Forbes is now accepting submissions from filmmakers for its second annual Under 30 Short Film Festival, a short film competition for filmmakers, under the age of 30, who are innovating and using a variety of techniques to accomplish a range of missions, from entertainment to advocacy. Submissions will be accepted beginning today through August 18, 2017.
The next generation of great moviemakers will compete for the opportunity to show their short films at the 2017 Forbes Under 30 Summit in Boston, October 1 to 4, 2017. The summit is expected to bring together more than 6,000 of the world’s top entrepreneurs and game changers who are leading the way in industries such as media, technology, entertainment, social good and more.
“Film is a notoriously tough industry to break into,” said Forbes’ media and entertainment reporter Madeline Berg. “But there are so many young filmmakers creating impressive and important—or just plain entertaining—content. This is our opportunity to highlight some of those.”
Filmmakers can choose to submit their work in one of four categories: Animated, Live-Action/Theatrical, Documentary and Shot on Cellphone. Judges include industry insiders, as well as Forbes’ media and entertainment reporter Madeline Berg and associate editor Natalie Robehmed.
The judges will select one winner from each of the four categories. These winners will be announced on September 15. All four category winners will receive complimentary attendance to the Forbes Under 30 Summit in Boston, which will feature 200 world-class speakers and include keynote addresses, panels, pitch competitions, a music festival, a food festival and opportunities to meet and network with mentors from the entertainment world and beyond. At the summit, the four winning films will be shown and the audience will vote for the grand prize winner.
Last year’s Forbes Under 30 Short Film Festival received over 1,500 submissions, with live-action/theatrical short film , taking the grand prize. The animated Hum by Thomast Teller, the documentary Where Are We Now by Lucie Rachel and The Garbage, a cellphone filmed work by Kushtrim Aslanni, took the category prizes.
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FIlmmakers: Forbes Announces Second Under 30 Short Film Festival
Forbes is now accepting submissions from filmmakers for its second annual Under 30 Short Film Festival, a short film competition for filmmakers, under the age of 30, who are innovating and using a variety of techniques to accomplish a range of missions, from entertainment to advocacy. Submissions will be accepted beginning today through August 18, 2017.
The next generation of great moviemakers will compete for the opportunity to show their short films at the 2017 Forbes Under 30 Summit in Boston, October 1 to 4, 2017. The summit is expected to bring together more than 6,000 of the world’s top entrepreneurs and game changers who are leading the way in industries such as media, technology, entertainment, social good and more.
“Film is a notoriously tough industry to break into,” said Forbes’ media and entertainment reporter Madeline Berg. “But there are so many young filmmakers creating impressive and important—or just plain entertaining—content. This is our opportunity to highlight some of those.”
Filmmakers can choose to submit their work in one of four categories: Animated, Live-Action/Theatrical, Documentary and Shot on Cellphone. Judges include industry insiders, as well as Forbes’ media and entertainment reporter Madeline Berg and associate editor Natalie Robehmed.
The judges will select one winner from each of the four categories. These winners will be announced on September 15. All four category winners will receive complimentary attendance to the Forbes Under 30 Summit in Boston, which will feature 200 world-class speakers and include keynote addresses, panels, pitch competitions, a music festival, a food festival and opportunities to meet and network with mentors from the entertainment world and beyond. At the summit, the four winning films will be shown and the audience will vote for the grand prize winner.
Last year’s Forbes Under 30 Short Film Festival received over 1,500 submissions, with live-action/theatrical short film , taking the grand prize. The animated Hum by Thomast Teller, the documentary Where Are We Now by Lucie Rachel and The Garbage, a cellphone filmed work by Kushtrim Aslanni, took the category prizes.
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“Meet the Press” Launches Its First-Ever Documentary Film Festival in Honor of Its 70th Anniversary
NBC News’ “Meet the Press with Chuck Todd” is joining forces with the American Film Institute (AFI) for an innovative documentary film festival premiere featuring must-watch untold stories of American politics.
