TIFF announces complete 2010 lineup of films

The Toronto International Film Festival announced the remainder of the lineup for its 2010 edition. Previously, TIFF had announced the Opening Night gala on July 14, Galas and Special Presentations on July 27, documentaries and Wavelengths programmes on August 4, Canadian films on August 10, and last week on August 17 they announced Midnight Madness films, Future Projections, City to City, Sprockets Family Zone, TIFF For Free as well as a few more Galas and Special Presentations. Today they released the titles of all the remaining films in the categories of Contemporary World Cinema, Discovery, Masters, Mavericks, Visions and Vanguard.

Some of the titles are highly anticipated including Cannes Film Festival winner Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives by Thai auteur Apichatpong "Joe" Weerasethakul. Weerasethakul will also be a guest speaker in the Mavericks programme in a discussion of his work.

Here is the full list of films in the remaining categories.
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WORLD PREMIERES BY BENT HAMER, PETER MULLAN, KOEN MORTIER, ICIAR
BOLLAIN AND KIM TAE-YONG AMONG 45 INTERNATIONAL TITLES AS FESTIVAL
ANNOUNCES CONTEMPORARY WORLD CINEMA PROGRAMME

Toronto – The Toronto International Film Festival announces 45 exciting films from filmmakers from around the world, including Tom Tykwer, Tsui Hark, Marion Hansel, Feng Xiaogang, Hong Sangsoo, Ann Hui, Gabriel Range and Khalo Matabane. The Contemporary World Cinema programme annually provides audiences with a snapshot of trends in global cinema. These films come from every corner of the earth including: China, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Finland, Russia, South Korea, Spain, Thailand and many places in between.

22nd of May Koen Mortier, Belgium
World Premiere
The director of Ex-Drummer returns with an artful meditation on political violence. A security guard fails to prevent a horrific explosion in a shopping mall, then lives through the aftermath as a series of overlapping what-ifs.

World Premiere
Africa United Debs Gardner-Paterson, United Kingdom
Africa United tells the extraordinary story of three Rwandan children and their bid to achieve their lifelong dream – to take part in the opening ceremony of the 2010 Football World Cup in Johannesburg.

Aftershock Feng Xiaogang, China
North American Premiere
The most successful Chinese movie of all time, Aftershock is based on the novel of the same name by Chinese Canadian author Zhang Ling. An intimate epic, the film sweeps across three crucial decades in recent Chinese history and explores the resilience of a family devastated by the 1976 Tangshan earthquake.


All About Love Ann Hui , Hong Kong, China
International Premiere
All About Love takes a rare look at not only the lives of queer women, but also the challenges of creating a family. Ann Hui expertly balances the serious themes of motherhood, sexuality and discrimination, rarely addressed in Hong Kong films, with wit, humour and compassion.


Anything You Want Achero Mañas, Spain
International Premiere
Four year-old Dafne's life is unhinged when her mother Alicia suddenly dies. Her father Leo tries to be both father and mother to her, but Dafne really just wants her mom. Leo strives to be just that, and in the process, nearly loses his own identity.


Bad Faith Kristian Petri, Sweden
International Premiere
On her way home from work Mona finds the victim of a serial killer. She is shocked but the experience triggers something within and her fascination becomes obsession. She decides to find the killer on her own. Her hunt leads to violent confrontation, not only with the killer but also with herself.


Behind Blue Skies Hannes Holm, Sweden
World Premiere
In Hannes Holm's beautifully crafted Behind Blue Skies, Bill Skarsgård stars as a young man on the cusp of manhood who escapes his troubled home to work at a summer resort, but somehow finds himself embroiled in one of the most scandalous criminal cases in 1970s Sweden in this affectionately mounted period piece based on actual events.


Black Ocean Marion Hänsel, Belgium/France/Germany
North American Premiere
Three young boys aboard a French naval vessel in 1972 take part in nuclear tests in Mururoa, in the Pacific. Black Ocean explores about the relationships of the men on board who are confronted with discipline, violence, solitude and occasionally, friendship.


Blessed Events Isabelle Stever, Germany
World Premiere
Thirty-seven-year-old Simone decides to go out alone on New Year’s Eve. The next morning, she wakes up next to a stranger, and a few weeks later discovers that she’s pregnant. When she runs into the stranger again she is surprised by his reaction.


Break Up Club Barbara Wong, Hong Kong
International Premiere
Barbara Wong captures the mood of Hong Kong's young generation and delivers an ultra-modern romantic comedy about the end of one's innocence and the understanding that love is ultimately about the sacrifices one must make.

Carancho Pablo Trapero, Argentina/South Korea/France/Chile
North American Premiere
Sosa (Ricardo Darin) is a lawyer who haunts hospital waiting rooms hoping to represent the victims of traffic accidents in insurance claims. When he falls in love with ambulance medic Lujan, he tries to leave this dark business but the shady law firm that he works for won’t let him off that easily.


