woman, and Shiva, the offspring of wealthy Muslims, are fated to live the destiny meant for each other. Their lives become mysteriously intertwined and are inextricably linked to India’s whirlwind journey of triumphs and disasters. Starring Satya Bhabha, Shahana Goswami, Rajat Kapoor, Seema Biswas, Shriya Saran, Siddharth, Ronit Roy, Rahul Bose, Kulbushan Kharbanda, Soha Ali Khan, Anita Majumdar, Zaib Shaikh and Darsheel Safary.
The Reluctant Fundamentalist Mira Nair, USA North American Premiere
Based on the best-selling novel of the same title, that was translated into 25 languages, The Reluctant Fundamentalist is a riveting international political thriller that follows the story of a young Pakistani man chasing corporate success on Wall Street, who ultimately finds himself embroiled in a conflict between his American dream, a hostage crisis and the enduring call of his family's homeland. Starring Riz Ahmed, Kate Hudson, Kiefer Sutherland and Liev Schreiber.
Silver Linings Playbook David O. Russell, USA World Premiere
An intense, loving, emotional and funny family story from The Fighter director, David O. Russell. Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence find themselves partners in a secret arrangement to rebuild their broken lives. Robert De Niro yearns to get closer to his son (Cooper), as he tries to keep the family afloat with his compulsive bookmaking. Jacki Weaver and Chris Tucker co-star.
Song for Marion Paul Andrew Williams, UK World Premiere (Closing Night Film)
A feel-good, heart-warming story about how music can inspire you. Song for Marion stars Terence Stamp as Arthur, a grumpy pensioner who can't understand why his wife Marion (Vanessa Redgrave) would want to embarrass herself singing silly songs with her unconventional local choir. But choir director Elizabeth (Gemma Arterton) sees something special in the reluctant Arthur and refuses to give up on him. As she coaxes him out of his shell, Arthur realizes that it is never too late to change.
"Silver Linings Playbook"
Thermae Romae Hideki Takeuchi, Japan North American Premiere
Ancient Roman architect Lucius (Hiroshi Abe) is too serious. His inability to keep up with the fast-moving times costs him his job. When a friend takes the dejected Lucius to the public bathhouse to cheer him up, Lucius accidentally slips through time and resurfaces in a modern-day public bath in Japan. There, he meets aspiring young manga artist Mami (Aya Ueto), along with others of the “flat-faced clan.” Shocked by the many inventive aspects of Japan’s bathing culture, Lucius returns to ancient Rome and garners tremendous attention when he implements these novel ideas back in Rome. As he time-slips back and forth between ancient Rome and modern-day Japan, Lucius’ reputation as the ingenious, new bath architect begins to grow.
Twice Born Sergio Castellitto, Italy/Spain/Croatia World Premiere
Gemma visits Sarajevo with her son, Pietro. Sixteen years ago they escaped the war-torn city while the boy’s father remained behind and later died. As she tries to repair her relationship with Pietro, a revelation forces Gemma to face loss, the cost of war and the redemptive power of love. Starring Penelope Cruz and Emile Hirsch.
What Maisie Knew Scott McGehee, David Siegel, USA World Premiere
Based on the Henry James novella, the story frames on 7-year-old Maisie, caught in a custody battle between her mother – a rock and roll icon – and her father. What Maisie Knew is an evocative portrayal of the chaos of adult life seen entirely from a child’s point of view. Starring Joanna Vanderham, Onata Aprile, Alexander Skarsgård, Julianne Moore, and Steve Coogan.
For a list of all the films announced so far in the Special Presentations program (including new work from Derek Cianfrance, Noah Baumbach, Joe Wright, Sally Potter and Terrence Malick, among many, many others), continue here to the next page.
Special Presentations
"Anna Karenina"
A Few Hours of Spring Stéphane Brizé, France North American Premiere
Forty-eight-year-old Alain Evrard is obliged to return home to live with his mother. This situation causes all the violence of their past relationship to rise to the surface. Alain then discovers that his mother has a fatal illness. In the last months of her life, will they finally be capable of taking a step toward each other?
Anna Karenina Joe Wright, United Kingdom International Premiere
The third collaboration of Academy Award® nominee Keira Knightley with acclaimed director Joe Wright, following the award-winning box office successes Pride & Prejudice and Atonement, is a bold, theatrical new vision of the epic love story, adapted from Leo Tolstoy’s timeless novel by Academy Award winner Tom Stoppard (Shakespeare in Love). The story powerfully explores the capacity for love that surges through the human heart. As Anna (Knightley) questions her happiness and marriage, change comes to surround her. Also starring Jude Law and Aaron Taylor-Johnson.
Antiviral Brandon Cronenberg, Canada/USA North American Premiere
Syd March is an employee at a clinic that sells injections of live viruses harvested from sick celebrities to obsessed fans. When he becomes infected with the disease that plagues superstar Hannah Geist, he must unravel the mystery surrounding her before he suffers the same fate. Starring Caleb Landry Jones and Sarah Gadon.
Arthur Newman Dante Ariola, USA World Premiere
Wallace Avery is tired of being a loser. Once a hot shot in the world of competitive amateur golf, Wallace was dubbed ‘The Choker’ when he hit the pro circuit. Unable to shake off a monumental loss of nerve on the greens, Wallace retired from the pro tour and slipped into the ranks of the quietly desperate. Deciding to address a radical problem with a radical solution, he stages his own death, buys himself a new identity as Arthur Newman, and sets out toward his own private Oz of golf. An offbeat love story set in a perfect storm of identity crisis, Arthur Newman looks at how two people try to remake themselves and come around to owning up to some basic truths about the identities they left at home. Starring Emily Blunt, Colin Firth, and Anne Heche.
At Any Price Ramin Bahrani, United Kingdom/USA North American Premiere
Set in the competitive world of modern agriculture, ambitious Henry Whipple (Dennis Quaid) wants his rebellious son Dean (Zac Efron) to help expand his family's farming empire. However, Dean has his sights set on becoming a professional race car driver. When a high-stakes investigation into their business is exposed, father and son are pushed into an unexpected situation that threatens the family's entire livelihood.
The Attack Ziad Doueiri, France World Premiere
In the aftermath of a suicide bombing, an Arab surgeon living in Tel Aviv discovers a dark secret about his wife.
Bad 25 Spike Lee, USA North American Premiere
Bad 25 celebrates the 25th anniversary of the Michael Jackson “Bad” album with unseen footage, content shot by Jackson himself, and a treasure chest of findings. The documentary is divided into two parts: artists today who were influenced by Michael, and people who worked by his side – musicians, songwriters, technicians, engineers, people at the label – all committed to Michael and the follow-up to the biggest record of all time, “Thriller.” Interviewees include: Mariah Carey, L.A. Reid and Sheryl Crow.
Byzantium Neil Jordan, United Kingdom World Premiere
Two mysterious women seek refuge in a run-down coastal resort. Clara meets lonely Noel, who provides shelter in his deserted guesthouse, Byzantium. Schoolgirl Eleanor befriends Frank and tells him their lethal secret. They were born 200 years ago and survive on human blood. As knowledge of their secret spreads, their past catches up on them with deathly consequence. Starring Gemma Arterton, Sam Riley and Saoirse Ronan.
Capital Costa-Gavras, France World Premiere
We are slaves to the Capital. We tremble when it trembles. We celebrate when it grows and triumphs. Who will set us free? Should we liberate ourselves? We should at the very least know those who serve it and how. This is the story of the unstoppable ascent of Marc Tourneuil, an expendable servant of the Capital who became its undisputed master. Starring Gad Elmaleh and Gabriel Byrne.
Tom Hanks in "Cloud Atlas"
Chen Kaige, Japan/China International Premiere
The story of three women whose worlds collide, Caught in the Web is a social commentary about the ‘sound bite’ society we are becoming, where perception becomes reality and judgments based on limited facts quickly spread, without regard for the truth or the damage they could cause. Starring Mark Chao, Chen Hong and Gao Yuanyuan.
Cloud Atlas Tom Tykwer, Andy Wachowski, Lana Wachowski, USA World Premiere
The powerful, inspiring epic Cloud Atlas explores how the actions and consequences of individual lives impact one another throughout the past, the present and the future, as one soul is shaped from a killer into a hero, and a single act of kindness ripples across centuries to inspire a revolution. Starring Tom Hanks, Hugo Weaving, Halle Berry, Susan Sarandon, Jim Broadbent and Hugh Grant.
The Deep Baltasar Kormákur, Iceland/Norway World Premiere
On a cold night a few miles off the coast of Iceland in March 1984, a fishing boat sank with all of its men. Miraculously surviving after five hours in the ocean, the exhausted young hulk washes ashore — only to find himself on a deadly lava field. Starring Ólafur Darri Ólafsson.
Disconnect Henry Alex Rubin, USA North American Premiere
Disconnect interweaves multiple storylines about people searching for human connection in today’s wired world. Through poignant turns that are both harrowing and touching, the stories intersect with surprising twists that expose a shocking reality into our daily use of technology that mediates and defines our relationships and ultimately our lives. Directed by Academy Award® nominee Henry Alex Rubin (Murderball), and starring Jason Bateman, Hope Davis, Frank Grillo, Paula Patton, Michael Nyqvist, Andrea Riseborough, Alexander Skarsgård, and Max Theriot, as well as Jonah Bobo, Colin Ford and Haley Ramm.
Do Not Disturb Yvan Attal, France World Premiere
When Jeff unexpectedly shows up on Ben's doorstep at 2am. Since their college days, they've taken very different paths. Jeff is still the wild man, a serial lover, an artist and eternal vagabond who's never stopped roaming the world. Ben has settled down with chilled-out and wonderful Anna; they bought a small and comfortable house in the suburbs and started trying to make a baby. But this quiet life is disrupted by the whirlwind that is Jeff, especially when he takes Ben to a wild party, from which they return at dawn, having made a decision that is about to turn all of their lives upside down. The provocative, hot and funny new film by award-winning French director Yvan Attal. Starring François Cluzet and Charlotte Gainsbourg.
Dormant Beauty Marco Bellocchio, Italy/France International Premiere
Italy is cleaved by Eluana Englaro's drama, who will die after 17 years spent in a vegetative state. This national tragedy will touch and transform various characters, each of them with their own ideology and beliefs. A senator is struggling with his vote on a law he profoundly disagrees with, torn between his conscience and his loyalty towards the leaders of his party. His daughter Maria, a pro-life activist, is protesting in front of the clinic where Eluana is hospitalized. Roberto and his brother are there in opposition, demonstrating for stronger secular values — yet it is with Roberto, the "enemy," that Maria falls in love. These and other converging stories are connected by a unique emotional thread: a reflection on the meaning of life. Starring Isabelle Huppert, Toni Servillo, Alba Rohrwacher, Michele Riondino, Maya Sansa, Pier Giorgio Bellocchio, Brenno Placido, Fabrizio Falco, Gian Marco Tognazzi, Roberto Herlitzka.
Dreams for Sale: Nishikawa Miwa, Japan World Premiere
Kanya and Satoko, a married couple in Tokyo owned a small izakaya, a Japanese style pub. Their life was not easy but happy. One day they lost everything due to a fire. The two could not give up their dreams to own their own izakaya again, and started to save the money. Their choice of how to save the money was to act “marriage fraud” together. Satoko looks for women who are short of something in their life. She plans for her husband to deceive them and Kanya seduces them. An office worker who wants to get married, a very unfortunate young woman working in sex industry, lonely weightlifting athlete, a single mother working in a public working agency. They all accept love of Kanya. At first, everything seems to go on well and they succeed in saving money steadily. But their lies start to cause troubles not only between Kanya and the deceived women but between Kanya and Satoko… Starring Matsu Takako, Abe Sadavo and Tanaka Lena.
"Ginger and Rosa"
End Of Watch David Ayer, USA World Premiere
Academy Award® nominee Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña star as young Los Angeles police officers Taylor and Zavala as they patrol south central's meanest streets, creating a riveting portrait of the city's most dangerous corners and the cops who risk their lives there every day.
Everybody Has A Plan Ana Piterbarg, Argentina International Premiere
Everybody Has A Plan tells the story of Agustín (Viggo Mortensen), a man desperate to abandon what he has gradually come to feel is an unfulfilling existence after years of living in Buenos Aires. Following the death of his identical twin brother Pedro, Agustín sets out to begin his life anew by assuming Pedro’s identity and returning to the mysterious Tigre Delta region where the brothers had spent their childhood. Soon after his homecoming, however, Agustín finds himself unwittingly embroiled in the deadly criminal underworld that his brother had been part of.
Foxfire Laurent Cantet, France/Canada World Premiere
Synopsis to come
Starring Ali Liebert and Tamara Hope.
Frances Ha Noah Baumbach, USA World Premiere
Frances (Greta Gerwig) lives in New York, but she doesn't really have an apartment. Frances is an apprentice for a dance company, but she's not really a dancer. Frances throws herself headlong into her dreams, even as their possible reality dwindles. Frances wants so much more than she has but lives her life with unaccountable joy and lightness. Frances Ha is a modern fable in which Noah Baumbach (The Squid and the Whale, Greenberg) explores New York, friendship, class, ambition, failure, and redemption.
Ginger and Rosa Sally Potter, United Kingdom World Premiere
London, 1962: Two teenage girls, Ginger and Rosa, are inseparable. They play truant together, discuss religion, politics and hairstyles, and dream of lives bigger than their mothers' frustrated domesticity. But as the Cold War meets the sexual revolution, the lifelong friendship of the two girls is threatened. Starring Elle Fanning, Alice Englert, Christina Hendricks, Annette Bening and Alessandro Nivola.
Greetings from Tim Buckley Dan Algrant, USA World Premiere
Greetings from Tim Buckley follows the story of the days leading up to Jeff Buckley’s eminent 1991 performance at his father’s tribute concert in St. Ann’s Church. Through a romance with a young woman working at the concert, he learns to embrace all of his feelings toward the father who abandoned him – longing, anger, forgiveness, and love. Culminating in a cathartic performance of his father’s most famous songs, Jeff’s debut stuns the audience and launches his career as one of the greatest young musicians of his time. Starring Imogen Poots and Penn Badgley.
Hannah Arendt Margarethe von Trotta, Germany World Premiere
Hannah Arendt is a portrait of the genius that shook the world with her discovery of “the banality of evil.” After she attends the Nazi Adolf Eichmann’s trial in Jerusalem, Arendt dares to write about the Holocaust in terms no one has ever heard before. Her work instantly provokes a furious scandal, and Arendt stands strong as she is attacked by friends and foes alike. But as the German-Jewish émigré also struggles to suppress her own painful associations with the past, the film exposes her beguiling blend of arrogance and vulnerability — revealing a soul defined and derailed by exile. Starring Janet McTeer and Barbara Sukowa.
The Hunt Thomas Vinterberg, Denmark North American Premiere
The Hunt is a disturbing depiction of how a lie becomes the truth when gossip, doubt and malice are allowed to flourish and ignite a witch-hunt that soon threatens to destroy an innocent man's life. Following a tough divorce, 40-year-old Lucas has a new girlfriend, a new job and is in the process of re-establishing his relationship with his teenage son, Marcus... but things go awry with just a story — a random lie. And as the snow falls and the Christmas lights are lit, the lie spreads like a virus. The shock and mistrust get out of hand, and the small community suddenly finds itself in a collective state of hysteria, while Lucas fights a lonely fight for his life and dignity.
Starring Thomas Bo Larsen, Annika Wedderkopp and Mads Mikkelsen.
The Iceman Ariel Vromen, USA North American Premiere
The Iceman is the true story of Richard Kuklinski: loving husband, devoted father, ruthless killer. He is believed to have killed more than 250 people between 1954 and 1985. Starring Winona Ryder, Chris Evans, David Schwimmer, Michael Shannon and Ray Liotta.
Imogene Robert Pulcini, Shari Springer Berman, USA World Premiere
Imogene is the story of a moderately successful New York playwright who stages a fake suicide attempt in order to win back her ex-boyfriend — only to end up being forced into the custody of her gambling-addicted mother. Starring Annette Bening, Matt Dillon, Darren Criss and Kristen Wiig.
"The Hunt"
The Impossible J.A. Bayona, Spain/USA World Premiere
Based on a true story, The Impossible is the unforgettable account of a family caught in the mayhem of one of the worst natural catastrophes of our time. True-life terror is tempered by the unexpected displays of compassion and simple kindness this family encounters during the darkest hours of their lives. Starring Naomi Watts, Tom Holland, Samuel Joslin, Oaklee Pendergast and Ewan McGregor.
Inch'Allah Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette, Canada World Premiere
Chloe is a young Canadian obstetrician working in a makeshift clinic within a Palestinian refugee camp in the West Bank where she treats pregnant women under the supervision of Michael, a French doctor. Facing daily checkpoints and the separation barrier, Chloe is confronted with the conflict and the people it affects. Her encounter with the war draws Chloe into an adventure that's both deeply personal and as large as the land. From the producing team behind Academy Award®-nominated Monsieur Lazhar and Incendies.
In the House François Ozon, France World Premiere
A 16-year-old boy insinuates himself into the house of a fellow student from his literature class and writes about it in essays for his French teacher. Faced with this gifted and unusual pupil, the teacher rediscovers his enthusiasm for his work, but the boy's intrusion will unleash a series of uncontrollable events. Starring Kristin Scott Thomas.
