Michael Jackson’s Thriller 3D[/caption]
Six Galas and 32 Special Presentations have been added to the lineup of the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival. Audiences can look forward to innovative storytelling from some of the most prominent filmmakers and actors in Canada and around the world.
“We’re thrilled to bring Festival audiences some of the year’s most exciting films in our Gala and Special Presentations lineup,” said Cameron Bailey, Artistic Director of TIFF. “But beyond the sizzle of the premieres, this year’s selections show filmmakers continuing to take chances and push boundaries, whether they’re working in Hollywood or Hong Kong, Montreal or Munich.”
This second announcement brings the program’s total to 48 World Premieres, 10 International Premieres, 19 North American Premieres and 10 Canadian Premieres.
The 42nd Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 7 to 17, 2017.
Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF)
The Toronto International Film Festival® ranks among the most prestigious international film festivals in the world. The festival hosts 10 days of international and Canadian cinema, special events featuring some of the biggest names in film, and TIFF’s Industry Conference, offering diverse and innovative perspectives on the art and business of film.
Toronto International Film Festival started in 1976 and takes place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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2017 Toronto International Film Festival Adds More Galas and Special Presentations Films
[caption id="attachment_23749" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Michael Jackson’s Thriller 3D[/caption]
Six Galas and 32 Special Presentations have been added to the lineup of the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival. Audiences can look forward to innovative storytelling from some of the most prominent filmmakers and actors in Canada and around the world.
“We’re thrilled to bring Festival audiences some of the year’s most exciting films in our Gala and Special Presentations lineup,” said Cameron Bailey, Artistic Director of TIFF. “But beyond the sizzle of the premieres, this year’s selections show filmmakers continuing to take chances and push boundaries, whether they’re working in Hollywood or Hong Kong, Montreal or Munich.”
This second announcement brings the program’s total to 48 World Premieres, 10 International Premieres, 19 North American Premieres and 10 Canadian Premieres.
The 42nd Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 7 to 17, 2017.
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48 Films from International Filmmakers Among Contemporary World Cinema Slate of 2017 Toronto International Film Festival
[caption id="attachment_23745" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts (Marlina si Pembunuh dalam Empat Babak)[/caption]
The Contemporary World Cinema slate of the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival will feature 48 titles from international filmmakers, that covers disparate regions of the world with a strong presence from Latin America, Scandinavia, and Central Europe.
“Each film in Contemporary World Cinema offers a much-needed look at another part of the world through the eyes of a storyteller embedded in that culture,” said Cameron Bailey, Artistic Director of TIFF. “Taken together, these four dozen films invite us all to expand and deepen our picture of the world.”
The Contemporary World Cinema program is being bolstered with a series of 23 World Premieres, among them Argentinian filmmaker Diego Lerman’s A Sort of Family, South African Khalo Matabane’s The Number, Iraqi Mohamed Jabarah Al-daradji’s The Journey, Finnish Teemu Nikki’s Euthanizer and Australian actor Simon Baker’s directorial debut, Breath. The program also highlights an impressive selection of films that have captivated audiences worldwide, including Félicité by Alain Gomis and the animated film The Big Bad Fox & Other Tales by Benjamin Renner and Patrick Imbert.
2017 Toronto International Film Festival Contemporary World Cinema Program
A Ciambra Jonas Carpignano, Italy/France/USA/Germany International Premiere A Sort of Family (Una Especie de Familia) Diego Lerman, Argentina/Brazil/France/Poland World Premiere Alanis Anahí Berneri, Argentina World Premiere Ana, mon amour Călin Peter Netzer, Romania/Germany/France North American Premiere Angels Wear White (Jia Nian Hua) Vivian Qu, China/France North American Premiere April’s Daughter (Las Hijas de Abril) Michel Franco, Mexico North American Premiere Arrhythmia Boris Khlebnikov, Russia/Finland/Germany North American Premiere Beyond Words Urszula Antoniak, Netherlands/Poland World Premiere Birds Without Names (Kanojo ga Sono Na wo Shiranai Toritachi) Kazuya Shiraishi, Japan World Premiere Breath Simon Baker, Australia World Premiere Dark is the Night (Madilim ang Gabi) Adolfo Alix Jr., Philippines World