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"10 TO 11" (2010 feature film directed by Pelin Esmer)

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 19:40:40 -0400

An Istanbul curmudgeon whose apartment has been completely taken over by his collections and the building's doorman find themselves forced to rethink their lives when the apartment building is scheduled for demolition. Lively, melancholy comedy-drama of people forced to accomodate to a city in constant change, loosely inspired by real people and situations and shot in documentary style.

"127 HOURS" (2010 feature film directed by Danny Boyle)

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 19:41:29 -0400

A mountain climber becomes trapped under a boulder while canyoneering alone near Moab, Utah and resorts to desperate measures in order to survive. 127 Hours is the true story of mountain climber Aron Ralston's (James Franco) remarkable adventure to save himself after a fallen boulder crashes on his arm and traps him in an isolated canyon in Utah. Over the next five days Ralston examines his life and survives the elements to finally discover he has the courage and the wherewithal to extricate himself by any means necessary, scale a 65 foot wall and hike over eight miles before he is finally rescued. Throughout his journey, Ralston recalls friends, lovers (Clemence Poesy), family, and the two hikers (Amber Tamblyn and Kate Mara) he met before his accident. Will they be the last two people he ever had the chance to meet?

"13 ASSASSINS" (2010 feature film directed by Takashi Miike)

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 19:44:03 -0400

A group of assassins come together for a suicide mission to kill an evil lord. Cult director Takeshi Miike delivers a period action film set at the end of Japan's feudal era in which a group of unemployed samurai are enlisted to bring down a sadistic lord and prevent him from ascending to the throne and plunging the country into a wartorn future. Remake of Jusan-nin no shikaku (1963).

"22ND OF MAY" (2010 feature film directed by Koen Mortier)

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 19:42:41 -0400

Sam wakes up, gets ready and goes to do his daily job. And then the unexpected happens. A bomb explodes in the center of the shopping mall where he works. He drags himself towards the entrance to save the victims. One by one he pulls them out, until something terrible takes place. In complete hysteria he runs off till he falls down from exhaustion. A woman's voice makes him raise his head. She's one of the victims he saved. She wants to know why the suicide bomber did it. This encounter projects him back in history and even in a surreal world. Thereafter he runs into everyone he saved and feels that their defeat shows many parallels with his own. Even his confrontation with the wrongdoer isn't that straightforward as he thought it would be and confronts him with the fact that guilt and innocence can be pretty much alike.

"24 HOUR PSYCHO BACK AND FORTH AND TO AND FRO" (2008 feature film directed by Douglas Gordon)

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 09:50:17 -0400

A dual-channel video installation which consists of two side-by-side projections of Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (1960), film # 68 on The Essential 100. Both projections are slowed down to a duration of twenty-four hours, one playing forwards and the other in reverse so that they meet at one point, with an identical image that lasts for one second. This is the Toronto premiere of the work, an adaptation of the artist's much-celebrated 24 Hour Psycho. Gordon won the Turner Prize in 1996 and has been a leading art world figure ever since. His film Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait, premiered at the Cannes International Film Festival in 2006. Presented within the Essential Cinema exhibition at TIFF Bell Lightbox's main gallery.

"40" (2010 feature film directed by Emre Sahin)

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 19:45:00 -0400

A bag full of money lands in front of you. Is it luck? The answer to your prayers? Part of a predetermined plan? Or all of the above? Set in the chaotic streets of Istanbul, 40 is a story of three strangers making their way in a city of 12 million, all searching...for one bag. Shot entirely on location, '40' combines intense story telling with documentary style cinematography embarking on a synchronistic journey dealing with faith, love, luck, destiny, human trafficking...and a bag of cash that falls from the sky.

"8 1/2 SCREENS" (2010 short film directed by Atom Egoyan)

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 12:47:41 -0400

A key scene from Fellini's masterpiece 81/2 and a reversal of the customary relationship between the projector, the audience and the screen are Atom Egoyan's tools of choice for celebrating the emotionally interconnected nature of film viewing. This piece was specifically designed for TIFF Bell Lightbox's Cinema 4 and it will be presented from September 12 to October 3.

"AFRICA UNITED" (2010 feature film directed by Debs Gardner-Paterson)

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 19:46:50 -0400

'Africa United' is the extraordinary story of three Rwandan kids who walk 3000 miles to the Soccer World Cup in South Africa. Using a sack load of ingenuity and sass (and a World Cup wall chart for a map), our pint-sized protagonists set off through the endless horizons of Africa in pursuit of an unlikely dream. And as they walk they gather a tribe - a ragamuffin team - of broken and brilliant characters who help them negotiate a way through a series of glorious, dangerous, hilarious and often bizarre situations. Through these kids, we will encounter an Africa few people ever get to see; experience the hard reality of an epic walk through seven countries; as well as the joy, laughter and hope - 'the ubuntu' - that comes from making an incredible journey together.

"AFTERSHOCK" (2010 feature film directed by Xiaogang Feng)

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 19:47:38 -0400

Based on the Tangshan Earthquake in 1976 that took the lives of 240,000 people. Based upon a novel. Tangshan, 1976. Two seven-year-old twin children are buried under the rubble of the devastating earthquake. The rescue team explains to their mother, Li Yuanni, that freeing either child will almost certainly result in the death of the other.

"ALL ABOUT LOVE" (2010 feature film directed by Ann Hui)

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 19:48:25 -0400

All About Love sees former lovers Macy and Anita (Ng and Chow) coincidentally brought back together by unplanned pregnancies from their respective one-night-stands. While the two - both bisexuals, years out of touch, and now in their early 40s - are clearly in love with one another, things are complicated by Macy's reluctance to commit, her ambiguously connected lesbian friends (Joey Man and Jo Kuk) and, lest we forget, the accidental fathers.

"AMAZON FALLS" (2010 feature film directed by Katrin Bowen)

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 12:16:49 -0400

Jana is a fading B-movie actress who was famous for her roles in Amazon movies playing a variety of pre-Xena warrior-princesses. Nearing 40 she is desperately trying to keep her leg in the B-movie game and decides to pursue her fading career with a zealous fervor. But new roles are elusive and the clock is ticking. Will she admit defeat or finally get her break? The story is inspired by the Lana Clarkson and Phil Spector story.

"AMERICAN BEAUTY" (1999 feature film directed by Sam Mendes)

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 14:26:59 -0400

Wednesday, September 15 at 5:30 pm Lester and Carolyn Burnham are on the outside, a perfect husband and wife, in a perfect house, in a perfect neighborhood. But inside, Lester is slipping deeper and deeper into a hopeless depression. He finally snaps when he becomes infatuated with one of his daughter's friends. Meanwhile, his daughter Jane is developing a happy friendship with a shy boy-next-door named Ricky, who lives with a homophobic father.

"AMIGO" (2010 feature film directed by John Sayles)

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 19:50:07 -0400

Beginning of the 20th Century, during the Philippine-American War. A garrison under the command of US Lieutenant Compton is left to 'protect' San Isidro, a remoted region located in the Philippines. Compton is fair and sympathetic, but his job is to pacify the area, not to make the natives happy. He can only communicate with Rafael, the Head of the barrio, through the Machiavellian friar Hidalgo who's the only one to understand English and who bears a deep resentment towards Rafael. Neither side can understand or trust the other, but are forced to live together, trying to survive in the middle of a 'dirty' war. When the American occupation policy gets tougher, Rafael has to answer to both the Americans and the Filipino patriots- with deadly consequences. Two American privates killed three Filipino soldiers in a suburb of Manila; the incident turned into a bloody war that lasted two years. The Philippines Army used guerilla tactics to make up for being under-equipped to face the overwhelming American forces. The film comes from the novel Some Time in the Sun, detailing U.S. Imperialism in the Philippines. "At the first two screenings, John Sayles and Joel Torre will be in attendance to introduce the film. You will see Chris Cooper and Garret Dillahunt on at least one of those days." Public 1 ISABEL BADER THEATRE 09/14/10 10:30 PM Public 2 RYERSON 09/15/10 03:00 PM Lightbox 1 09/19/10 03:00 PM

"L'AMOUR FOU" (2010 feature film directed by Pierre Thoretton)

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 19:50:49 -0400

Yves Saint Laurent built one of fashion's most celebrated empires. This moving documentary chronicles his rise, his lifelong partnership with Pierre Berge and their decision to auction off a lifetime of precious art and objects.

"ANGST ESSEN" (2008 short film directed by Ming Wong)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 13:57:39 -0400

The artist Ming Wong re-enacts scenes from Fassbinder's film "Angst Essen Seele Auf" ("Ali: Fear Eats the Soul")(1973) playing 14 different characters, in German. In this work Ming Wong investigates theatrical manifestations of language and identity. Based on the conviction that film is the best-suited medium to gain insights into foreign languages and cultures, Ming reinterprets classics of world cinema, foreign-language TV films, and theatre productions. During his residency at the Kunstlerhaus Bethanien, Ming developed his latest video work, ,,Angst Essen/Eat Fear", a reconstruction of Rainer Werner Fassbinder's movie ,,Angst essen Seele auf" (1973), which tells the story of Emmi, an elderly cleaning woman from Munich, who falls in love with a much younger Moroccan immigrant worker named Ali. The two unlikely lovers start living together as a couple, which at that time in Germany was socially looked down upon, if not deemed downright scandalous. In Fassbinder's film, their relationship threatens to turn into a disaster under the pressure of hostile and discriminatory social reflexes. In "Angst Essen/Eat Fear", Ming plays and recites all the roles. Speaking an approximate German, he embodies up to five persons at the same time, relentlessly switching between various identities defined by gender, age or nationality. If Ming chose Fassbinder's film, it was not merely for its notoriety but because it addresses notions like 'outsider' and 'foreignness' in an exemplary manner. Beyond a reflection on identity and alterity -- a topic which is at the heart of his artistic project -- Ming's works are enlivened by a deeply funny and entertaining dimension, which helps reveal the positive options unlocked by a playful state of 'in-betweenness' -- in-between ethnicities, languages and genders. Presented in the RBC Learning Studio at TIFF Bell Lightbox.

"ANOTHER YEAR" (2010 feature film directed by Mike Leigh)

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:03:29 -0400

A deeply moving drama starring Jim Broadbent and Ruth Sheen as a married couple in their 60s whose highs and lows are charted over the course of 12 months. Ruth and Gerri have a son, Joe (Oliver Maltman) and an extended family that includes their friends Mary (Lesley Manville) and Ken (Peter Wight). Their story delicately sweeps through the gamut of human feeling, resulting in a considered movie that expertly spins humour, sadness, friendship, love and joy. Mary is the catalyst for much of Another Year's drama and emotion. She's an effervescent chatterbox, but her outward attitude is a tracing-paper thin cover for a loneliness and longing that lie below the surface. Her marriage didn't work out, so she looks on at Tom and Gerri with envy and even instigates a misguided attempt to start a romantic relationship with Joe.