Kon-Tiki Joachim Roenning and Espen Sandberg, United Kingdom/Norway/Denmark International Premiere
Thor Heyerdahl is a restless spirit. His radical idea kick-starts an impossible mission. Along with five loyal crew, Thor follows an ancient path 4,300 miles across the Pacific on the fragile Kon-Tiki raft. Attacked by tidal waves, sharks and every danger the Ocean can muster, it’s six men battling nature as Kon-Tiki strives to reach land. Having sacrificed everything, even his marriage, Thor must succeed. A true story.
The Last Supper Lu Chuan, China World Premiere
From internationally acclaimed director Lu Chuan, The Last Supper tells an epic story of war, of ruthless ambition, of mighty dreams fulfilled... and of betrayals – betrayals of friendship, betrayals of noble ideals, betrayals of oneself.
A Late Quartet Yaron Zilberman, USA World Premiere
When the beloved cellist of a world-renowned string quartet is diagnosed with a life threatening illness, the group's future suddenly hangs in the balance as suppressed emotions, competing egos and uncontrollable passions threaten to derail years of friendship and collaboration. As they are about to play their 25th anniversary concert — quite possibly their last — only their intimate bond and the power of music can preserve their legacy. Starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Mark Ivanir, Imogen Poots, Christopher Walken and Catherine Keener.
"Laurence Anyways"
Xavier Dolan, Canada Toronto Premiere
In the 1990s, Laurence tells his girlfriend Fred that he wants to become a woman. In spite of the odds — and in spite of each other — they confront the prejudices of their friends, ignore the counsel of their families, and brave the phobias of the society they offend. For ten years, they try to live through this transition, and embark on an epic journey which, unbeknownst to them, may cost Fred and Laurence their love. Starring Suzanne Clément and Melvil Poupaud.
A Liar's Autobiography — The Untrue Story of Monty Python's Graham Chapman Ben Timlett, Bill Jones, Jeff Simpson, United Kingdom World Premiere Graham Chapman, probably best remembered as “the dead one from Monty Python,” writes and stars in the animated movie of his own life story, A Liar’s Autobiography. He was born, he went to Cambridge and met John Cleese, he smoked a pipe, he became a doctor, he became a Python, he decided he was gay (well, 70/30, according to a survey he did on himself), he got drunk a lot, he stopped being drunk, he made some films, he had some sex (actually, a lot), and moved to Los Angeles. Finally, he was whisked up into space by aliens (although that might have been in a film). Starring Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Jones, Michael Palin, Terry Gilliam, Carol Cleveland and Philip Bulcock.
Lines of Wellington Valeria Sarmiento, Portugal North American Premiere
After the failed attempts of Junot and Soult in 1807 and 1809, Napoleon Bonaparte sent a powerful army, commanded by Marshal Massena, to invade Portugal in 1810. The French easily reached the centre of the country, where the Anglo-Portuguese army, led by General Wellington, was waiting. Starring John Malkovich, Nuno Lopes, Soraia Chaves, Marisa Paredes, and Victoria Guerra.
Liverpool Manon Briand, Canada Toronto Premiere
A coat check attendant in a bar decides to take an unclaimed coat back to its owner, but soon finds herself in the middle of criminal intrigue. A regular of the bar has long harboured a secret love for the attendant — enough to put his life on the line to help her. Starring Stéphanie Lapointe, Charles-Alexandre Dubé and Louis Morissette.
Lore Cate Shortland, Australia/United Kingdom/Germany North American Premiere
After her Nazi parents are imprisoned, Lore leads her younger siblings across a war-torn Germany in 1945. Amidst the chaos, she encounters mysterious Jewish refugee Thomas, who shatters her fragile reality with hatred and desire. To live, she must trust someone she was taught to hate and face the darkness within herself. Starring Saskia Rosendahl and Kai Malina.
Love is All You Need Susanne Bier, Denmark North American Premiere
Love Is All You Need is a new film by Academy Award-winner Susanne Bier. Philip (Pierce Brosnan), an Englishman living in Denmark, is a lonely, middle-aged widower and estranged single father. Ida (Trine Dyrholm) is a Danish hairdresser, recuperating from a long bout of illness, who's just been left by her husband for a younger woman. The fates of these two bruised souls are about to intertwine, as they embark for Italy to attend the wedding of Philip's son and Ida's daughter. With warmth, affection and confidence, Bier has shaken a cocktail of love, loss, absurdity, humour and delicately drawn characters who will leave only the hardest heart untouched. This is a film about the simple yet profound pains and joys of moving on – and forward – with your life.
The Master Paul Thomas Anderson, USA North American Premiere
A striking portrait of drifters and seekers in post World War II America, Paul Thomas Anderson’s THE MASTER unfolds the journey of a Naval veteran (Joaquin Phoenix) who arrives home from war unsettled and uncertain of his future - until he is tantalized by The Cause and its charismatic leader (Philip Seymour Hoffman). Starring Amy Adams, Joaquin Phoenix, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Laura Dern.
Mr. Pip Andrew Adamson, New Zealand World Premiere
In 1991, a war over a copper mine in the South Pacific tore the island of Bougainville apart. The reclusive “Popeye” (Hugh Laurie) offers the children in 14-year-old Matilda’s tiny village an escape with Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations. But on an island at war, fiction can have dangerous consequences. Also starring Xzannjah Matsi, Healesville Joel, Eka Darville and Kerry Fox.
"Much Ado About Nothing"
Joss Whedon, USA World Premiere
Shakespeare’s classic comedy is given a contemporary spin in Joss Whedon’s film Much Ado About Nothing. Shot in just 12 days (and using the original text), the story of sparring lovers Beatrice (Amy Acker) and Benedick (Alexis Denisof) offers a dark, sexy and occasionally absurd view of the intricate game that is love. Also starring Clark Gregg, Jillian Morgese, Nathan Fillion, Spencer Treat Clark and Riki Lindhome.
No Pablo Larraín, Chile/USA North American Premiere
In 1988, Chilean military dictator Augusto Pinochet, due to international pressure, is forced to call a plebiscite on his presidency. The country will vote “Yes” or “No” to Pinochet extending his rule for another eight years. Opposition leaders for the NO persuade a brash, young advertising executive, Rene Saavedra (Gael García Bernal), to spearhead their campaign. Against all odds, with scant resources and under the scrutiny of the despot's minions, Saavedra and his team devise an audacious plan to win the election and set Chile free.
On The Road Walter Salles, France/Brazil North American Premiere
Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Walter Salles and based on the iconic novel by Jack Kerouac, On The Road tells the provocative story of Sal Paradise (Sam Riley), a young writer whose life is ultimately redefined by the arrival of Dean Moriarty (Garrett Hedlund), a free-spirited, fearless, fast-talking Westerner and his girl, Marylou (Kristen Stewart). Traveling cross-country, Sal and Dean venture out on a personal quest for freedom from the conformity and conservatism engulfing them in search of the unknown, themselves, and the pursuit of it – the pure essence of experience. Seeking unchartered terrain and the last American frontier, the duo encounter an eclectic mix of men and women, each adding meaning to their desire for a new way of life. The screenplay is by Jose Rivera (Academy Award nominee for The Motorcycle Diaries), while Executive Producer Francis Ford Coppola has been developing the project since 1978. Also stars Viggo Mortensen and Kirsten Dunst.
Outrage Beyond Takeshi Kitano, Japan North American Premiere
As the police launch a full-scale crackdown on organized crime, it ignites a national yakuza struggle between the Sanno of the East and Hanabishi of the West. What started as an internal strife in Outrage has no become a nationwide war in Outrage Beyond.
The Paperboy Lee Daniels, USA North American Premiere
A chilling sex-and-race-charged film noir, The Paperboy takes audiences deep into the backwaters of steamy 1960s South Florida, as investigative reporter Ward Jansen and his partner Yardley Acheman chase a sensational, career-making story with the help of Ward’s younger brother Jack and sultry death-row groupie Charlotte Bless. Starring Matthew McConaughey, Nicole Kidman, John Cusack, David Oyelowo and Zac Efron.
Nicole Kidman in "The Paperboy"
Brian De Palma, France/Germany North American Premiere
An erotic thriller in the tradition of Dressed To Kill and Basic Instinct, Brian de Palma's Passion tells the story of a deadly power struggle between two women in the dog-eat-dog world of international business. Christine possesses the natural elegance and casual ease associated with one who has a healthy relationship with money and power. Innocent, lovely and easily exploited, her admiring protégé, Isabelle, is full of cutting-edge ideas that Christine has no qualms about stealing. They're on the same team, after all... But when Isabelle falls into bed with one of Christine's lovers, war breaks out. Starring Rachel McAdams, Noomi Rapace, Karoline Herfurth and Paul Anderson.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower Stephen Chbosky, USA World Premiere
Based on the best-selling novel by Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a modern classic that captures the dizzying highs and crushing lows of growing up. The film is a moving tale of love, loss, fear, hope and the unforgettable friends who help us through life. Starring Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, Ezra Miller, Nina Dobrev, Melanie Lynskey, Paul Rudd and Dylan McDermott.
The Place Beyond the Pines Derek Cianfrance, USA World Premiere
Luke (Ryan Gosling) is a professional motorcycle rider who turns to bank robberies to support his newborn son. But when he crosses paths with a rookie police officer (Bradley Cooper), their violent confrontation spirals into a tense generational feud. The Place Beyond the Pines is a rich dramatic thriller, tracing the intersecting lives of fathers and sons, cops and robbers, heroes and villains. Also starring Rose Byrne, Ray Liotta and Eva Mendes.
Quartet Dustin Hoffman, United Kingdom World Premiere
The directorial debut of Dustin Hoffman, Quartet is a high-drama comedy about temperamental divas and old grudges, passion and pride, romance and Rigoletto, starring Maggie Smith, Tom Courtenay, Billy Connolly and Pauline Collins as four retired opera singers.
Reality Matteo Garrone, Italy/France North American Premiere
Luciano is a Neapolitan fishmonger who supplements his modest income by pulling off little scams with his wife Maria. A likeable, entertaining guy, Luciano never misses an opportunity to perform for his customers and countless relatives. One day, his family urges him to try out for the television show Big Brother. As he chases this dream, his perception of reality begins to change. Starring Aniello Arena, Loredana Simioli, Nando Paone, Nello Iorio and Nunzia Schiano.
Rebelle (War Witch) Kim Nguyen, Canada Toronto Premiere
Komona, a 14-year-old girl, tells her unborn child the story of how she became a child soldier. A tale set in Sub-Saharan Africa, Rebelle is also a love story between two young souls caught in a violent yet beautiful and magical world. Starring Rachel Mwanza (winner of Silver Bear for best actress at Berlin International Film Festival), Alain Bastien and Serge Kanyinda.
Marion Cotillard in "Rust and Bone."
Rhino Season Bahman Ghobadi, Iraqi Kurdistan/Turkey World Premiere
After thirty years spent in prisons of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Kurdish-Iranian poet Sahel finally walks free. Now the one thing keeping him alive is the thought of finding his wife Mina, who thinks he is long dead and has since moved to Turkey. Sahel sets out on an Istanbul-bound search. Starring Behrouz Vossoughi, Monica Bellucci and Yilmaz Erdoğan.
Rust and Bone Jacques Audiard, France/Belgium North American Premiere
It all begins in the North of France. Ali suddenly finds himself with a five-year-old child on his hands. Sam is his son, but he hardly knows him. Homeless, penniless and friendless, Ali takes refuge with his sister in Antibes where things improve immediately. She puts them up in her garage and takes the child under her wing. Ali first runs into Stephanie during a night club brawl. He is poor, she is beautiful and self-assured. Stephanie trains killer whales at Marineland. When a performance ends in tragedy, a call in the night again brings them together. Starring Marion Cotillard and Matthias Schoenaerts.
The Sapphires Wayne Blair, Australia North American Premiere
They’re sexy, black, young, talented, and have never set foot outside of Australia. Until, in the chaos of 1968, they're plucked from the obscurity of a remote Aboriginal mission, branded as the answer to The Supremes — grasping the chance of a life time — and shipped off to Vietnam to entertain the troops. Starring Chris O'Dowd, Deborah Mailman, Jessica Mauboy, Shari Sebbens and Miranda Tapsell.
The Sessions Ben Lewin, USA Canadian Premiere
Based on the poignantly optimistic autobiographical writings of California-based journalist and poet Mark O’Brien, The Sessions tells the story of a man confined to an iron lung, who at age 38 is determined to lose his virginity. With the help of his therapists and the guidance of his priest, he sets out to make his dream a reality. Starring John Hawkes, Helen Hunt and William H. Macy.
The Son Did It Daniele Ciprì, Italy/France North American Premiere
The Son Did It is the story of the Ciraulos, a poor family from South Italy whose young daughter is mistakenly killed by the Mafia. As compensation, they receive a large amount of money from the State but this sudden richness will change their life in a completely unexpected way. Starring Toni Servillo, Giselda Volodi, Alfredo Castro and Fabrizio Falco.
Spring Breakers Harmony Korine, USA North American Premiere
Four sexy college girls plan to fund their spring break getaway by burglarizing a fast food shack. But that’s only the beginning. During a night of partying, the girls hit a roadblock when they are arrested on drug charges. Hung over and clad only in bikinis, the girls appear before a judge but are bailed out unexpectedly by Alien (James Franco), an infamous local thug who takes them under his wing and leads them on the wildest spring break trip in history. Rough on the outside but with a soft spot inside, Alien wins over the hearts of the young spring breakers, and leads them on a spring break they never could have imagined. Starring Selena Gomez, James Franco, Vanessa Hudgens and Heather Morris.
Still Michael McGowan, Canada World Premiere
Based on true events and boasting a veteran cast, Still is a heartfelt story about an 89-year-old New Brunswicker (James Cromwell) who faces jail time when the government tries to stop him from building a more suitable house for his wife (Geneviève Bujold), whose health is beginning to fade.
Stories We Tell Sarah Polley, Canada North American Premiere
In this inspired, genre-twisting film, Academy Award-nominated writer/director Sarah Polley discovers that the truth depends on who’s telling it. Polley is both filmmaker and detective as she investigates the secrets behind a family of storytellers. She playfully interrogates a cast of characters of varying reliability, eliciting refreshingly candid, yet mostly contradictory, answers to the same questions. As each relates their version of the family mythology, present-day recollections shift into nostalgia-tinged glimpses of a lively, fun-loving past and the shadows just beneath. Polley unravels the paradoxes to reveal the essence of family: a messy, intense and loving tangle of contradictions.
"Perks Of Being A Wallflower"
The Suicide Shop Patrice Leconte, France/Belgium/Canada International Premiere
Imagine a shop that for generations has sold all the accoutrements for the perfect suicide. This family business prospers in all its bleak misery, until the day it encounters joie de vivre in the shape of younger son, Alan. What will become of The Suicide Shop in the face of Alan's relentless good cheer, optimism and determination to make the customers smile? Starring Bernard Alane, Isabelle Spade, Kacey Mottet Klein, Isabelle Giami and Laurent Gendron.
Tai Chi 0 Stephen Fung, China North American Premiere
Young genius Yang Luchan travels to Chen Village to learn the forbidden secrets of martial arts, but quickly learns that the village is menaced by a formidable battalion of Steampunk soldiers. The villagers realize that in order to save their home, they must trust this strange outsider with their knowledge of Tai Chi.
Thanks for Sharing Stuart Blumberg, USA World Premiere
Thanks for Sharing is a dramatic comedy starring Mark Ruffalo, Tim Robbins, Gwyneth Paltrow, Josh Gad and Joely Richardson. A group of unlikely friends are brought together through shared determination to recover from sex addictions, in order to forge meaningful relationships for the first time in their lives.
Thérèse Desqueyroux Claude Miller, France International Premiere
In the Landes region of France, near Bordeaux, marriages are arranged to merge land parcels and unite neighbouring families. Thus, young Thérèse Larroque becomes Mrs. Desqueyroux. But her avant-garde ideas clash with local conventions and in order to break free from the fate imposed upon her and live a full life, she will resort to tragically extreme measures. Starring Audrey Tautou, Gilles Lellouche, and Anaïs Demoustier.
The Time Being Nenad Cicin-Sain, USA World Premiere
The Time Being deals with the mysteries discovered in the search for artistic and personal integrity. When Daniel (Wes Bentley) encounters an eccentric would-be benefactor (Academy Award-nominee Frank Langella), Daniel is forced to wrestle with the balance between personal responsibility and his ambitions as an artist.
To The Wonder Terrence Malick, USA North American Premiere
After visiting Mont Saint-Michel — once known in France as the Wonder — at the height of their love, Marina (Olga Kurylenko) and Neil (Ben Affleck) come to Oklahoma, where problems soon arise. Marina makes the acquaintance of a priest and fellow exile (Javier Bardem), who is struggling with his vocation, while Neil renews his ties with a childhood friend, Jane (Rachel McAdams). An exploration of love in its many forms.
Venus & Serena Maiken Baird, USA World Premiere
Venus & Serena takes an honest and unfiltered look into the remarkable lives of sisters and tennis legends Serena and Venus Williams. Through the prism of one year in their lives, the film tells the untold story of how these two great stars came to be and how they struggle to stay on top.
"To The Wonder"
In a poverty-stricken and highly dangerous Buenos Aires slum, two men – both friends, both priests, both deeply respected by the local community for their tireless endeavours on behalf of the poor and the dispossessed – take very different paths in their struggle against violence, corruption and injustice. Starring Martina Gusman, Ricardo Darin, and Jérémie Renier.