Politics-themed and issue-oriented documentaries are more popular than ever. The groundbreaking November”Meet the Press” Film Festival pairs the gravity of NBC News’ political reporting with AFI’s revered industry history, celebrating the 70th and 50th anniversaries, respectively, of both historical institutions. The commanding journalism of “Meet the Press” is a powerful fit with AFI, an institute established in 1967 after President Johnson’s mandate to bring “together leading artists of the film industry, outstanding educators and young men and women who wish to pursue the 20th-century art form as their life’s work.” It is also known for its acclaimed Washington, D.C.-area documentary festival, AFI DOCS.
WHAT: The First-Ever “Meet the Press” Film Festival in Collaboration With AFI will feature seven short-length documentary films produced with a diversity of perspectives.
WHEN: This November in Washington, D.C. Exact dates to be announced.
HOW: Submissions are now being accepted.
More information on this first-ever film festival will be announced in the coming weeks.
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THY FATHER’S CHAIR, Vérité Documentary on Orthodox Jewish Twins Gets Fall Release Date | Trailer
Antonio Tibaldi and Alex Lora’s Thy Father’s Chair, a vérité documentary focused on Orthodox Jewish twins, who are extreme hoarders, is set for release in theaters in the Fall. The film opens Friday, October 13, 2017, at the Village East Cinema in New York City – a week before its Los Angeles theatrical premiere on Friday, October 20, at Laemmle’s Music Hall.
Thy Father’s Chair brings audiences into the world of Abraham and Shraga, Orthodox Jewish twins who live a secluded existence in their inherited Brooklyn home. Since the death of their parents, they have stopped throwing away anything, hosting stray cats and accumulating all sorts of stuff.
Enraged by the situation, the upstairs tenant threatens to stop paying them rent unless they proceed with a radical cleaning of their apartment, forcing Abraham and Shraga to open their doors to a specialized cleaning company.
What ensues seems, at first, a traumatic invasion of privacy, with the twins fighting to preserve their memories. But little by little, the relationship with the head of the cleaning company begins to deepen — and by painfully separating from most of their belongings, Abraham and Shraga discover a path to a new life.
By the end of the film, the twins are pushed to find new solutions to many unanswered questions: how free are you within the boundaries of your heritage? How do you begin to let go of the past and live your life in the present? How do you confront the loss of your parents and become responsible for yourself?
Thy Father’s Chair is the fourth collaboration between Antonio Tibaldi and Alex Lora. The previous films they made together, [S]comparse, Odysseus Gambit and Godka Cirka, played at Sundance and several top international film festival and won several awards. They are currently developing other nonfiction and fiction projects together.
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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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‘THE DIVINE ORDER’, ‘I AM EVIDENCE’ Among Winners of 2017 Traverse City Film Festival
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The Divine Order[/caption]
The 2017 Traverse City Film Festival (TCFF), founded by Michael Moore in 2005, wrapped after screening 115 feature films and 66 shorts in its 13th year. For the first time in TCFF history, Moore was unable to attend the festival due to a conflict with his Broadway show “The Terms of My Surrender,” which opened Friday, July 28.
Audience Awards went to “The Divine Order” for Best Fiction Film and “I Am Evidence” for Best Documentary. The Founders Grand Prize went to filmmaker Raoul Peck for his two TCFF selections, “I Am Not Your Negro” and “The Young Karl Marx.”
The 14th Annual Traverse City Film Festival will take place July 31 to August 5, 2018.