"ANPO" (2010 feature documentary film directed by Linda Hoaglund)

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 19:53:12 -0400

ANPO: Art X War tells the story of Japan's historic resistance to U.S. military bases in Japan through an electrifying array of artwork created by Japan's foremost artists. The film articulates the insidious, lasting impact that the U.S. military presence has had on Japanese lives, and the creative processes that artists have devised to transmit the spirit of resistance.

"ANYTHING YOU WANT" (2010 feature film directed by Achero Manas)

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:04:38 -0400

Todo Lo Que Tu Quieras ("Everything You Want"), which is essentially a love story according to its director, aims to confront audiences with prejudices and role changes in western society. The story centres on the Velasco family: Leo, Alicia and their daughter Dafne. They are a normal family, until Alicia dies unexpectedly after an epileptic fit. The conservative and homophobic Leo is left alone with his little girl and does his best to look after her, to the point of losing his own identity.

"ARMADILLO" (2010 feature documentary film directed by Janus Metz Pedersen)

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:05:17 -0400

When operations get hairy, adrenaline addiction and cynicism set in for the young soldiers at the front line in Afghanistan. This contributes to a widening of the gap between themselves and the Afghan civilians. Armadillo is a journey into the minds of the soldiers and their experiences of modern warfare. Armadillo is the story about two young soldiers, Mads and Daniel, who lose their innocence in the war in Afghanistan. Adventurous and open-minded they leave their home country on their first tour of duty. But the adventure is not at all, what they expected. After seven months they return to their home country, disillusioned about the mission, they have been on. The film is a journey into the young soldiers' minds and an examination of what it means to be at war. The young men develop anxiety and paranoia, but also a dependence of the adrenaline, kicking in, when in combat. During their stay they lose their sense of empathy and feeling of fellowship with the Afghans, they were sent out to help in the first place. The locals they meet all turns into potential enemies. And as politics and idealism becomes abstract sizes to them, we as audience understand how Mads, Daniel and their friends - bit by bit - are brutalised by their violent experiences and the heavy pressure they act under. For the first time ever the film crew behind Armadillo has gained full access to follow a division of Danish soldiers at war. This has resulted in unique material, giving the director the opportunity to examine the myth of man at war and to explore the barbarism and socialisation, taking place among soldiers at war. Camp Armadillo is located in the remnants of an old Afghan farmhouse - now "Forward Operation Base Armadillo". Together with another 120 Danish and British soldiers, Mads, Daniel and their group are guarding the last outpost against the Taleban in the Helmand Province of Afghanistan. Armadillo is a visually and emotionally profound portrayal of war, set in the contemporary scene of Afghanistan - and a film rightfully questioning if it is possible to make peace through war. Armadillo is directed by Janus Metz, who has won numerous awards for his documentary films from Ticket to Paradise and Love on Delivery - also films about people who go on journeys that will change their lives forever.

"AS IF I'M NOT THERE" (2010 feature film directed by Juanita Wilson)

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:06:42 -0400

Set in Bosnia during the 1990's Balkan Conflict. As If I Am Not There explores one woman's experience of the horrors that took place at the beginning of the Bosnian War. Disturbing and powerful, the film is an important testament to the survivors of the atrocities in the former Yugoslavia. The Bosnian war drama, adapted from a book by Slavenka Drakulic, follows the story of Samira, a young teacher who finds her life turned on its head the day a young soldier walks uninvited into her kitchen and she is sent to a concentration camp.

"AT ELLEN'S AGE" (2010 feature film directed by Pia Marais)

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:07:17 -0400

A German flight attendant falls into increasingly bizarre adventures when she leaves her husband, quits her job and joins a radical group of animal activists.

"ATTENBERG" (2010 feature film directed by Athina Rachel Tsangari)

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:08:05 -0400

A dying architect and his emotionally stunted daughter inhabit a once booming industrial community in the middle of nowhere, now populated by the precious few who didn't have the heart to leave it behind. Marina, 23, is growing up with her architect father in a prototype factory town by the sea. Finding the human species strange and repellent, she keeps her distance. Instead she stubbornly observes it through the songs of Suicide, the mammal documentaries of Sir David Attenborough, and the sex-ed lessons she receives from her only friend, Bella. A stranger comes to town and challenges her to a foosball duel, on her own table. Her father meanwhile ritualistically prepares for his exit from the 20th century, which he considers to be "overrated." Caught between the two men and her collaborator Bella, Marina investigates the wondrous mystery of the human fauna.

"THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF NICOLAE CEAUSESCU" (2010 feature documentary film directed by Andrei Ujica)

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:09:21 -0400

The film explores the image of the Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu using official footage from the Romanian National Television and National Film Archives.

"AUTUMN" (2010 feature film directed by Aamir Bashir)

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:10:52 -0400

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

"AWAY FROM HER" (2006 feature film directed by Sarah Polley)

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 14:27:18 -0400

Saturday, September 18 at 7pm Fiona and Grant are an Ontario couple who have been married for over 40 years. Now, in the oncoming twilight of their years, they are forced to face the fact that Fiona's "forgetfulness" actually is Alzheimer's Disease. After Fiona wanders away and is found after being lost, they agree she must go into a nursing home. For the first time in the five decades their relationship has spanned, they are forced to undergo a long-time separation since the nursing home has a "no-visitors" policy for the first 30 days of a patient's stay, so they can adjust to their new surroundings. When Grant visits Fiona after the orientation period, he is devastated to find out that not only has she seemingly forgotten him, Fiona has transferred her affections to another man. The other man is Aubrey, a wheelchair bound mute patient at the nursing home. As the distance between husband and wife grows, Grant must draw upon his love for Fiona to perform an act of self-sacrifice in order to ensure her happiness.

"BAD FAITH" (2010 feature film directed by Kristian Petri)

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:11:49 -0400

Mona is new in town. A serial killer is on the loose and Mona becomes a witness to one of the murders. She is shocked but also fascinated and as her interest grows into an obsession she decides to find the murderer herself. In the process she is forced to question everything she has believed in. Including her own morality.

"BALADA TRISTE (THE LAST CIRCUS)" (2010 feature film directed by Alex de la Iglesia)

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:12:41 -0400

Alex de la Iglesia's genius for dark humour is at its most eloquent in his latest parody about the Spanish Civil War. Two clowns attack and disfigure one another in jealous rages over a beautiful dancer. In the name of love, they destroy the very object of their affection

"THE BANG BANG CLUB" (2010 feature film directed by Steven Silver)

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:13:10 -0400

A drama based on the true-life experiences of four combat photographers capturing the final days of apartheid in South Africa.

"BARNEY'S VERSION" (2010 feature film directed by Richard J. Lewis)

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:13:44 -0400

Take a wild ride through the life and memories of Barney Panofsky, a hard-drinking, cigar smoking, foulmouthed, 65-year old hockeyfanatic and television producer. We accompany the irascible Barney as he reflects on his lifes successes and (numerous) gaffes and failures as the final chapters of his own existence comesharply into focus. Based on the novel by Mordecai Richler.

"BEAUTIFUL BOY" (2010 feature film directed by Shawn Ku)

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:14:58 -0400

A married couple on the verge of separation are leveled by the news their 18-year-old son committed a mass shooting at his college, then took his own life. Austin Nichols: "The movie is called 'Beautiful Boy', it's with Michael Sheen. It's just an incredible piece of writing about a husband and wife who find out their son was involved in a campus shooting. I play a writer who writes about the tragedy." Alan Tudyk: "I have a new movie called Beautiful Boy that is going to be in Toronto Film Festival in September with Maria Bello and Michael Sheen. I'm interested to see that because it is very different... It's a quiet drama... It's really harrowing in places." Beautiful Boy is about Kate and Bill Carroll, a couple played by Bello and Sheen, that are trying to glue the pieces of their life together after they receive news that their teenage son, Sam, commits suicide after being the shooter in a college massacre. The couple moves to live with Kate's brother and his wife, played by Tudyk and actress, Moon Bloodgood.

"A BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO ENDINGS" (2010 feature film directed by Jonathan Sobol)

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:16:53 -0400

Upon learning they only have a few days left to live, three brothers set off to reverse a lifetime of mistakes.

"BEGINNERS" (2010 feature film directed by Mike Mills)

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:15:48 -0400

When his 71-year-old father (Christopher Plummer) comes out of the closet, Oliver (Ewan McGregor) must explore the honesty of his own relationships. From the director of Thumbsucker.

"BEHIND BLUE SKIES" (2010 feature film directed by Hannes Holm)

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:17:49 -0400

Martin escapes his alcoholic father for the summer job of his life at the exclusive Royal Yacht Club in the idyllic archipelago of Stockholm in 1975. He meets true love for the first time and is being groomed by Gosta, a playboy in the centre of high society. Martin is inevitably drawn into one of the greatest scandal of all times in Swedish crime history.

"THE BIG CHILL" (1983 feature film directed by Lawrence Kasdan)

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 14:28:02 -0400

Sunday, September 19 at 7 pm A group of friends who attended the University of Michigan together in the 1960's convene for the funeral of one from their group, Alex, who committed suicide. The group, each now in their thirties, have kept in touch over the years, but have drifted somewhat apart as their respective lives changed. Their individual ideals have also changed from their socially conscious and radical days in college, to where they mostly now live outwardly comfortable and financially lucrative lives. With Alex's young and socially naive girlfriend, Chloe, added to the mix, the friends spend the weekend together at married couple Harold and Sarah's house in South Carolina following the funeral. Especially in light of Alex's suicide, the friends discuss their lives and collective relationships with each other, then and now.

"THE BIG PICTURE" (2010 feature film directed by Eric Lartigau)

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:25:37 -0400

Paul Exben is a success story - partner in one of Paris's most exclusive law firms, big salary, big house, glamorous wife and two sons straight out of a Gap catalog. But when he finds out that Sarah, his wife, is cheating on him with Greg Kremer, a local photographer, a rush of blood provokes Paul into a fatal error. Standing over the corpse of his wife's lover, Paul knows that his perfect life has gone for good. But by assuming the dead man's identity and fleeing for an isolated part of former Yugoslavia on the beautiful Adriatic coast, Paul gets another shot at being himself and, at last, seeing the big picture.

"BIUTIFUL" (2010 feature film directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu)

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:26:19 -0400

A man involved in illegal dealing is confronted by his childhood friend, who is now a policeman.

"BLACK OCEAN" (2010 feature film directed by Marion Hansel)

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:27:40 -0400

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

"BLACK SWAN" (2010 feature film directed by Darren Aronofsky)

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 11:20:31 -0400

A psychological thriller set in the world of New York City ballet, Black Swan stars Natalie Portman as Nina, a featured dancer who finds herself locked in a web of competitive intrigue with a new rival at the company. Black Swan takes a thrilling and at times terrifying journey through the psyche of a young ballerina whose starring role as the duplicitous swan queen turns out to be a part for which she becomes frighteningly perfect.

