Firecrackers

  • PARASITE, BOOKSMART, AMERICAN FACTORY Win Toronto Film Critics Honors

    GISAENGCHUNG (Parasite) directed by BONG Joon-Ho
    GISAENGCHUNG (Parasite) directed by BONG Joon-Ho

    Parasite, South Korean director Bong Joon-ho’s dark, class-based comedy about a poor family that scams a rich one, took three top awards from the Toronto Film Critics Association – Best Picture, Best Director and Best Foreign Film.

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  • Gasparilla International Film Festival Unveils 2019 Feature Film Competition Lineup

    The Hummingbird Project
    The Hummingbird Project

    The 2019 Suncoast Credit Union Gasparilla Int’l Film Festival taking place from March 19th – 24th in Tampa Bay, Florida, announced the 31 films on the Feature Film Competition Lineup. The festival will kick-off its 13th year with The Hummingbird Project starring Alexander Skarsgård, Jesse Eisenberg, Salma Hayek; and close with Family starring Taylor Schilling, Bryn Vale, Brian Tyree Henry.

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  • THE FAVOURITE and ROADS IN FEBRUARY Lead Vancouver Film Critics’ Circles’ Awards Nominations

    Roads in February (Les routes en février)
    Roads in February (Les routes en février)

    Yorgos Lanthimos’ The Favourite leads all films in the Vancouver Film Critics Circle’s international section with six nominations, and Katherine Jerkovic’s Roads in February leads all films in the Vancouver Film Critics’ Circles’ Canadian section with six nominations.

    In the international section, Lanthimos’ delectable bodice ripper shares the Best Picture category with First Reformed, Paul Schrader’s pointed diagnosis of our ill-stricken times, and Alfonso Cuarón’s technically virtuosic and emotionally devastating Roma; Lanthimos, Schrader and Cuarón also assume their respective places in the Best Director category.

    Burning, Roma and Shoplifters are up for Best Foreign Language Film, while Free Solo, Minding the Gap and Won’t You Be my Neighbor? are nominated for Best Documentary.

    In the Canadian section, a wistful story about a young woman returning home to Uruguay after more than a decade away, Roads in February is nominated for Best Picture alongside Fausto, Andrea Bussmann’s loose adaptation of Goethe’s version of the Faust legend, and Edge of the Knife, co-directors Gwaai Edenshaw and Helen Haig-Brown’s 19th century epic, scripted entirely in two endangered Haida dialects (of which there are only 20-odd fluent speakers remaining). Jerkovic, Bussmann and Edenshaw and Haig-Brown are all nominated for Best Director, where they are joined by Philippe Lesage for Genesis.

    The Best Canadian Documentary nominees are ANTHROPOCENE: The Human Epoch, The Museum of Forgotten Triumphs, and What Is Democracy?

    2018 Vancouver Film Critics Circle Awards Nominations – International

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  • 2018 Toronto International Film Festival Unveils TIFF Kids and TIFF Next Wave Films for Young Audience

    [caption id="attachment_31543" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]The Elephant Queen The Elephant Queen[/caption] The Toronto International Film Festival did not forget the kids with the TIFF Kids and TIFF Next Wave selections, guaranteeing something for film lovers of all ages.  This year’s selection includes The Elephant Queen, a fascinating documentary following the elephant Athena and her herd, narrated by Chiwetel Ejiofor; Icebox, based on an award-winning short of the same name that follows a twelve-year-old Honduran, Oscar, who faces the harsh reality of navigating immigration after fleeing gang violence in his hometown; Minuscule – Mandibles From Far Away, a story of a young ladybug who works to save the rainforest after being swept away on a grand adventure; and the stunningly animated Tito and the Birds, which follows ten-year-old Tito on his quest to learn more about birds as his town faces a strange new affliction that makes people sick when they get scared. This year’s TIFF Next Wave lineup features 11 titles selected by the TIFF Next Wave committee, a group of young film aficionados responsible for picking the films they believe their peers would most enjoy. From the Ethiopian civil war ( Fig Tree) to the Closing Night Film of Midnight Madness ( Diamantino), Next Wave champions new and diverse voices. This year’s lineup boasts five films helmed by women and eight feature filmmaking debuts, including the world premieres of Jonah Hill’s nostalgic coming of age film, Mid90s, and Jasmin Mozaffari’s skillfully tenacious Firecrackers, made by an almost entirely female key crew. The 43rd Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 6 to 16, 2018.