2017 TCFF AWARD WINNERS
AUDIENCE AWARDS
AUDIENCE AWARD FOR BEST FICTION FILM “The Divine Order” by Petra Volpe Runner Up: “Truman” by Cesc Gay AUDIENCE AWARD FOR BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM “I Am Evidence” by Trish Adlesic, Geeta Gandbhir Runner Up: “Chasing Coral” by Jeff Orlowski AUDIENCE AWARD FOR BEST NARRATIVE SHORT “Viola, Franca” by Marta Savina AUDIENCE AWARD FOR BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT “Knife Skills” by Thomas Lennon AUDIENCE AWARD FOR BEST KIDS SHORT “Hola Llamigo” by Charlie Parisi and Christina ChangFOUNDERS AWARDS
FOUNDERS GRAND PRIZE Raoul Peck for “I Am Not Your Negro” and “The Young Karl Marx” FOUNDERS AWARD FOR BEST US FICTION FILM “Mr. Roosevelt” by Noël Wells FOUNDERS AWARD FOR BEST FOREIGN FICTION FILM “The Divine Order” by Petra Volpe FOUNDERS AWARD FOR BEST US DOCUMENTARY FILM “500 Years” by Pamela Yates FOUNDERS AWARD FOR BEST FOREIGN DOCUMENTARY FILM “Cause of Death: Unknown” by Anniken Hoel ROGER EBERT PRIZE FOR BEST FILM BY A FIRST TIME FILMMAKER Pau Faus for “Ada for Mayor” SPECIAL FOUNDERS PRIZE FOR CITIZEN JOURNALISM Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently in “City of Ghosts” Nori Sharif in “Nowhere to Hide” Curt Guyette in “Here’s to Flint” Myron Dewey in “Awake, a Dream from Standing Rock” KNOWLEDGE IS POWER SPECIAL FOUNDERS SCIENCE PRIZE “AlphaGo” by Greg Kohs SPECIAL FOUNDERS PRIZE “Long Strange Trip” by Amir Bar-Lev BUZZ WILSON PRIZE FOR BEST AVANT GARDE FILM “Austerlitz” by Sergei Loznitsa STUART J. HOLLANDER PRIZE FOR BEST FAMILY FILM “Fanny’s Journey” by Lola DoillonSHORT FILM AWARD WINNERS
BEST FICTION SHORT FILM “Retouch” by Kaveh Mazaheri BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILM “Ten Meter Tower” by Maximilien Van Aertryck and Axel Danielson LARS KELTO PRIZE FOR BEST COMEDY SHORT FILM “Hot Winter: A Film by Dick Pierre” by Jack Henry Robbins SPECIAL MENTION SHORT FILM “Skull + Bone” by Victoria Rivera SPECIAL MENTION SHORT FILM “It’s Alright” by Nina Knag
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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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Ai Weiwei’s Refugee Crisis Documentary HUMAN FLOW Sets Fall Release Date
Human Flow, a moving documentary that looks at the global refugee crisis, directed by world-renowned artist Ai Weiwei, will open in theaters on October 13. It will be released concurrent with the Public Art Fund’s thematically linked New York exhibition Ai Weiwei: Good Fences Make Good Neighbors. The film will also be featured at the upcoming 2017 Venice International Film Festival.
Over 65 million people around the world have been forced from their homes to escape famine, climate change and war in the greatest human displacement since World War II. Human Flow, an epic film journey led by Ai Weiwei, gives a powerful visual expression to this massive human migration, elucidating both the staggering scale of the refugee crisis and its profoundly personal human impact.
Captured over the course of an eventful year in 23 countries, the film follows a chain of urgent human stories that stretches across the globe in countries including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, France, Greece, Germany, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Kenya, Mexico, and Turkey. Human Flow is a witness to its subjects and their desperate search for safety, shelter and justice: from teeming refugee camps to perilous ocean crossings to barbed-wire borders; from dislocation and disillusionment to courage, endurance and adaptation; from the haunting lure of lives left behind to the unknown potential of the future. This visceral work of cinema is a testament to the unassailable human spirit and poses one of the questions that will define this century: Will our global society emerge from fear, isolation, and self-interest and choose a path of openness, freedom, and respect for humanity?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWgC5pCR1AE
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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
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Toronto International Film Festival Announces 2017 Documentary Program, Opens with GRACE JONES: BLOODLIGHT & BAMI
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Grace Jones: Bloodlight & Bami[/caption]
The Toronto International Film Festival’s 2017 documentary program presents a distinct collection of works from award-winning directors, and will open with Sophie Fiennes’ Grace Jones: Bloodlight & Bami, a film that captures the legendary performer on and off stage.
The lineup features celebrated filmmakers, including Morgan Spurlock, who reignites his battle with the food industry in Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!; Brett Morgen, with his portrait of primatologist Jane Goodall in Jane; Greg Barker, who grants viewers unprecedented access into President Barack Obama’s foreign policy team in The Final Year; Frederick Wiseman, who takes us behind the scenes of a New York institution in Ex Libris – The New York Public Library; and Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady, who follow three Hasidic Jews who attempt to enter the secular world in One of Us. The TIFF Docs Program is made possible through the generous sponsorship of A+E IndieFilms.