Premiere Directions (Posoki) Stephan Komandarev, Bulgaria/Germany/Macedonia North American Premiere Disappearance (Verdwijnen) Boudewijn Koole, Netherlands/Norway International Premiere Euthanizer (Armomurhaaja) Teemu Nikki, Finland World Premiere Félicité Alain Gomis, France/Senegal/Belgium/Germany/Lebanon North American Premiere Good Favour Rebecca Daly, Ireland/Belgium/Denmark/Netherlands World Premiere Hannah Andrea Pallaoro, Italy/Belgium/France North American Premiere Insyriated Philippe Van Leeuw, Belgium/France/Lebanon Canadian Premiere Life and nothing more Antonio Méndez Esparza, Spain/USA World Premiere Longing (Gaagua) Savi Gabizon, Israel North American Premiere Looking for Oum Kulthum Shirin Neshat, Germany/Austria/Italy/Lebanon/Qatar North American Premiere Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts (Marlina si Pembunuh dalam Empat Babak) Mouly Surya, Indonesia/France/Malaysia/Thailand North American Premiere Miami Zaida Bergroth, Finland International Premiere Motorrad Vicente Amorim, Brazil World Premiere Nina Juraj Lehotský, Slovakia/Czech Republic North American Premiere On Body and Soul Ildikó Enyedi, Hungary North American Premiere Samui Song (Mai Mee Samui Samrab Ter) Pen-ek Ratanaruang, Thailand/Germany/Norway North American Premiere Sergio & Sergei (Sergio & Serguéi) Ernesto Daranas Serrano, Spain/Cuba World Premiere The Big Bad Fox & Other Tales (Le Grand Méchant Renard et autres contes) Benjamin Renner, Patrick Imbert, France North American Premiere The Insult (L’Insulte) Ziad Doueiri, France/Lebanon Canadian Premiere The Journey (Al Rahal) Mohamed Jabarah Al-daradji, Iraq/United Kingdom/France/Qatar/Netherlands World Premiere The Lodgers Brian O’Malley, Ireland World Premiere The Number Khalo Matabane, South Africa World Premiere The Royal Hibiscus Hotel Ishaya Bako, Nigeria World Premiere The Summit (La Cordillera) Santiago Mitre, Argentina/Spain/France North American Premiere Tulipani, Love, Honour and a Bicycle Mike van Diem, Netherlands/Italy/Canada World Premiere Under the Tree (Undir Trénu) Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurðsson, Iceland/Denmark/Poland/Germany International Premiere Veronica (Verónica) Paco Plaza, Spain International Premiere Wajib Annemarie Jacir, Palestine/France/Germany/Colombia/Norway/Qatar/United Arab Emirates North American Premiere Western Valeska Grisebach, Germany/Bulgaria/Austria North American Premiere Previously announced Canadian titles in the Contemporary World Cinema programme include Simon Lavoie’s The Little Girl Who Was Too Fond Of Matches, Adam MacDonald’s Pyewacket, Kyle Rideout’s Public Schooled, Ingrid Veninger’s Porcupine Lake, Mina Shum’s Meditation Park, Robin Aubert’s Les Affamés, Pat Mills’ Don’t Talk to Irene, and Tarique Qayumi’s BLACK KITE. The 42nd Toronto International Film Festival runs September 7 to 17, 2017.
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Toronto International Film Festival Announces Classic Films on 2017 TIFF Cinematheque Program
[caption id="attachment_23585" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
Rude[/caption]
The Toronto International Film Festival announced the films slated for the 2017 TIFF Cinematheque program. In light of Canada’s sesquicentennial, this year’s program celebrates homegrown filmmakers and their works by revisiting and restoring landmarks of Canada’s cinematic history. This all-Canadian lineup consists of titles culled from TIFF’s Canada on Screen list of essential Canadian moving-image works.
TIFF Cinematheque will be a FREE program for all to enjoy as part of Canada on Screen.
Highlights include the debuts of three new digital restorations done under the supervision of the films’ directors. Featured titles are Clement Virgo’s Rude (95), the first Canadian dramatic feature to be written, directed and produced by an all-black team; Patricia Rozema’s Cannes Prix de la jeunesse–winning I’ve Heard the Mermaids Singing (87); and Peter Mettler’s poetic essay film Picture of Light (94). Showcasing iconic films dealing with themes still relevant and prevalent today, this year’s program underscores the endurance of Canada’s legacy on screen.
“At TIFF we’re proud to continue our commitment to the preservation and restoration of Canada’s filmic history,” said Jesse Wente, Head, TIFF Cinematheque. “These groundbreaking works from the 1980s and 1990s demonstrate our country’s long history of celebrating directors who push boundaries with their personal visions. We look forward to bringing them back to audiences via these beautiful digital restorations.”
“I am delighted that this year’s Toronto International Film Festival will showcase several digitally restored classics of Canadian cinema,” said the Honorable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Canadian Heritage. “As we celebrate Canada 150, I invite you all to participate, and to experience these films that reveal the richness of our cinematic heritage.”