"BLAME" (2010 feature film directed by Michael Henry)

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:29:53 -0400

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

"BLESSED EVENTS" (2010 feature film directed by Isabelle Stever)

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:30:38 -0400

37 year-old Simone decides to go out alone on New Year's Eve. The next morning, she wakes up next to a stranger in his car, and a few weeks later she discovers that she's pregnant. By coincidence, she runs into the stranger again - the handsome Hannes - and is surprised to find that, contrary to her expectations, he's actually happy about the pregnancy and wants to live with her. Could this be the face of happiness? While Hannes works in a hospital as a nurse in palliative care, tending to the dying with extraordinary tenderness, Simone renovates their shared, little home. An attractive neighbour fuels Simone's jealousy and threatens her idyll. The larger Simone's baby belly grows, the more extensively Hannes' confidence and integrity warm the nest while Simone's doubts grow - and the more oppressive their little, homemade prison appears.

"BLOCK-C" (1994 feature film directed by Zeki Demirkubuz)

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:31:40 -0400

Tulay, whose unhappy marriage is disintegrating, lives in a modern apartment complex. Halit, an employee of the complex, spies on Tulay and watches her every move. One evening, when Tulay returns home, she witnesses her maid Asli and Halit making love in her bed. This moment would be the beginning of an unconscious search for Tulay, whose daily life gradually mixes with her perceptions and fears.

"BLUE VALENTINE" (2010 feature film directed by Derek Cianfrance)

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:32:30 -0400

The film centers on a contemporary married couple, charting their evolution over a span of years by cross-cutting between time periods.

"BOXING GYM" (2010 feature documentary film directed by Frederick Wiseman)

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:33:40 -0400

The doc unfolds at Lord's Gym in Austin, Texas.

"BREAK UP CLUB" (2010 feature film directed by Barbara Wong)

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:34:18 -0400

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

"BRIGHTON ROCK" (2010 feature film directed by Rowan Joffe)

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:34:54 -0400

Charts the headlong fall of Pinkie, a razor-wielding disadvantaged teenager with a religious death wish. Based on Graham Greene's classic novel Brighton Rock. The movie will have its world premiere screening at the Toronto International Film Festival in September. The movie's about gangster "Pinkie Brown" (Sam Riley) who becomes involved with a tea shop waitress (Andrea Riseborough) after a vicious murder has been committed on the Brighton seafront. Joffe wrote the screenplay and shifted the story from Greene's setting in the Thirties to the mods and rockers era of 1964, a time of what Joffe termed 'sexual modernity'. Producer Paul Webster added that the year was also the last in which the death penalty was carried out, which in the film gives Pinkie a sense of fearlessness. Andrea Riseborough is currently to be found in front of the camera playing the Duchess Of Windsor in Madonna's film W.E.

"BROWNIAN MOVEMENT" (2010 feature film directed by Nanouk Leopold)

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:36:07 -0400

Charlotte and Max live with their young son in Brussels. When Max finds out Charlotte has been taking some of her male patients to a rented apartment, their relationship is put to the test. Charlotte agrees to go to therapy and is forced to stop working as a doctor. When they move to India because of his work, both seem happy again, at least initially. For it appears that their past has not been completely laid to rest.

"BUNRAKU" (2010 feature film directed by Guy Moshe)

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:37:16 -0400

A mysterious drifter (Josh Hartnett) and an ardent young Japanese warrior Yoshi (Gackt) both arrive in a town that is terrorized by outrageous and virulent criminals. Each is obsessed with his separate mission, and guided by the wisdom of The Bartender (Woody Harrelson) at the Horseless Horseman Saloon, the two eventually join forces to bring down the corrupt and contemptuous reign of Nicola (Ron Perlman), the awesomely evil "woodcutter" and his lady Alexandra (Demi Moore), a femme fatale with a secret past. This classic tale is re-vitalized and re-imagined in an entirely fresh visual context, set in a unique world that mixes skewed reality with shadow-play fantasy, a place where even the landscape can betray you. Heroes triumph here only because the force of their will transforms and transcends both space and time. The world of BUNRAKU is past and present, fantasy and reality, Samurai and Western all combined. Like "Sin City" and "300", it gives classic conflict a whole new graphically supercharged dynamic. Resonating through a wide range of cultures and showcasing a mind-blowing array of martial arts disciplines.

"BURIED" (2010 feature film directed by Rodrigo Cortes)

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 12:15:33 -0400

Paul is a U.S. contractor working in Iraq. After an attack by a group of Iraqis he wakes to find he is buried alive inside a coffin. With only a lighter and a cell phone it's a race against time to escape this claustrophobic death trap.

"THE BUTCHER, THE CHEF AND THE SWORDSMAN" (2010 feature film directed by Wu Ershan)

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:38:55 -0400

The story is about a butcher in a brothel who is in love with a courtesan. When he suffers a humiliation rejection, he decides to become a swordsman and wonders around in Jianghu.

"THE CALL" (2010 feature film directed by Stefano Pasetto)

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:40:14 -0400

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

"CARANCHO" (2010 feature film directed by Pablo Trapero)

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:41:08 -0400

Sosa (Ricardo Darin) is a lawyer who haunts hospital waiting rooms hoping to represent the victims of traffic accidents in insurance claims. When he falls in love with ambulance medic Lujan, he tries to leave this dark business but the shady law firm that he works for won't let him off that easily.

"CASINO JACK" (2010 feature film directed by George Hickenlooper)

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:41:49 -0400

A hot shot Washington DC lobbyist and his protege go down hard as their schemes to peddle influence lead to corruption and murder.

"CAVE OF FORGOTTEN DREAMS" (2010 3-D feature documentary film directed by Werner Herzog)

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:42:58 -0400

Herzog has apparently been given permission to film inside the Chauvet-Pont-d'Arc cave, a site in the Ardeche department of southern France that contains the earliest known cave paintings, dating back at least 30,000 years. Even more intriguingly, Herzog is planning to shoot much of the film in 3D. The Chauvet cave, discovered in 1994, cannot be accessed by tourists, as the French authorities have deemed the risk of degradation to be too high, so Herzog's film might be the only opportunity for the rest of humanity to view the site. The paintings depict lions, panthers, bears, owls, rhinos and hyenas, suggesting a vastly different fauna at the time of the paintings to that of modern France.

"CEREMONY" (2010 feature film directed by Max Winkler)

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:44:29 -0400

This comedy follows a young man who falls hard for an older woman about to be married. The infatuation prompts him to take along his unwitting friend to a beach town in an effort to break up the wedding. Upon arriving, the young men quickly realize just how out of place they are among the stately groom-to-be and his guests. Winkler cites The Graduate and Harold and Maude among its influences. Henry Winkler's son Max wrote the script, and will make his directorial debut. Jason Reitman is one of the film's executive producers.

"CHICO & RITA" (2010 animated feature film directed by Fernando Trueba, Javier Mariscal)

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:45:31 -0400

Cuba, 1948. Chico is a young piano player with big dreams. Rita is a beautiful singer with an extraordinary voice. Music and romantic desire unites them, but their journey - in the tradition of the Latin ballad, the bolero - brings heartache and torment. From Havana to New York, Paris, Hollywood and Las Vegas, two passionate individuals battle impossible odds to unite in music and love.

"THE CHRISTENING" (2010 feature film directed by Marcin Wrona)

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:46:14 -0400

Michal has what he always dreamed of: a beautiful wife named Magda, a newborn son, his own firm. He chooses an old friend, Janek, to be the godfather of his child. This is just the beginning of Michal's plan, who asks his friend to take an interest in his wife... At the beginning the plan works out, but it becomes increasingly difficult for Michal to come to terms with it. Michal knows his deeply hidden past will inevitably come back to him, and Janek will have to make a decision, of which he will never forget the consequences.

"CIRKUS COLUMBIA" (2010 feature film directed by Danis Tanovic)

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:47:04 -0400

Circus Columbia is a romantic saga set in the late age of a century which tragically announced the arrival of the new age to the Balkans. With communism fading and democracy rising, Divko arrives to his hometown in Herzegovina after years of absence. Now a rich man, he comes with an expensive Mercedes and a wife, about 40 years his junior, and in a want of small revenges. His first victory was throwing out his former wife and son from the house in which they lived. In the beginning, it appears as if Divko is winning and that money can buy everything.

"CLIENT 9: THE RISE AND FALL OF ELIOT SPITZER" (2010 feature documentary film directed by Alex Gibney)

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:48:09 -0400

An in-depth look at the rise and fall of New York Governor Eliot Spitzer, including interviews with the scandalized, former politician. Alex Gibney collaborated on the film project with Peter Elkind, who turned his research into the book Rough Justice.

"COLD FISH" (2010 feature film directed by Sion Sono)

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:49:02 -0400

This movie was "inspired by true events" known as the "Saitama serial murders of dog lovers". The convicted killers in the real-life case are Gen Sekine and his ex-wife Hiroko Kazama.

"CONFESSIONS" (2010 feature film directed by Tetsuya Nakashima)

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:50:31 -0400

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

"THE CONSPIRATOR" (2010 feature film directed by Robert Redford)

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:51:20 -0400

In the wake of Abraham Lincoln's assassination, seven men and one woman are arrested and charged with conspiring to kill the President, Vice-President, and Secretary of State. The lone woman charged, Mary Surratt, 42, owns a boarding house where John Wilkes Booth and others met and planned the simultaneous attacks. Against the ominous back-drop of post-Civil War Washington, newly-minted lawyer, Frederick Aiken, a 28-year-old Union war-hero, reluctantly agrees to defend Surratt before a military tribunal. Aiken realizes his client may be innocent and that she is being used as bait and hostage in order to capture the only conspirator to have escaped a massive manhunt: her own son.

"CONVICTION" (2010 feature film directed by Tony Goldwyn)

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:52:03 -0400

Conviction is the inspirational true story of a sister's unwavering devotion to her brother. When Betty Anne Waters' (two-time Academy Award winner Hilary Swank) older brother Kenny (Sam Rockwell) is arrested for murder and sentenced to life in 1983, Betty Anne, a Massachusetts wife and mother of two, dedicates her life to overturning the murder conviction.

"COOL IT" (2010 feature documentary film directed by Ondi Timoner)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 23:46:15 -0400

A documentary that takes an alternative approach to dealing with the global warming crisis. Inspired by a book called Cool It by the economist Bjorn Lomborg.