Chico & Rita Fernando Trueba, Javier Mariscal, Tono Errando, Spain/United Kingdom
North American Premiere
Oscar-winning director Fernando Trueba teams up with famed designer Javier Mariscal and co-director Tono Errando to create an epic animated love story that occurs around the time of the Cuban Revolution. Highlighting a pivotal moment in the evolution of jazz and travelling from Havana to New York, Chico & Rita is a tribute to the music, culture and people of Cuba.


Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame Tsui Hark, China
North American Premiere
Based on the iconic figure of Di Renjie, a legendary minister of state in the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907 AD) who was known for his ability to solve the most complicated cases, Tsui Hark's Detective Dee (Andy Lau) is a uniquely appealing counterpart to his modern western equivalent, Sherlock Holmes.


The Edge Alexey Uchitel, Russia
World Premiere
The arrival of a decorated war hero takes a Siberian labour camp by storm. After assuming control of the region’s only steam engine, he sets out to find a ghost engine on a nearby island populated by an undead girl with a railway obsession.


Even the Rain Icíar Bollaín Spain/France/Mexico
World Premiere
Filmmaker Sebastian (Gael García Bernal) travels to Bolivia to shoot a film about the Spanish conquest of America. He and his crew arrive during the tense time of the Cochabamba water crisis. The lines between past and present, and fiction and film, become increasingly blurred in Iciar Bollain's latest feature, Even the Rain.


The First Grader Justin Chadwick, United Kingdom
World Premiere
In a remote Kenyan primary school hundreds of children are jostling for a chance for the free education newly promised by the Kenyan government. One new applicant causes astonishment when he knocks on the door of the school: Maruge, a Mau Mau veteran in his eighties who is desperate to learn to read.


The Fourth Portrait Chung Mong-Hong, Taiwan
North American Premiere
The Fourth Portrait casts a sobering look at the troubling issues of domestic violence, and the difficult family dynamics that are born of marriages of convenience.


Home for Christmas Bent Hamer, Norway/Germany/Sweden
World Premiere
Norwegian veteran Bent Hamer (Kitchen Stories) returns with this look at fractured families at Christmas time. The film shuttles between serious drama and the gently absurdist comedy for which Hamer is well-known.


How I Ended This Summer Alexei Popogrebsky, Russia
Canadian Premiere
Two meteorologists are isolated on an Arctic island. When the two-way radio transmits some bad news that requires a middleman, it’s up to the young intern to inform his veteran colleague. The problem is that he never seems to find the right time.


The Human Resources Manager Eran Riklis, Israel/Germany/France/Romania
North American Premiere
A tragi-comedy centers on the HR manager of Israel's largest industrial bakery as he sets out to save the reputation of his business and prevent the publication of a defamatory article – the catch is that he has to take a coffin 1000 kilometres into rural Romania to do it.


The Hunter Rafi Pitts, Iran
North American Premiere
Recently released from prison, Ali makes the most of his reunion with his wife and young daughter, amidst much talk of the upcoming elections and promises of change. When tragedy strikes, Ali takes matters into his own hands and the line between hunter and hunted becomes difficult to define.


I Am Slave Gabriel Range, United Kingdom
International Premiere
From the award winning team behind Death of a President and The Last King of Scotland, and inspired by real life events, I Am Slave is a controversial thriller about London’s shocking slave trade, and one woman’s fight for freedom.

Jucy Louise Alston, Australia
World Premiere
Jackie and Lucy are best friends who spend all their time together, but not everyone approves of their “womance.” Accused of being weird and codependent, they set out to prove their maturity. Jackie gets the guy and Lucy gets the job, but can their friendship survive their newfound independence?


Lapland Odyssey Dome Karukoski, Finland
World Premiere
Three unemployed young men set off on a desperate journey to locate a digital conversion box in the north of Finland. Wildly funny, Dome Karukoski's Lapland Odyssey is a Finnish cousin to Harold and Kumar and Fubar.


Late Autumn Kim Tae-Yong, South Korea
World Premiere
Anna (Tang Wei) is on her way to Seattle to attend her mother's funeral while on a special weekend release from prison. On the bus, she meets Hoon (Hyun Bin), a "companion for hire" for lonely, older women. Both are running away but both find something in each other while spending a day together.


Leap Year Michael Rowe, Mexico
North American Premiere
In this transgressive erotic drama, Laura Lopez lives a lonely existence in her Mexico City apartment. On her calendar, the 29th of February is ominously circled, its significance becoming more apparent as the leap year approaches.


Life, Above All Oliver Schmitz, South Africa/Germany
North American Premiere
After the death of her newborn sister, 12-year-old Chanda learns of a rumour that spreads like wildfire through her small, dust-ridden village near Johannesburg. When it destroys her family and forces her mother to flee, Chandra leaves home and school in search of her mother and the truth.