Also featured as part of the Cinematheque lineup are larger-than-life screenings of Graeme Ferguson’s North of Superior (71), at Cinesphere, the world’s first permanent IMAX cinema, presented in collaboration with Ontario Place. As the first film commissioned for and screened at Cinesphere at its 1971 grand opening, North of Superior is the film that helped put the IMAX format on the map.
The 42nd Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 7 to 17, 2017.
Films screening as part of the TIFF Cinematheque program include:
2017 TIFF Cinematheque
I’ve Heard the Mermaids Singing Patricia Rozema, Canada, 1987 *New digital restoration: Work carried out at Technicolor, Toronto and Montreal under the supervision of Director Patricia Rozema. Picture of Light Peter Mettler, Canada, 1994 *New digital restoration: Work carried out at Technicolor, Toronto and Montreal, with soundtrack restoration by Lou Solakofski of Tattersall Sound and Picture, and Peter Bräker sound design, Switzerland, under the supervision of Director Peter Mettler. Rude Clement Virgo, Canada, 1995 *New digital restoration: Work carried out at Technicolor, Toronto and Montreal under the supervision of Director Clement Virgo and Producer Damon D’Oliveira. North of Superior Graeme Ferguson, Canada, 1971 *Special IMAX screening at Cinesphere
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29 Canadian Short Films to Screen at 2017 Toronto International Film Festival
[caption id="attachment_23581" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
An Imagined Conversation: Kanye West & Stephen Hawking[/caption]
29 Canadian short films, including 11 titles directed by women and three films by Indigenous filmmakers, will light up the screens this September at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival.
Highlights include: Michelle Latimer’s Nuuca, executive produced by Oscar winner Laura Poitras, and the latest by Latimer, who was part of Sundance’s The New Climate program earlier this year; Sol Friedman’s An Imagined Conversation: Kanye West & Stephen Hawking, a hilarious black-and-white animation right out of a parallel universe; Caroline Monnet’s Creatura Dada, which stars Alanis Obomsawin and is Monnet’s first project since becoming the first Canadian filmmaker to be selected for the prestigious Cannes Cinéfondation Residence program; and Naledi Jackson’s The Drop In, at Toronto-set sci-fi immigration thriller that takes place entirely in a hair salon.
The Festival’s Canadian short film slate also includes: Molly Parker’s Bird, the compelling directorial debut of the B.C. actor known for her roles in Deadwood, House of Cards and other TV hits; TIFF Rising Star alumnus Connor Jessup’s Lira’s Forest, the actor-turneddirector’s second short at the Festival; Matthew Rankin’s Cannes selection The Tesla World Light (Tesla : Lumière Mondiale), a luminescent black-and-white animation and live-action mix centred around the famous inventor; and Gabriel Savignac’s Stay, I Don’t Want to Be Alone (Reste, je ne veux pas être toute seule), a touching, beautifully crafted portrait of a pastry factory worker with an intellectual disability at a difficult moment in her life.
All 24 Canadian Short Cuts titles are eligible for the IWC Short Cuts Award for Best Canadian Short Film. All films in the Short Cuts programme are eligible for the IWC Short Cuts Award for Best Film. This year’s jury includes Marit van den Elshout, Head of CineMart at the International Film Festival Rotterdam; award-winning filmmaker Johnny Ma (Old Stone); and Cannes 2017 Art Cinema Award winner Chloé Zhao (The Rider).
The 42nd Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 7 to 17, 2017.
SHORT CUTS
The Argument (with annotations) Daniel Cockburn, Canada/UK World Premiere Bickford Park Linsey Stewart, Dane Clark, Canada World Premiere Bird Molly Parker, Canada World Premiere Charles Dominic Etienne Simard, Canada/France World Premiere Creatura Dada Caroline Monnet, Canada Toronto Premiere Crème de menthe Philippe David Gagné, Jean-Marc E. Roy, Canada North American Premiere The Crying Conch (Le cri du lambi) Vincent Toi, Canada North American Premiere The Drop In Naledi Jackson, Canada World Premiere For Nonna Anna Luis De Filippis, Canada World Premiere Grandmother (ʔEtsu) Trevor Mack, Canada World Premiere homer_b Milos Mitrovic, Conor Sweeney, Canada World Premiere An Imagined Conversation: Kanye West & Stephen Hawking Sol Friedman, Canada World Premiere Latched Justin Harding, Rob Brunner, Canada World Premiere Lira’s Forest Connor Jessup, Canada World Premiere Midnight Confession Maxwell McCabe-Lokos, Canada/USA World Premiere Milk Heather Young, Canada World Premiere Nuuca Michelle Latimer, Canada World Premiere Pre-Drink Marc-Antoine Lemire, Canada World Premiere Rupture Yassmina Karajah, Jordan/Canada World Premiere Shadow Nettes Phillip Barker, Canada World Premiere Stay, I Don’t Want to Be Alone (Reste, je ne veux pas être toute seule) Gabriel Savignac, Canada World Premiere The Tesla World Light (Tesla : Lumière Mondiale) Matthew Rankin, Canada North American Premiere Threads Torill Kove, Canada/Norway North American Premiere We Forgot to Break Up Chandler Levack, Canada World PremiereWAVELENGTHS
Heart of a Mountain Parastoo Anoushahpour, Ryan Ferko, Faraz Anoushahpour, Taiwan/Canada World Premiere Palmerston Blvd. Dan Browne, Canada World Premiere Scaffold Kazik Radwanski, Canada North American Premiere some cities Francesco Gagliardi, Canada World Premiere Turtles Are Always Home (Sokun Al Sulhufat) Rawane Nassif, Canada/Lebanon/Qatar Toronto Premiere
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Toronto International Film Festival Unveils Canadian Feature Slate of 26 Films
[caption id="attachment_23575" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
Don’t Talk to Irene[/caption]
The 2017 Toronto International Film Festival unveiled today the 26 titles that make up the Festival’s Canadian feature slate. Featuring a crop of provocative first features, this year’s diverse and varied Canadian lineup boasts one of the highest numbers of feature directorial debuts ever, as well as one of the highest numbers of films from Western Canada in recent years. Over 30% of the titles have a first-time feature director, while seven out of nine are TIFF alumni.