"CRASH" (2004 feature film directed by Paul Haggis)

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 14:30:54 -0400

Saturday, September 18 at 10pm Several stories interweave during two days in Los Angeles involving a collection of inter-related characters, a police detective with a drugged out mother and a thieving younger brother, two car thieves who are constantly theorizing on society and race, the white district attorney and his irritated and pampered wife, a racist white veteran cop (caring for a sick father at home) who disgusts his more idealistic younger partner, a successful Hollywood director and his wife who must deal with the racist cop, a Persian-immigrant father who buys a gun to protect his shop, a Hispanic locksmith and his young daughter who is afraid of bullets, and more.

"CRYING OUT" (2010 feature film directed by Robin Aubert)

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:54:26 -0400

A disturbed young man pairs up with his grumpy grandfather for a road trip in search of his father who left town after digging up his wife's corpse.

"CURLING" (2010 feature film directed by Denis Cote)

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:54:57 -0400

Set on the fringe of society, in a remote part of the countryside, Curling takes a keen look at the unusual private life of a father and his daughter. Between his unremarkable jobs, Jean-Francois Blain devotes an awkward energy to Julyvonne. The fragile balance of their relationship will be jeopardized by some very dreary circumstances.

"DARK CLOUD" (2010 feature film directed by Theron Patterson)

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:55:34 -0400

A black comedy in the style of a lucid dream, Dark Cloud looks at a middle-aged man who can't move on from the death of his wife, and the teenaged son who needs him to wake up.

"DAYDREAM NATION" (2010 feature film directed by Michael Goldbach)

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:56:08 -0400

Daydream Nation is a provocative yet humorous romance about a rural community shaken by the arrival of an acerbic teenage girl.

"THE DEBT" (2010 feature film directed by John Madden)

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:56:48 -0400

Remake of Israeli film "Ha-Hov" (2007). In 1965, three young Israeli Mossad agents on a secret mission capture and kill a notorious Nazi war criminal. Now, thirty years later, a man claiming to be the Nazi has surfaced in Ukraine and one of the former agents must go back undercover to seek out the truth. The film will premiere at the 2010 Toronto Film Festival and will be released later this year.

"DEEP IN THE WOODS" (2010 feature film directed by Benoit Jacquot)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 21:09:37 -0400

France, 1865. A young vagabond, Timothee, arrives in a village and is given food and lodging by Doctor Hughes and his daughter Josephine. Josephine runs after him, leaving her home and father, driven by an uncontrollable force. Distraught, she follows this young man for whom she seems to feel only fear and disgust. Their pilgrimage will reveal another truth.

"DETECTIVE DEE AND THE MYSTERY OF THE PHANTOM FLAME" (2010 feature film directed by Tsui Hark)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 21:10:25 -0400

An exiled detective is recruited to solve a series of mysterious deaths that threaten to delay the inauguration of Empress Wu. Based on the iconic figure of Di Renjie, a legendary minister of state in the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907 AD) who was known for his ability to solve the most complicated cases, Tsui Hark's Detective Dee (Andy Lau) is a uniquely appealing counterpart to his modern western equivalent, Sherlock Holmes.

"DHOBI GHAT" (2010 feature film directed by Kiran Rao)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 21:11:16 -0400

The film is set in Mumbai and revolves around the lives of four characters, whose paths criss-cross at Dhobi Ghat. Aamir Khan plays a painter in the film. Prateik Babbar plays the other lead. Its shot in real locations, with Mohammed Ali Road, Marine Drive and Dhobi Ghat being its famous backdrops.

"DIRTY GIRL" (2010 feature film directed by Abe Sylvia)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 21:12:54 -0400

Follows the ten-year journey of a teenage runaway across the social and political landscape of America. Danielle is the dirty girl of Norman High School. When her misbehaviour gets her banished to a remedial class, she teams up with an innocent closet-case and they head out on a road trip to discover themselves.

"DISTANT" (2002 feature film directed by Nuri Bilge Ceylan)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 21:13:32 -0400

Distant maps Nuri Bilge Ceylan's signature exploration of existential heartache onto the wintry shores of Istanbul. Mahmut, a 40 year old independent photographer, is a "village boy made good" at least professionally in the big city - Istanbul in this case. After his wife leaves him, he falls into an existential crisis. Then comes his cousin Yusuf, who left his native village after a local factory closed down, effectively unemploying over half the local men. He looks to Istanbul for salvation: a job on board a ship sailing abroad, at once exciting and crucial to supporting his family in the desperately poor village. The distance between the two men is apparent at once, and becomes increasingly pronounced. Whereas Mahmut is adusted to big city life and suffers from many of its neuroses, Yusuf is a lonely, excentric country worker with annoying nervous and hygienic habits, and a sick mother back home he must somehow support. This intimate drama was filmed in the director's apartment in Istanbul, using all his furniture, appliances, rooms, car and so on as the film's props. The actor playing Yusuf is actually the director's real-life cousin, and the actor playing Mahmut is an actual friend, a non-professional actor. At the Cannes Film Festival 2003, the best actor award was given to both of the leading actors in the film, 'Mehmet Emin Toprak' (Yusuf) and 'Muzaffer Ozdemir' (Mahmut). Toprak was unable to receive his award because he had died in a car accident not long after he learned that he was nominated.

"THE DITCH" (2010 feature film directed by Wang Bing)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 21:14:24 -0400

At the end of the 1950s, the Chinese government condemned thousands of citizens - considered 'right wing dissidents' due their past activities, criticisms of the Communist Party or simply their middle-class backgrounds and families - to forced labour camps. Deported for re-education to the north-west of the country, in the middle of the Gobi Desert, thousands of miles from their families, they encountered conditions of absolute destitution. As a result of backbreaking physical labour, an unrelentingly extreme climate and the most meager of provisions, many of them perished. THE DITCH recounts their fate - an unflinching account of the very extremes of the human condition.

"E-100" (2010 short film directed by James Andean & Francois Xavier Saint-Pierre)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 19:08:13 -0400

E-100 is a sound installation in which key samples of film dialogue culled from the films in the Essential 100 list are heard both clearly and obliquely in conjunction with a randomizer algorithm patched to various instrumental samples that include a vernacular of orchestral film sounds: swelling strings, a plaintive piano, upbeat pop music, etc. The samples interact in random variations over the duration of a cycle, interweaving dialogue, environmental sounds and instrumental accompaniment. This sonic tapestry of film references will allow audiences to experience cinema's most significant moments outside the visual realm. E-100 will be presented in TIFF Bell Lightbox's Cinema 5 from September 12 to October 3.

"EASY A" (2010 feature film directed by Will Gluck)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 21:16:06 -0400

A clean-cut high school student relies on the school's rumor mill to advance her social and financial standing.

"EASY MONEY" (2010 feature film directed by Daniel Espinosa)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 21:18:50 -0400

A three-tiered story centered around drugs and organized crime, and focused on a young man who becomes a runner for a coke dealer.

"THE EDGE" (2010 feature film directed by Alexey Uchitel)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 21:19:16 -0400

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

"EROTIC MAN" (2010 feature documentary film directed by Jorgen Leth)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 21:20:04 -0400

Danish master Jorgen Leth travels the globe in this sensual, provocative and sometimes autobiographical essay film about a man struggling to come to terms with his past choices and his decision to leave a lover. "New places. Now new locations. New places. New locations. The same journey. We are searching for something. We are searching.... We don't know how to frame the erotic. I don't know exactly how you find it. It's not a definition, that's not it. It's about the search itself. Finding some moments in memory and in the present. We study woman, we study women in different places, in Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, in Belem, Panama City, Jacmel, Dakar, in Manila. Watching her, her legs, her shoulders, her skin, her hands, her eyes and her mouth. We watch the unknown smile. The new smile. The difference, the little nuance that makes it different. That's what we're searching for. It's indefinable, it's unclear. We don't strive to be clever."

"ESSENTIAL KILLING" (2010 feature film directed by Jerzy Skolimowski)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 21:21:02 -0400

A Taliban fighter is captured, interrogated, tortured and then transported to an unnamed snowy destination in Europe. He manages to escape and must use his wits to evade his pursuers whilst battling bitter winter cold and lack of food.

"ESSENTIAL TITLES" (2010 short film directed by Barr Gilmore)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 15:39:49 -0400

Essential Titles is a 5-minute looped motion graphic projection that isolates and recreates only the title and director's credit from the opening sequences of all of the films on the Essential 100 list -- mimicking their transitions and time on screen and layering all of them in real time to create a visually stunning piece that will act as an environmental graphic at the entrance of the exhibition from September 12 to October 3.

"EVEN THE RAIN" (2010 feature film directed by Iciar Bollain)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 21:21:29 -0400

Obsessive idealist Sebastian has sworn to direct a film about one of the world's most iconic figures, Christopher Columbus. But not for him the lie of a genius hero on a divine mission to win "souls for Christ". Sebastian is determined to overturn the myth of the arrival of Western Civilization in the Americas as a force for good. His film will show what Columbus set in motion: the obsession with gold, the taking of slaves, and the terrible violence visited on those Indians who fought back. The brilliant actor playing Columbus constantly challenges the director, accusing him of hypocrisy and cheap manipulation. Costa, Sebastian's friend and producer doesn't give a damn. All that mattersis that the film comes in on time and within budget. Costa has a crazy plan. Despite Sebastian's fury, they will shoot in Bolivia, the cheapest, most "Indian" of Latin American countries. While the shoot progresses in and around the city of Cochabamba, civil and political unrest simmer, as the entire water supply of the city is privatized and sold to a British/American multinational. Violence increases daily until the entire city explodes in the now infamous Bolivian Water War - a war which actually took place in April 2000. 500 years after Columbus, sticks and stones once again confront the high-tech weaponry of a modern army. David against Goliath. Only this time the fight is not over gold, but the simplest of life-giving elements - water

"EVERYTHING MUST GO" (2010 feature film directed by Dan Rush)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 21:21:59 -0400

Re-make of Everything Goes (2004). Nick's an alcoholic who loses his job and comes home to find his never-seen wife Catherine has put all of his things on the front lawn. She's finally throwing him out. He lives on the lawn, befriending lonely kid Kenny and new neighbor Samantha, both broken souls like him. He reevaluates his life while trying to scrounge up enough money for more booze. His AA sponsor tries to help him out, but it's only after Nick starts selling off everything he owns that he begins to find his way, even returning to AA eventually.

"FILM SOCIALISM" (2010 feature film directed by Jean-Luc Godard)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 21:22:39 -0400

Godard's latest film, a "symphony in three movements," grapples with trying to make sense of a world that appears to be beyond comprehension and meaning.

"FIRE OF CONSCIENCE" (2010 feature film directed by Dante Lam)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 21:24:00 -0400

Two cops investigating separate cases involving a murdered prostitute and gun smugglers uncover an explosive web of corruption, malice and disgrace in this high octane action thriller from Hong Kong.