“Resistance is a key theme in this year’s documentaries,” said TIFF Docs Programmer Thom Powers. “We pay witness to rebels challenging the status quo in art, politics, sexuality, religion, fashion, sports and entertainment. They speak powerfully to our times as audiences seek inspirations for battling powerful and corrupt systems.”
The theme of resistance plays out in a diverse range of films, including Jed Rothstein’s The China Hustle, executive produced by Alex Gibney and Frank Marshall, which confronts a new era of Wall Street fraud; Matt Tyrnauer’s Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood, which profiles the sexual taboo breaker Scotty Bowers; Anjali Nayar and Hawa Essuman’s Silas, which portrays Liberian activist Silas Siakor; and Erika Cohn’s The Judge, which follows the first female Shari’a judge, Kholoud Al-Faqih, practicing law in the West Bank.
We gain insights into high-profile figures in the worlds of entertainment and sports in films such as Chris Smith’s JIM & ANDY: the Great Beyond – the story of Jim Carrey & Andy Kaufman featuring a very special, contractually obligated mention of Tony Clifton, which examines Jim Carrey’s immersion into the role of Andy Kaufman; Lili Fini Zanuck’s Eric Clapton: Life in 12 Bars, which delivers the definitive biography of the rock legend; and Jason Kohn’s Love Means Zero, which investigates the controversial tennis coach Nick Bollettieri and his history with Andre Agassi.
Several films deepen our understanding of black cultural figures, including Sam Pollard’s Sammy Davis, Jr.: I’ve Gotta Be Me on the complex career of the multi-talented Rat Pack performer; Kate Novack’s The Gospel According to André on the trend-setting fashion writer André Leon Talley; and Sara Driver’s BOOM FOR REAL The Late Teenage Years of Jean-Michel Basquiat on the formative years of the acclaimed artist.
TIFF Docs upholds its tradition of featuring films and filmmakers from around the world with films such as Violeta Ayala’s Cocaine Prison on the drug trade in Bolivia; Mila Turajlić’s The Other Side of Everything on the dissident activism of her Serbian mother; Hüseyin Tabak’s The Legend of the Ugly King on the Kurdish filmmaker Yilmaz Güney; Sabiha Sumar’s Azmaish: A Journey through the Subcontinent on the politics of India and Pakistan; and Gustavo Salmerón’s Lots of Kids, a Monkey and a Castle on his eccentric family in Spain. The TIFF Docs closing film is Emmanuel Gras’ Makala, which won the Grand Jury prize at Cannes’ Critics Week and portrays the heroic struggles of a subsistence laborer in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The 42nd Toronto International Film Festival runs September 7 to 17, 2017.
2017 TIFF Docs Program include:
Azmaish: A Journey through the Subcontinent Sabiha Sumar, Pakistan North American Premiere BOOM FOR REAL The Late Teenage Years of Jean-Michel Basquiat Sara Driver, USA World Premiere The China Hustle Jed Rothstein, USA World Premiere Cocaine Prison Violeta Ayala, Australia/Bolivia/France/USA World Premiere Eric Clapton: Life in 12 Bars Lili Fini Zanuck, United Kingdom World Premiere Ex Libris – The New York Public Library Frederick Wiseman, USA North American Premiere The Final Year Greg Barker, USA World Premiere The Gospel According to André Kate Novack, USA World Premiere Documentary Program Opening Film. Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami Sophie Fiennes, United Kingdom/Ireland World Premiere JIM & ANDY: the Great Beyond – the story of Jim Carrey & Andy Kaufman featuring a very special, contractually obligated mention of Tony Clifton Chris Smith, USA/Canada North American Premiere Jane Brett Morgen, USA World Premiere The Judge Erika Cohn, Palestine/USA World Premiere The Legend of the Ugly King Hüseyin Tabak, Germany/Austria World Premiere Lots of Kids, a Monkey and a Castle Gustavo Salmerón, Spain North American Premiere Love Means Zero Jason Kohn, USA World Premiere Documentary Program Closing Film. Makala Emmanuel Gras, France North American Premiere OF SHEEP AND MEN Karim Sayad, Switzerland/Qatar World Premiere One of Us Heidi Ewing, Rachel Grady, USA World Premiere The Other Side of Everything Mila Turajlić, Serbia/France/Qatar World Premiere Sammy Davis, Jr.: I’ve Gotta Be Me Sam Pollard, USA World Premiere Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood Matt Tyrnauer, USA World Premiere Silas Anjali Nayar and Hawa Essuman, Canada/South Africa/Kenya World Premiere Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken! Morgan Spurlock, USA World Premiere
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European Premiere of Wim Wenders’ SUBMERGENCE to Open San Sebastian Festival
The European premiere of Wim Wenders’ Submergence will open the 65th edition of the San Sebastian Festival on September 22, 2017. The film which will world premiere at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival stars Alicia Vikander and James McAvoy.