This year’s Canadian slate is bolstered by a number of titles from Canadian Festival veterans. Among these titles are: Alanis Obomsawin’s Our People Will Be Healed; Alan Zweig’s There is a House Here; Simon Lavoie’s The Little Girl Who Was Too Fond of Matches (La petite fille qui aimait trop les allumettes); Mina Shum’s Meditation Park; Robin Aubert’s vérité zombie flick Les Affamés; Ingrid Veninger’s Porcupine Lake; Pat Mills’ high school misfit comedy Don’t Talk to Irene; Oscar nominee Kim Nguyen’s Eye on Juliet; Adam MacDonald’s Pyewacket; celebrated director Denis Côté’s Ta peau si lisse (A Skin So Soft); and Jennifer Baichwal and Nicholas de Pencier’s previously announced Long Time Running.
Among the Canadian first features at the 2017 Festival are: Sadaf Foroughi’s AVA, a superbly crafted drama about an Iranian teenager at a pivotal crossroad; Ian Lagarde’s All You Can Eat Buddha, which follows a man’s surreal impact on vacationers at a Cuban resort; Carlos and Jason Sanchez’s A Worthy Companion, a psychological thriller about obsession and trauma; Trailer Park Boys star Cory Bowles’ Black Cop, an arresting satirical exploration of police-community relations; Kathleen Hepburn’s powerful family drama Never Steady, Never Still; Grayson Moore and Aidan Shipley’s Cardinals, a disturbing look at the impact of a convicted murderer’s return to her community; Wayne Wapeemukwa’s Luk’Luk’I, a look at the denizens of an impoverished Vancouver neighbouhood; and Molly McGlynn’s Mary Goes Round, about an addiction counsellor struggling with her own issues.
Two exciting titles making their World Premieres at the Festival are Mary Harron’s Alias Grace, based on the award-winning novel by Margaret Atwood, written by Sarah Polley and starring Sarah Gadon, Anna Paquin and Paul Gross; and Sean Menard’s The Carter Effect, on how NBA All-Star Vince Carter made an impact on Toronto.
Rounding out the program are Kyle Rideout’s winning comedy about eccentricity and high school Public Schooled; Tarique Qayumi’s powerful Afghanistan-set drama BLACK KITE; and Matt Embry’s shocking and poignant MS doc Living Proof.
The slate also features performances by multiple Canadian and international stars, including Sandra Oh; Sheila McCarthy; Don McKellar; Russell Peters; Evan Rachel Wood; Geena Davis; Sarah Gadon; Sarah Julia Stone; Scott Thompson; Judy Greer; Afghanistan’s most prominent rising star Haji Gul; and beloved Chinese actress Cheng Pei-Pei.
“It is exciting to see a new wave of Canadian first-time feature directors play with genres and take risks,” said Steve Gravestock, Senior Programmer, TIFF. “This year’s lineup has a truly international feel to it, too, with a number of features shot all over the globe — something that also speaks to the boldness of many of the filmmakers included in the slate.”
“We are thrilled to have a lineup with such a rich diversity of voices and perspectives,” said Magali Simard, Programmer and Theatrical Senior Manager, TIFF. “Not only are different regions of the country represented, but so are multiple age groups, backgrounds, languages and filmmaking styles. This lineup showcases the incredible wealth of talent currently at work in Canada.”