Writers Josh Boone, USA World Premiere
An acclaimed writer, his ex-wife and their teenaged children come to terms with the complexities of love in all its forms over the course of one tumultuous year in Writers, the clever, funny, and touching tale of a fractured family trying to rediscover one another. Starring Liana Liberato, Jennifer Connelly, Greg Kinnear, Lily Collins and Kristen Bell.
Yellow Nick Cassavetes, USA World Premiere
Nick Cassavetes' seminal work, Yellow, is a searing take on modern society and the demands it makes on people. Centered on Mary Holmes, a young woman has a difficult time feeling things, and swallowing twenty Vicodin a day doesn’t help. We enter her hallucinatory world, peopled with Busby Berkeley dancers, Cirque de Soleil, Circus freaks, and human farm animals where nothing is quite what it seems. Starring Sienna Miller, Gena Rowlands, Ray Liotta, David Morse, Lucy Punch, Max Theoriot, Riley Keough, Daveigh Chase, Heather Wahlquist, and Melanie Griffith.
Zaytoun Eran Riklis, United Kingdom/Israel World Premiere
Zaytoun is the story of the unlikely alliance between a twelve-year-old Palestinian refugee and an Israeli fighter pilot shot down over Beirut in 1982. Their initial distrust develops into friendship as they make their way across war-torn Lebanon on a journey to a place they both call home. Starring Stephen Dorff.
For TIFF Docs,
Toronto International Film Festival
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"Storm Surfers 3D"
TIFF Docs
9.79* Daniel Gordon, United Kingdom World Premiere
Daniel Gordon’s 9.79* looks at the legacy of the 100-metre men’s final at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, when gold medalist Ben Johnson tested positive for anabolic steroids and scandal reigned. For the first time ever, the eight athletes who ran that infamous race tell their story.
Artifact Bartholomew Cubbins, USA World Premiere
The band Thirty Seconds to Mars and lead singer Jared Leto fight an excruciating lawsuit with EMI while writing songs for their album This is War.
A World Not Ours Mahdi Fleifel, United Kingdom/Lebanon/Denmark World Premiere
A World Not Ours is an intimate, often humorous, portrait of three generations of exile in the refugee camp of Ain El-Helweh, in southern Lebanon. Based on a wealth of personal recordings and historical footage, it is a sensitive and illuminating study of belonging, friendship and family.
The Act of Killing Joshua Oppenheimer, Denmark/Norway/United Kingdom World Premiere
In a place where killers are celebrated as heroes, these filmmakers challenge unrepentant death-squad leaders to dramatize their role in genocide. The result is a surreal, cinematic journey, not only into the memories and imaginations of mass murderers, but also into a frighteningly banal regime of corruption and impunity. Executive produced by Errol Morris.
As if We Were Catching a Cobra Hala Alabdalla, Syria/France World Premiere
Initially intended as a documentary foray into the art of caricature in Egypt and Syria, when the insurgencies break out in both countries, Syrian director Hala Alabdalla ends up drawing an electrifying, intimate, passionate film on the fearless tenacity of Arab artists fighting for freedom and justice.
Camp 14 — Total Control Zone Marc Wiese, Germany North American Premiere
This is the story of a man who was born and grew up in a Gulag-style North-Korean camp. After his escape at the age of 23, he discovers the “outside world” for the first time. The film relays his incredible story, as well as those of his fellow inmates and prison guards. Featuring Shin Dong-Huyk, Hyuk Kwon and Oh Yangnam.
The Central Park Five Ken Burns, David McMahon and Sarah Burns, USA North American Premiere
The Central Park Five tells the story of how five black and Latino teenagers were wrongly convicted of raping the Central Park Jogger and how a rush to judgment by the police, media clamoring for sensational stories, and an outraged public contributed to that miscarriage of justice.
Far Out Isn't Far Enough: The Tomi Ungerer Story Brad Bernstein, USA North American Premiere
Far Out Isn’t Far Enough: The Tomi Ungerer Story depicts one man’s wild, life-long adventure of testing societal boundaries through his use of subversive art. This film combines traditional documentary storytelling with original animation from over 70 years worth of art from the renegade children's book author and illustrator. Featuring Tomi Ungerer, Maurice Sendak, Jules Feiffer, Steven Heller and Michael Patrick Hearn.
First Comes Love Nina Davenport, USA World Premiere
With the bracingly honest, occasionally hilarious and ultimately moving First Comes Love, Davenport examines husband-free parenthood. From hormone injections to post-natal chaos, Davenport chronicles her own pregnancy — including her conventional family’s reaction to it. She reflects upon a rapidly changing world, providing a wry and insightful play-by-play that keeps the viewer tuned in and transfixed by the topsy-turvy state of modern reproduction.
The Gatekeepers Dror Moreh, Israel/France/Germany/Belgium International Premiere
Charged with overseeing Israel’s war on terror, the head of the Shin Bet — Israel’s secret service agency — is present at the crossroad of every decision made. For the first time ever, six former heads of the agency agree to share their insights and reflect publicly on their actions and decisions — offering an exclusive account of their experiences and attitudes during, and after, their service.
The Girl from the South José Luis García, Argentina International Premiere
Filmmaker José Luis García was fascinated by a young Korean student activist he met in 1989 in North Korea. The director begins his quest to ask her how she crossed the most fortified frontier in the world and what happened to her dreams after the fall of communism.
How to Make Money Selling Drugs Matthew Cooke, USA World Premiere
How To Make Money Selling Drugs offers a provocative glimpse into the lives of those on both sides of the “war on drugs,” delivering a diverse and unique perspective on the subject through interviews with 50 Cent, Eminem, The Wire producer David Simon, Arianna Huffington, Woody Harrelson, Eminem, Susan Sarandon and infamous drug kingpin “Freeway” Rick Ross.
Iceberg Slim: Portrait of a Pimp Jorge Hinojosa, USA World Premiere
Iceberg Slim: Portrait of a Pimp examines the tumultuous life of Iceberg Slim (1918-1992) and how he reinvented himself from pimp to author of seven groundbreaking books. These books were the birth of Street Lit and explored the world of the ghetto in gritty and poetic detail and have made him a cultural icon. Interviews with Iceberg Slim, Chris Rock, Henry Rollins, Ice-T, Quincy Jones and Snoop Dogg.
London – The Modern Babylon Julien Temple, United Kingdom International Premiere
London – The Modern Babylon is legendary director Julien Temple’s epic time-travelling voyage to the heart of his hometown. From musicians, writers and artists to dangerous thinkers, political radicals and — above all — ordinary people, this is the story of London’s immigrants, its bohemians and how together they changed the city forever.
Lunarcy! Simon Ennis, Canada World Premiere
With wry humour and affection, Simon Ennis’ Lunarcy! follows a disparate group of dreamers and schemers who share one thing in common: they’ve all devoted their lives to the Moon. From the former ventriloquist who’s made millions selling Moon lots to the young man who’s resolved to depart for Luna (permanently), Lunarcy! is a touching and comic portrait of passion, creativity and quixotic dreams.
Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God Alex Gibney, USA World Premiere
Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney exposes the abuse of power in the Catholic Church and a cover-up that winds its way from the row houses of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, through the bare ruined choirs of Ireland’s churches all the way to the highest office of the Vatican.
Men At Lunch Seán Ó Cualáin, Ireland International Premiere
Narrated by Fionnula Flanagan, Men at Lunch reveals the remarkable untold story behind one of the most iconic images of the 20th century, Lunch atop a Skyscraper, taken on the 69th floor of the Rockefeller Building in the autumn of 1932. Part homage, part investigation, Men at Lunch is the revealing tale of an American icon, an unprecedented race to the sky and the immigrant workers who built New York.
More Than Honey Markus Imhoof, Germany/Austria/Switzerland North American Premiere
Einstein once said: “If the bee disappears from the surface of the earth, man would have no more than four years to live.” In the past five years, billions of honeybees simply vanished for reasons still obscure. If the bees keep dying, there will be drastic effects for humans as well: more than one third of our food production depends on pollination by honeybees and their lives and deaths are linked to ours.
No Place on Earth Janet Tobias, USA/United Kingdom/Germany World Premiere
While mapping out the largest cave system in Ukraine, explorer and investigator Chris Nicola discovers evidence that five Jewish families spent nearly a year and a half in the pitch-black caves to escape the Nazis. This is the story of the longest uninterrupted underground survival in recorded human history.
Reincarnated Andrew Capper, USA World Premiere Legendary hiphop star Snoop Dogg travels to Jamaica to record a new album and immerse himself in the island’s music and culture. After decades as America's ultimate gangsta, Snoop seeks a more spiritual path.
Revolution Rob Stewart, Canada World Premiere
The much anticipated follow-up film from the filmmakers of internationally acclaimed, box office hit Sharkwater, Revolution follows Rob Stewart on an adventure from photographer/filmmaker to environmental activist trying to change the world. Stewart faces danger, conflict and drama in his struggle to find the key to empowering the conservation movement so it can affect change on a global scale.
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"Roman Polanski: Odd Man Out"
In 2009, celebrated director Roman Polanski was arrested at the Zurich Film Festival. His weekend jaunt turned into a 10-month imprisonment. Zenovich’s follow up to Wanted and Desired — which some say was one of the reasons for Polanski’s arrest — explores the bizarre clash of politics, celebrity justice and the media.
The Secret Disco Revolution Jamie Kastner, Canada World Premiere
A cheeky, sexy documentary-hybrid, The Secret Disco Revolution wraps revealing celebrity interviews — The Village People, Gloria Gaynor, Kool and the Gang — classic glitter-era footage and music in a hilarious new package that never lets you stop dancing long enough to decide what’s real and what’s satire.
Shepard & Dark Treva Wurmfeld, USA World Premiere
Remember when close friends corresponded by letters? When intimate thoughts about life, family and mortality were hand-written or typed on the page, with full thought given to every word? This is the kind of friendship that Sam Shepard and Johnny Dark had.
Show Stopper: The Theatrical Life of Garth Drabinsky Barry Avrich, Canada World Premiere
One of the most infamous moguls, Garth Drabinsky’s incredible story is the most dramatic and unprecedented rise to and fall from power in show business history. Show Stopper features interviews with artists who loved him, industry players who battled him and the media who spilled gallons of ink chronicling his prodigious career.
State 194 Dan Setton, Israel/Palestine/USA World Premiere
In 2009, Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad launched a plan to demonstrate that his people were deserving of statehood, inspiring them to change their destiny and seek U.N. membership. Since then, they've made remarkable progress, but the political quagmire threatens to destroy the most promising opportunity for peace in years. From Participant Media, the company behind Waiting for Superman and An Inconvenient Truth.
Storm Surfers 3D Christopher Nelius and Justin McMillan, Australia World Premiere
Storm Surfers 3D is an epic, character-driven adventure documentary following two best friends on their quest to hunt down and ride the biggest and most dangerous waves in the world. Aussie tow-surfing legend Ross Clarke-Jones and two-time world champion Tom Carroll enlist the help of surf forecaster Ben Matson, and together they track and chase giant storms across the Great Southern Ocean.
The Walls of Dakar Abdoul Aziz Cissé, Senegal International Premiere
A rare documentary that chronicles Dakar’s unplanned, spontaneous mural frescos, produced by marginal painters, rappers and taggers, that functioned, until the city’s insurgency, as one of its rare sites for free, uncensored expression and the crucible for articulating citizenship. Visually captivating, an elegy of Dakar's unrepentant insurgent spirit of its everyday artists.
For Midnight Madness, continue
Toronto International Film Festival
"T is for Toilet" The ABCs of Death
The ABCs of Death World Premiere
Kaare Andrews, Angela Bettis, Adrián García Bogliano, Bruno Forzani & Hélène Cattet, Ernesto Díaz Espinoza, Jason Eisener, Xavier Gens, Jorge Michel Grau, Lee Hardcastle, Noboru Iguchi, Thomas Cappelen Malling, Anders Morgenthaler, Yoshihiro Nishimura, Banjong Pisanthanakun, Simon Rumley, Marcel Sarmiento, Jon Schnepp, Srdjan Spasojevic, Timo Tjahjanto, Andrew Traucki, Nacho Vigalondo, Jake West, Ti West, Ben Wheatley, Adam Wingard, and Yûdai Yamaguchi Twenty-six directors... 26 ways to die! The ABCs Of Death is perhaps the most ambitious anthology film ever conceived, featuring segments directed by over two dozen of the world’s leading talents in contemporary genre film. With each director assigned a letter of the alphabet, they were then given free rein in choosing a word to create a story involving a tale of mortality. It’s an alphabetical arsenal of destruction orchestrated by some of the most exciting names in global horror including Ben Wheatley (Kill List), Ti West (House of the Devil), Jason Eisener (Hobo With A Shotgun), Adam Wingard (You're Next), Xavier Gens (Frontieres), and Nacho Vigalondo (Time Crimes).
Aftershock Nicolás López, USA/Chile World Premiere
In Chile, an American tourist’s vacation goes from good to great when he meets some beautiful women travellers. But when an earthquake ravages the underground nightclub they’re in, a fun night quickly turns to terror. Escaping to the surface is just the beginning as they face nightmarish chaos above ground. Starring Eli Roth and Selena Gomez.
The Bay Barry Levinson, USA World Premiere
A brutal and harrowing film about a deadly parasite, The Bay chronicles the descent of a small Maryland town into absolute terror.
Come Out and Play Makinov, Mexico World Premiere
Beth and Francis vacation before the birth of their child. Francis insists on venturing to a more serene island, Beth hesitantly agrees. They set out to a beautiful island, but soon discover it’s mysteriously abandoned, and the only people on the island are children. Beth and Francis are left to uncover the mystery of the disappearances, and a day in paradise quickly turns into a struggle for survival. Cast includes Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Vinessa Shaw and Daniel Gimenez Cacho.
The endlessly inventive mind of writer Alex Garland (28 Days Later) and director Pete Travis bring the iconic masked police officer Dredd to life in this futuristic neo-noir action film. Filmed in 3D with stunning slow-motion photography sequences, the film returns the celebrated comic book anti-hero to his dark, violent and visceral roots. Starring Karl Urban, Olivia Thirlby and Lena Headey.
Hellbenders JT Petty, USA World Premiere
Hellbenders, an R-rated 3D exorcism comedy, follows the Order of Hellbound Saints (Brooklyn Parish), a highly secretive and profoundly blasphemous men of God, as they battle demonic forces too terrible to be cast out by traditional Vatican-approved methods. Cast includes Clancy Brown, Clifton Collins Jr., Robyn Rikoon and Andre Royo.
John Dies at the End Don Coscarelli, USA Canadian Premiere
In John Dies at the End, it’s all about the Soy Sauce, a drug that promises an out-of-body experience with each hit. Users drift across time and dimensions. But some who come back are no longer human. Suddenly, a silent otherworldly invasion is underway, and mankind needs a hero. What it gets instead is John (Rob Mayes) and David (Chase Williamson), a pair of college dropouts who can barely hold down jobs. Can these two stop the oncoming horror in time to save humanity? No. No, they can't. Adapted from David Wong's audacious trans-genre horror novel, John Dies at the End is written and directed by Don Coscarelli (Bubba Ho-Tep) and also stars Clancy Brown and Paul Giamatti.
The Lords of Salem Rob Zombie, USA/United Kingdom/Canada World Premiere
Heidi, a radio station DJ, receives a wooden box containing a record. Heidi listens and the bizarre sounds within the grooves immediately trigger flashbacks of Salem's violent past. Is Heidi going mad or are the Lords of Salem returning for revenge on modern day Salem?
No One Lives Ryuhei Kitamura, USA World Premiere
From the director of Versus and The Midnight Meat Train, No One Lives is a smart and original horror movie with, at its heart, a killer in the grip of a dark and twisted love affair. A ruthless criminal gang takes a young couple hostage and goes to ground in an abandoned house in the middle of nowhere. When the captive girl is killed, the tables are unexpectedly turned. The gang finds itself outsmarted by an urbane and seasoned killer determined to ensure that no one lives. Featuring Luke Evans, Adelaide Clemens, Derek Magyar, Lee Tergesen and America Olivo.
Seven Psychopaths Martin McDonagh, USA/United Kingdom World Festival Premiere
Written and Directed by Academy Award® winner Martin McDonagh, the comedy Seven Psychopaths follows a struggling screenwriter (Colin Farrell) who inadvertently becomes entangled in the Los Angeles criminal underworld after his oddball friends (Christopher Walken and Sam Rockwell) kidnap a gangster’s (Woody Harrelson) beloved Shih Tzu. Co-starring Abbie Cornish, Tom Waits, Olga Kurylenko and Zeljko Ivanek.
For Vanguard, continue
Toronto International Film Festival
Ben Wheatley's "Sightseers."
90 Minutes Eva Sørhaug, Norway World Premiere
Director Eva Sørhaug (Cold Lunch) reveals the rage and violence lurking beneath seemingly tranquil domesticity in her bold and uncompromising sophomore feature.
Beijing Flickers Zhang Yuan, China World Premiere
Beneath Beijing's dazzling economic boom exists the downtrodden and the forgotten “little” people who bear the weight of life's trials and injustices.
Berberian Sound Studio Peter Strickland, United Kingdom North American Premiere
Set in 1976: Gilderoy is hired to orchestrate the sound mix for the latest film by Italian horror maestro, Santini. As time and realities shift, Gilderoy is lost in a spiral of sonic and personal mayhem, and has to confront his own demons in order to stay afloat.