"THE FIRST GRADER" (2010 feature film directed by Justin Chadwick)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 21:24:51 -0400

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

"FORCE OF NATURE: THE DAVID SUZUKI MOVIE" (2010 feature film directed by Sturla Gunnarsson)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 21:25:29 -0400

At 75 years old, David Suzuki shows no signs of slowing down. In this captivating documentary portrait, the passionate environmentalist's legacy lecture is entwined with candid interviews in which he reflects on his life and shares deeply personal stories, revealing a side previously unseen.

"THE FOUR TIMES" (2010 feature film directed by Michelangelo Frammartino)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 21:26:35 -0400

An old shepherd lives his last days in a quiet medieval village perched high on the hills of Calabria, at the southernmost tip of Italy. He herds goats under skies that most villagers have deserted long ago. He is sick, and believes to find his medicine in the dust he collects on the church floor, which he drinks in his water every day.

"THE FOURTH PORTRAIT" (2010 feature film directed by Chung Mong-Hong)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 21:27:09 -0400

Ten year-old Xiang faces a lonely future after his father dies. Just when he thinks he's going to spend his life in the orphanage, his estranged mother shows up. And his life changes forever... A loveless mother, a hateful stepfather, a chilly home. Where's Xiang heading to? He finds comfort in drawing and his work reveals his longing for care and affection. Life is full of hope again when he meets the old school janitor who doesn't show his kindness easily and a portly man who has crazy ideas and is haunted with nightmares of his brother. A scary truth is about to be unmasked. Will Xiang be able to depict his own image in the fourth portrait? The Fourth Portrait casts a sobering look at the troubling issues of domestic violence, and the difficult family dynamics that are born of marriages of convenience.

"FUBAR II" (2010 feature film directed by Michael Dowse)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 21:28:25 -0400

In Calgary, Terry (David Lawrence) and Dean (Paul Spence) are tired of barely scraping by. Their old buddy and "party leader", Troy (better known as Tron) (Andrew Sparacino) gets them jobs in Fort McMurray. Flush with money and confidence, Terry starts dating Trish (Terra Hazelton), a waitress at the local strip bar. Dean plays up the part of the cancer survivor, and decides to defraud Workers' Compensation. When Terry moves in with Trish, Dean does his best to save his friend from trading into a domestic lifestyle. Preceding Fubar II is Jerome Sable's short "The Legend of Beaver Dam", a riotous rock 'n' roll horror comedy hybrid with Sean Cullen.

"THE GAME OF DEATH" (2010 feature documentary film directed by Christophe Nick & Thomas Bornot)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 21:30:26 -0400

This documentary examines the idea of the limits of obedience and punishment. Based on an experiment conducted in the sixties, the setting is a modern television game show where we see how far people will go to inflict pain on a contestant who stands to win one million dollars.

"GENPIN" (2010 feature documentary film directed by Naomi Kawase)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 21:31:47 -0400

A serene observation of women giving birth at the clinic of Dr. Tadashi Yoshimura who has spent 40 years on the path of natural childbirth, Genpin is Naomi Kawase's special meditation on life and on the unshakable bond between mother and child. The title, Genpin, was overlaid on the words of the Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu, "The valley spirit never dies. It is named the mysterious woman (genpin)." In the film, the obstetrician Tadashi Yoshimura reflects on the relationship between childbirth and death, and observes, more as a human being than a doctor, that to deny death is to deny life. Life born into this world, life that ends at the moment of birth, life that ends before birth. Lives do not cease as a solitary life, but are carried on by the species, and continue. Through the flux of the Japanese seasons, Naomi Kawase entered the circle of the women giving birth at the Yoshimura Clinic and the world of Dr. Yoshimura, who has spent 40 years on the path of natural childbirth, and wove the footage she shot with her own 16mm camera into this film.

"GIRLFRIEND" (2010 feature film directed by Justin Lerner)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:02:52 -0400

A young man with Down's Syndrome romantically pursues a small town single mom who is still mixed up with her volatile ex-boyfriend. When an unexpected financial windfall affords a young man with Down syndrome some freedom, he decides to pursue the object of his high school crush, Candy. The decision brings him into conflict with her volatile ex-boyfriend, and the three find themselves involved in a complex, unpredictable triangle of love, aspiration and dreams.

"GOOD NEIGHBOURS" (2010 feature film directed by Jacob Tierney)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 21:35:10 -0400

Director Jacob Tierney (The Trotsky) returns with an innovative and unsettling thriller about some very strange people living in the same apartment building in Montreal's Notre-Dame-de-Grace neighbourhood.

"GORBACIOF - THE CASHIER WHO LIKED GAMBLING" (2010 feature film directed by Stefano Incerti)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 21:35:31 -0400

Toni Servillo ("Gomorra" and "Il Divo") plays the role of a compulsive gambler who works in the petty-cash office of the Poggioreale prison, and falls in love with a Chinese girl, an illegal immigrant. He will try to free both of them from their dead-end lives.

"GRIFF THE INVISIBLE" (2010 feature film directed by Leon Ford)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 21:36:14 -0400

Griff, office worker by day, superhero by night, has his world turned upside down when he meets Melody, a beautiful young scientist who shares his passion for the impossible.

"GUEST" (2010 feature documentary film directed by Jose Luis Guerin)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 21:36:33 -0400

"Guest" is a travel diary following a director as he goes to international film festivals. Jose Luis Guerin muses on the themes of travel, cinema and art; shot in more than 20 countries.

"HAIR" (2010 feature film directed by Tayfun Pirselimoglu)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 21:38:04 -0400

An ailing Istanbul wig-maker becomes obsessed with a woman who enters his shop one day. Hamdi, a wig seller in a run-down district in Istanbul, is desperately lonely. He's addicted to cigarettes and spends his time, day and night, bored, in his store, which is also his home. His cancer means he has only a short time left to live, but he chain-smokes, staring out of his window at a woman in red, a prostitute standing on the pavement on the other side of the noisy road. Hamdi also believes he is shrinking and measures his height every day. He has no expectations: except perhaps of going somewhere far away before he dies. Brazil is the furthest place he can think of, a paradise with no pain. One day a strange thing happens: a woman, Meryem, comes to his store to sell her very long hair. Hamdi is stunned as he contemplates her. He cuts her hair as she hides her tears. Hamdi becomes obsessed, following her when she leaves the store and then everywhere she goes. As Meryem, married to a churlish man who washes corpses for a living, realises that Hamdi is pursuing her, the situation becomes ever more bizarre...

"HALF OF OSCAR" (2010 feature film directed by Manuel Martin Cuenca)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 21:38:44 -0400

Oscar and Maria are reunited by the imminent death of their grandfather. Maria has not been heard from in over two years, and now arrives pregnant and with a boyfriend.

"HAUNTINGS I" (2010 short film directed by Guy Maddin)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 15:38:55 -0400

TIFF Bell Lightbox will be haunted by a series of short film installations that are meant to invoke and appease the ghosts of cinema. Starting from the premise that every filmmaker has an unrealized project, a half-finished or abandoned film doomed to oblivion or left on the cutting-room floor, Maddin will produce a series of shorts that explore the lost history of cinema. Hauntings I involves eleven projections in the main gallery space showing recreated fragments of lost or unrealized film masterpieces. Hauntings I will be presented at TIFF Bell Lightbox's main gallery space from September 12 to October 23.

"HAUNTINGS II" (2010 short film directed by Guy Maddin)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 15:38:49 -0400

TIFF Bell Lightbox will be haunted by a series of short film installations that are meant to invoke and appease the ghosts of cinema. Starting from the premise that every filmmaker has an unrealized project, a half-finished or abandoned film doomed to oblivion or left on the cutting-room floor, Maddin will produce a series of shorts that explore the lost history of cinema. Hauntings II will illuminate TIFF Bell Lightbox's fifth floor windows every night of the Festival, forming a ghostly curtain that will reveal a siren beckoning visitors to enter. Hauntings II will be projected from TIFF Bell Lightbox's fifth floor windows every night of the Festival from September 9 to 19.

"HEARTBEATS" (2010 feature film directed by Xavier Dolan)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 21:39:14 -0400

The story of three close friends who are involved in a love-triangle. Wunderkind filmmaker Xavier Dolan returns with his second feature - a sophisticated comedy about close friends, Francis and Marie, who pursue their mutual obsession with a young man. As they face off in competition, cracks in their friendship begin to appear with both comic and tragic results.

"HEAVENHELL" (2009 feature film directed by Chris Chong Chan Fui, Yasuhiro Morinaga)

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 00:28:32 -0400

Akira Kurosawa - director of two films on the Essential 100 list - was unable to shoot the slum scene on the infamous brothel streets of Koganecho, Yokohama for his film High and Low (1963), as it was considered much too dangerous for his cast and crew. Heavenhell is a six-channel audio-video installation, commissioned by NPO Koganecho Area Management Center in Yokohama, that restages the stylized scene in the location Kurosawa originally intended. Recruiting local youth in the now cleaned-up neighbourhood, Chris Chong Chan Fui and Yasuhiro Morinaga (who have previously collaborated on award-winning films Block B and Karaoke) create a suspenseful conflation triptych where the present exhumes the past. Akira Kurosawa is represented by two films on the Essential 100 list, Rashomon, film # 14 on the list, and Seven Samurai, film # 6 on the list. Chris Chong Chan Fui is an award-winning Malaysian-Canadian filmmaker and media artist, who has recently exhibited work at the Cannes International Film Festival, le Centre Pompidou and the Hirshhorn Museum. Yasuhiro Morinaga is a Tokyo-based sound artist. Curated by Andrea Picard. Presented in collaboration with The Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art, 952 Queen Street West.

"HENRY'S CRIME" (2010 feature film directed by Malcolm Venville)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 21:39:59 -0400

After serving three years in prison for a bank robbery he did not commit, an amiable but aimless man decides to rob the bank for real. His plan involves infiltrating a local theatre company, but his scheme gets complicated when he falls for the company's lead actress.

"HEREAFTER" (2010 feature film directed by Clint Eastwood)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 21:40:32 -0400

The story of three people haunted by mortality in different ways, Hereafter stars Matt Damon as a blue-collar American who has a special connection to the afterlife. On the other side of the world, a French journalist (Cecile de France), has a near-death experience that shakes her reality. And when London schoolboy Marcus (McLaren) loses the person closest to him, he needs answers. Each in search of the truth, their lives will intersect, forever changed by what might - or must - exist in the hereafter.

"THE HIGH COST OF LIVING" (2010 feature film directed by Deborah Chow)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 21:41:09 -0400

The story of a young, pregnant woman whose world falls apart when she loses her child in a hit and run accident. As her life unravels,Nathalie finds an unlikely protector in Henry, a down and out guardian angel who has followed her thread. But Henry is not quite an angel, and as she struggles to come to terms with the loss, Nathalie discovers that she has fallen in love with the man who ran her over.