All 25 Canadian feature films at the Festival are eligible for the Canada Goose Award for Best Canadian Feature Film. All nine Canadian feature directorial debuts are eligible for the City of Toronto Award for Best Canadian First Feature Film. This year’s Canadian awards jury is composed of Mark Adams, Artistic Director of the Edinburgh International Film Festival; Canadian documentarian and Hillman Prize winner Min Sook Lee (Migrant Dreams); and artist and filmmaker Ella Cooper, who is also the founder of Black Women Film! Canada.
The 42nd Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 7 to 17, 2017.
SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS
Eye on Juliet Kim Nguyen, Canada North American PremiereMASTERS
Our People Will Be Healed Alanis Obomsawin, Canada World PremiereTIFF DOCS
The Carter Effect Sean Menard, Canada/USA World Premiere Living Proof Matt Embry, Canada World Premiere There is a House Here Alan Zweig, Canada World PremiereDISCOVERY
A Worthy Companion Carlos Sanchez, Jason Sanchez, Canada World Premiere All You Can Eat Buddha Ian Lagarde, Canada World Premiere AVA Sadaf Foroughi, Iran/Canada/Qatar World Premiere Black Cop Cory Bowles, Canada World Premiere Cardinals Grayson Moore, Aidan Shipley, Canada World Premiere Luk’Luk’I Wayne Wapeemukwa, Canada World Premiere Mary Goes Round Molly McGlynn, Canada World Premiere Never Steady, Never Still Kathleen Hepburn, Canada World PremiereCONTEMPORARY WORLD CINEMA
BLACK KITE Tarique Qayumi, Canada/Afghanistan World Premiere Don’t Talk to Irene Pat Mills, Canada World Premiere Les Affamés Robin Aubert, France/Canada World Premiere Meditation Park Mina Shum, Canada World Premiere Porcupine Lake Ingrid Veninger, Canada World Premiere Public Schooled Kyle Rideout, Canada World Premiere Pyewacket Adam MacDonald, Canada World Premiere The Little Girl Who Was Too Fond of Matches (La petite fille qui aimait trop les allumettes) Simon Lavoie, Canada World PremierePRIMETIME
Alias Grace Mary Harron, Canada/USA World Premiere PROTOTYPE Blake Williams, Canada North American Premiere A Skin so Soft (Ta peau si lisse) Denis Côté, Canada/Switzerland North American Premiere Previously announced Canadian features at the Festival include Jennifer Baichwal and Nicholas de Pencier’s Long Time Running (Gala) and Seth A. Smith’s The Crescent (Midnight Madness).
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Sony Pictures Classics Grabs FILM STARS DON’T DIE IN LIVERPOOL Starring Annette Bening
Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool starring Academy Award nominee Annette Bening, BAFTA Award winner Jamie Bell, Academy Award nominee Julie Walters, and Academy Award winner Vanessa Redgrave has been acquired by Sony Pictures Classics for release in the US.
The film directed by Paul McGuigan is premiering in Gala Presentations at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival.
Based on Peter Turner’s memoir, Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool follows the playful but passionate relationship between Turner (Bell) and the eccentric Academy Award-winning actress Gloria Grahame (Bening) in 1978 Liverpool. What starts as a vibrant affair between a legendary femme fatale and her young lover quickly grows into a deeper relationship, with Turner being the person Gloria turns to for comfort. Their passion and lust for life is tested to the limits by events beyond their control.
“Annette Bening in the role of a lifetime as an elusive personality whose dramatic true story defies belief. Supported to perfection by Jamie Bell, Julie Walters, Vanessa Redgrave and the rest of the cast, embodied by Paul McGuigan’s precise direction. And then there’s producer Barbara Broccoli whose diligence over many years made it all happen. Independent filmmaking doesn’t come better than this. It is a privilege to be involved in bringing this remarkable film to the public,” said Sony Pictures Classics.
Sony Pictures Classics has also acquired rights for North America, Eastern Europe, Germany and Asia Pay Television.
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World Premiere of THE DEATH OF STALIN Kicks Off Toronto International Film Festival’s Platform Program Lineup
[caption id="attachment_23440" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
The Death of Stalin[/caption]
The 2017 Toronto International Film Festival unveiled its lineup of 12 films for this year’s Platform program. The program will open with the world premiere of The Death of Stalin, from award winning director-writer Armando Iannucci. The historical epic follows the final days leading up to the Soviet dictator’s death. Sweet Country, a period western from acclaimed Australian filmmaker Warwick Thornton will close the Platform section.
The films will compete for the Platform Prize, to be awarded by a jury comprising award-winning filmmakers Chen Kaige, Malgorzata Szumowska and Wim Wenders. Last year’s Platform included celebrated films such as William Oldroyd’s Lady Macbeth, Pablo Larrain’s Jackie and Barry Jenkins’s Academy Award Best Picture winner, Moonlight.