Blondie Jesper Ganslandt, Sweden North American Premiere
Three sisters, all adrift and in crisis, reunite at their childhood home as their domineering mother arranges a big birthday. But as the festivities come to an end, repressed conflicts rise to the surface. Old wounds are opened and a new family is born.
Here Comes the Devil Adrian Garcia Bogliano, Mexico/Argentina World Premiere
On a family vacation, a couple’s son and daughter disappear while exploring a cave-riddled mountainside. The children eventually return home seemingly unharmed, but are withdrawn and devoid of emotion. The parents fear they have fallen prey to something inhuman — and that this dark evil has come home with them.
"The We and the I"
I Declare War Jason Lapeyre and Robert Wilson, Canada World Premiere
A group of friends play an innocent game of capture the flag in the neighbourhood woods, arming themselves with nothing more than sticks, their imagination and a simple set of rules. One afternoon, the game takes on a more serious tone and the quest for victory pushes the boundaries of friendship, giving the would-be warriors a glimpse of the darker side of human nature.
"Room 237" Poster
iLL Manors is the highly anticipated directorial debut by pioneering British music artist Ben Drew (a.k.a. Plan B). A unique crime thriller set on the unforgiving streets of London, iLL Manors follows six disparate lives, all struggling to survive the circles of violence that engulf them. Narratively linked through original music from Plan B, the film is a visually stunning and emotionally impactful experience laced with street-wise humour. The film’s soundtrack just topped the U.K.’s album chart.
Motorway Soi Cheang, Hong Kong North American Premiere
A cocky young cop on the city's top-secret, high-speed pursuit squad must learn the tricks of the trade from a grizzled veteran (Hong Kong action star Anthony Wong) as he prepares to take down a getaway driver in this super-charged, high-octane thriller from Hong Kong action auteur Soi Cheang (Accident) and legendary producer Johnnie To.
Painless Juan Carlos Medina, Spain/France/Portugal World Premiere
At the dawn of the Spanish civil war, a group of children insensitive to pain is locked in a sanatorium in the heart of the Pyrénées. In the present day, brilliant neurosurgeon David Martel discovers that he has a tumor and starts searching for his biological parents, in order to get the bone marrow transplant necessary for his survival. During his quest, he will exhume terrifying secrets about his origins, reanimate ghosts of his country and confront Berkano, the only fateful survivor of the insensitive children. From the writer of [Rec].
Peaches Does Herself Peaches, Germany World Premiere
On the advice of a 65-year-old stripper, Peaches makes music that is sexually forthright. Her popularity grows and she becomes what her fans expect her to be: transsexual. She falls in love with a beautiful she-male, but Peaches gets her heart broken and has to realize who she really is. Described as an anti-jukebox musical. Peaches writes, directs and plays the role of Peaches herself.
Pusher Luis Prieto, United Kingdom North American Premiere
As edgy and explosive as Nicolas Winding Refn’s (Drive) 1996 cult classic, this English language remake tells the story of a week in the life of Frank, a big time drug pusher in London. Frank’s life is a fun-filled rollercoaster ride that spins out of control. Friendships start to vanish, there is no longer room for love within his life, and violence takes over. Danger and chaos ensue, and eventually Frank is left with no one to turn to and nowhere to go.
Room 237 Rodney Ascher, USA Canadian Premiere
Room 237 fuses fact and fiction through interviews with ardent fans convinced they have decoded Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining’s secret messages regarding genocide, government conspiracy, and the nightmare that we call history. Ideas of five devotees of the film are braided together in a kaleidoscopic deconstruction of the horror classic.
Sightseers Ben Wheatley, United Kingdom North American Premiere
Chris (Steve Oram) wants to show Tina (Alice Lowe) his world and he wants to do it his way: on a journey through the British Isles in his beloved Abbey Oxford caravan. Erotic odyssey... Killing spree... Caravanning holiday... The trip taken by Tina and Chris in Sightseers is all these things and more.
Thale Aleksander Nordaas, Norway Canadian Premiere
Two crime-scene cleaners discover a mythical, tailed female creature in a concealed cellar. She never utters a word, unable to tell her story, but the pieces of the puzzle soon come together: she's been held captive for decades for reasons soon to surface.
The We and the I Michel Gondry, USA North American Premiere
It’s the last day of the year at a high school in the Bronx, and students pile on to the usual bus home. The raucous bunch of aggressive and superficial teens — the bullies and the bullied — develops and is transformed as the bus empties. Relationships become closer and more personal between students with absolutely nothing in common.
For Contemporary World Cinema, continue
Toronto International Film Festival
Contemporary World Cinema
3 Pablo Stoll Ward, Uruguay/Germany/Argentina North American Premiere
For Rodolfo (Humberto de Vargas), life at home feels empty and cold, as if he doesn’t belong. Meanwhile, his first wife, Graciela (Sara Bessio) and their teenage daughter Ana (Anaclara Ferreyra Palfy), are living through defining moments in their lives. Subtly, Rodolfo will try to slip back into the place he once had next to them — the one he walked away from 10 years ago. 3 is a comedy about three people and the absurd fate to which they are doomed: being a family.
A Hijacking Tobias Lindholm, Denmark North American Premiere
In A Hijacking, Tobias Lindholm turns his attention to a current topic: piracy at sea. The cargo ship MV Rozen is heading for harbour when it is boarded and captured by pirates in the Indian Ocean. Amongst the men on board are the ship's cook Mikkel (Pilou Asbæk) and the engineer Jan (Roland Møller), who, along with the rest of the seamen, are taken hostage in a cynical game of life and death. With the demand for a ransom of millions of dollars, a psychological drama unfolds between the CEO of the shipping company (Søren Malling) and the Somali pirates.
A Werewolf Boy Jo Sung-hee, South Korea World Premiere
Summoned by an unexpected phone call, an elderly woman visits a cottage she used to visit when she was a young girl. Half a century before, she moved to a peaceful village and discovered a “wolf boy” hiding in the darkness. She recalls teaching the boy how to wear clothes, how to speak and how to write along with other human behaviours. However, when threatened, he let loose his bestial instincts and became the subject of the villagers’ fears. In order to save the life of the boy who risked his to be by her side, she left him with a promise: “Wait for me. I’ll come back for you.”
After the Battle Yousry Nasrallah, Egypt/France North American Premiere
Mahmoud is one of the “Tahrir Square Knights” who, on February 2, 2011 — manipulated by Mubarak’s regime — charged against the young revolutionaries. Beaten, humiliated, unemployed and ostracized in his neighbourhood near the Pyramids, Mahmoud and his family are losing their footing. It is then that he meets Reem, a young Egyptian divorcée. Modern and secular, Reem works in advertising, is a militant revolutionary and lives in a nice neighbourhood in Cairo. Their meeting will change their lives.
*Janice Gross Stein, Director of the Munk School of Global Affairs and member of the Order of Canada, is an internationally renowned expert on conflict management. She will speak about After The Battle in an extended Q&A session, following one of the screenings.
All That Matters is Past Sara Johnsen, Norway World Premiere
Reunited after years apart, childhood sweethearts William and Janne are forced to confront the dark secrets of their past-and the menacing presence of William's pathologically jealous brother — in this haunting story from celebrated Norwegian director Sara Johnsen.
Baby Blues Kasia Rosłaniec, Poland World Premiere
Polish director Kasia Rosłaniec follows her controversial, irresistibly scrappy debut Mall Girls with this edgy and disarmingly frank look at teen pregnancy. Natalia is a 17-year-old mom living with her mother and son, Antos. She wanted to have a baby because it was a “cool” thing to do, and because she feels she has someone to love; someone who can love her in return. Everything changes when Natalia’s mother decides to move out, giving Natalia a chance to lead a “normal life.”
Barbara Christian Petzold, Germany North American Premiere
Set in East Germany in the early 1980s, the new film from renowned director Christian Petzold (Jerichow) is a suspenseful chamber piece about an accomplished Berlin physician, banished to a rural hospital as punishment, who is torn between the promise of escape across the border and her growing love for a fellow colleague — who may be planning to betray her to the secret police.
Bwakaw Jun Robles Lana, Philippines International Premiere
An ornery old retiree— who only came to terms with his homosexuality tragically late in life—leads an isolated existence with only his faithful dog for company, until a chance encounter offers him a final chance for happiness.
Camion Rafaël Ouellet, Canada Toronto Premiere
After being involved in a road accident causing the death of a woman, truck driver Germain’s world collapses as he feels an overwhelming sense of guilt and remorse. His state of mind starts to worry his younger son Samuel, who puts his own janitor job in Montreal on hold to track down his older brother, drifter Alain, in New Brunswick, hoping to head back together to their hometown to give some support to their father.
The Crimes of Mike Recket Bruce Sweeney, Canada World Premiere
Bruce Sweeney (Last Wedding) returns to the Festival with this neo-noir police procedural — set against the backdrop of economic hard times — about a failed real estate agent (Nicholas Lea) whose recent attempt to turn things around makes him a suspect in a criminal investigation.
Children of Sarajevo Aida Begic, Bosnia-Herzegovina/Germany/France/Turkey North American Premiere
Rahima (23) and Nedim (14) are orphans of the Bosnian war. They live in Sarajevo, a transitional society that has lost its moral compass, including in its treatment of the children of those who were killed fighting for the freedom of their city. After crime-prone adolescent years, Rahima has found comfort in Islam and she hopes her brother will follow in her footsteps. Everything becomes more difficult the day Nedim gets into a fistfight at school with the son of a local strongman. The incident triggers a chain of events leading Rahima to discover that her young brother leads a double life.
Clandestine Childhood Benjamín Ávila, Argentina/Spain/Brazil North American Premiere
Argentina 1979. After years of exile, Juan (12) and his family come back to Argentina under fake identities. Juan’s parents and his uncle Beto are members of the Montoneros Organization, which is fighting against the Military Junta that rules the country. Because of their political activities, they are being tracked down relentlessly. His friends at school and the girl he loves, Maria, know him as Ernesto, a name he must not forget, his family’s survival being at stake. This is a story about militancy, undercover life and love.
*Brian Stewart, Senior Fellow at the Munk School of Global Affairs, is an acclaimed foreign correspondent and an expert on foreign affairs and the military. He will speak about Clandestine Childhood in an extended Q&A session, following one of the screenings.
Comrade Kim Goes Flying Anja Daelemans, Nicholas Bonner and Gwang Hun Kim, Belgium / North Korea / UK World Premiere
Comrade Kim Yong Mi is a North Korean coalminer. Her dream of becoming a trapeze artist is crushed by the arrogant trapeze star Pak Jang Phil, who believes miners belong underground and not in the air. Comrade Kim Goes Flying is a heartwarming story of trying to make the impossible, possible.
The Cowards Who Looked to the Sky Yuki Tanada, Japan World Premiere
Based on the award-winning novel of the same name, this boldly erotic yet movingly tender portrait of a group of vulnerable, variously wounded people — a depressed housewife, her high-school-aged lover, and his best friend, who is struggling to provide for himself and his senile grandmother — whose intersecting lives yield both sorrow and a fragile, yet enduring, hope for a brighter future.
The Cremator Peng Tao, China World Premiere
Convinced that he should not die single, lonely cremator Cao resorts to marrying a dead woman when he is diagnosed with lung cancer. The plan is complicated by the arrival of a young girl at the crematorium looking for her missing sister.
Dead Europe Tony Krawitz, Australia International Premiere
From the producers of Shame and Animal Kingdom, Dead Europe is a tense and moody mystery set on the turbulent streets of contemporary Europe. The film follows a young photographer named Isaac (Ewen Leslie) who — while taking his deceased father's ashes from Australia to Greece — comes to learn that something sinister happened in his family's past. Despite an effort to distract himself with a mix of random sex and drugs, Isaac's world begins to unravel as he realizes that he cannot escape the ghosts of the past. Marking the long awaited second feature of Australian filmmaker Tony Krawitz, with a screenplay by Louise Fox based on the epic novel by Christos Tsiolkas, the film also stars Marton Csokas and Kodi Smit-McPhee.
Dust Julio Hernández Cordón, Guatemala/Spain/Chile/Germany North American Premiere
In a small Guatemalan village where many were "disappeared" during the country's civil war, a troubled young man struggles with the memory of his murdered father — and the nearby presence of the man who turned his father in.
Eagles Dror Sabo, Israel World Premiere
Alienated from a society that no longer seems to have a place for them, two elderly ex-soldiers undertake a vigilante campaign against injustice and disrespect on the streets of Tel Aviv.
*Ron Levi, Director of the Master of Global Affairs at the Munk School, is an expert on global justice, and human rights regimes. He will speak about Eagles in an extended Q&A session, following one of the screenings.
Fin (The End) Jorge Torregrossa, Spain World Premiere
A group of old friends get together for a weekend in a mountain cabin. Years have gone by, and yet nothing seems to have changed between them. But lurking behind the laughter and stories is a murky episode from the past that continues to haunt them. A strange, sudden incident alters their plans, leaving them stranded and with no line of communication to the outside world. On their way for help, the group starts to disintegrate, just as a new natural order is unveiled.
The Fitzgerald Family Christmas Edward Burns, USA World Premiere
Seven adult siblings from a working-class, Irish-American family, must deal with their estranged father's desire to return home for Christmas for the first time since he walked out on the family 20 years earlier. Family rifts emerge: the four oldest siblings were fully grown when the patriarch Big Jim (Ed Lauter) left, while the younger children never had a relationship with their father, and still feel the effects of his exit. Like with any family, Christmas brings a mixed bag of complicated family dynamics. Alliances form, old wounds are reopened or glossed over, and the possibility for a new hope and forgiveness emerge.
Fly With the Crane Li Ruijun, China North American Premiere
Old Ma, who believes that white cranes will carry buried dead bodies to heaven, is absolutely daunted by the idea of being cremated after death. When the government implements the practice of cremation under a mass urbanization measure, he seeks the help of his grandchildren.
Ghost Graduation Javier Ruiz Caldera, Spain International Premiere
Modesto is a teacher. Modesto sometimes sees dead people. Not only has this cost him a fortune at the shrink, it has also got him fired from every school he's ever worked at. His luck changes when he lands a job at Monforte where five students have turned the prestigious school into a house of horrors. Modesto is charged with getting all five kids to pass their senior year and to get out of there once and for all…but it won't be that easy.
God Loves Caviar Iannis Smaragdis, Greece/Russia World Premiere
This majestic epic tells the true-life, stranger-than-fiction tale of eighteenth-century Greek pirate turned merchant Ioannis Varvakis, who rose from humble beginnings to become the head of one of the largest mercantile empires in Europe.
Gone Fishing Carlos Sorin, Argentina World Premiere
Marco is a traveling salesman and a recovering alcoholic who decides to change the direction of his life after a stay at a detox center. His counselor suggests he take up a hobby as part of his treatment and Marco decides to try fishing. He then heads to Puerto Deseado during shark fishing season to find his estranged daughter, Ana.
The Great Kilapy Zézé Gamboa, Angola/ Brazil/Portugal World Premiere
Zézé Gamboa's sardonic historical drama follows a good-hearted, apolitical con man who, on the eve of Angolan independence in the mid-1970s, pulls off a massive swindle at the expense of the Portuguese colonial administration — and soon after finds himself hailed as a hero of the national liberation struggle.
Him, Here, After Asoka Handagama, Sri Lanka North American Premiere
Returning to his community after defeat in the Sri Lankan civil war, a former Tamil rebel known only as "Him" faces hostility, suspicion and bitter recriminations in Asoka Handagama's beautifully elegiac meditation on the aftermath of war.
*Michael Ignatieff, Senior Fellow at the Munk School of Global Affairs, is an internationally renowned writer, journalist, former politician, and expert on foreign affairs. He will speak about Him, Here, After in a Q&A session, following one of the screenings.
The Holy Quaternity Jan Hřebejk, Czech Republic World Premiere
Two ostensibly ordinary middle-aged couples, Marie and Vitek, and Dita and Ondra, are linked by more than just a lifelong friendship, a shared house in a small town and same-aged adolescent children: they are linked by love. Both men, Ondra and Vitek, who are work colleagues, sincerely love their wives, but they both also harbour a secret yearning for the other’s wife. When, by a stroke of fortune, the foursome finds themselves on an almost uninhabited island in the Caribbean, it’s just a matter of time before their long-suppressed feelings come out.
Home Again Sudz Sutherland, Canada World Premiere Home Again is about three adults raised “foreign” (in the USA, United Kingdom and Canada) from childhood and deported back to their birth country, Jamaica. Back “home” each discovers a different Jamaica from the paradise in vacation ads. We follow these three deportees on a journey for survival that surprisingly is filled with hope.
Imagine Andrzej Jakimowski, Poland/France/Portugal World Premiere
Ian, a new instructor at a well-known Lisbon clinic for the visually impaired, starts to teach spatial orientation to his international group of blind patients. For him, the keys to getting around and living a fulfilling life are the mind and the imagination — and not sensory perception. However, his methods — although successful — may prove to be too challenging.
In The Fog Sergei Loznitsa, Germany/Russia/Belarus/The Netherlands/Latvia North American Premiere
In this eerie, dreamlike World War II drama from Sergei Loznitsa (My Joy), a partisan suspected of being a traitor is apprehended by his comrades and taken out into the woods to be executed — but as the night fog closes in, the difference between darkness and light (and innocence and guilt) becomes ever more murky.