The story, shot in Berlin, Madrid, Toledo, different locations in France and Djibouti, was written by Erin Dignam (The Yellow Handkerchief, The Last Face) based on the famous novel of the same name by The Economist correspondent J.M. Ledgard (Giraffe). James McAvoy and Alicia Vikander embody a hydraulic engineer and a bio-mathematician who meet in a hotel on the French coast, where both are preparing their missions. While she works on a project of immersion in the Greenland Sea, he is taken hostage in Somalia.
Submergence is a love story that takes us into the extremely different worlds of our two protagonists, Danielle Flinders (Alicia Vikander) and James More (James McAvoy). They meet by chance in a remote hotel in Normandy where they both prepare for a dangerous mission. They fall in love almost against their will, but soon recognize in each other the love of their lives. When they have to separate, we find out that James works for the British Secret Service. He’s involved in a mission in Somalia to track down a source for suicide bombers infiltrating Europe. Danielle ‘Danny’ Flinders is a bio-mathematician working on a deep sea diving project to support her theory about the origin of life on our planet. Soon, they are worlds apart. James is taken hostage by Jihadist fighters and has no way of contacting Danny, and she has to go down to the bottom of the ocean in her submersible, not even knowing if James is still alive…
The German filmmaker, screenwriter and producer Wim Wenders (Düsseldorf, 1945) has worked during his career in both Europe and the United States, putting his name to some of the most relevant films in the last four decades, including Der Stand der Dinge (The State of Things, 1982), Golden Lion at Venice Festival; Paris, Texas (1984), screened at the San Sebastian Festival after receiving the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Festival; Der Himmel über Berlin (Wings of Desire, 1987), winner of Best Director in Cannes; and the documentaries Buena Vista Social Club (1999), which garnered over a dozen awards at the Seattle, New York and Los Angeles festivals; Pina (2011), premiered at Berlin and presented in the Zabaltegi Pearls section in San Sebastian, or Salt of the Earth, co-helmed with Juliano Ribeiro Salgado (1914), Un Certain Regard Special Prize and Audience Award in San Sebastian. Founder member of the European Film Academy, in 2002 he chaired the San Sebastian Festival Jury, which awarded the Golden Shell to Los lunes al sol (Mondays in the Sun) by Fernando León de Aranoa.
Scottish actor James McAvoy (Glasgow, 1979) plays the leading part in The Last King of Scotland (Kevin Macdonald, 2006), Atonement (Joe Wright, 2007), The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby (Ned Benson, 2014, selected for the Festival’s Pearls section) and Split (M. Night Shyamalan, 2016), in addition to embodying a young Charles Xavier in three films of the X-Men saga.
Swedish actor Alicia Vikander (Gothenburg, 1988), remarkable for her performances of Kitty in Anna Karenina (Joe Wright, 2012), Queen Mathilde in En Kongelig Affære / A Royal Affair (Nikolaj Arcel, 2012) and Ex machina (Alex Garland, 2014), won the 2015 Academy Award as Best Supporting Actress for her part in The Danish Girl (Gerda Wegener) and will see her performance as Lara Croft take to the screen next year in the latest installment of Tomb Raider (Roar Uthaug, 2018).
The soundtrack is written by Fernando Velázquez (A Monster Calls, The Impossible), once again featuring the Basque National Symphony Orchestra.