"HOME FOR CHRISTMAS" (2010 feature film directed by Bent Hamer)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 21:41:52 -0400

Norwegian veteran Bent Hamer (Kitchen Stories) returns with this look at fractured families at Christmas time. The film shuttles between serious drama and the gently absurdist comedy for which Hamer is well-known. Bent Hamer's sixth feature film Home for Christmas is based on several stories from the Norwegian writer Levi Henriksen's collection of short stories "Bare mjuke pakker under treet." The plot unfolds during a few afternoon hours on Christmas Eve. The individual stories, which at times intertwine, are set in the small town Skogli. The characters in the stories cover a great range in age and life situations, representing both reconciliation with their own lives and strong frustration. Some show the will to understand and do something about their lives, while others have given up. Deeply tragic and melancholy aspects are mixed with humour and rather frivolous solutions. "It is a Christmas film, not like a Disney Christmas film. The film is based on the short stories by, Norwegian writer, Levi Hendrickson. The working title is Home for Christmas. It takes place in his village. It is about a few people struggling to find a way home for Christmas. It covers the period of 3-4 hours, when people are trying to make it home in time for Christmas dinner. Some of the lives cross, but it is not like everything is fitting into the same story. The stories do cross. I like it a lot. I think it has huge potential and compliments his writings." In the small fictional Norwegian town Skogli, a puzzle of characters intersects with each other in different stories. These characters represent a wide range of ages and social classes, blending humor and tragedy, tenderness and desperation; but always open for forgiveness and hope. The stories bring forward the theme of living together in all aspects and it explores love at any age and in all its phases, from giving birth to dying. "Home for Christmas" is a modern Christmas Carol based on a selection of short stories from the Norwegian author Levi Henriksen's collection "Only Soft Presents Under the Tree" (Bare mjuke pakker under treet).

"A HORRIBLE WAY TO DIE" (2010 feature film directed by Adam Wingard)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 21:42:23 -0400

An escaped murderer is in pursuit of his ex-girlfriend, who has fled to start a new life in a small town.

"THE HOUSE BY THE MEDLAR TREE" (2010 feature film directed by Pasquale Scimeca)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 21:42:59 -0400

The Malavoglia are a family of fishermen: Grandfather Padron 'Ntoni, his son Bastianazzo and wife Maruzza, and their children 'Ntoni, Mena, Alessi and Lia. One night Bastianazzo dies in a boating accident, leaving the family on the verge of a break down.

"THE HOUSEMAID" (2010 feature film directed by Sang-soo Im)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 21:43:43 -0400

In this erotic thriller, the housemaid of an upper-class family becomes entangled in a dangerous tryst. A satirical look at class structure, reminiscent of the work of Claude Chabrol, this sexy soap opera is a story of revenge and retribution. A remake of the highly regarded 1960 film The Housemaid [??], which gets updated with a modern take.

"HOW I ENDED THIS SUMMER" (2010 feature film directed by Alexei Popogrebsky)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 21:44:27 -0400

Two meteorologists are isolated on an Arctic island. When the two-way radio transmits some bad news that requires a middleman, it's up to the young intern to inform his veteran colleague. The problem is that he never seems to find the right time. A polar station on a desolate island in the Arctic Ocean. Sergei, a seasoned meteorologist, and Pavel, a recent college graduate, are spending months in complete isolation on the once strategic research base. Pavel receives an important radio message and is still trying to find the right moment to tell Sergei, when fear, lies and suspicions start poisoning the atmosphere...

"HOW TO START YOUR OWN COUNTRY" (2010 feature documentary film directed by Jody Shapiro)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 21:44:52 -0400

Shapiro's documentary about micro-nations, tiny countries seldom recognized by the outside world, mixes comedy and compassion with a serious analysis of the concept of statehood and citizenship.

"THE HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGER" (2010 feature film directed by Eran Riklis)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 21:45:31 -0400

A tragi-comedy centers on the HR manager of Israel's largest industrial bakery as he sets out to save the reputation of his business and prevent the publication of a defamatory article - the catch is that he has to take a coffin 1000 kilometres into rural Romania to do it.

"THE HUNTER" (2010 feature film directed by Rafi Pitts)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 21:46:30 -0400

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

"I AM SLAVE" (2010 feature film directed by Gabriel Range)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 21:46:51 -0400

From the award winning team behind Death of a President and The Last King of Scotland, and inspired by real life events, I Am Slave is a controversial thriller about London's shocking slave trade, and one woman's fight for freedom. Mende Nazer wrote the book about her experience (Slave). Producer Andrea Calderwood: "When we started researching this story we discovered that around 14,000 people had been abducted into slavery from south Sudan... there are up to 5,000 people who are being held as slaves in the UK today..." Last April Britain made the holding of someone in servitude (domestic slavery) a crime punishable by up to 14 years in prison. The crime of forced labour is punishable by up to 14 years jail. No-one has been charged since these laws came into force.

"I SAW THE DEVIL" (2010 feature film directed by Kim Jee-woon)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 21:47:26 -0400

UPDATE: The film now released is 80 to 90 seconds shorter. (Images of body parts being eaten have been removed.) There is no indication yet which version of the film will be shown in international festivals. RESTRICTED: The Korea Media Rating Board has twice designated the film a "Restricted"/"limited screening"; a virtual ban, since such films can only been played in special theaters featuring exclusively adult films. Advertising and marketing is also banned. The board explained that some scenes "severely damage the dignity of human values." A secret agent tracks a serial killer who murdered his fiancee. A hard-boiled thriller from Korean master Kim Jee-woon, I Saw the Devil is a tale of bloody vengeance against a dangerous psychopath who has committed a gruesome series of murders.

"I WISH I KNEW" (2010 feature film directed by Jia Zhangke)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 21:47:59 -0400

Focuses on the people, their stories and architecture spanning from the mid-1800s, when Shanghai was opened as a trading port, to the present day. Commissioned to commemorate the 2010 World Expo, this documentary on Shanghai portrays a chapter of modern Chinese history through interviews and scenic views of a city in continuous evolution. I Wish I Knew is directed by one of the youngest masters of cinema, Jia Zhanke.

"I'M STILL HERE" (2010 feature documentary film directed by Casey Affleck)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 21:49:03 -0400

I'm Still Here is a portrayal of a tumultuous year in the life of actor Joaquin Phoenix. With remarkable access, the documentary follows the Oscar-nominee as he announces his retirement from a successful film career in the fall of 2008 and sets off to reinvent himself as a hip hop musician. The film is a portrait of an artist at a crossroads and explores notions of courage and creative reinvention, as well as the ramifications of a life spent in the public eye.

"THE ILLUSIONIST" (2010 animated feature film directed by Sylvain Chomet)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 21:49:46 -0400

The Illusionist is one of a dying breed of stage entertainers. With emerging rock stars stealing his thunder, he is forced to accept increasingly obscure assignments in fringe theatres, at garden parties and in bars and cafes. However, whilst performing in a village pub off the west coast of Scotland, he encounters Alice, an innocent young girl, who will change his life forever. Watching his performance to the excited villagers who are celebrating the arrival of electricity to their remote island, Alice becomes awestruck by our hero and believes his tricks are real magic. Following him to Edinburgh, she keeps his home while he goes to work in a small local theatre. Enchanted by her enthusiasm for his act, he rewards her with increasingly lavish gifts he has 'conjured' into existence. Desperate not to disappoint her, he cannot bring himself to reveal that magic does not exist and that buying these gifts is driving him to ruin. [At the end of the final credits, there's a short extra scene.]

"IN A BETTER WORLD" (2010 feature film directed by Susanne Bier)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 21:50:15 -0400

A drama about a Holocaust survivor who meets his twin sister he thought died in the in the concentration camps.

"IN CONVERSATION WITH...PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN" (2010 presentation hosted by Seamus O'Regan)

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 14:34:47 -0400

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

"IN LOVE FOR THE MOOD" (2009 feature film directed by Ming Wong)

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 16:37:03 -0400

Originally commissioned for the 2009 Venice Biennale for the artist's solo exhibition Life of Imitation at the Singapore Pavilion, In Love for the Mood is inspired by Hong Kong filmmaker Wong Kar-wai's meditation on love and infidelity In the Mood for Love (2000), film # 52 on The Essential 100 list. A Caucasian actress plays both the leading man and woman and attempts to deliver the lines in Cantonese. These are recorded in three loops, played simultaneously on three screens. Curator Russell Storer writes of the piece, "Despite Ming's distancing techniques, and even though it is known that the actress can't understand the language she is speaking, the scenes are still remarkably poignant, proving the power of cinema to draw the audience into its affective realm." Award-winning Singaporean artist Ming Wong explores the performative veneers of language and identity, through his own interpretation of world cinema. Presented in the RBC Learning Studio.

"INCENDIES" (2010 feature film directed by Denis Villeneuve)

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:21:55 -0400

A mother's last wishes send twins Jeanne and Simon on a journey to Middle East in search of their tangled roots. Adapted from Wajdi Mouawad's acclaimed play, Incendies tells the powerful and moving tale of two young adults' voyage to the core of deep-rooted hatred, never-ending wars and enduring love.

"INSIDE AMERICA" (2010 feature film directed by Barbara Eder)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 21:52:22 -0400

A portrait of teenagers during their last year at Hanna Highschool in Brownsville, Texas. A feature film taking a tougher look on reality than any documentary. A High School, placed in Brownsville at the Mexican border, is a place of daily tragedies. Cocaine-addicted cheerleaders, patriotic ROTC-students, violent gangs and Mexican girls hoping to marry by the time they turn 18, collide in this story. And yet, they have a lot in common. Together they swear on the American flag, dream of white garden fences and fancy cars. But whenever they leave school, reality strikes them like an incurable disease. Drawing on her memories as an exchange student in a nowhere town on the US-Mexico border, Barbara Eder explores the dark side of the American Dream.

"INSIDE JOB" (2010 feature documentary film directed by Charles Ferguson)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 21:52:44 -0400

'Inside Job' is the first film to provide a comprehensive analysis of the global financial crisis of 2008, which at a cost over $20 trillion, caused millions of people to lose their jobs and homes in the worst recession since the Great Depression, and nearly resulted in a global financial collapse. Through exhaustive research and extensive interviews with key financial insiders, politicians, journalists, and academics, the film traces the rise of a rogue industry which has corrupted politics, regulation, and academia. It was made on location in the United States, Iceland, England, France, Singapore, and China.

"INSIDIOUS" (2010 feature film directed by James Wan)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 21:53:11 -0400

A young family discover that the body of their comatose boy attracts evil entities, while the boy's mind is trapped in a dark realm known as The Further.