In the Name of Love Luu Huynh, Vietnam World Premiere
In this dark love triangle that proceeds with the inexorable logic of a Greek tragedy, a dedicated wife in a small Vietnamese fishing village secretly turns to another man when her husband is unable to give her the child they both crave — but the surrogate father's crazed jealousy will have fateful consequences.
Jackie Antoinette Beumer, The Netherlands International Premiere
Twin sisters Sofie and Daan (33) have been raised by their two fathers. When they receive an unexpected phone call from their hitherto unknown biological mother Jackie (Holly Hunter) in the US, they embark on an amazing adventure that alters their assumptions about everything they once believed to be true. The trip with the strange and ill-adjusted Jackie will change Sofie’s and Daan’s lives for good.
Jump Kieron J. Walsh, Ireland/United Kingdom International Premiere
Jump follows the lives of four twenty-somethings whose lives collide one fateful New Year's Eve in a night of fast talk, accidents and intrigue. At its heart it is a story of impossible love, a Brief Encounter for our times.
Just the Wind Bence Fliegauf, Hungary/Germany/France North American Premiere
A Romani family struggles to continue their simple daily routine amid the anxiety of a series of suspected racially-motivated murders of their neighbours. Just the Wind is inspired by real events, a powerful social statement from the acclaimed director of Womb, Dealer and Milky Way.
Juvenile Offender Yikwan Kang, South Korea World Premiere
Ji-gu is a 15-year-old juvenile offender under probation who lives with his ailing grandfather. When he is caught committing a crime, he is sent to the juvenile reformatory. Upon his grandfather’s passing, Ji-gu is reunited with his mother — whom he believed to be dead. Together they set out to make up for lost time.
Key of Life Kenji Uchida, Japan North American Premiere
When Kondo, a wealthy contract killer accidentally hits his head in a bathhouse, an unemployed actor named Sakurai switches their locker keys. Sakurai takes on Kondo's identity, while Kondo, who is suffering from amnesia, assumes the impoverished life of Sakuria. The reversal of fortune becomes complicated when Sakurai finds himself embroiled in a hit gone wrong, while Kondo meets the lovely Kanae, an ambitious magazine editor who is looking for a simple, honest man to be her husband.
Kinshasa Kids Marc-Henri Wajnberg, Belgium North American Premiere
Kinshasa, Congo. About 30,000 children are accused of witchcraft and expelled from home. Living on the street, little José and his fellow friends, along with a crazy impresario called Bebson — all considered to be witch children — decide to form a music band to ward off bad luck. Together, they will rock Kinshasa!
The Land of Hope Sion Sono, Japan World Premiere
In a typical Japanese village, Yoichi Ono lives with his wife, Izumi and his parents. The Ono family lives a frugal but happy life as dairy farmers in the peaceful village. One day, the worst earthquake in history strikes, causing a nearby nuclear power station to explode. Their neighbours, who live within the range of the nuclear power station, are forcibly ordered by the government to evacuate. But the Ono family, whose property sits half in and half out of the designated range, must decide whether or not to leave their home.
Middle of Nowhere Ava DuVernay, USA International Premiere
What happens when love takes you places you never thought you'd go? Winner of the Best Director Award at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, Middle of Nowhere chronicles a young woman caught between two worlds, and two men, in the search for herself. Ruby, a bright medical student, sets aside her dreams when her husband is incarcerated. This new life challenges her to the very core. Her turbulent path propels her in new, often challenging, directions of self-discovery.
Museum Hours Jem Cohen, Austria/USA North American Premiere
A Vienna museum guard befriends a foreign visitor who has been called to Austria because of a medical emergency. The grand Kunsthistorisches Art Museum becomes an enigmatic crossroads which sparks explorations of their lives, of the city, and of the ways artworks reflect and shape the world.
My Awkward Sexual Adventure Sean Garrity, Canada World Premiere To win back his unsatisfied ex-girlfriend, conservative accountant Jordan Abrams enlists the help of Julia — an uninhibited exotic dancer — to guide him on a quest for sexual experience, leading him into a world of strip clubs, sensual massage parlours, cross-dressing and S & M.
The Lesser Blessed Anita Doron, Canada World Premiere
The Lesser Blessed is a powerful coming-of-age story about Larry, a Native teenager balancing his romantic heart with a dark past that threatens to unravel his life.
Once Upon a Time Was I, Verônica Marcelo Gomes, Brazil/France World Premiere This film follows the reflections of Verônica, a recently graduated medical student going through a time of uncertainty. She questions not only her career choices, but also her most intimate bonding and even her ability to cope with life in contemporary urban Brazil.
Paradise: Love Ulrich Seidl, Austria/Germany/France North American Premiere
Perennial provocateur Ulrich Seidl (Dog Days, Import/Export) explores the politically charged issue of sex tourism in the sun-kissed "paradise" of Kenya, where a middle-aged Austrian voraciously samples the wares of the local meat market while searching for true love — the one commodity that's not for sale in this neo-colonial bazaar.
The Patience Stone Atiq Rahimi Afghanistan/France World Premiere
In a country torn apart by a war, a beautiful woman watches over her husband in a decrepit room. He is reduced to a vegetative state because dof a bullet in the neck. One day, the woman starts a solitary confession to her silent husband. She talks about her childhood, her frustrations, her loneliness, her dreams and her desires.
Penance Kioshi Kurosawa, Japan North American Premiere
Fifteen years ago, tragedy struck a small town when a young elementary school girl Emili (Hazuki Kimura) was abducted and killed by a stranger. Four girls who had been playing with Emili at the time were the first to discover her body. The abductor is never found and the crime goes unsolved. Crazed with grief, Emili’s mother Asako (Kyoko Koizumi) condemns the four girls, none of whom can remember the abductor’s face. She tells them, “Do whatever you have to find the killer. Otherwise, you can pay a penance that I approve.” Deeply affected by Asako’s condemnation, the four girls become adults burdened with the curse of “penance,” which eventually triggers a chain of tragic events.
Peripeteia John Akomfrah, United Kingdom/Holland World Premiere
British filmmaker John Akomfrah imagines the lives of a black man and woman who appear in a sixteenth-century drawing by German Renaissance master Albrecht Dürer.
Road North Mika Kaurismäki, Finland International Premiere
Timo is an esteemed concert pianist whose personal life is on the rocks. One day Timo finds an older, shabby-looking man at his door. The man, Leo, turns out to be his father who left the country when Timo was three — and hasn't been in touch in 35 years. Leo, an eternal trickster with a positive outlook on life, had to leave his homeland thanks to a series of messy entanglements. Now he's come back to hand over a rather mysterious legacy to his son and to answer questions regarding the past. To do this, the two will have to embark on a trip together and hit the road north.
Shores of Hope Toke Constantin Hebbeln, Germany International Premiere
In this vivid historical drama set in 1980s East Germany, two dockworkers and best friends who dream of escaping the repressive regime are forced to choose their loyalties when the state police promise them safe passage out of the country — if they inform on their co-workers and union leader.
Sleeper's Wake Barry Berk, South Africa International Premiere
John Wraith, a man in his mid-40s, regains consciousness in hospital. His wife and daughter were killed in a car accident because he fell asleep at the wheel. He retreats to a remote coastal hamlet to heal, but finds himself embroiled in a dangerous relationship with a beautiful and unpredictable 17-year-old girl.
Smashed James Ponsoldt, USA International Premiere
Kate (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) and Charlie (Aaron Paul) are a young married couple whose bond is built on a mutual love of music, laughter and drinking. When Kate's drinking leads her to dangerous places and her job as a school teacher is put into jeopardy, she decides to join AA and get sober. With the help of her friend and sponsor Jenny (Octavia Spencer), and the vice principal at her school— the awkward, but well intentioned, Mr. Davies — Kate takes steps toward improving her health and life. Sobriety isn't as easy as Kate had anticipated. Her new lifestyle brings to the surface a troubling relationship with her mother, facing the lies she's told her employer and calls into question whether or not her relationship with Charlie is built on love or is just a boozy diversion from adulthood.
The Thieves Choi Dong-hoon, South Korea North American Premiere
Bullets fly, barbs are traded and old scores are settled when a Korean master criminal and his crew hightail it to Hong Kong to join his treacherous former partner on a $20 million jewel heist, in this full-throttle action caper from South Korean director Choi Dong-hoon.
The Tortoise, An Incarnation Girish Kasaravalli, India International Premiere
In Girish Kasaravalli's gently philosophical character piece, a humble, low-level civil servant cast as the lead in a popular TV serial chronicling the life of Gandhi finds uncanny echoes between his own life and that of the legendary leader — and sets out to correct their mutual failings.
Three Kids Jonas d'Adesky, Belgium World Premiere
Best friends Vitaleme, Pierre and Mikenson are 12 years old and live in a home in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Vitaleme is haunted by his memories as a child servant and obsessed by the idea of freedom. When the town is struck by an earthquake, they find themselves on the street and have to get by on petty crime.
Three Worlds Catherine Corsini, France North American Premiere
Al, a young man from a modest background is about to marry his boss’ daughter and succeed him as the head of a car dealership. One night, he is guilty of a hit-and-run accident. The next day, a remorseful Al decides to inquire about his victim, not knowing that Juliette, a young woman, has witnessed the accident.
Thy Womb Brillante Mendoza, The Philippines North American Premiere
Shaleha Sarail is a barren woman who believes that to fulfill her husband’s greatest wish of having a son is tangible proof of Allah’s grace. She resolves to find the woman who will bear her husband a child.
Underground Robert Connolly, Australia World Premiere
Set in 1980s Melbourne, Underground is a riveting thriller that focuses on the teenage years of one of the most controversial figures of modern times —Wikileaks founder Julian Assange (newcomer Alex Williams in his first major role). The film follows Assange and his gang of close friends — the International Subversives as they call themselves — as they wage a battle from their bedrooms, trying to break into the computer systems of the world’s most powerful organizations. In the process, they are forced to battle authorities and eventually one another. Written and directed by Robert Connolly, the film also stars Anthony LaPaglia, Rachel Griffiths and Callan McAuliffe.
*Ron Deibert, Director of the Citizen Lab at the Munk School of Global Affairs, is an expert and advisor to governments and organizations on cyber security, cyber-crime, freedom of expression, and access to information. He will speak about Underground in an extended Q&A session following one of the screenings
Virgin Margarida Licinio Azevedo, Mozambique World Premiere
Veteran filmmaker Licinio Azevedo drew on the stories of real women who endured the Mozambican "re-education camps" for this dramatic and inspiring elegy to the insurgent spirit of women across nations, histories and cultures.
Watchtower Pelin Esmer, Turkey/Germany/France World Premiere
Haunted by guilt over the death of his family, a man takes a job as a fire warden in a remote tower in the wilderness, and is inexorably drawn towards a young woman with a dark, terrible secret of her own.
What Richard Did Lenny Abrahamson, Ireland World Premiere
A high school rugby star's life is irrevocably changed when a senseless act of violence leads to a sudden, shocking tragedy.
When I Saw You Annemarie Jacir, Palestine/Jordan/Greece World Premiere
Jordan, 1967: displaced in a refugee camp after the occupation of their West Bank village, an 11-year old boy and his mother enact the emancipating dream that every refugee has imagined countless times
Zabana! Saïd Ould-Khelifa, Algeria World Premiere
Zabana! is an impassioned, meticulously researched account of the short life of Algerian freedom fighter Ahmed Zabana, whose execution in 1956 by French colonial authorities ignited the "Battle of Algiers" — and the crucial phase of Algeria's struggle for independence.
For the complete Master's program, continue
Toronto International Film Festival
Masters
Amour Michael Haneke, Austria/France/Germany North American Premiere
Screen legends Jean-Louis Trintignant and Emmanuelle Riva are ineffably moving as an elderly couple facing their own mortality in the Palme d'Or-winning new work by modern master Michael Haneke (The White Ribbon).
Beyond the Hills (Dupa Dealuri) Cristian Mungiu, Romania/France North American Premiere
Palme d'Or winner Cristian Mungiu (4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days) returns with this magisterial drama about a young Romanian woman who sets out to retrieve her childhood friend from “captivity” in a remote Romanian monastery, and soon comes into violent conflict with the archaic strictures of this traditional community.
The End of Time Peter Mettler, Canada/Switzerland International Premiere
The End of Time is a cinematic experience from visionary filmmaker Peter Mettler which explores our perception of time.
Everyday Michael Winterbottom, United Kingdom World Premiere
Everyday tells the story of four children separated from their father, and a wife separated from her husband. The father, Ian (John Simm), is in prison. The mother, Karen, (Shirley Henderson) has to bring up a family of four children by herself. Filmed over a period of five years, Everyday uses the repetitions and rhythms of everyday life to explore how a family can survive a prolonged period apart.
Gebo and the Shadow (Gebo et l'ombre) Manoel de Oliveira, Portugal/France North American Premiere
Cinematic legends Jeanne Moreau, Claudia Cardinale and Michael Lonsdale star in the new film from legendary Portuguese master Manoel de Oliveira.
In Another Country (Da-Reun Na-ra-e-suh) Hong Sang-soo, South Korea North American Premiere
South Korean master Hong Sang-soo teams with French superstar Isabelle Huppert for this inventive and wonderfully witty three-part film, in which three different but strikingly similar women — all named Anne, and all played by Huppert — meet and interact with the same group of people in a seaside Korean town, with each encounter producing a set of intriguing new outcomes and new possibilities.
Like Someone in Love Abbas Kiarostami, Japan/France North American Premiere
An old man and a young woman meet in Tokyo. She knows nothing about him; he thinks he knows her. He welcomes her into his home, she offers him her body. But the web that is woven between them in the space of 24 hours bears no relation to the circumstances of their encounter.
Me and You Bernardo Bertolucci, Italy North American Premiere
In Italian master Bernardo Bertolucci's first feature in 10 years, Lorenzo is a quirky 14-year-old loner who plans to fulfill his teenage dream of happiness by hiding out in his apartment building’s abandoned cellar. To escape his overwrought parents, Lorenzo will tell them that he is going away on a ski trip with school friends. For an entire week, he will finally be able to avoid all conflicts and pressures to be a “normal” teenager. But an unexpected visit from his worldly older half-sister Olivia changes everything. Their emotional time together will inspire Lorenzo to come to terms with the challenge of casting aside his disguise of troubled youth and prepare to soon be thrown into the chaotic game of adult life.
Night Across the Street (La Noche de Enfrente) Raúl Ruiz, France/Chile North American Premiere
Three intersecting ages of a man who can see approach of death. Three rival souls. The final testament of Raúl Ruiz.
Pieta Kim Ki-duk, South Korea North American Premiere
In the new film by controversial Korean auteur Kim Ki-duk, a brutal man employed by a loan shark is forced to reconsider his violent lifestyle when a mysterious woman appears claiming to be his long-lost mother. But, as his attachment to her grows, he begins to discover the gruesome and tragic secret that made her seek him out.
Something in the Air (Après mai) Olivier Assayas, France North American Premiere
At the beginning of the seventies, Gilles, a high school student in Paris, is swept up in the political fever of the time. Yet his real dream is to paint and make films, something that his friends and even his girlfriend cannot understand. For them, politics is everything, the political struggle all-consuming. But Gilles gradually becomes more comfortable with his life choices, and learns to feel at ease in this new society.
Student Darezhan Omirbayev, Kazakhstan North American Premiere
Master director Darezhan Omirbayev transposes Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment to modern-day Kazakhstan, in this tale of a university student who takes the ruthless social Darwinist principles of his post-communist, pirate-capitalist society to their murderously literal extreme.
Tout ce que tu possèdes (All That You Possess) Bernard Émond, Canada World Premiere A disgruntled academic refuses a substantial inheritance because the fortune was amassed dishonestly. Soon after, he is reunited with his teenage daughter whose mother he had abandoned when she was pregnant. From the filmmaker responsible for La donation and La neuvaine.
When Day Breaks Goran Paskaljevic, Serbia/Croatia/France World Premiere
Misha Brankov is a retired music professor. One morning he receives a letter requesting him to contact the Jewish Museum in Belgrade. At the museum, he learns that during some excavations on the sewers at the city’s Old Fairgrounds, an iron box was found, in this same place where during the Second World War an infamous concentration camp was set up for Serbian Jews and Gypsies. The contents of the box will change the Professor’s life.
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Toronto International Film Festival
City To City: Mumbai
The Bright Day Mohit Takalkar, India World Premiere
Yearning for meaning in his life, a coddled young man abandons his girlfriend and family to set out on a spiritual quest across India. Shot with sophisticated DSLR cameras and reflecting a new passion for personal filmmaking, The Bright Day finds images to chart a soul’s progress.
Gangs of Wasseypur – Part One Anurag Kashyap, India North American Premiere
Part One of Anurag Kashyap’s decade-spanning gangster epic chronicles the bloody turf war between two competing criminal families during the tumultuous era of Indian independence and industrialization. Starring Manoj Bajpayee, Richa Chadda and Reema Sen.
Gangs of Wasseypur – Part Two Anurag Kashyap, India North American Premiere
Part Two of Anurag Kashyap’s stylish Indian gangster epic amps up the adrenaline as the irresistibly amoral criminal clans of Wasseypur careen towards their bloody date with destiny. Starring Manoj Bajpayee, Richa Chadda and Reema Sen.
Ishaqzaade Habib Faisal, India Canadian Premiere A love story set amidst political violence in northern India, this romance follows Hindu Parma (Arjun Kapoor) and Muslim Zoya (Parineeti Chopra) as they try to escape the restrictive demands of their families. Better known for glossy entertainments, Bollywood’s Yash Raj studio delivers a surprisingly gritty reflection of the new India.