The Light Thief Aktan Arym Kubat, Kyrgyzstan/Germany/France/Netherlands
North American Premiere
A funny and touching portrait of small-town politics in a rapidly globalizing world that follows Svet-ake, an electrician in a small Kyrgyz village who has been stealing electricity to help the impoverished local residents. When a wealthy land developer arrives to buy up the land, Svet-ake shares with him his dream to populate the valley with modern windmills – but soon realizes not everyone has the village’s best interests at heart.

Mamma Gógó Fridrik Thor Fridriksson, Iceland
International Premiere
Icelandic master Fridrik Thor Fridriksson returns with this disarmingly honest, semi-autobiographical portrait of a filmmaker's relationship with his ailing mother. Simultaneously poignant and funny, Mamma Gógó is fuelled by compassion for those who brought us into this world and also pays tribute to the director's artistic influences.

Matariki Michael Bennett, New Zealand
World Premiere
A violent tragedy has a harrowing impact on eight different lives in a diverse South Auckland community.


The Matchmaker Avi Nesher, Israel
International Premiere
In 1968 Haifa, a teenage boy gets a summer job with a Holocaust survivor who makes ends meet by brokering marriages and smuggling goods. Throughout the summer, the boy discovers the intriguing underbelly of Haifa and its community of Holocaust survivors.


Meek's Cutoff Kelly Reichardt, USA
North American Premiere
It's 1845 and a wagon team of three families have hired a guide to take them on the Oregon Trail and over the Cascade Mountains. They become lost and while suffering from hunger, thirst and fear, they encounter a Native American who forces them to reassess everything.


My Joy Sergei Loznitsa, Germany/Ukraine/The Netherlands
North American Premiere
Truck driver Georgy sets out on a provincial Russian motorway for a routine delivery but a series of chance encounters see his journey spiral out of control. A roadside police check, a war veteran and a young prostitute lead him to a village from which there appears to be no way out.

Neds Peter Mullan, United Kingdom/France/Italy
World Premiere
Set in 1970s Glasgow, this film tells the story of a shy and intelligent young boy who, through a series of circumstances, turns into a NED – a non-educated delinquent. Attending a new school, he becomes increasingly violent and aggressive, all the while searching for a way out.


Of Gods and Men Xavier Beauvois, France
North American Premiere
Based on a true incident where a group of Christian monks were killed in Algeria in 1995, Of Gods and Men follows the spiritual lifestyle of the monks, their interaction with the locals and the events that lead up to the confrontation with a group of Islamic fundamentalist insurgents.

Oki's Movie Hong Sangsoo, South Korea
North American Premiere
Oki's Movie is comprised of four short films featuring three main characters with different but overlapping roles. The final short, Oki's Movie, is a story of a film student, Oki, who makes a film about two men she has dated. In her film, she makes a cinematographic construction of her experiences of coming to Acha Mountain with each man a year apart.

North American Premiere
Outbound Bogdan George Apetri, Romania
Matilda, a feisty woman-child with a sordid past, is out on prison leave. Are 24 hours enough to make up for her mistakes and skip out of the country in time for a brand new life?

Sensation Tom Hall, Ireland
International Premiere
Sensation details the relationship between Tipperary farmer Donal Duggan and a veteran Kiwi escort. They begin as client and call girl, evolve into something like lovers, then business partners and finally co-defendants.


The Solitude Of Prime Numbers Saverio Constanzo, Italy
North American Premiere
Two youngsters discover that they are doomed to live parallel lives, always linked but never joined. One has to deal with the effects of a serious accident while the other must come to grips with negligence that led to a death. As they grow into adults, they discover that their singularity results in solitude.


Tender Son – The Frankenstein Project Kornél Mundruczó Hungary/Germany/Austria
North American Premiere
Long ago, a young man fathered a child without ever knowing what became of him. Now 17, his son Rudi returns home hoping to reunite with his family after years spent in an institution. A terrible event soon changes everything and the father has no choice but to accompany his son on his inevitable brutal path and their common search for redemption.

Tracker Ian Sharp, United Kingdom/New Zealand
World Premiere
A former Boer War guerrilla in New Zealand is sent to bring back a Maori accused of killing a British soldier.

Three Tom Tykwer, Germany
North American Premiere
Returning to the rule-breaking freedom of early films like Run Lola Run, Tykwer introduces a sophisticated Berlin couple who both start affairs with the same man, putting them on a collision course.


Silent Souls Aleksei Fedorchenko, Russia
North American Premiere
When Miron's beloved wife Tanya passes away, he asks his best friend Aist to help him say goodbye according to the rituals of the Merya culture, an ancient Finno-Ugric tribe from Lake Nero. The two men set out on a road trip thousands of miles across the boundless lands.

State of Violence Khalo Matabane, South Africa/France
International Premiere
In his follow-up to Conversations on a Sunday Afternoon, Matabane delivers a potent drama about a South African corporate leader whose past as a violent revolutionary comes back to threaten him.