"INTO THE WIND" (2010 short documentary film directed by Steve Nash, Ezra Holland)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 21:53:52 -0400

In 1980, Terry Fox continued to fight bone cancer and deep despair in pursuit of a singular, motivating vision-to run across Canada. Three years after having his right leg amputated six inches above the knee, Fox set out to cover more than a marathon's distance each day until he reached the shores of Victoria, British Columbia, spreading awareness and raising funds for cancer research. Anonymous at the start of his journey, Fox steadily captured the heart of a nation with his marathon of hope. After 143 days and two-thirds of the way across Canada, with the eyes of a country watching, Fox's journey came to an abrupt end when newly discovered tumors took over his body. Two-time NBA MVP, proud Canadian, and first-time filmmaker, Steve Nash, will share Fox's incredible story of perseverance and hope. [Presented as part of "30 for 30": Inspired by ESPN's anniversary, 30 of today's finest storytellers telling thirty remarkable stories from the ESPN era. Last year Peter Berg presented KINGS RANSOM, about Wayne Gretzky's move to the Los Angeles Kings, and Barry Levinson presented THE BAND THAT WOULDN'T DIE, about a marching band that kept hope alive for Baltimore's football fans.]

"ISTANBUL - A CONVERSATION" (2010 presentation)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 21:54:06 -0400

A panel session entitled "Istanbul - A Conversation" will feature several guests, including: Richard Florida, author of "The Great Reset" and "Who's Your City?" director of the Martin Prosperity Institute and founder of the Creative Class Group; Reha Erdem, director of "My Only Sunshine"; Pelin Esmer, director of "10 to 11"; and Seren Yuce, director of "The Majority". This panel will be open to the public and will take place on Thursday, September 16 at 7 p.m. at the Art Gallery of Ontario's Jackman Hall. Admission is free.

"IT'S KIND OF A FUNNY STORY" (2010 feature film directed by Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 21:54:28 -0400

A clinically depressed teenager gets a new start after he checks himself into an adult psychiatric ward.

"JACK GOES BOATING" (2010 feature film directed by Philip Seymour Hoffman)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:05:50 -0400

A limo driver's blind date sparks a tale of love, betrayal, friendship, and grace centered around two working-class New York City couples. 'Phillip Seymour Hoffman' reprises the role he originated on stage.

"JALOUX" (2010 feature film directed by Patrick Demers)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:08:26 -0400

A quarreling and mutually suspicious couple (Maxime Denommee, Sophie Cadieux) look forward to some time in the country to sort out their issues, but they haven't counted on the seductive presence of the mysterious but attractive man (Benoit Gouin) whom they think occupies the cottage next door. He quickly ingratiates himself with the duo, with disastrous consequences.

"JANIE JONES" (2010 feature film directed by David M. Rosenthal)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:08:54 -0400

A young girl who has been abandoned by her former-groupie mother informs a fading rock star that she is his daughter.

"JEANNE" (2003 feature film directed by Martin Arnold)

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 00:42:36 -0400

Austrian artist Martin Arnold presents a digital manipulation of the trial scene from the # 1 film on The Essential 100 list, Carl Theodor Dreyer's The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928). The piece stitches together close-up shots of actress Renee Falconetti to create a seamless, never-ending portrait of human suffering. Arnold's work with found footage in cinema has been presented in galleries and museums worldwide. Presented within the Essential Cinema exhibition at TIFF Bell Lightbox's main gallery.

"JOURNEY TO THE MOON" (2003 feature film directed by William Kentridge)

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 00:44:44 -0400

Using Georges Melies' A Trip to the Moon (1902) as a point of departure, Kentridge masterfully combines live action and stop motion in homage to the beginning of filmmaking and to Melies' magical experimentations. Kentridge performs for the camera, playing the scientist/artist who dreams of worlds afar and encounters a muse, but ultimately cannot escape. Journey to the Moon was presented at the 2005 Venice Biennale. A Trip to the Moon is film # 49 on The Essential 100 list. William Kentridge is an acclaimed South African draughtsman, filmmaker and sculptor whose work combines the political with the poetic. Presented in collaboration with Gallery TPW, 56 Ossington Avenue.

"JUCY" (2010 feature film directed by Louise Alston)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:09:43 -0400

Jackie and Lucy - Jucy - are twenty-something girls who aren't doing too much too fast. They're best friends who enjoy smoking pot and video games, and their friends and family don't approve of their slovenly day-to-day existence and constantly pressure them to strive for more. But in reaching for more, they may lose the precious things they already have.

"JULIA'S EYES" (2010 feature film directed by Guillem Morales)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:10:05 -0400

The story follows a young woman (played by Belen Rueda) dealing with the slow erosion of her sight while investigating the suicide of her blind twin sister.

"K.364 A JOURNEY BY TRAIN" (2010 feature documentary film directed by Douglas Gordon)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:10:50 -0400

Following on from Douglas Gordon's collaboration with Philippe Parreno, Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait, the film k.364 is an exercise in portraiture, it is a portrait of a piece of music. It traces the journey made by Avri Levitan and Roi Shiloach - musicians of Polish Jewish origin - as they return to the lands their parents fled in 1939. It is a journey through a landscape and a past that is still only vaguely resolved for the protagonists. We accompany the musicians as they leave Berlin, travel through the town of Poznan, where the former synagogue is still used as a swimming pool. The journey takes them to the Warsaw concert hall to perform Mozart's Symphony in E-flat Major with the Polish National Chamber Orchestra. The film begins with a collage of sounds and abstract images from the municipal swimming pool of Poznan, which was, in fact, originally built as a synagogue in 1907. Then the introduction to the protagonists - Levitan, the violist and Shiloah, the violinist - as they take on the appearance of apparitions, shot in detail, through the reflection of the windows of the train as it travels over a desolate landscape which quickly becomes the canvas for another journey to take place - a journey of ideas, memories and music. The narratives of the past are personal, recounted by our players and entrenched in their point of view. As the journey continues, the stories accumulate, introducing a mixed palette of emotions - some sombre, of course, but also ones with humour and warmth.

"KABOOM" (2010 feature film directed by Gregg Araki)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:11:22 -0400

A sci-fi story centered on the sexual awakening of a group of college students. Smith's everyday life in the dorm - hanging out with his arty, sarcastic best friend Stella, hooking up with a beautiful free spirit named London, lusting for his gorgeous but dim surfer roommate Thor - all gets turned upside-down after one fateful, terrifying night.

"KARLA AND JONAS" (2010 feature film directed by Charlotte Sachs Bostrup)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:12:11 -0400

Thirteen-year-olds Karla and Jonas search for Jonas' birth mother in this coming of age story based on the books by Renee Toft Simonsen.

"THE KING'S SPEECH" (2010 feature film directed by Tom Hooper)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:12:37 -0400

Starring Colin Firth, the film focuses on how the current Queen's father overcame his nervous stammer, with the assistance of speech therapist, before ascending the throne more than 70 years ago. Colin Firth plays Bertie, a shy prince who was expecting to lead a quiet life until his older brother, after being crowned Edward VIII, abdicated in order to marry divorcee Wallis Simpson. At that point, it became urgent for Bertie, about to ascend the throne as George VI, to get rid of his stammer. Enter an unorthodox speech therapist from Australia named Lionel Logue -- played in the movie by Geoffrey Rush. Thanks to Logue's miraculous intervention, Bertie acquired the confidence to be regal and lead his country into World War II. The starry cast also includes Helena Bonham Carter as Bertie's wife, Elizabeth (later much beloved as the Queen Mother), Michael Gambon as George V, Guy Pearce as Edward VIII and Derek Jacobi as the Archbishop of Canterbury.

"KLATSASSIN" (2006 feature film directed by Stan Douglas, Steffen Mennekes, Yee Jee Tso, Alex Zahara)

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 00:48:33 -0400

Klatsassin refashions Akira Kurosawa's Rashomon (1950), a tale of murder with a narrative told from four different viewpoints, as a western rooted in the historical context of the Gold Rush and the annexation of land along Canada's west coast. Named after the Tsilhqot'in Chief who stood accused of leading an insurrection in 1864, which led to the deaths of ten road-builders and the so-called Chilcotin War, the film comprises twenty-seven scenes looped together in various random combinations on an ongoing basis. As it can run without repetition for more than seventy hours, with each character telling his version of events, Klatsassin presents an endless array of possibilities, destroying conventional senses of time, memory, perspective and truth. Rashomon is the # 14 film onThe Essential 100 list. Internationally recognized Canadian artist Stan Douglas is renowned for deconstructing linear narratives into complex, loop-like structures. Presented in collaboration with Stephen Bulger Gallery, 1026 Queen Street West.

"L.A. ZOMBIE" (2010 feature film directed by Bruce La Bruce)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:13:23 -0400

L.A. Zombie, the latest offering from Canadian provocateur Bruce LaBruce. Zombies don't often come as fully-ripped as porn star Francois Sagat - except in Bruce LaBruce's L.A. Zombie. Our anti-hero is convinced he's an alien zombie sent to earth, where he roams the streets of Los Angeles in search of dead bodies and gay sex - an activity that reveals his 'special gift' of shagging the deceased back to life. Conceived as a more hardcore companion piece to Otto, and featuring minimal dialogue but maximum soundtrack, L.A. Zombie raises the stakes with LaBruce's infamous 'schlock' tactics - promising plenty of wound-shagging and more penises than you can shake a stick at. "Contains scenes that will offend." Banned from screening at the Melbourne International Film Festival. It is the first film to be banned from the festival circuit since Larry Clark's Ken Park in 2003.

"LAPLAND ODYSSEY" (2010 feature film directed by Dome Karukoski)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:13:47 -0400

It's a comedy about three unemployed men setting out to find a digital TV terminal in Lapland.

"LAST NIGHT" (2010 feature film directed by Massy Tadjedin)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:14:20 -0400

The story follows a married couple, apart for a night while the husband takes a business trip with a colleague to whom he's attracted. While he's resisting temptation, his wife encounters her past love. [This will be the closing night gala of the festival, presented at Roy Thomson Hall on Saturday, September 18th.]

"LATE AUTUMN" (2010 feature film directed by Tae-Yong Kim)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:14:55 -0400

The story is about two Asian foreigners (Korean and Chinese) in Seattle, Wasington. The two people,who share dark pasts, have their 3 day love story unfold. A remake of 1966 "Late Autumn" (also called Manchu), by Lee Man-hee. It tells the story of a short-lived love between a woman who is granted a special leave from prison where she is a model inmate and a man who is on the run for counterfeiting money.

"LEAP YEAR" (2010 feature film directed by Michael Rowe)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:15:23 -0400

Laura lives deep in the melancholy of her troubled past in Oaxaca. Her solitary days pass until she decides to end it all. Laura meets Arturo who that will help her finish off the pain of her existence.

"THE LEGEND OF BEAVER DAM" (2010 short film directed by Jerome Sable)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 23:31:26 -0400

This musical horror comedy follows an unlikely hero - nerdy Danny Zigwitz - at a summer camp listening to fireside stories. Have you heard of Stumpy Sam? If not, you should. And what better way than through song and dance? An inspired performance by Sean Cullen as a camp counselor makes this little-known legend one to remember. [Preceding the screening of Fubar II.]