    TIFF Kids

    The Elephant Queen Victoria Stone, Mark Deeble | United Kingdom/Kenya World Premiere (TIFF Docs) Recommended for ages 7+ Icebox Daniel Sawka | USA World Premiere (Discovery) Recommended for ages 11+ Minuscule – Mandibles From Far Away ( Minuscule – Les Mandibules du Bout du Monde) Thomas Szabo, Hélène Giraud | France World Premiere (Contemporary World Cinema) Recommended for ages 6+ Tito and the Birds ( Tito e os Pássaros) Gustavo Steinberg, Gabriel Bitar, André Catoto | Brazil North American Premiere (Discovery) Recommended for ages 8+

    TIFF Next Wave selection

    Diamantino Gabriel Abrantes, Daniel Schmidt | Portugal/France/Brazil North American Premiere (Midnight Madness) Fig Tree Aäläm-Wärqe Davidian | Israel/Germany/France/Ethiopia World Premiere (Discovery) Firecrackers Jasmin Mozaffari | Canada World Premiere (Discovery) Giant Little Ones Keith Behrman | Canada World Premiere (Special Presentations) Girl Lukas Dhont | Belgium Canadian Premiere (Discovery) The Grizzlies Miranda de Pencier | Canada World Premiere (Special Presentations) The Hate U Give George Tillman, Jr. | USA World Premiere (Gala Presentations) Mid90s Jonah Hill | USA World Premiere (Special Presentations) Phoenix ( Føniks) Camilla Strøm Henriksen | Norway/Sweden World Premiere (Discovery) Rafiki Wanuri Kahiu | Kenya/South Africa/France/Lebanon/Norway/Netherlands/Germany/USA North American Premiere (Discovery) Teen Spirit Max Minghella | United Kingdom World Premiere (Special Presentations)

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  • 46 Breakout Films Selected for 2018 Toronto International Film Festival Discovery Program

    [caption id="attachment_31512" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Screwdriver Screwdriver[/caption] The Toronto International Film Festival revealed the 46 breakout films from 50 international storytellers that will screen in its 2018 Discovery lineup,  marking a record year for the program. Hailing from 37 different countries, these promising new filmmakers present works that explore identity, complex portraits of women, and youth as they struggle to navigate a fragile world. Twenty-nine of the films will make their World Premieres at the Festival. The lineup stands out for the impressive number of Asian and Eastern European films — accounting for 26% of the Discovery program — and the number of films directed by women. Opening this year’s Discovery program will be Bai Xue’s The Crossing, a captivating Chinese film following the journey of an ordinary teenage girl who becomes entangled in illicit activities. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVd56lm-8Cs The program’s highlights include: Adina Pintilie’s innovative Touch Me Not, winner of the Golden Bear and Best First Feature in Berlin; Syrian director Soudade Kaadan’s The Day I Lost My Shadow, a bewitching film on the Syrian conflict; Nino Zhvania’s Parade, the only Georgian feature in the selection; Lithuanian director Marija Kavtaradze’s touching Summer Survivors; Han Ka-ram’s charming Our Body; and renowned Nigerian actor Genevieve Nnaji’s exciting directorial debut, Lionheart. This year’s lineup also stands out for the strong portrayals of sensitive and witty women within it. Among them are Arturo Infante’s sci-fi comedy The Extraordinary Journey of Celeste García , starring popular actor María Isabel Díaz; Mexican director Lila Avilés’ The Chambermaid; Arash Lahooti’s Orange Days; Nikos Labôt’s Her Job; and Woman at War by Icelandic director Benedikt Erlingsson, which has already earned critical praise. Putting the struggles of young characters front and centre, the Discovery program includes UK actor-director Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje’s Farming, which tells the story of a Nigerian immigrant facing a racist skinhead gang in 1980s England; Carmel Winters’ beautiful Float Like a Butterfly; Lukas Dhont’s Girl; Daniel Sawka’s Icebox; Rosanne Pel’s Light as Feathers; Darko Štante’s Consequences; Ash Mayfair’s The Third Wife; Imogen Thomas’ poetic Emu Runner; Ethiopian–Israeli filmmaker Aäläm-Wärqe Davidian’s Fig Tree; and Joël Karekezi’s The Mercy of the Jungle, showcasing the breakthrough performance of TIFF International Rising Star Stéphane Bak. Risk-takers and daring artists also stand out in this year’s slate, as in Wanuri Kahiu’s Rafiki, an electric female LGBTQ+ love story set in Kenya, where homosexuality is illegal; Sameh Zoabi’s border-crossing dark comedy Tel Aviv on Fire; Ognjen Glavonić’s The Load; and Irish brothers Andy and Ryan Tohill’s suspenseful thriller The Dig. Bold Australian filmmaker Benjamin Gilmour will present the groundbreaking Jirga . To close this bright selection, Palestinian director Bassam Jarbawi will introduce North American audiences to his exceptional first feature film, Screwdriver, a gripping drama that examines the psychological impact of the Palestinian–Israeli conflict. The 43rd Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 6 to 16, 2018