White Irish Drinkers John Gray, USA
World Premiere
In this coming of age story set in 1975 working-class Brooklyn, two teenage brothers living with their abusive father and their well-meaning but ineffective mother are caught up in a life of petty crime.

Womb Benedek Fliegauf, Germany/Hungary/France
North American Premiere
Rebecca has waited 12 long years to be reunited with her childhood sweetheart, only to lose him again in a fatal accident. The only difference is, now she can bring him back from the dead.

Previously Announced Contemporary World Cinema titles include:


Crying Out (Robin Aubert), MODRA (Ingrid Veninger), A Night for Dying Tigers (Terry Miles), Route 132 (Louis Bélanger), Small Town Murder Songs (Ed Gass-Donnelly).

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27 DEBUTS FROM AROUND THE WORLD
IN TIFF’S DISCOVERY PROGRAMME

Toronto –The Toronto International Film Festival continues to shine a light on the works of up-and-coming filmmakers with this year’s Discovery programme. A group of 27 titles make up the diverse Discovery selection, showcasing provocative feature films by new and emerging directors. As well, TIFF announces the addition of the World Premiere of Larysa Kondracki’s The Whistleblower to its line-up of Special Presentations.

DISCOVERY PROGRAMME

World Premiere
As If I Am Not There Juanita Wilson, Ireland/Macedonia/Sweden
As If I Am Not There explores one woman’s experience of the horrors that took place at the beginning of the Bosnian War. Disturbing and powerful, the film is an important testament to the survivors of the atrocities in the former Yugoslavia.

North American Premiere
ATTENBERG Athina Rachel Tsangiri, Greece
A dying architect and his emotionally stunted daughter inhabit a once booming industrial community in the middle of nowhere, now populated by the precious few who didn’t have the heart to leave it behind.

Autumn Aamir Bashir, India
World Premiere
Shot in striking, widescreen images in India's Kashmir region, Bashir's debut tells the story of Rafiq, a young man struggling to come to terms with the loss of his older brother, who has disappeared in the ongoing border conflict.


Beautiful Boy Shawn Ku, USA
World Premiere
A married couple on the verge of separation are leveled by the news that their 18-year-old son has committed a mass shooting at his college, then taken his own life. Stars Michael Sheen and Maria Bello.

Blame Michael Henry, Australia
International Premiere
A group of young vigilantes seeking revenge for a sexual betrayal fall far from grace. When the truth is out, they find themselves on the dark side of justice.

The Call Stefano Pasetto, Italy/Argentina
World Premiere
Two women, one a married middle-aged airline stewardess, and the other a free-wheeling factory worker, meet and decide to change their lives. Moving to Patagonia and leaving their men behind, they find that escape carries with it a different set of responsibilities.

Ceremony Max Winkler, USA
World Premiere
Along with his unwitting best friend, a young guy looks to crash the wedding of an older woman with whom he's infatuated. Stars Uma Thurman.


Dirty Girl Abe Sylvia, USA
World Premiere
Danielle is the dirty girl of Norman High School. When her misbehaviour gets her banished to a remedial class, she teams up with an innocent closet-case and they head out on a road trip to discover themselves. Stars Juno Temple, Dwight Yoakam, Milla Jovovich and William H. Macy.

Girlfriend Justin Lerner, USA
World Premiere
When an unexpected financial windfall affords a young man with Down syndrome some freedom, he decides to pursue the object of his high school crush, Candy. The decision brings him into conflict with her volatile ex-boyfriend, and the three find themselves involved in a complex, unpredictable triangle of love, aspiration and dreams. Stars Evan Sneider and Jackson Rathbone.

World Premiere
Griff the Invisible Leon Ford, Australia
Griff, office worker by day, superhero by night, has his world turned upside down when he meets Melody, a beautiful young scientist who shares his passion for the impossible. Stars Ryan Kwanten.

World Premiere
Half of Oscar Manuel Martin Cuenca, Spain/Cuba
Oscar and Maria are reunited by the imminent death of their grandfather. Maria has not been heard from in over two years, and now arrives pregnant and with a boyfriend.

North American Premiere
Inside America Barbara Eder, Austria
Drawing on her memories as an exchange student in a nowhere town on the US-Mexico border, Barbara Eder explores the dark side of the American Dream.


Look, Stranger Arielle Javitch, USA
World Premiere
Look, Stranger is an elegant, spare and powerful telling of one young woman's journey through a war-torn landscape in an effort to get back home. Stars Annamaria Marinca.

Mandoo Ebrahim Saeedi, Iraq
North American Premiere
After the death of Saddam, Shaho, an Iranian Kurd, is determined to take his ailing father back to his village so he can live out his final days in familiar surroundings. The only thing that stands in his way is a wide-eyed young woman.