Miss Lovely Ashim Ahluwalia, India North American Premiere
Set in the lower depths of Bombay’s C-grade film industry, Miss Lovely follows the devastating story of two brothers who produce sex-horror films in the mid-1980s. The film gets under the skin of the Bollywood underground — an audacious cinema with wild cinemascope compositions, lurid art direction, rollicking background soundtracks, and gut-wrenching melodrama. Starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Niharika Singh and Anil George.
Mumbai’s King Manjeet Singh, India World Premiere
Rahul roams the streets with his balloon-seller friend Arbaaz. These two kids escape the grim realities of their lives by gambling, roasting stolen potatoes, stealing an auto rickshaw for a joyride, and chasing girls. But soon Rahul has to “take care” of his violent father, who has forced him to live on streets. Starring Rahul Bairagi, Arbaaz Khan and Tejas Parvatkar.
Peddlers Vasan Bala, India North American Premiere
The lives of a rookie cop, a streetwise orphan and a beautiful young ex-teacher collide explosively in the drug underworld of Mumbai in this edgy, powerhouse thriller that exemplifies the verve and excitement of India's new independent cinema. Starring Gulshan Devaiah and Siddharth Mennon.
Shahid Hansal Mehta, India World Premiere
Shahid is the remarkable true story of slain human rights activist and lawyer Shahid Azmi, who was killed in 2010 by unidentified assailants in his office. From attempting to become a terrorist, to being wrongly imprisoned under a draconian anti-terrorism law, to becoming a champion of human rights (particularly of the Muslim minorities in India), Shahid traces the inspiring personal journey of a boy who became an unlikely messiah for human rights, while following the rise of communal violence in India. This story of an impoverished Muslim struggling to come to terms with injustice and inequality, whilerising above his circumstances is an inspiring testament to the human spirit. Starring Raj Kumar, Prabhleen Sandhu and Baljinder Kaur.
Shanghai Dibakar Banerjee, India North American Premiere
From the director of Love Sex aur Dhokla comes a searing political drama. Abhay Deol plays an investigator seeking the cause behind the assassination of a firebrand politician, complicated by the actions of the politician’s lover, played by Kalki Koechlin.
Ship of Theseus Anand Gandhi, India World Premiere
In the first feature film from acclaimed Indian playwright Anand Gandhi, three disparate people — a devout monk stricken by illness, a blind woman whose sight is suddenly restored, and a stockbroker who sets out to combat the illegal international trade in human organs — are linked by an unknown connection as they follow their individual paths through the kaleidoscopic streets of Mumbai.
TIFF Kids
"Finding Nemo 3D" finding nemo
Ernest & Célestine Benjamin Renner, Vincent Patar, Stéphane Aubier, France/Belgium/Luxembourg North American Premiere
Giant bears and tiny mice don’t tend to mingle much, but when Ernest and Célestine cross paths, the two become inseparable friends and embark on an adventure of a lifetime.
Finding Nemo 3D Andrew Stanton, Lee Unkrich, USA/Australia World Premiere
Academy Award-winning film Finding Nemo returns to the big screen in thrilling Disney Digital 3D™ for the first time ever. Teeming with memorable comedic characters and heartfelt emotion, this stunning underwater adventure follows the momentous journey of an overprotective clownfish named Marlin (Albert Brooks) and his young son Nemo (Alexander Gould) –– who become separated in the Great Barrier Reef when Nemo is unexpectedly taken far from his ocean home to a fish tank in a dentist’s office. Buoyed by the companionship of Dory (Ellen DeGeneres), a friendly-but-forgetful blue tang fish, Marlin embarks on a dangerous trek and finds himself the unlikely hero of an epic effort to rescue his son –– who hatches a few daring plans of his own to return safely home.
Hotel Transylvania Genndy Tartakovsky, USA World Premiere
Welcome to the Hotel Transylvania, Dracula’s lavish five-stake resort, where monsters and their families can live it up, free to be the monsters they are without humans to bother them. On one special weekend, Dracula has invited some of the world’s most famous monsters — Frankenstein and his wife, the Mummy, the Invisible Man, a family of werewolves, and more — to celebrate his daughter Mavis’ 118th birthday. For Drac, catering to all of these legendary monsters is no problem — but his world could come crashing down when one ordinary guy stumbles on the hotel and takes a shine to Mavis. A considerable portion of animation on Sony Pictures Animation’s Hotel Transylvania was completed out of the newly-expanded Sony Pictures Imageworks’ offices in Vancouver.
Igor & the Cranes' Journey Evgeny Ruman, Israel/Poland/Germany World Premiere
During his involuntary migration from Russia to Israel, 11-year-old Igor faces many challenges, just like the baby crane Igor observed hatching while he was still together with his dad in Russia. Their close and caring watch over the crane's journey helps both father and son accomplish their adventure!
"Tess"
The Bitter Ash Larry Kent, Canada
A landmark in Canadian independent cinema, Larry Kent’s jazzy, Nouvelle Vague–style chronicle of the sexual shenanigans of a young printer returns in a new restoration.
The Cloud Capped Star Ritwik Ghatak, India
A young woman desperately struggles to keep her family out of poverty in this fiercely moving masterpiece by the great, perennially under-recognized Indian auteur Ritwik Ghatak.
Dial M for Murder Alfred Hitchcock, USA
Alfred Hitchcock’s devilish drawing-room thriller, about a retired tennis pro (Ray Milland) who plans the “perfect” murder of his adulterous wife (Grace Kelly), is revived in a new, eye-popping 3D digital restoration.
Loin du Viêtnam Joris Ivens, William Klein, Claude Lelouch, Agnès Varda, Jean-Luc Godard, Chris Marker, Alain Resnais, France
The legendary, rarely-seen 1967 agit-prop classic from celebrated filmmakers mixes fact and fiction in an angry rebuke to the U.S. war in Vietnam.
Stromboli Roberto Rossellini, Italy/USA
Long circulated in severely truncated or re-edited versions, Roberto Rossellini's once reviled, now revered masterpiece — the first of an epochal trilogy of films starring Ingrid Bergman — returns in this glorious new restoration. Stromboli will be followed by Francesco Patierno’s new documentary, The War of the Volcanoes, the story of one of the biggest jet-set love scandals of all time, between the world’s most famous actress (Ingrid Bergman), the most appreciated director by Hollywood of his time (Roberto Rossellini) and Italy’s most beloved actress (Anna Magnani).
Tess Roman Polanski, France/United Kingdom
Roman Polanski’s gorgeous, sweeping version of Thomas Hardy’s classic novel Tess of the d’Urbervilles returns in a 4K digital restoration.
For the complete Discovery program, continue
Toronto International Film Festival
Discovery
7 Boxes Juan Carlos Maneglia, Tana Schémbori, Paraguay International Premiere
It's Friday night in Asunción and the temperature is 40ºC. Víctor, a 17-year-old wheelbarrow-boy, dreams of becoming famous and covets a cell phone in Mercado 4. He is offered the chance to deliver seven boxes with unknown contents in exchange for $100. This sounds like an easy job but it soon gets complicated. Something in the boxes is highly coveted. Víctor and his persecutors find themselves caught up in a crime they know nothing about. Starring Celso Franco, Lali González, Víctor Sosa and Nico García.
Augustine Alice Winocour, France International Premiere
Paris, winter 1885. At the Pitié-Salpêtriere Hospital, Professor Charcot is studying a mysterious illness: hysteria. Augustine, 19 years old, becomes his favourite guinea pig and the star of his demonstrations of hypnosis. The object of his studies will soon become the object of his desire. Starring Soko, Vincent Lindon and Chiara Mastroianni.
Blackbird Jason Buxton, Canada World Premiere
An alienated teenager's online threat ignites fear in a small community, in this disturbing and perceptive look at how our media-fuelled, post-Columbine culture can transform typical teen angst into intimations of murder.
Blancanieves Pablo Berger, Spain/France World Premiere
Once upon a time, there was a little girl who never knew her mother. She learned the art of her father, a famous bullfighter, but was hated by her evil stepmother. One day she ran away with a troupe of dwarfs and became a legend. Set in southern Spain in the 1920s, Blancanieves is a tribute to silent film. Starring Maribel Verdú and Daniel Giménez Cacho.
Boy Eating the Bird's Food Ektoras Lygizos, Greece North American Premiere
A 22-year-old boy in Athens has no job, no money, no girlfriend and no food to eat. He has only a canary bird and a beautiful singing voice. When he finds himself without a home, he must seek shelter for his bird. Starring Yiannis Papadopoulos.
The Brass Teapot Ramaa Mosley, USA World Premiere
John and Alice are in their 20s, married, very much in love, and broke. In high school, gorgeous Alice was voted “most likely to succeed” but now she’s just trying to make ends meet while her friends are enjoying the good life. Her husband John, loving but immature, just wants to get the bills paid. After they get into an accident and end up at a roadside antique shop, Alice is uncharacteristically drawn to shoplift a brass teapot. It isn’t long before they realize this is no ordinary teapot. Starring Juno Temple, Michael Angarano, Alexis Bledel, Alia Shawkat, Bobby Moynihan, Stephen Park, Billy Magnussen and Debra Monk.
Burn It Up Djassa Lonesome Solo, Ivory Coast/France World Premiere
In the busy streets of Abidjan, Tony, an out-of-school youth, scrapes together a living by hawking cigarettes but he soon turns to violence. Shot in 11 days in Abidjan, Burn It Up Djassa breathes new life into Ivory Coast film. Starring Abdoul Karim Konaté, Adélaïde Ouattara, Mamadou Diomandé and Mohamed Bamba.
Call Girl Mikael Marcimain, Sweden/Ireland/Norway/Finland World Premiere
Stockholm, late 1970s. Within a stone’s throw of government buildings and juvenile homes lies the seductive world of sex clubs, discotheques and private residences. Call Girl tells the story of how young Iris is recruited from the bottom of society into a ruthless world where power can get you anything. Starring Pernilla August, Sofia Karemyr, Simon J Berger, Sven Nordin, David Dencik, Ruth Vega Fernandez, Josefin Asplund, Magnus Krepper and Kristoffer Joner.
Clip Maja Milos, Serbia North American Premiere
Jasna is a beautiful girl in her mid-teens, leading a crude life in postwar Serbia. With a terminally ill father and dispirited mother, she is disillusioned and angry with everyone and everything, including herself. Having a huge crush on a boy from school, she goes on a spree of sex, drugs and partying, constantly filming with her mobile phone. Still, in that very harsh environment – love and tenderness emerge. Starring Isidora Simijonovic, Vukašin Jasnic, Sanja Mikitišin, Jovo Makisc and Monja Savic.
The Color of the Chameleon Emil Christov, Bulgaria World Premiere
This is a story without innocents. A maniacal informant creates his own phantom secret-police department. He recruits a group of intellectuals to spy on each other and uses his secret archive to wreak havoc on the government. Secret policing reveals its dark nature not only in its nauseating cruelties, but in its deviant pleasures. Starring Ruscen Vidinliev, Irena Milyankova, Rousy Chanev, Deyan Donkov, Svetlana Yancheva and Samuel Finzi.
The Deflowering of Eva van End Michiel ten Horn, The Netherlands World Premiere
The Deflowering of Eva van End is a tragicomedy about the van End family who, after the arrival of an impossibly perfect German exchange student, can no longer imagine how they ever managed to live with their imperfect selves. Starring Vivian Dierickx, Abe Dijkman, Tomer Pawlicki, Jacqueline Blom, Ton Kas and Rafael Gareisen.
Detroit Unleaded Rola Nashef, USA World Premiere
Caught between the cultures of contemporary Detroit and traditional Arab-America, Sami works behind the bulletproof glass of a 24-hour gas station with his cousin Mike. Inside this unique East-side neighborhood, the once university-bound Sami is forced to put his dreams aside and resign himself to a world composed of junk food, overpriced Tigers baseball memorabilia, and cheap, long-distance phone cards. And then the beautiful Naj walks in. Starring E.J. Assi, Nada Shouhayib, Mike Batayeh,
Mary Assel, Akram El-Ahmar and Steven Soro.
Eat Sleep Die Gabriela Pichler, Sweden North American Premiere
When the forceful young Muslim Swedish/Balkan factory worker Raša loses her job, she must navigate the unemployment system. With no high school diploma, no job – but her boots deeply stained with the mud of the small town she grew up in – Raša finds herself on a collision course with society and its contradictory values and expectations. First time amateur actors play all of the main characters in the film. Starring Nermina Lukac, Milan Dragišic, Peter Fält, Ružica Pichler and Jonathan Lampinen.
Fill the Void Rama Burshtein, Israel North American Premiere
Fill the Void tells the story of an Orthodox Hassidic family from Tel Aviv. Eighteen-year-old Shira is the youngest daughter of the family. She is about to be married to a promising young man of the same age and background. It is a dream come true and Shira feels prepared and excited. When her 28-year-old sister, Esther, dies while giving birth to her first child, Shira's promised match is postponed. When Shira’s mother finds out that Esther’s widower may leave the country with her only grandchild, she proposes a match between Shira and the widower. Shira will have to choose between her heart's wish and her family duty. Starring: Hadas Yaron, Yiftach Klein, Irit Sheleg, Chaim Sharir, Razia Israely, Hila Feldman, Renana Raz, Yael Tal, Michael David Weigl and Ido Samuel.
The Interval Leonardo Di Costanzo, Italy North American Premiere
A boy and a girl have been locked up in an enormous abandoned building in Naples. The boy has been forced by a Camorra gang to act as her jail-keeper. But as the hours go by, hostility gives way to a form of exchange and when the Camorra gang members make their appearance at sunset, the pair are different from what we were expecting. Starring: Francesca Riso, Alessio Gallo, Carmine Paternoster, Salvatore Ruocco, Antonio Buil, Jean Yves Morard
Janeane from Des Moines Grace Lee, USA World Premiere
A conservative housewife wants to “take America back” in the 2012 election, but a tough economy causes some difficulties in her life, leading her to confront Republican contenders as they criss-cross her state during the Iowa Caucuses. But will anyone hear her story? Starring Jane Edith Wilson, Michael Oosterom, Mitt Romney, Michele Bachmann, Rick Santorum, Rick Perry and Newt Gingrich.
Krivina Igor Drljaca, Canada World Premiere
Miro, an immigrant from the former Yugoslavia, lives in Toronto. He has a hard time relating to others and he never stays in one place for too long. When he finds out that his pre-war friend Dado, who has been missing for almost two decades, is now wanted for war-era crimes, his life starts to unravel. Upon hearing that Dado still visits Zljebovi, a village on the outskirts of Sarajevo, Miro embarks on a trip to Bosnia to find his friend.
La Sirga William Vega, Colombia/France/Mexico North American Premiere
Alice is helpless. War memories invade her mind like threatening thunder. Uprooted by the armed conflict, she tries to reshape her life in La Sirga, a decadent hostel on the shores of a great lake in the highlands of the Andes. There, on a swampy and murky beach, she will try to settle down until her fears and the threat of war resurface again. Starring Joghis Seudin Arias, David Fernando Guacas, Julio César Roble, Heraldo Romero and Floralba Achicanoy .
The Land of Eb Andrew Williamson, USA World Premiere
The Land of Eb relates a compassionate portrait of the Marshallese diaspora in Kona, Hawaii from the point of view of a hard-working and loving family man. Jacob forgoes cancer treatment in order to provide for his family when he’s gone. An insightful and ultimately joyful reminder of the lasting effects of the nuclear age. Starring Jonithen Jackson, Rojel Jonithen, Jeff Nashion and Hilary Monson.
Nights with Theodore Sébastien Betbeder, France World Premiere
A party in a Parisian flat. Theodore meets Anna. Later in the night, while walking through Paris, they decide to climb the fence of Buttes-Chaumont Park. There, they will share their first night and they will continue to come back until this strange attraction begins to separate them. In Nights with Theodore, fiction meets documentary to show the mysteries and fantasies of Buttes-Chaumont Park. Starring Pio Marmaï and Agathe Bonitzer.
Mushrooming Toomas Hussar, Estonia North American Premiere
Politician Aadu and his wife set out to pick mushrooms on a day when he gets a call from a journalist confronting him with suspected corruption. By coincidence, the married couple find themselves in a car with a pompous rock idol named Zäk. After discovering the spot his wife chose to pick mushrooms is full of vacationers, Aadu decides to find a quieter place. The woods where he ultimately ends up however, are perhaps too deep and inhospitable. Finding a way out may not be easy. This black comedy, with touches of political satire, aims at the often unscrupulous behaviour of contemporary politicians and media stars on their way to power and popularity. Starring Raivo E. Tamm, Elina Reinold, Juhan Ulfsak, Üllar Saaremäe and Hendrik Toompere Jr.
Our Little Differences Sylvie Michel, Germany International Premiere
The seemingly harmonious relationship between the prestigious Doctor, Sebastian and his Bulgarian cleaning lady, Jana, develops into a vicious power game, when her daughter Vera and Arthur, the doctor’s son, vanish without a trace. Starring Wolfram Koch, Bettina Stucky, Leonard Bruckmann, Silvia Petkova, Wilhelm Eilers, Cornelia Brunig, Katharina Kubel and Jacqueline Macaulay.