    2018 Toronto International Film Festival Discovery Program

    aKasha hajooj kuka | Sudan/South Africa/Qatar/Germany North American Premiere ANIARA Pella Kågerman, Hugo Lilja | Sweden World Premiere Blind Spot (Blindsone) Tuva Novotny | Norway International Premiere The Chambermaid (La Camarista) Lila Avilés | Mexico World Premiere Complicity (Kazenoki Wa Koto No Youni) Kei Chikaura | Japan/China World Premiere Consequences (Posledice) Darko Štante | Slovenia/Austria World Premiere Discovery Opening Film The Crossing (Guo Chun Tian) Bai Xue | China World Premiere The Day I Lost My Shadow (Yom Adaatou Zouli) Soudade Kaadan | Syria/France/Qatar/Lebanon North American Premiere The Dig Andy Tohill, Ryan Tohill | United Kingdom North American Premiere An Elephant Sitting Still (Da Xiang Xi Di Er Zuo) Hu Bo | China Canadian Premiere Emu Runner Imogen Thomas | Australia World Premiere ENDZEIT – EVER AFTER (ENDZEIT) Carolina Hellsgård | Germany World Premiere The Extraordinary Journey of Celeste García (El Viaje Extraordinario de Celeste García) Arturo Infante | Cuba/Germany World Premiere Farming Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje | United Kingdom World Premiere Fig Tree Aäläm-Wärqe Davidian | Israel/Germany/France/Ethiopia World Premiere Float Like a Butterfly Carmel Winters | Ireland World Premiere Girl Lukas Dhont | Belgium Canadian Premiere Gwen William McGregor | United Kingdom World Premiere Helmet Heads (Cascos Indomables) Neto Villalobos | Costa Rica/Chile World Premiere Her Job Nikos Labôt | Greece/France/Serbia World Premiere Icebox Daniel Sawka | USA World Premiere Jirga Benjamin Gilmour | Australia North American Premiere Light as Feathers Rosanne Pel | Netherlands World Premiere Lionheart Genevieve Nnaji | Nigeria World Premiere The Load (Teret) Ognjen Glavonic | Serbia/France/Croatia/Iran/Qatar North American Premiere Manta Ray (Kraben Rahu) Phuttiphong Aroonpheng | Thailand/France/China North American Premiere The Mercy of the Jungle Joël Karekezi | Belgium/France/Germany North American Premiere Orange Days (Rooz-haye Narenji) Arash Lahooti | Iran World Premiere Our Body (A-wol Ba-di) Han Ka-ram | South Korea World Premiere Parade (Aglumi) Nino Zhvania | Georgia/Russia World Premiere Phoenix (Føniks) Camilla Strøm Henriksen | Norway/Sweden World Premiere Rafiki Wanuri Kahiu | Kenya/South Africa/France/Lebanon/Norway/Netherlands/Germany/USA North American Premiere Saf Ali Vatansever | Turkey/Germany/Romania World Premiere Discovery Closing Film Screwdriver (Mafak) Bassam Jarbawi | Palestine/USA/Qatar North American Premiere Summer Survivors Marija Kavtaradze | Lithuania World Premiere Tel Aviv on Fire Sameh Zoabi | Luxembourg/France/Israel/Belgium North American Premiere The Third Wife Ash Mayfair | Vietnam World Premiere Tito and the Birds (Tito e os Pássaros) Gustavo Steinberg, Gabriel Bitar, André Catoto | Brazil North American Premiere Too Late to Die Young (Tarde para morir joven) Dominga Sotomayor | Chile/Brazil/Argentina/Netherlands/Qatar North American Premiere Touch Me Not Adina Pintilie | Romania/Germany/Czech Republic/Bulgaria/France North American Premiere Twin Flower (Fiore Gemello) Laura Luchetti | Italy World Premiere Woman at War (Kona fer í stríð) Benedikt Erlingsson | Iceland/France/Ukraine North American Premiere Previously announced Canadian titles in the Discovery programme include Akash Sherman’s Clara , Gwaai Edenshaw and Helen Haig-Brown’s Edge of the Knife, Jasmin Mozaffari’s Firecrackers, and Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein’s Freaks.