Marimbas From Hell Julio Hernández Cordón, Guatemala/France/Mexico
World Premiere
Don Alfonso loses his job playing the marimba, an indigenous, traditional Guatemalan instrument, at a hotel in Guatemala City. He approaches musician Blacko and proposes that they fuse the sound of the marimba with heavy metal.


Norberto’s Deadline Daniel Hendler, Uruguay/Argentina
North American Premiere
Award-winning actor Daniel Hendler offers a hilarious account of a man trying to combat his shyness. After being fired from his job, Norberto tries his hand at real estate and his new boss suggests he take some personal affirmation courses. Instead he discovers the theatre and his love and unknown talent for acting.

October Diego Vega, Daniel Vega, Peru/Venezuela/Spain
North American Premiere
Money-lender Clemente only knows how to relate to others through transactions. His life is turned upside down when someone leaves him a baby in a basket. When a client, Sofia, steps in to help tend to the baby, Clemente is faced with new possibilities during Lima's October celebration of the Lord of Miracles.


The Piano in a Factory Zhang Meng, China
World Premiere
To fight for custody of his daughter who loves playing the piano, a steel factory worker decides to forge a piano from scratch. An offbeat ballad of friendship and devotion, The Piano in a Factory is an endearing portrait of China in the early 1990s when the certainty of state-run industry begins to falter.


Pinoy Sunday Wi Ding Ho, Taiwan
North American Premiere
Pinoy Sunday is the story of Manuel and Dado, two Filipino migrant workers, who discover a discarded sofa. This transforms their normal Sunday routine into a tale of adventure, perseverance and self-discovery.


The Place in Between Sarah Bouyain, France/Burkino Faso
North American Premiere
Bouyain's sensitive debut is a portrait of women caught between Africa and Europe. A biracial woman travels from France to Burkina Faso in search of her mother. In France, a white woman seeks to learn an African language for reasons unknown.

North American Premiere
Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale Jalmari Helander, Finland/Norway/France/Sweden
Santa Claus is somewhat less than jolly – in fact, he's the stuff nightmares are made of – in Jalmari Helander's atmospheric and witty re-working of a cherished folk tale.

Sandcastle Boo Junfeng, Singapore
North American Premiere
A gentle and affectionate study of the themes of identity, history and memory, Boo Junfeng’s debut feature Sandcastle is a loving portrait of a young man coming to terms with the lives of his parents and his grandparents, while trying to make sense of Singapore’s troubled history.

Soul of Sand Sidharth Srinivasan, India
World Premiere
Bhanu Kumar, a lower caste watchman, stands fierce guard over his feudal master’s disused, barren mine. One night, a runaway couple in desperate search of refuge, come to Bhanu seeking shelter. The rusted gate of the Royal Silica Mine opens, exposing a bloody world of lust, fear and violence in the name of caste, ownership and honour.

Viva Riva! Djo Tunda Wa Munga, Democratic Republic of Congo/France/Belgium/South Africa
World Premiere
Riva returns home to Kinshasa flush with cash. The town is literally out of gas, and he is sitting on a truckload of it. His first night home, Riva falls in love with a beautiful woman and is emboldened when he learns that a local gangster is keeping her on a short leash. Meanwhile, the gang Riva left behind in Angola arrive in hot pursuit of the gas he stole from them.


Wasted On the Young Ben C. Lucas, Australia
International Premiere
Wasted on the Young is set in the socially conscious and disaffected society of an elite high school where two step brothers occupy opposite ends of the school hierarchy. When a high school party goes dangerously off the rails, they find that revenge is just a computer click away.

What I Most Want Delfina Castagnino, Argentina
International Premiere
María's four-year relationship is coming to an end while Pilar's father has recently passed away. Though their losses are of a very different nature, the two friends find comfort in each other’s company. María stays with Pilar in the Argentine Patagonia and the two women share wine and lake visits as they confront their future.

Zephyr Belma Bas, Turkey
World Premiere
This shadowy and atmospheric coming-of-age story follows 11-year-old Zephyr. Left in the care of her stoic grandparents, she roams a rural paradise looking for action, trying to figure out who she is and refusing to grow up.

TIFF also presents an addition to its line-up of Special Presentations:

World Premiere
The Whistleblower Larysa Kondracki, Canada/Germany
This harrowing political thriller recounts the story of a female Nebraska police officer turned peacekeeper who uncovers a horrible sex-trafficking underworld in Bosnia and its shocking connection to the UN. As Kathryn Bolkovac (Academy Award®-winner Rachel Weisz) feverishly works to expose the scandal, the UN does its utmost to keep her quiet.

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10 FILMS ANNOUNCED AS PART OF THE FESTIVAL’S MASTERS PROGRAMME

Toronto – The 35th Toronto International Film Festival today announced 10 new films presented as part of the Masters programme, which delivers to audiences the latest projects from the world’s greatest filmmakers. With three previously announced titles, this brings the Masters lineup to a total of 13 films.