Platform titles are eligible for the Toronto Platform Prize ($25,000 CAD) made possible by Air France.
2017 Toronto International Film Festival Platform Lineup
Beast Michael Pearce, United Kingdom World Premiere Brad’s Status Mike White, USA World Premiere Custody Xavier Legrand, France North American Premiere Dark River Clio Barnard, United Kingdom World Premiere Platform Opening Film The Death of Stalin Armando Iannucci, France/United Kingdom/Belgium World Premiere Euphoria Lisa Langseth, Sweden/Germany World Premiere If You Saw His Heart Joan Chemla, France World Premiere Mademoiselle Paradis Barbara Albert, Austria/Germany World Premiere Razzia Nabil Ayouch, France World Premiere The Seen and Unseen Kamila Andini, Indonesia World Premiere Platform Closing Film . Sweet Country Warwick Thornton, Australia North American Premiere What Will People Say (Hva vil folk si) Iram Haq, Norway/Germany/Sweden World Premiere
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VIDEO: Watch Official Trailer for FIRST THEY KILLED MY FATHER Directed by Angelina Jolie
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First They Killed My Father – Angelina Jolie[/caption]
Here is the official trailer for First They Killed My Father, directed by Angelina Jolie, which is set to World Premiere at the upcoming 2017 Toronto International Film Festival. First They Killed My Father is the adaptation of Cambodian author and human rights activist Loung Ung’s gripping memoir of surviving the deadly Khmer Rouge regime from 1975 to 1978. The story is told through her eyes, from the age of five, when the Khmer Rouge came to power, to nine years old. The film depicts the indomitable spirit and devotion of Loung and her family as they struggle to stay together during the Khmer Rouge years.
The Netflix original film First They Killed My Father will launch on Friday, September 15 in theaters and globally on Netflix.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uS3Vp_quGCw
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Showtime to World Premiere ERIC CLAPTON: LIFE IN 12 BARS and LOVE MEANS ZERO at Toronto Film Festival
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Eric Clapton: Life in 12 Bars[/caption]
Showtime will world premiere two riveting films, “Eric Clapton: Life in 12 Bars” and “Love Means Zero” at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival. Eric Clapton: Life in 12 Bars, directed by Oscar(R)-winner Lili Fini Zanuck (Rush, Driving Miss Daisy), is an unflinching and deeply personal journal into the life of legendary 18-time Grammy(R) winner Eric Clapton. Also debuting at TIFF is Love Means Zero, the story of the celebrated yet controversial tennis coach Nick Bollettieri, directed and produced by Jason Kohn (Manda Bala (Send a Bullet)). Following their debuts at TIFF, both documentaries will premiere on Showtime in 2018.
These two films join the esteemed Showtime Documentary Films portfolio that focuses on the lives and legacies of culture-defining and at times controversial figures, including Whitney. “Can I Be Me”, The Putin Interviews, Becoming Cary Grant, the Emmy(R)-nominated Listen To Me Marlon, Risk, which takes viewers closer than they have ever been before to Julian Assange and tells the WikiLeaks story from the inside, and an upcoming documentary film on John Belushi’s life and career.
Told through his own words and songs, Eric Clapton: Life in 12 Bars is a moving and surprising film about one of the great artists of the modern era – a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winner, and the only artist ever inducted three times into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Spanning more than half a century of legendary popular musical innovation, the film contextualizes Eric Clapton’s role in contemporary music and cultural history. This rare and deeply intimate film reflects on Clapton’s traumatic childhood, his long and difficult struggle with drugs and alcohol and the tragic loss of his son and how he always found his inner strength and healing in music. The documentary features extensive interviews with Clapton himself, along with his family, friends, musical collaborators, contemporaries and heroes – including late music icons B.B. King, Jimi Hendrix and George Harrison. The film is directed by Oscar-winner Lili Fini Zanuck with Passion Pictures’ John Battsek (One Day In September, Searching for Sugar Man) amongst the producers. BAFTA winner Chris King (Amy, Senna) serves as editor.
[caption id="attachment_23416" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
Love Means Zero[/caption]
Love Means Zero presents an in-depth look at famed tennis coach Nick Bollettieri. At 85 years old, Bollettieri is a living legend. At his academy in Florida, he raised a generation of champions. Courier. Seles. Agassi. No other coach has matched his success, his dominance or his fame. His greatness, though, came at a terrible price. Broken marriages, financial ruin and perhaps most devastating, a fractured relationship with his surrogate son and most cherished student, Andre Agassi. When Agassi refused to participate in a documentary about his ex-coach, a simple biographical film turned into an investigation of a relationship lost. Love Means Zero not only tells the story of this celebrated yet controversial coach, but also explores the cost of his all-consuming drive for greatness. The film is directed and produced by Jason Kohn. Amanda Branson Gill, Anne White, Jill Mazursky and David Styne also serve as producers.