Out in the Dark Michael Mayer, Israel/USA North American Premiere
Two young men—a Palestinian grad student and an Israeli lawyer—meet and fall in love amidst personal and political intrigue in this striking debut feature. As their relationship deepens, Nimer is confronted with the harsh realities of a Palestinian society that refuses to accept him for his sexual identity, and an Israeli society that rejects him for his nationality. Starring Nicholas Jacob and Michael Aloni.
Picture Day Kate Mellville, Canada World Premiere
Forced to repeat Grade 12, Claire's reputation is sliding from bad-ass to bad joke. At night, she escapes to would-be rock star Jim (aged 33), while at school, she bonds with Henry, a nerdy freshman she used to babysit. Eventually, Claire learns the difference between sex, intimacy and friendship.
Satellite Boy Catriona McKenzie, Australia World Premiere
While trying to save his home from being bought up by developers, a young Aboriginal boy becomes lost in the Outback with his smart-mouthed friend, and must call on the wisdom and survival skills passed down to him by his grandfather (played by legendary Australian actor David Gulpilil) in order to lead them out of the wilderness. Starring David Gulpilil, Cameron Wallaby, Joseph Pedley, Rohanna Angus and Dean Daley-Jones.
Tower Kazik Radwanski, Canada North American Premiere
Kazik Radwinski's debut feature Tower is about a single and career-less man who lives at home with his parents in Toronto. He wanders alone in search of companionship and suddenly finds himself in an intimate relationship. Irritated by a raccoon that tears up his garbage, he sets out to catch it.
Wasteland Rowan Athale, United Kingdom World Premiere
Battered, bruised and under arrest, Harvey Denton sits in a police interview room facing interrogation. Clutching a stack of eyewitness statements, Detective Inspector West has no doubt as to Harvey’s part in a foiled robbery and his subsequent attempted murder of local businessman Steven Roper. Denying nothing, Harvey agrees to tell his version of events in full. As the story unfolds, we discover that a malevolent and unjust act perpetrated by Roper put Harvey in prison and now he has a score to settle. What unfolds is a tense and exhilarating heist of unexpected proportions. Starring: Luke Treadaway, Iwan Rheon, Matthew Lewis, Gerard Kearns, Timothy Spall, Vanessa Kirby and Neil Maskell.
For Future Projections and Wavelengths, continue
Future Projections
Ming Wong: Making Chinatown, 2012 New Site-Specific Installation
Video artist Ming Wong recreates selected scenes from Roman Polanski’s Chinatown with himself cast in each role, and then projects the resulting films onto photographically-altered sets reminiscent of studio lots. This funny and occasionally shocking installation addresses race, gender and sexuality while deconstructing cinema conventions and their ability to shape identity. Presented in collaboration with the Gladstone Hotel, 1214 Queen Street West. September 6 to 16.
Kelly Richardson: Mariner 9, 2012 North American Premiere
Kelly Richardson’s Mariner 9 transforms the Royal Ontario Museum’s Thorsell Spirit House into an immersive environment, transporting the viewer into the centre of a Martian dust storm several centuries in the future. The Martian landscape becomes a battlefield of real and imagined spacecraft in this panoramic video installation that is at once dystopian and alarmingly beautiful. Presented in collaboration with the Institute of Contemporary Culture, Royal Ontario Museum. Thorsell Spirit House, 100 Queen's Park. September 6 to 16.
Jeroen Eisinga: Springtime, 2011/2012 International Premiere
Withstanding a swarm of over 250,000 bees, Daredevil Dutch artist Jeroen Eisinga transforms himself into a living shroud of buzzing insects in this spellbinding, monumental film performance. The unstable, flickering image draws to mind a host of rich and varied art-historical references, from medieval portraiture and 19th-century freak show catalogues to Andy Warhol and Richard Avedon. Springtime will be shown alongside a suite of rare, never-before exhibited photographs. Presented in collaboration with MOCCA, 952 Queen Street West. August 24 to September 16.
Callum Cooper: The Constant and the Flux, 2012 Special TIFF Commission
Random Torontonians, projected and spinning, occupy TIFF Bell Lightbox’s giant atrium wall — along with the unique apparatus that multi-talented Australian artist Callum Cooper used to capture them on film — each evening of the Festival. Both formally rigorous and dizzyingly fun, Cooper applies his practice to this specially-commissioned new work for the Festival, referencing everything from turn-of-the-century bioscopes to YouTube. Presented in the TIFF Bell Lightbox atrium (after 6 pm), Reitman Square, 350 King Street West. September 6 to 16.
Luther Price: Number 9 and Number 9 II, 2012 International Premiere
One of the major discoveries of this year’s Whitney Biennale, American artist-filmmaker Luther Price’s glass slides are born from his radical filmmaking, but exist as stunning works of their own. In his most recent slide series, individual collages of transformed found footage, ants, and other detritus including dust and hair are held within the slides; materiality gives way to abstraction and textured compositions as light passes through them. Presented in collaboration with CONTACT Gallery, 80 Spadina Avenue, Suite 310. September 6 to October 6.
Liang Yue: The Quiet Room, 2012 International Premiere This serene installation by leading Chinese photographer and filmmaker Liang Yue recalls the most dramatic and ethereal of landscape-based art, profiling Canada in winter through both image and sound. The work focuses on the textures of snow and the mechanics of condensation, coupled with a surprisingly dramatic soundtrack of carefully recorded and amplified winter sounds. Presented in collaboration with the Gladstone Hotel, 1214 Queen Street West. September 6 to 16.
Sook-Yin Lee: We Are Light Rays, 2012 International Premiere
Canadian musician, filmmaker and visual artist Sook-Yin Lee explores the power of montage and the thrall of narrative in her new installation. She underlines the fragility of narrative resolution by contrasting a series of “micro-movies”— paired still photographs housed within light boxes that create a wealth of mysterious connections — with a rough video sketch for an abandoned film. Presented in collaboration with Keep Six Exhibits, Oz Studio, 134 Ossington Ave. September 6 to 16.
Peaches, in collaboration with Vice Cooler: Peaches Does the Drake, 2012 International Premiere
Singer/songwriter and performance artist Peaches — Canada’s favourite gender-bending, electro-punk icon — collaborates with TIFF and the Drake Hotel to present new projection-based work for the duration of the Festival, and a group of collaborative performances for one night only. This one-time event follows the world premiere of her first feature film, Peaches Does Herself, which screens as part of the Festival’s Vanguard lineup. Performances include a special laser harp show by Peaches and her band Sweet Machine. Presented in collaboration with the Drake Hotel, 1150 Queen Street West. Video installation runs from dusk to dawn, September 6 to 16. Peaches Does the Drake, site-specific performances by Peaches and friends, takes place on September 14.
Wavelengths
SHORT FILM PROGRAMMES
Wavelengths 1: Under a Pacific Sun
Bookended by Thomas Demand’s astonishing 100-second animation Pacific Sun and legendary experimental filmmaker Ernie Gehr’s no-holds-barred trip into painterly abstraction, this programme traverses fabricated worlds marked by shifting weather patterns, stylized mythic backdrops, paper folds and cross-cultural magic carpet rides.
In the fall of 2010, a YouTube video of an Australian Pacific Sun cruise ship that was struck by tempestuous waters in the Tasman Sea, causing its furniture and passengers to sway back and forth in an eerie, otherworldly cadence, went viral. In one of his most ambitious works yet, internationally celebrated German visual artist Thomas Demand (known for his trompe l’oeil photographs of three-dimensional paper models of real spaces and settings) has recreated the Pacific Sun video using a full-scale set constructed completely out of paper. The 100-second video comprises 2,400 frames, shot frame-by-frame with a team of animators who retraced the vacillations of each item several millimetres at a time. Fifteen months in the making, Pacific Sun is as meticulous as it is bewitching, an ode to the forces that lie outside of our comprehension but seduce our imagination.
Equally uncanny and visually enthralling is Shambvani Kaul’s 21 Chitrakoot, which exhumes a mystical land composed of 1980s chroma-key backdrops from a famous Indian television series. With barely tempered chaos, melancholia replaces nostalgia, while abstraction and narrative duel for eminence in a fractured, abandoned utopia.
Dedicated to Akira Yoshizawa, the grandmaster of origami, Blake Williams’ Many a Swan collapses fifteen years of Grand Canyon history and 65 years of 3-D cinema by way of curious folding anaglyphic video planes that, not unlike Demand’s work, suggest paper worlds.
From folding to flying, Fern Silva’s globe-trotting, 16mm Concrete Parlay uses a green-screened magic carpet against footage shot in Egypt, Turkey, France and the US to reflect upon cross-cultural ideas of travel, immigration and geographic displacement — doing so with a disjunctive and disarming vigour that redefines casual “sightseeing.”
From a train trip home, legendary experimental filmmaker Ernie Gehr creates a triptych cum structural trajectory in which composition and perception convene into a “phantom ride.” While Departure sharpens the senses as it penetrates a recognizable yet reframed landscape, Gehr’s Auto-Collider XV, from his ongoing series devoted to vehicular form and movement, is a no-holds-barred trip into painterly abstraction — where an Agnes Martin painting meets a rapid-fire back-and-forth Gerhard Richter squeegee and the world is swiftly sent asunder.
Wavelengths 2: Documenta
A diverse grouping of resuscitated materials and curios simultaneously partakes in today's pervasive archive fever and points to forever changing contexts and attendant shifts in meaning.
One of the major discoveries of this year's Whitney Biennial, Luther Price's handmade 35mm glass slides are individual miniature collages that incorporate battered or decaying 8mm found footage with assorted detritus (glitter, candy, strands of hair, insects), creating miniature worlds that transcend their thrifty materials with an intense, sombre beauty. A selection of Price's original slides from his ongoing Sorry series (starring Jesus Christ) will be shown alongside a set that radically recycles the artist's fascinating collection of movie trailers.
Evoking the still photographs that mysteriously punctuate his feature Two Years at Sea, Ben Rivers' Phantoms of a Libertine is an enigmatic portrait (channeling Marcel Broodthaers as much as Raymond Depardon) of a lost friend, told through two sets of photographs — professional and private — and the objects that remain.
Shot on Super 8mm using a multi-plane camera setup (much like early Fleisher or Disney animations), Jean-Paul Kelly's A Minimal Difference presents receding-depth images — both metaphorical and factual (political protests in Bangkok, bodies piled after the 2010 Haitian earthquake, destruction in Gaza) — with each tableau separated into planes that mimic the perception of optical distance based on a parallax error.
A master of ironic archival recovery, William E. Jones in Shoot Don't Shoot adapts a law enforcement instructional film that trains officers to decide whether or not to fire their guns at “a black man wearing a pinkish shirt and yellow pants.”
Luther Price's 16mm Sorry-Horns bookends a found footage scene with abstract inkblots, creating an odd sensation in disjunction.
Using footage from Cocteau's Orphée, Mary Helena Clark's outtakes (Orpheus) optically prints an interstitial space where the ghosts of cinema lurk beyond and within the frames.
The all-seeing, omniscient late Syrian president Hafez El Assad is the subject of Ali Cherri’s cunning docu-collage Pipe Dreams, which unearths a historic phone call between the eternal leader and Syrian astronaut Mohammad Fares, at a time when statues of El Assad were being dismantled as a precaution during recent upheavals.
Blasting off into cosmic visual abstraction, pioneering computer artist Lillian Schwartz's recently restored UFOs (shown here in eye-popping 3-D) is a kinetic tour-de-force whose innovative pixel pigmentation predated advances in stereoscopic technology by decades.
Wavelengths 3: I am micro
Rendered in raw, intimiste strokes, these portraits participate in the paradoxical experience of being an artist with aspirations belonging to this world, as much as beyond.
An exquisite essay on independent filmmaking in India, Shumona Goel and Shai Heredia’s shot-on-16mm I Am Micro has finally been blown up to 35mm — after languishing for far too long on video, as the closures of labs temporarily consigned its fate to a sad irony — allowing us to relish the astonishing beauty of its sulfurous images.
In Class Picture, Filipino artist collective and “photography film” aficionados Tito & Tito converts a single 16mm colour strip into a washed-out 35mm; the sea — like history — swallows but also spawns.
Known for the signature mix of classical-surreal in her startlingly precocious self-portraits, the late Francesca Woodman also created a series of recently revealed videos during her brief but prolific career. This compilation — generously made available thanks to George and Betty Woodman — attests to Woodman’s playful and performative tendencies, which have too often been overlooked by critical mythologizing.
Photographer-filmmaker Friedl vom Gröller has long been documenting her intimate life, including serial self-portraits and those of her family members. Startling in its use of sound (a rarity for this artist), Me too, too, me too (Ich auch, auch, ich auc) is a phantasmal encounter with vom Gröller’s frail, aging mother.
Vincent Grenier’s Waiting Room transforms a dolphin-adorned pediatric ward into pulsating, hot, disembodied yellow rhythms; the disjunction between the fluorescents and the video image resulting in small-scale transcendence.
Nicky Hamlyn’s celestial overture Transis of Venus is one of eleven diptych documents of this astronomical phenomenon, one shot in black in white in the U.K., the other capturing a stunning Italian blush sunset.
Nathaniel Dorsky’s August and After is dedicated to two recently departed friends: legendary filmmaker George Kuchar and actress Carla Liss. The film shows them vibrantly, resiliently alive, shortly before their passing, and then sets off in search of soothing beauty — yielding searing 16mm images awash in colours both belonging to and transcending our natural world. Well into the twilight years of 16mm filmmaking, Dorsky continues to present textures and hues that are indispensible to the art of cinema. We will be poorer without them.
Wavelengths 4: From the Inside Out
Influential intermedia artist Aldo Tambellini’s 1960s revolutionary Black films (currently being restored and archived by the Harvard Film Archive) have lost none of their acuity. Through its suggestion of a cosmological beginning via pulsing abstraction and a series of non-camera techniques, and its use of television as a subversive artistic force, Tambellini’s pioneering work sought to represent “the expansion of consciousness in all directions.” A dual 16mm split screen projection of one of Tambellini’s greatest works, his prescient and intense Black TV, sets the tempo for a programme exploring contours through holes, legacies through sustained viewing, and dynamic force fields from the inside out.
Named for the taboo-breaking film by Kenji Onishi, Josh Solondz's Burning Star is an entrancing colourful implo/explosion of a twelve-sided star.
Paolo Gioli's When Bodies Touch (Quando I Corpi Si Toccano) uses footage from an old porn film to transform copulating bodies into a mesmerizing, competitive dance with celluloid.
With Ritournelle, Peter Miller and Christopher Becks have fashioned a miniature gem from a 16mm corps exquis exercise; an experiment in inside-out filmmaking, which began with a surreptitiously pre-struck soundtrack.
Marking a bifurcation in the programme from abstraction to figuration, Jim Jennings' first (spectral) video work Watch the Closing Doors — a continuation, yet striking variant upon the filmmaker's unique city symphonies, this time with synch sound — partakes in the august photographic tradition of capturing commuters unaware on the New York subway.
Lonnie van Brummelen and Siebran de Haan's glorious 35mm View from the Acropolis extends the Dutch artists' interest in Europe's shifting power dynamics by offering a monumental meditation on the original Turkish site of the Pergamon Altar, now stowed in the famous Berlin museum.
Anna Marziano's intelligent, quietly moving The mutability of all things and the possibility of changing some (De la mutabilité de toute chose et de la possibilité d'en changer certaines) explores our human adaptability in light of catastrophe (the earthquake in Aquila) by way of seminal literature passages implying a transitory social body (from Marguerite Yourcenar, Hannah Arendt, et al.).
In his first film made outside of his native Austria, Johann Lurf spent several months documenting the Morris Reservoir near Asuza, California, which functioned for decades as a military torpedo-testing site. Now decommissioned and rife with resulting infrastructural oddities, the oft-documented site is here transformed in Reconnaissance through subtle movements by Lurf's sly investment in visual perception play. The world is anything but static…
Pairings
The Capsule Athina Rachel Tsangari, Greece, 37’
A bevy of gorgeous Gothic goddesses vie for the attention of their headmistress on the Greek island of Hydra, in this fetishistic fashion-film fantasy by Athina Rachel Tsangari (Attenberg).
Followed by
Walker Tsai-Ming Liang, China/Hong Kong, 26’
A metaphor for mourning and spiritual searching as much as it is a reminder to slow down, Tsai Ming-liang’s stunningly beautiful Walker features his acteur fétiche Lee Kang-sheng as a red-robed monk barely locomoting through the bustling streets of Hong Kong.
Viola Matías Piñeiro, Argentina, 65’
Young Argentine auteur Matías Piñeiro continues his fascination with Shakespeare in this dazzling riff on Twelfth Night, which launches a host of intersecting characters into a roundelay of dalliances, intrigues and burgeoning revelations.
Preceded by
Birds (Ὄρνιθες) Gabriel Abrantes, Portugal, 17’
Gabriel Abrantes inventively transposes Aristophanes’ Ὄρνιθες (The Birds, from 414 B.C.) to a mournful, present-day Haiti shot in luminous 16mm.
Mekong Hotel Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Thailand, 57’
The new film from Thai master and Palme d’Or winner Apichatpong Weerasethakul is at once a soothing lullaby, a film à clef, fragments from an unrealized project, and a fascinating experiment in collaboration.
Preceded by
Big in Vietnam Mati Diop, France, 27’
Up-and-coming French actress-filmmaker Mati Diop’s Tiger-award winning film is a strange and sensual short about a fraught adaptation of Les Liaisons dangereuses, where disappearances yield new beginnings.