13 Assassins Takashi Miike, Japan
North American Premiere
Cult director Takeshi Miike delivers a period action film set at the end of Japan's feudal era in which a group of unemployed samurai are enlisted to bring down a sadistic lord and prevent him from ascending to the throne and plunging the country into a wartorn future.

North American Premiere
Essential Killing Jerzy Skolimowski, Poland/Norway/Ireland/Hungary
A Taliban fighter is captured, interrogated, tortured and then transported to an unnamed snowy destination in Europe. He manages to escape and must use his wits to evade his pursuers whilst battling bitter winter cold and lack of food.

Film Socialism Jean-Luc Godard, Switzerland
North American Premiere
Godard's latest film, a "symphony in three movements," grapples with trying to make sense of a world that appears to be beyond comprehension and meaning.

I Wish I Knew Jia Zhang-ke, China/The Netherlands
North American Premiere
Commissioned to commemorate the 2010 World Expo, this documentary on Shanghai portrays a chapter of modern Chinese history through interviews and scenic views of a city in continuous evolution. I Wish I Knew is directed by one of the youngest masters of cinema, Jia Zhang-ke.

Poetry Lee Chang-dong, South Korea
North American Premiere
Rhyme and crime intertwine in Poetry, the moving portrait of an elegant old lady in the initial stages of Alzheimer's, as well as a lyrical take on creative discovery and an upsetting look at juvenile violence, by Korean master Lee Chang-dong.

Roses à Crédit Amos Gitai, France
World Premiere
A young couple marry in France in the 1940s and the film follows the arc of their marriage over the next decade. As France recovers from the trauma of the war, the wife finds herself increasingly caught up in acquiring material possessions while the husband prefers a more traditional lifestyle.

Route Irish Ken Loach, United Kingdom/France/Belgium/Italy/Spain
North American Premiere
A British solider who worked with a security firm in Iraq attends the funeral of his best friend, who was killed on the notorious Baghdad highway Route Irish. After receiving an envelope containing his friend's cell phone with a video recording of a massacre of Iraqi civilians, he sets out to avenge his friend's memory.

The Sleeping Beauty Catheirne Breillat, France
North American Premiere
An epic fantasia of a young girl's coming-of-age, featuring Catherine Breillat's signature take on gender relations and breathtaking cinematography.

The Strange Case of Angelica Manoel de Oliveira, Portugal/Spain/France/Brazil
North American Premiere
Manoel de Oliveira, a 101-year-old filmmaker, returns to the Douro River, the site of his first short, Douro Faina Fluvial, to create a surprising tale about a metaphysical love that defies reason. Photographer Isaac becomes smitten when he is called to take the last picture of the beautiful Angelica. Although she is dead, when he looks at her through his viewfinder she becomes animated and lively.


Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives Apichatpong Weerasethakul, U.K./Thailand/France/Germany/Spain
North American Premiere
Winner of this year’s Palme d'Or, Thai auteur Apichatpong Weerasethakul takes viewers on a subliminal journey through a cinematic border zone where magic, transmigration of souls and generations of memory cohabit in a highly original masterpiece.

Previously announced titles include Erotic Man (Jørgen Leth), Mysteries of Lisbon (Raul Ruiz) and Nostalgia for the Light (Patricio Guzmán).

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FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES COMPLETE MAVERICKS LINE-UP

Bill Gates, Steve Nash, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Bruce Springsteen Take the Stage

Toronto – The Toronto International Film Festival announces the complete line-up for Mavericks, a programme which gives audiences access to notable guests from the world of film and beyond as they share revealing anecdotes and engage in unforgettable discussions about their latest projects. In attendance this year are: filmmakers Philip Seymour Hoffman, Kelly Reichardt, Davis Guggenheim, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Ken Loach and Paul Laverty, musician Bruce Springsteen, athlete Steve Nash, educator Geoffrey Canada, producer Lesley Chilcott, as well as Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Bill Gates. Moderators include actor Edward Norton, filmmaker Michael Moore and co-host of Canada AM, Seamus O’Regan.

“From filmmakers to superstars from the worlds of music, professional sports and computing, this is our largest Mavericks programme yet,” said Thom Powers, Toronto International Film Festival Mavericks programmer. “TIFF Mavericks sessions present a rare opportunity for audiences to hear from remarkable international newsmakers in person, and we’re thrilled to welcome such a wide variety of talent this year.”

Mavericks

Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Apichatpong Weerasethakul is considered a cinematic treasure by art house aficionados. To get over his intimidating Thai name, he encourages westerners to call him Joe. Director of several features and dozens of short films, his film Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall his Past Lives (playing at the Festival in the Masters programme and later at TIFF Bell Lightbox as an exclusive engagement) won the prestigious Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival this year; this playful and innovative film deals with themes of memories, transformation and extinction. In this Mavericks session moderated by film critic Dennis Lim, film clips accompany Weerasethakul’s talk as he takes audiences through his career.