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ONE OF US, Documentary Exploring Hasidic Judaism, to World Premiere at Toronto International Film Festival
The documentary One of Us, by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady (Jesus Camp, Detropia) will have its world premiere at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival and will launch on Netflix in the Fall.
One of Us explores the opaque world of Hasidic Judaism through a cadre of fascinating characters. Through unique and intimate access over the span of three years, acclaimed observational filmmakers Ewing and Grady delve into the lives of three brave individuals who have recently made the decision to leave the insular ultra-orthodox community at the expense of all else, including relationships with their family members and – in one case – their personal safety. With a sensitive and compassionate eye, One of Us chronicles the achingly cinematic journey of people in search of a personal freedom that comes only at a very high cost.
“We have always been drawn to stories that put the nature/nurture debate into stark relief. Are some of us just born with an unshakable need to question the status quo, despite the consequences?” said filmmakers Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady. “The three brave people we chronicle in One of Us buck the exacting rules of their ultra-orthodox community to experience the world for the first time as true individuals. Their journey is a profoundly human one that took us by surprise. We hope audiences are as affected by this story as we are.”
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Toronto International Film Festival Unveils 35 International Titles on 2017 Short Cuts Program
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The Death, Dad & Son[/caption]
The Toronto International Film Festival has unveiled the 35 exceptional short films that make up the International portion of the 2017 Short Cuts program. A lineup that stands out for its diversity of voices and backgrounds, the International selection for 2017 includes works from over 30 countries in 16 different languages, with a strong presence from the Middle East and South America. Of the 35 selected films, 17 were directed by women.
The International lineup also includes seven stunning short animations, including Niki Lindroth von Bahr’s The Burden (Min börda), winner of the Cristal for a Short Film award at the 2017 Annecy International Animation Film Festival, and The Death, Dad & Son by Denis Walgenwitz and Winshluss, the renowned French comic book artist whose film credits include co-writing and co-directing the Oscar-nominated Persepolis (07). Another well-known name featured in the lineup is Justine Bateman; the former Family Ties star’s short film directorial debut, FIVE MINUTES, will be premiering at the Festival.
Program highlights also include Ifunanya Maduka’s heartbreaking Waiting for Hassana, which shares a brave teenager’s devastating account of the 2014 Boko Haram kidnapping; Mahdi Fleifel’s A Drowning Man, the dramatic story of a young immigrant trying to survive in a new and strange city; and Yang Qiu’s A Gentle Night (Xiao Cheng Er Yue), which will be screening fresh off its Short Film Palme d’Or win at Cannes.
Films in the Short Cuts program are eligible for the IWC Short Cuts Award for Best Film. This year’s jury includes Marit van den Elshout, Head of CineMart at the International Film Festival Rotterdam; TIFF 2016 City of Toronto Award for Best Canadian First Feature Film winner Johnny Ma (Old Stone); and Cannes 2017 Art Cinema Award winner Chloé Zhao (The Rider).
The 42nd Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 7 to 17, 2017.