FEATURES
The Last Time I Saw Macao (A Última Vez Que Vi Macau) João Pedro Rodrigues, João Rul Guerra da Mata, Portugal/France, 85’ North American Premiere
Part memoir, part city symphony, part noir-ish B-movie adventure, the new feature from critically acclaimed Portuguese filmmaking duo João Pedro Rodrigues and João Rui Guerra da Mata (To Die Like a Man) is a sensual, shape-shifting ode to one of the world’s most mythic, alluring and exoticized cities.
Differently, Molussia (autrement, la Molussie) Nicolas Rey, France, 81’ Canadian Premiere
Differently autrement, la Molussie is an award-winning philosophical fable that draws on Günthers Anders’ amazingly prescient anti-fascist novel The Molussian Catacomb and is presented on nine reels of dreamy 16mm film shown in random order.
Bestiaire Denis Côté, Canada/France, 72’ Canadian Premiere
Visionary filmmaker Denis Côté (Curling) offers a strikingly beautiful contemplation of the caged denizens of a zoo in this intriguing cinematic inquiry into the mysterious rapport and insuperable gulf between animals and humans.
Far From Afghanistan John Gianvito, Jon Jost, Minda Martin, Soon-Mi Yoo, Travis Wilkerson, USA, 129’ North American Premiere
Taking inspiration from the collaborative 1967 militant anthology film Far from Vietnam (screening for free as part of our new TIFF Cinematheque programme), five of the boldest and most prominent American militant filmmakers unite to create this searing (and seething) omnibus work, employing a variety of approaches to reveal the hidden costs of the United States’ most expensive and longest-running war.
The Fifth Season Peter Brosens, Jessica Woodworth, Belgium/The Netherlands/France, 94’ North American Premiere
In their follow-up to the remarkable Altiplano, co-directors Peter Brosens and Jessica Woodworth create a mystifying, surrealistic tale of a mountain village where spring refuses to come, inspiring the villagers to ever more desperate and bizarre measures to save their land and their lives.
The Lebanese Rocket Society Joana Hadjithomas, Khalil Joreige, Qatar, 93’ World Premiere
Lebanon's brief flirtation with space travel in the 1960s becomes a poignant metaphor for the Arab world's utopian dreams in this riveting documentary by internationally acclaimed artist duo Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige.
Leviathan Lucien Castaing-Taylor, Véréna Paravel, France/United Kingdom/USA, 87’ North American Premiere
In the very waters where Melville’s Pequod gave chase to Moby Dick, Leviathan captures the collaborative clash of man, nature, and machine on a dozen cameras—tossed and tethered from fisherman to filmmaker. A cosmic portrait of commercial fishing as it’s never been seen and heard.
Perret in France and Algeria Heinz Emigholz, Germany, 110’ North American Premiere
Lauded artist-filmmaker Heinz Emigholz (Schindler’s Houses) offers an exquisite visual study of the work of pioneering French architect Auguste Perret, including privileged views of his innovative concrete structures in Algeria and such magnificent landmarks as Paris’ Art Deco Théâtre des Champs Elysées.
Post Tenebras Lux Carlos Reygadas, Mexico/France/The Netherlands/Germany, 120’ North American Premiere
Maverick director Carlos Reygadas presents his most ambitious, personal and controversial work yet with this disorienting, kaleidoscopic vision of a family torn between tenderness and violence.
Three Sisters Wang Bing, China, 153’ North American Premiere
The masterful new documentary from Wang Bing (West of the Tracks) is an intimate, observational portrait of a peasant family who ekes out a humble existence in a small village set against the stunning mountain landscapes of China's Yunnan province.
When Night Falls (Wo hai you hua yao shuo) Ying Liang, South Korea/China, 70’ North American Premiere
Inspired by the notorious case of a young man's 2008 murder of six Shanghai police officers, the remarkable new film from independent Chinese auteur Ying Liang focuses on the killer's mother, as she both struggles to comprehend her son's heinous act and is persecuted by a state that willfully ignores its own laws. Winner of the Best Director and Actress awards at the Locarno Film Festival.
For the Canadian short film programs, continue
Toronto International Film Festival
Short Cuts Canada
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Stephen Dunn's "Life Doesn't Frighten Me"
100 Musicians Charles Officer, ON, 8’, World Premiere
100 Musicians is a sensual and intimate film. It is a hazy summer night in Kensington market. Sydney and June are in bed, in the afterglow of making love. The tender moment slowly culminates into a social/political quarrel over what they hear on the radio.
A Pretty Funny Story Evan Morgan, ON, 19’, World Premiere
Bored family-man Rick witnesses a neighbour’s embarrassing act and is eager to report the story back to his office chums. The neighbour though, shamed and maniacal, proceeds to threaten and take action against his bully.
American Sisyphus Frieda Luk, ON, 7’, World Premiere
The modern-day Sisyphean sentence is represented here as punishment for gluttony when a dysfunctional family meets over Sunday brunch. A well-designed commentary on an overindulgent society, American Sisyphus addresses a culture’s insatiable consumption.
Asian Gangs Lewis Bennett and Calum MacLeod, ON, 9’
In 1994, Grade 5 student Lewis Bennett got into a schoolyard fight, resulting in a stern warning from his principal “Change your ways, or you’ll end up in an Asian gang.” Seventeen years later, Bennett (still Caucasian) revisits his past to determine if he took a wrong turn along the way.
Aubade (L’Aubade) Carla Susanto, ON, 2’, World Premiere
Engravings from century-old medical textbooks become an animated backdrop to a man’s loving goodbye during his final moments. The fleeting flicker of the monochromatic images resonates with the narrator’s quickening journey as he transitions from one world to another.
Bardo Light Connor Gaston, BC, 11’, World Premiere
Accused of killing his father, a young man claims the television set was the offender. Referring to the yellow light of the hungry ghosts — the light we cannot resist — Bardo Light takes inspiration from the Tibetan Book of the Dead to create the ethereal tale of a modern creation linking all species to another, transcendent world.
Barefoot Danis Goulet, ON, 11’, World Premiere
This coming-of-age tale follows 16-year-old Alyssa, a young Cree girl whose plans to be a mom are challenged by reality. Assured direction and keen insight deliver a powerful depiction of the pressures youth face in isolated communities and their attempts to take control of their lives.
Broken Heart Syndrome Dusty Mancinelli, ON, 16’, World Premiere
After being dumped by his girlfriend while making love, Russ is diagnosed with a rare disease known as BHS (Broken Heart Syndrome). His romance mocked at by a world that never comes to the rescue, Russ needs to find a cure.
Bydlo Patrick Bouchard, QC, 9’, Toronto Premiere
Inspired by Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, Bydlo is a staggering visual rendering of the lumbering wooden Polish ox-cart picture. Technically complex (Bouchard animates plasteline) and artistically fiery, Bydlo depicts the cycles of life, the power of man and beast, and both the beauty and horror of labour.
CanoeJacked Jonathan Williams, ON, 6’, World Premiere
Two prisoners escape through the woods while being chased by a policeman. They’re in luck: a canoe is left by the waterside, but its owner, a nudist, wants it back. With no plan — and bullets flying in their direction — the trio must find a way out of what they’ve started.
Crackin’ Down Hard Mike Clattenburg, NS, 10’, World Premiere
Pimpin’ ain’t easy. Nowhere is this more true than in the middle of the desert where a young man looking for some meditation and solitary hiking is confronted with a proposition that might be just too hard to resist. Mike Clattenburg’s irreverent sense of humour is showcased in this cautionary and ludicrously funny tale about succumbing to primal urges and the power of suggestion.
The Dancing Cop Kelvin Redvers, BC, 7’, World Premiere
A musical satire tackling the politics of native people in urban centres, The Dancing Cop defies typical social commentary by mirroring the bubbling civic tension between citizens and the powers at play. When a man is wrongly accused of theft and cornered by an overly zealous cop, the latter performs a frighteningly cheery song and dance.
Dear Scavengers Aaron Phelan, ON, 9’, World Premiere
A no-nonsense used-appliance shop owner is forced to contend with a phalanx of tween girls entering his store during a summer camp scavenger hunt. Hrant Alianak’s performance as the anti-social proprietor Hector hits deadpan comedic perfection in this urban tale about generation gaps and bargain-priced stoves.
Frost Jeremy Ball, ON, 13’, World Premiere
An epic sci-fi thriller, Frost follows Nava, a young arctic hunter determined to prove her skills by embarking on a dangerous search for scarce food. At the edge of the known territory, she makes a discovery that will call for her to win the battle in a new world.
The Genius from Quintino Johnny Ma, ON, 14’, North American Premiere
Ricardo is a mechanic in a poor suburb near Rio de Janeiro. Known by locals for his uncanny ability to fix anything, his reputation brings a curious young boy with a broken toy to his doorstep. Confronted by a past he doesn’t remember and a child looking for more than a mechanic, Ricardo realizes there may be limits to what he can repair.
Herd Leader (Chef de meute) Chloe Robichaud, QC, 13’, Canadian Premiere
Clara leads a solitary life, much to the chagrin of her meddling family. Her spinster aunt’s untimely passing leads to Clara’s inheritance of a disobedient pug. Learning to live with man’s best friend might teach her a few new tricks.
H’Mong Sisters Jeff Wong, BC, 14’, World Premiere
Teenage sisters living in the mountainous villages of Vietnam take a western backpacker into their care. Their informal relationship exposes its complexities, as they guide him through a traditional way of life that has been threatened and transformed by economic and colonial forces.
Horrible Things (Les choses horrible) Vincent Biron, QC, 12’, World Premiere
Nothing says “I’m sorry” like a thoughtful present. But for Dede, Carole and Steve, their attempts to make amends and assuage their guilt with gift-giving fall comically short. Winner of the Award for Best Canadian Short Film at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival, Vincent Biron blends three thematically linked stories with a keen eye for dark comedy and sympathy for deeply flawed characters.
How to be Deadly Nik Sexton, ON, 16’, North American Premiere
Donnie Dumphy is vulgar, harmless, a hoser, an underdog and a loyal friend; but he’s also broken-hearted. On the eve of St. John’s biggest dirt bike competition of the year, he will live a thousand lives.
I’m Beginning to Miss You Sakay Ottawa, ON, 3’, Toronto Premiere
When Pinaskin Ottawa disappeared from Manawan, Quebec, no one saw him leave. His brother struggles to not lose hope; looking for clues and continuing his search. Stark images of a winter landscape scattered with fragments of human existence emphasize this poetic and chilling tale of loss.
Apart Theodore Ushev, QC, 4’, World Premiere
Poetic and political, Theodore Ushev’s latest animated work cultivates his incredible talent to call for the liberation of imprisoned Iranian filmmakers and to focus attention on the plight of Jafar Panahi. Drawing inspiration from raw footage of the Green Wave uprising to compose densely layered rotoscoped images embedded with Farsi text, the result is a powerful piece of activism that is both personal and profound.
Keep a Modest Head (Ne crâne pas sois modeste) Deco Dawson, MB, 20’, World Premiere
Jean Benoît, the last official member of the French Surrealist group, receives Deco Dawson’s signature visual treatment in this biography that fantastically illustrates Benoît’s formative (and highly sexual) childhood memories. Mixing interviews recorded in Benoît’s Parisian studio with surrealist inspired reenactments, Dawson deconstructs documentary conventions to fittingly eulogize a formidable artist.
Let the Daylight into the Swamp Jeffrey St. Jules, ON, 35’, World Premiere
The St. Judes origins in the lumber camps of northern Ontario lead to a splintered family and a spotted history filled with questions and half answers. With a mix of animation, re-enactments and archival evidence, Jeffrey St. Jules assembles a three-part 3-D documentary collage that explores the consequences of parents who make the difficult decision to give up their children.
Life Doesn’t Frighten Me Stephen Dunn, ON, 14’, World Premiere
Teenage life for Esther Weary includes her well-intentioned grandpa, friends that suck, and a birthday that couldn’t be more depressing if it tried. She’s insecure about her nose, and puberty makes her think she’s dying. Sharp writing and standout performances by Jade Aspros and Gordon Pinsent highlight this modern coming-of-age comedy.
Lingo Bahar Noorizadeh, BC, 13’, World Premiere
A boy mistakenly starts a fire in a residential neighbourhood. His mother, an Afghan immigrant to Canada, is interrogated by the police. Protective of her son and hindered by a language barrier, she has trouble explaining with certainty what happened.
Lost In Motion Ben Shirinian, ON, 2.5’
A dancer freed from costumes, sets and possibly the laws of gravity takes flight in a solo performance, soaring through the air with grace and power. Choreographed and performed by Guillaume Côté, principal dancer with the National Ballet of Canada, every pirouette and jeté showcases his talent in a way that audiences have never seen.
Malody Philip Barker, ON, 12’, North American Premiere
As a young infirm woman sits at a quiet diner counter, her surroundings become increasingly unstable. The ensuing chaos of her world literally turning upside down triggers an ominous sequence of events.
Model Dylan Reibling, ON, 4’
Part two of Dylan Reibling's Dead Media trilogy, Model is a playful and ultra-designed look at the threat of obsoletion of a meticulous human workforce.
The Near Future (Le futur proche) Sophie Goyette, QC, 18’, Toronto Premiere
Ethereal aerial images of suburban sprawl, expressways and floating horizons frame this impressionistic portrait of Robin, a pilot who finds solace in his daily routines in order to delay the pain of recent news from his family overseas.
Nostradamos Maxence Bradley, QC, 9’, Toronto Premiere
Playing between the lines of documentary and fiction, Nostradamos follows citizens preparing for the end of the world. The city of Amos, Québec stands as the safest place to survive. Made in 72 hours, Nostradamos is a riveting portrait on the variances of human reactions to potential environmental catastrophes.
Old Growth Tess Girard, ON, 5’, World Premiere
In the frigid isolation of winter, an elderly man braves the elements to hew his cord with nothing but an axe and a wheelbarrow. What first appears as a landscape study soon becomes an elegy for nature’s sacrifice to fuel man’s existence.
The Pool Date Patrick Sisam, ON, 7’, World Premiere
Straight, white and Canadian, Nigel (Mike Beaver) is on a sunny vacation in South America. Hanging by a pool surrounded by sexy young people, his physique clashes — but Nigel remains unfazed. When Rio takes his chair (and possibly his cocktail), he is determined to get it back. A quiet territorial battle opens questions of sexual desire and invitation.
Reflexions Martin Thibaudeau, QC, 5’, World Premiere
A graveside funeral service sets the scene for what becomes an increasingly disturbing and fascinating piece of storytelling where looking beyond the surface of things reveals the deceased’s life before death.
Safe Room Elizabeth Lazebnik, ON, 11’, World Premiere
This semi-autobiographical film is about a young woman living in Canada who remembers her experiences of sitting in the safe room with her family in Israel during the Gulf War.
Shit Girls Say Graydon Sheppard and Kyle Humphrey, ON, 2’, World Premiere
Toronto actors, filmmakers and internet phenomenons Graydon Sheppard and Kyle Humphrey premiere their new Shit Girls Say episode on the big screen. Their original film-turned-YouTube sensation produced an onslaught of playful gender and/or culturally specific behaviour “Shit (insert gender+culture) Say” videos from all corners of the world and web.
Struggle (Faillir) Sophie Dupuis, QC, 24’, World Premiere
As Ariane prepares to leave Val-d'Or — and everything else — behind for the big city, her attempts to say goodbye to her brother are complicated by the ever present sexual tension that exists between them.
Sullivan’s Applicant Jeanne Leblanc, QC, 11’, North American Premiere
On her way to a job interview in downtown Montreal, Lucy is bogged down by clogged cars, a nagging mother and a potential life crisis. Yet, amidst the oppressive traffic and pushy city pulse, she makes a connection with a perfect stranger.
The Tape Matt Austin, ON, 5’, World Premiere
When a Toronto man (Julian Richings) digs through his attic for a VHS, he encounters a 21st century problem: how does he play it? If technology is quickly discarded and upgraded, a memory cannot be allowed to get the same treatment.
Their Feast (Waleematehom) Reem Morsi, BC, 20’, World Premiere
Following the Egyptian revolution of 2011, a mother and her children prepare a celebratory meal for the return of the eldest son who is being released from a National Security prison.
Tuesday Fantavious Fritz, ON, 14’, World Premiere
Inspired by a hypothetical grown-up version of Holden Caulfield’s little sister Phoebe, Fantavious Fritz creates a character who is relatable and endearing, while embracing the awkward, irresponsible and defining moments of being a 20-something.
Vive la Canadienne Joe Cobden, QC, 4’, World Premiere
A lovely afternoon stroll in the park becomes a dynamic dancing duel of quick steps and high kicks between burly men and a joyful mademoiselle. With nary a word, and channeling Buster Keaton’s cinematic style, Joe Cobden brings a modern perspective to a classic Canadian folk chanson.
When You Sleep Ashley McKenzie, NS, 12’, World Premiere
An unwanted pregnancy is holding together an unstable teen couple. When You Sleep is an assured, fearless account of youth heading straight for a life where they feel trapped.
With Jeff (Avec Jeff, à moto) Marie-Eve Juste, QC, 14’, North American Premiere
Nyduia is a Haitian Montreal teenager who spends her time going to school, hip-hop dancing, tending to the house and secretly reading poetry. Wanting to shake up her life, she accepts a date invitation from Jeff, a notorious player.
The Worst Day Ever Sophie Jarvis, BC, 11’, World Premiere
Bernard can't quite seem to get it right today. Although he tries his hardest, he never fails to disappoint those around him — causing accidents left, right and centre.
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