Bruce Springsteen Interviewed by Edward Norton
Grammy, Golden Globe and Academy Award®-winning musician Bruce Springsteen visits Toronto for the World Premiere of The Promise: The Making of Darkness on the Edge of Town (playing separately at the Festival as a Gala). The documentary explores the creative process of Springsteen’s pivotal 1978 album where his focus shifts from youth to adulthood, capturing never-before- seen home rehearsals and recording sessions. Actor Edward Norton will moderate this Mavericks session, during which Springsteen will discuss the film as well as the relationship between his music and American filmmaking.

Steve Nash Presents Into the Wind
Steve Nash has achieved remarkable things on the basketball court – becoming an NBA All-Star and MVP as point guard for the Phoenix Suns, and playing in the Olympics for Canada’s national team. Nash was among the elite group of athletes who lit the Olympic torch at the 2010 games in Vancouver. Now he displays a new set of talents as he makes his directorial debut with a film about another Canadian icon, Terry Fox. In this Mavericks session, Nash will present the world premiere of his hour-long film, Into the Wind, produced by ESPN Films for its "30 for 30" series, followed by an extended conversation about sports, cinema and inspiration. Ezra Holland, co-director of the film, will also participate in this session.

Kelly Reichardt
Kelly Reichardt has emerged as one of the most distinctive voices in American cinema with films such as Old Joy and Wendy & Lucy. Her latest film, Meek's Cutoff, is set in 1845 on the Oregon Trail and is her first departure from a contemporary setting. Reichardt will appear in this Mavericks discussion to take us behind the scenes of her process, and will be interviewed by Entertainment Weekly critic Lisa Schwarzbaum. Meek's Cutoff will be screened at the Festival in the Contemporary World Cinema programme.

Ken Loach and Paul Laverty Interviewed by Michael Moore on Politics and Cinema
Director Ken Loach joined forces with writer Paul Laverty in the mid-1990s, and together they’ve injected their political passions into a dozen films. Their latest work, Route Irish, grapples with the Iraq war and the trend of using privatized soldiers who are more costly to taxpayers and less accountable to law than enlisted ranks. Filmmaker Michael Moore will moderate a conversation with Loach and Laverty as they delve deeper into the film’s subject matter and reflect on other political currents that run through their work. Route Irish is playing separately at the Festival as part of the Masters programme.

Waiting for “Superman” and a Panel on Education with Bill Gates, Geoffrey Canada, Davis Guggenheim and Lesley Chilcott
From An Inconvenient Truth director Davis Guggenheim comes Waiting for "Superman," a provocative and cogent examination of the crisis of public education in the United States told through multiple interlocking stories – from a handful of students and their families whose futures hang in the balance, to the educators and reformers trying to find real and lasting solutions within a dysfunctional system. Guggenheim reveals the invisible forces that have held back true education reform for decades. Following the Mavericks screening, audiences will be treated to an on-stage panel discussion with Guggenheim, producer Lesley Chilcott, educator Geoffrey Canada, and philanthropist and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates.


In Conversation With… Philip Seymour Hoffman
Well-known for his roles in Charlie Wilson’s War, Doubt and Capote, Philip Seymour Hoffman makes his directorial debut with Jack Goes Boating, a film about two working class couples and the delicacy of relationships, adapted from a play by Bob Glaudini. This discussion will be moderated by Seamus O’Regan, co-host of Canada AM. Jack Goes Boating is screening in the Festival’s Special Presentations programme. In Conversation With… is presented in association with the Brian Linehan Charitable Foundation.

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TIFF PRESENTS FILMS THAT PUSH CINEMATIC BOUNDARIES IN VISIONS AND
VANGUARD PROGRAMMES

Toronto – The 35th Toronto International Film Festival announces another stellar line-up of films in this year’s Visions and Vanguard programmes. Works presented under the Visions banner are films from around the world by filmmakers who push the boundaries and challenge notions of mainstream cinema. Vanguard films are young and irreverent, always on the cutting edge.

VISIONS PROGRAMME


The Autobiography of Nicolae Ceausescu Andrei Ujica, Romania
North American Premiere
Culled from one thousand hours of archival footage and four years in the making, this spellbinding epic montage unfolds as if from the memory of former Romanian ruler Nicolae Ceausescu, after his reign was brought to an abrupt and tumultuous end in December 1989.

World Premiere
Brownian Movement Nanouk Leopold, The Netherlands/Germany/Belgium
Acclaimed Dutch filmmaker Nanouk Leopold explores a young mother's desires and needs in this langorous and atmospheric film.