International titles screening as part of the Short Cuts program include:
Airport Michaela Müller, Switzerland/Croatia
North American Premiere
Blue Christmas Charlotte Wells, UK/USA
World Premiere
Bonboné Rakan Mayasi, Palestine/Lebanon
World Premiere
The Burden (Min börda) Niki Lindroth von Bahr, Sweden
North American Premiere
Catastrophe Jamille van Wijngaarden, Netherlands
International Premiere
Damiana Andrés Ramírez Pulido, Colombia/Brazil
North American Premiere
The Death, Dad & Son (La Mort, Père & Fils) Winshluss, Denis Walgenwitz, France
International Premiere
Drop by Drop (Água Mole) Xá, Laura Gonçalves, Portugal
North American Premiere
A Drowning Man Mahdi Fleifel, Denmark/Greece/UK
North American Premiere
Everlasting MOM (Ima Lanetzah) Elinor Nechemya, Israel
International Premiere
Fifteen (Khamastashar) Sameh Alaa, Egypt
World Premiere
FIVE MINUTES Justine Bateman, USA
World Premiere
A Gentle Night (Xiao Cheng Er Yue) Yang Qiu, China
Canadian Premiere
I Didn’t Shoot Jesse James (Je n’ai pas tué Jesse James) Sophie Beaulieu, France
North American Premiere
Jodilerks Dela Cruz, Employee of the Month Carlo Francisco Manatad, Philippines/Singapore
North American Premiere
Long Distance Relationship (Namoro À Distância) Carolina Markowicz, Brazil
World Premiere
Lower Heaven Emad Aleebrahim Dehkordi, France/Iran
International Premiere
Magic Moments Martina Buchelová, Slovakia
World Premiere
Marlon Jessica Palud, France/Belgium
North American Premiere
Möbius Sam Kuhn, Canada/USA
North American Premiere
Mon amour mon ami Adriano Valerio, Italy/France
International Premiere
Mother (Madre) Rodrigo Sorogoyen, Spain
International Premiere
Preparation (Proetimasia) Sofia Georgovassili, Greece
World Premiere
The President’s Visit Cyril Aris, Lebanon/Qatar/USA
World Premiere
Push It Julia Thelin, Sweden
North American Premiere
Roadside Attraction Patrick Bresnan, Ivete Lucas, USA
World Premiere
Shinaab Lyle Mitchell Corbine Jr, USA
International Premiere
SIGNATURE Kei Chikaura, Japan
North American Premiere
Still Water Runs Deep Abbesi Akhamie, USA/Nigeria
World Premiere
Together Alone (Nosotros solos) Mateo Bendesky, Argentina
International Premiere
Treehouse (La casa del árbol) Juan Sebastián Quebrada, Colombia/France
World Premiere
Waiting Amberley Jo Aumua, New Zealand
International Premiere
Waiting for Hassana Ifunanya Maduka, Nigeria
Canadian Premiere
We Love Moses Dionne Edwards, UK
Canadian Premiere
WICKED GIRL (KÖTÜ KIZ) Ayce Kartal, France/Turkey
North American Premiere
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Toronto International Film Festival Launches 2017 Midnight Madness Lineup, Opens with Joseph Kahn’s BODIED
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Bodied[/caption]
Midnight Madness has just launched its lineup for the 42nd Toronto International Film Festival, and opens with Joseph Kahn’s provocative World Premiere of Bodied. Midnight Madness also presents the World Premiere of The Disaster Artist, directed by James Franco and based on the making of Tommy Wiseau’s 2003 cult film, The Room. Kuplowsky also welcomes back several Festival alumni, including David Bruckner, Ryuhei Kitamura, S. Craig Zahler, Hélène Cattet, and Bruno Forzani. A new film directed by Canadian musician Seth A. Smith of Dog Day will also screen, as well as the Canadian Premiere of the acclaimed short-film Great Choice, which will precede the World Premiere of Brian Taylor’s Mom and Dad, starring Nicholas Cage and Selma Blair. Finally, the section will introduce two new feature filmmakers with Coralie Fargeat’s Revenge and the section’s Closing Night presentation of Sôichi Umezawa’s Vampire Clay.
“We can’t wait to unleash Peter on Midnight Madness audiences,” said TIFF Artistic Director Cameron Bailey. “He’s tracked down 10 films that preserve the section’s legendary kick-out-the-jams approach, while still putting his own ruthless stamp on it. Just watch.”
“With my inaugural lineup, I’ve sought to assemble an eclectic group of films that expand and explode traditional definitions of genre and shock cinema,” said Peter Kuplowsky, Programmer for Midnight Madness. “Starting with Joseph Kahn’s proverbial mic-drop Bodied, a transgressive and self-critical battle rap satire produced by Eminem, and ricocheting between occult rituals and brutal brawls, the tropes across these 10 Midnights may be familiar, but the execution always innovates, be it in their distillation, fragmentation or subversion. Some will terrify, and others may mystify, but all will electrify audiences well past the witching hour.”
Under Kuplowsky’s new direction, Midnight Madness will continue to showcase the classically terrifying, as well as boundary-pushing, stylized and innovative films — wiring up and energizing its loyal late-night fang-club!
The 42nd Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 7 to 17, 2017.
Films screening as part of the Midnight Madness program include:
Midnight Madness Opening Film.
Bodied
Joseph Kahn, USA
World Premiere
Brawl in Cell Block 99
S. Craig Zahler, USA
North American Premiere
The Crescent
Seth A. Smith, Canada
World Premiere
The Disaster Artist
James Franco, USA
World Premiere
Downrange
Ryuhei Kitamura, USA
World Premiere
Great Choice
Robin Comisar, USA
Canadian Premiere
Let the Corpses Tan
Hélène Cattet, Bruno Forzani, Belgium/France
North American Premiere
Mom and Dad
Brian Taylor, USA
World Premiere
Revenge
Coralie Fargeat, France
World Premiere
The Ritual
David Bruckner, UK
World Premiere
Midnight Madness Closing Film.
Vampire Clay
Sôichi Umezawa, Japan
World Premiere