    TIFF DOCS

    Reason (Vivek) Anand Patwardhan | India World Premiere

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  • 19 Canadian Films Added to 2018 Toronto International Film Festival Lineup

    [caption id="attachment_31190" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Firecrackers Firecrackers[/caption] The Toronto International Film Festival added another 19 Canadian titles to the Festival’s 2018 lineup. The selection includes nine films directed by women and six exciting debut features. From personal dramas exploring identity to documentaries that spotlight a world at risk and democracy in jeopardy, this year’s lineup is rich in stories that tap into contemporary Canadian and International anxieties. “We’re especially proud to present such a diverse group of films,” said Steve Gravestock, Senior Programmer, TIFF. “Ranging from science fiction to fantasy, myth to documentary, and romance to a dystopic vision of our neighbours to the south, this year’s Canadian films come from every region in the country, stretching from east to west and north to south.” TIFF presents the World Premieres of three films that showcase Indigenous talent: Gwaai Edenshaw and Helen Haig-Brown’s Edge of the Knife, the first feature-length film made in Haida, which is classified by UNESCO as an endangered language; Darlene Naponse’s Falls Around Her, a moving portrait of healing and resilience, starring renowned Métis actor Tantoo Cardinal; and Miranda de Pencier’s feature directorial debut The Grizzlies, a creative collaboration between De Pencier and Inuit producers Alethea Arnaquq-Baril and Stacey Aglok MacDonald that tells an inspiring, true story and that was shot on location in MacDonald’s home community in Nunavut. “We’re thrilled with this year’s lineup of compelling and distinctive films,” said Danis Goulet, TIFF Canadian Features Programmer. “The films feature characters who push hard against prescribed boundaries, asking vital questions about the state of the world and the status quo. We are especially excited to have a strong slate of bold and dynamic women-centric stories. Forty percent of the Canadian film slate this year is directed by women.” This year’s lineup also includes works by legendary Canadian documentary filmmakers that look at contemporary culture through a critical lens, such as Jennifer Baichwal, Nicholas de Pencier, and Edward Burtynsky’s highly anticipated documentary Anthropocene, Ron Mann’s Carmine Street Guitars and Thom Fitzgerald’s Splinters; Festival alumnus Igor Drljača is making his feature-documentary debut at the Festival with The Stone Speakers, and veteran Barry Avrich returns with Prosecuting Evil: The Extraordinary World of Ben Ferencz, a portrait of the United States’ chief prosecutor during the Nuremberg trials. A highlight of the festival will be a Special Event World Premiere and tribute showcasing the illuminating documentary Sharkwater Extinction, the final work by the late filmmaker and conservationist Rob Stewart. Other works by TIFF alumni premiering at the Festival include Canadian master Denys Arcand’s The Fall of the American Empire; Bruce Sweeney’s Kingsway; Sébastien Pilote’s The Fireflies Are Gone; Maxime Giroux’s The Great Darkened Days; and Astra Taylor’s What is Democracy? Renée Beaulieu is at TIFF for the first time with Les Salopes or the Naturally Wanton Pleasure of Skin, a study of a professor’s hidden desires. The Canadian feature debuts at this year’s Festival are: Gwaai Edenshaw and Helen Haig-Brown’s Haida epic Edge of the Knife; Akash Sherman’s sci-fi fantasy drama Clara ; Jasmin Mozaffari’s Firecrackers; Andrea Bussmann’s first solo project, Fausto; Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein’s Freaks and Miranda De Pencier’s Grizzlies. This year’s slate also features performances by multiple Canadian and international stars, such as Amanda Crew, Graham Greene, Brigitte Poupart, Salma Hayek, Maria Bello, and Kyle MacLachlan. Other talent includes TIFF 2018 Rising Star Michaela Kurimsky ( Firecrackers) and former TIFF Rising Stars Sarah Gadon ( The Great Darkened Days) and Karelle Tremblay ( The Fireflies Are Gone). All 23 Canadian feature films at the Festival are eligible for the Canada Goose ® Award for Best Canadian Feature Film. All five Canadian feature directorial debuts are eligible for the City of Toronto Award for Best Canadian First Feature Film. This year’s Canadian feature-film jury is composed of award-winning Montreal filmmaker Mathieu Denis ( Those Who Make Revolution Halfway Only Dig Their Own Graves), renowned Toronto journalist and documentarian Michelle Shephard ( Guantanamo’s Child: Omar Khadr), and legendary Turkish director Ali Özgentürk, who wrote the screenplay for The Girl with the Red Scarf . The 43rd Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 6 to 16, 2018.

    SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS*

    Anthropocene Jennifer Baichwal, Nicholas de Pencier, Edward Burtynsky | Canada World Premiere The Fall of the American Empire Denys Arcand | Canada Toronto Premiere The Grizzlies Miranda de Pencier | Canada World Premiere Previously announced Canadian features at the Festival include Keith Behrman’s Giant Little Ones (Special Presentation), Kim Nguyen’s The Hummingbird Project (Special Presentation), Patricia Rozema’s MOUTHPIECE (Opening Special Presentation), and Don McKellar’s Through Black Spruce (Special Presentation).

    SPECIAL EVENT

    Sharkwater Extinction Rob Stewart | Canada World Premiere

    TIFF DOCS

    Carmine Street Guitars Ron Mann | Canada North American Premiere Prosecuting Evil: The Extraordinary World of Ben Ferencz Barry Avrich | Canada World Premiere What is Democracy? Astra Taylor | Canada North American Premiere

    DISCOVERY

    Clara Akash Sherman | Canada World Premiere Edge of the Knife Gwaai Edenshaw, Helen Haig-Brown | Canada World Premiere Firecrackers Jasmin Mozaffari | Canada World Premiere Freaks Zach Lipovsky, Adam Stein | Canada World Premiere

    CONTEMPORARY WORLD CINEMA

    Falls Around Her Darlene Naponse | Canada World Premiere The Fireflies Are Gone Sébastien Pilote | Canada North American Premiere The Great Darkened Days Maxime Giroux | Canada World Premiere Kingsway Bruce Sweeney | Canada World Premiere Les Salopes or the Naturally Wanton Pleasure of Skin Renée Beaulieu | Canada World Premiere Splinters Thom Fitzgerald | Canada World Premiere

    WAVELENGTHS

    Fausto Andrea Bussmann | Canada/Mexico North American Premiere The Stone Speakers Igor Drljača | Canada/Bosnia and Herzegovina World Premiere

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