The Ditch Wang Bing, France/Belgium
North American Premiere
A political ghost story that gives voice to atrocious memories, The Ditch draws from Wang Bing's experience as a documentary filmmaker and lays bare a dramatic hidden chapter of China's communist history. It recounts the harrowing story of life at one of Mao's camps, at the end of the fifties, where "rightists" were sent to be "re-educated through labour."

The Four Times Michelangelo Frammartino, Italy/Germany/Switzerland
Canadian Premiere
Inspired by Pythagoras’s belief in four-fold transmigration – by which the soul is passed from human to animal to vegetable to mineral, until completely purified – The Four Times is a genre-defying work of cinematic transcendence that follows the journey of an elderly shepherd through the afterlife.


k.364 A Journey by Train Douglas Gordon, United Kingdom/Germany/France
North American Premiere
Two musicians return to a haunted landscape and play the concerto of their lives.

Moscow 11:19:31 Michael Nyman, United Kingdom
North American Premiere
In this short film, when legendary composer Michael Nyman fails to answer an interview question, music takes over.

Over Your Cities Grass Will Grow Sophie Fiennes, U.K./France/The Netherlands
North American Premiere
Over Your Cities Grass Will Grow profiles major contemporary artist Anselm Keifer in the style of his work.

Promises Written in Water Vincent Gallo, USA
North American Premiere
Shot in black and white, this fiercely independent film traces the steps a young photographer takes to fulfill the dying wishes of a beautiful young woman, including getting a job in a funeral parlour so he can oversee her cremation.


Summer of Goliath Nicolàs Pereda, Mexico/Canada/Netherlands
North American Premiere
Toronto resident Nicolas Pereda explores the boundaries between fiction and documentary to evoke the atmosphere of the place in his latest feature, Summer of Goliath. It's a hot summer in the rural Mexican community of Huilotepec and the townspeople are tense and suspicious of one another.

A Useful Life Federico Veiroj, Uruguay
International Premiere
Jorge has been working at the Cinematheque in Montevideo, Uruguay, for 25 years. Its imminent closing forces him to take drastic steps and become the star of his own life. Shot in black and white, A Useful Life is an entertaining homage to a life of film.

Previously announced Visions titles include Trois Temps Apres La Mort D’Anna (Catherine Martin) and Curling (Denis Côté).

VANGUARD PROGRAMME

North American Premiere
At Ellen’s Age Pia Marais, Germany
A German flight attendant falls into increasingly bizarre adventures when she leaves her husband, quits her job and joins a radical group of animal activists.


The Christening Marcin Wrona, Poland
International Premiere
Michal (Wojciech Zielinski) hopes to change his luck and escape his criminal past. But when he’s pursued by a violent gang, he desperately tries to find a way to save his family.

Cold Fish Sion Sono, Japan
North American Premiere
Equal parts black humour and bloody dementia, and based on a true story, this film is a portrait of a Japanese tropical fish dealer responsible for more than 40 murders.

Confessions Tetsuya Nakashima, Japan
Canadian Premiere
Tetsuya Nakashima's Confessions is one of Japan's most important films of the year. A stylized mixture of cruelty and compassion, the film spins the dark tale of vengeance of a teacher whose little daughter has been killed by two of her students.


Easy Money Daniel Espinosa, Sweden
North American Premiere
The worlds of a mob enforcer, an escaped convict and an ambitious young business student collide in an explosive and white-knuckled thriller based on the 2006 bestselling Swedish novel by Jens Lapidus.


A Horrible Way to Die Adam Wingard, USA
World Premiere
When a serial killer escapes from prison, he pursues his ex-girlfriend, who has fled to start a new life in a small town.

Kaboom Gregg Araki, USA/France
North American Premiere
Smith’s everyday life in the dorm – hanging out with his arty, sarcastic best friend Stella, hooking up with a beautiful free spirit named London, lusting for his gorgeous but dim surfer roommate Thor – all gets turned upside-down after one fateful, terrifying night.

L.A. Zombie Bruce LaBruce, Germany/USA/France
North American Premiere
Corpse-eating meets poverty politics in this pornographic art film set on the streets of Los Angeles, where an alien zombie
brings dead men back to life.

Microphone Ahmad Abdalla, Egypt
World Premiere
A bold example of new North African cinema, Microphone mixes and remixes fiction and cinema verité as it follows an Egyptian expatriate's return to Alexandria, where he dives into a thriving underground music and arts scene.

Canadian Premiere
Monsters Gareth Edwards, United Kingdom
Six years after a probe carrying alien life samples crashes in Mexico, a photojournalist must escort his boss' daughter through the "Infected Zone" back to the safety of her home in the U.S.

World Premiere
Our Day Will Come Romain Gavras, France
The highly anticipated debut by French director Romain Gavras (director of M.I.A.’s video Born Free) focuses on two outcast redheads – a bullied teen (Olivier Barthelemy) and a psychologist (Vincent Cassel) – who embark on a hallucinatory journey to Ireland in a quest for freedom.

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