"LEGEND OF THE FIST: THE RETURN OF CHEN ZHEN" (2010 feature film directed by Andrew Lau)

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 23:17:16 -0400

Seven years after the apparent death of Chen Zhen, who was shot after discovering who was responsible for his teacher's death (Huo Yuanjia) in Japanese-occupied Shanghai. A mysterious stranger arrives from overseas and befriends a local mafia boss. That man is a disguised Chen Zhen, who intends to infiltrate the mob when they form an alliance with the Japanese. Disguising himself as a caped fighter by night, Chen intends to take out everyone involved as well as get his hands on an assassination list prepared by the Japanese.

"LET ME IN" (2010 feature film directed by Matt Reeves)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:16:36 -0400

A bullied young boy befriends a young female vampire who lives in secrecy with her guardian. Remake of "Let the Right One In" (2008).

"LIFE, ABOVE ALL" (2010 feature film directed by Oliver Schmitz)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:17:02 -0400

In the dusty small town of Elandsdoorn, a South African township not far from Johannesburg, life is simple and serene. A prevailing sense of deep pride tightly bonds together the entire community - but beware to those who step out of line ... 12-year-old Chanda is a hardworking promising young student with a bright future, but her life changes dramatically when her baby sister unexpectedly dies. Heartbroken, Chanda's mother, Lillian, in turn becomes severely ill. Her stepfather drowns himself in alcohol, leaving the young girl to take care of her two smaller siblings. Meanwhile, the formerly friendly neighbors become increasingly distant and gossip spreads. "Auntie" Tafa does what she can to help by getting Lillian to leave town, but not even "Auntie" is immune to the cloud of fear filtering across Elandsdoorn. Suspecting that the community's irrational ostracism has to do with her mother's illness and the death of her baby sister, Chanda demands answers but is met with stubborn silence. Unwilling to bear the weight of secrecy any longer, Chanda sets out to face a deeply engrained, unspoken taboo.

"THE LIGHT THIEF" (2010 feature film directed by Aktan Abdykalykov)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:17:32 -0400

The main hero of the film is an electrician with a far greater effect on the people around him than his job defines. He is the last link in a huge energetic system and he becomes the binding bridge between the geopolitical problems of post-soviet space and the common people. The economic devastation of the country had an enormous impact on the industrial workers and yet despite the upheaval, these people did not seize to love and suffer, to have and be friends and to enjoy their lives. In particular our resilient electrician, who possesses a wonderful and open heart. He not only brings electric light (which is often out) to the lives of the inhabitants of this small city, but he also spreads the light of love, loyalty, life and mainly laughter.

"LITTLE SISTER" (2010 feature film directed by Richard Bowen)

Wed, 18 Aug 2010 23:46:44 -0400

Based on one of the earliest versions of the beloved Cinderella tale comes a magical film that reveals the Chinese origins of this widely known fairy tale.

"LITTLE WHITE LIES" (2010 feature film directed by Guillaume Canet)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:18:13 -0400

Despite a traumatic event, a group of friends decides to go ahead with their annual beach vacation. Their relationships, convictions, sense of guilt and friendship are sorely tested. They are finally forced to own up to the little white lies they have been telling each other.

"LOOK, STRANGER" (2010 feature film directed by Arielle Javitch)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:18:30 -0400

Look, Stranger is an elegant, spare and powerful telling of one young woman's journey through a war-torn landscape in an effort to get back home.

"LOPE" (2010 feature film directed by Andrucha Waddington)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:19:15 -0400

Andrucha Waddington brings famed Spanish playwright Lope de Vega's passionate life to the screen. The young poet returns to Madrid from war and gets his foot in the door of Madrid's most important theatre troupe - quickly charming his boss's daughter. His childhood friend, Isabel de Urbina, also falls under the spell of his poems. So much seduction eventually brings misfortune and he must flee Madrid.

"LOVE CRIME" (2010 feature film directed by Alain Corneau)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:19:37 -0400

Dangerous Liaisons meets Working Girl in this deliciously caustic tale of office politics. Starring Kristin Scott-Thomas and Ludivine Sagnier as mentor and ingenue respectively, Crime d'Amour is a remorseless clash of two competing egos.

"MACHETE MAIDENS UNLEASHED!" (2010 feature documentary film directed by Mark Hartley)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:20:27 -0400

From cult cinema documentary director Mark Hartley (Not Quite Hollywood) comes this account of the wild and unruly world of genre filmmaking in the Philippines when the country was a back-lot for a bevy of B-movie mavericks and cinema visionaries.

"MADE IN DAGENHAM" (2010 feature film directed by Nigel Cole)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:20:55 -0400

A dramatization of the 1968 strike at the Ford Dagenham car plant, where female workers walked out in protest against sexual discrimination.

"THE MAJORITY" (2010 feature film directed by Seren Yuce)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:21:52 -0400

A young middle-class man rebels against his father's brutish authority and seeks a rough romance with a woman of ethnic minority. Yuce's moral tale draws from the example of today's Turkish youth and the timeless shadow of fathers over sons.

"MAKE BELIEVE" (2010 feature documentary film directed by J. Clay Tweel)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:22:22 -0400

Every year in Las Vegas, aspiring young magicians travel from around the globe to compete for the title of Teen World Champion at the World Magic Seminar. Director J. Clay Tweel affectionately documents six exceptional magicians honing their skills for the opportunity of a lifetime. As an ambitious teen from Chicago meticulously fashions his own props and a quirky kid in Colorado practices his split card tricks, a vibrant South African acrobatic duo polishes their comic timing. In Malibu, an overachiever perfects her magic hoops, while across the ocean in a remote country village, a Japanese boy nurses his dream to perform at the famous Magic Castle. As the competition heats up, Tweel deftly parallels the transition from magic to reality with the journey of adolescence to adulthood. Drawn to magic as a way to express their offbeat personalities, these gifted outsiders come into their own as they face the nerve-wracking challenges of the competition. Watching these junior masters of illusion is dazzling. On and offstage, their exuberant talent and pure imagination rekindle in us the childlike wonder that only magic can conjure.

"MAMMA GOGO" (2010 feature film directed by Fridrik Thor Fridriksson)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:22:56 -0400

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

"MAN OF A THOUSAND SONGS" (2010 feature documentary film directed by William D. MacGillivray)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:23:18 -0400

A feature length documentary about extraordinary Canadian singer songwriter, Ron Hynes... an insightful and entertaining exploration of the creative process, the genesis of song, the meaning of performance and the vulnerability of an artist compelled to bare his soul through his music. The film is comprised of Ron performing his music (distinct and live for the camera), interwoven with very intimate black box 'interviews' with Ron (shot tightly and directly addressed to the camera), in which he discusses the songs and the life that informed them: late nights, dark alleys, marriage, children, divorce, his near death and recovery from drug addiction... and punctuated with back stage moments, insight from the street, and Ron's nephew author Joel Thomas Hynes, taking the role of 'chorus of the people'.

"MAN WITH A MOVIE CAMERA: THE GLOBAL REMAKE" (2007 feature film directed by Perry Bard)

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 00:58:13 -0400

Man With a Movie Camera: The Global Remake is a participatory video shot by people around the world who are invited to record images that re-interpret Dziga Vertov's Man With a Movie Camera (1929), film # 9 on The Essential 100 list. After recording an image, participants upload them to Bard's website, and then Bard's custom software archives, sequences and streams the submissions as a linear film. Anyone can upload footage and each contribution becomes part of a worldwide montage - in Vertov's words the "decoding of life as it is". Perry Bard is a public art, video, and installation artist originally from Quebec and now based in New York City. She works individually and collaboratively on interdisciplinary projects for public space. Presented in collaboration with The Drake Hotel, 1150 Queen Street West.

"MANDOO" (2010 feature film directed by Ebrahim Saeedi)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:23:43 -0400

After the death of Saddam, Shaho, an Iranian Kurd, is determined to take his ailing father back to his village so he can live out his final days in familiar surroundings. The only thing that stands in his way is a wide-eyed young woman. In 1979, the political upheavals following the Iranian Islamic revolution drove many Iranian Kurds to take refuge in Iraq, where they were placed in camps under appalling living conditions. In 2004, Sheelan - a young doctor of Kurdish origin who had managed to flee to Sweden with her parents - takes advantage of the fall of Saddam Hussein to return to Iraq; she hopes to find her uncle who she hasn't heard from in over twenty years. Having suffered a stroke, he has lost his ability to speak. His loving son wishes to take him back to his native land, so that he can live out the rest of his days in peace. Unable to convince her uncle and cousin to leave with her for Sweden, Sheelan accompanies them on a long and stormy journey to Iran.

"MARIMBAS FROM HELL" (2010 feature film directed by Julio Hernandez Cordon)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:24:07 -0400

Don Alfonso loses his job playing the marimba, an indigenous, traditional Guatemalan instrument, at a hotel in Guatemala City. He approaches musician Blacko and proposes that they fuse the sound of the marimba with heavy metal. Don Alfonso is a deliveryman. He also plays marimbas, the traditional Guatemalan instrument. He is used to play a folkloric musical show in one of the fancy hotel of Guatemala City. He faces the population's lack of interest for his instrument, considered like out of date and old fashioned. Black is pioneer of the Heavy Metal Guatemalan underground stage. He also is also a doctor in the public hospital but nobody wants to be treated by him because of his long hair and his tattoos. When Don Alfonso and Black meet each other and decide to combine their talents and create a brand new project called Marimbas from Hell, they could never have imagined all the reactions they would provoke among the population.

"A MARRIED COUPLE" (2010 feature documentary film directed by Allan King)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 23:39:40 -0400

A restruck and restored version of master filmmaker Allan King's classic cinema-verite film, one of the most influential and celebrated Canadian films ever made, A Married Couple records the collapse of a middle class couple's marriage. In this classic exploration of marriage in conflict, Billy and Antoinette Edwards, their son Bogart and dog, Merton spontaneously live out their lives and laughter, tears, wit, tenderness, fierce anger, patience, pain and sorrow ensue. Hoping to discover the heart of the trouble in their marriage in order to save it, BIlly and Antoniette offer up their day to day lives with antonishing bravery. [The couple in the film ended up staying together until 1971 before separating, during which time they added a daughter to the family. They divorced in 1972.] The film is being restruck in conjunction with Zoe Druick's monograph on the film, co-published by the University of Toronto Press and TIFF.

"MATARIKI" (2010 feature film directed by Michael Bennett)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:25:22 -0400

A violent tragedy has a harrowing impact on eight different lives in a diverse South Auckland community. A random act of violence leaves eight people in crisis, searching for hope and new beginnings, as the Matariki constellation (Maori New Year) rises in the Southern skies

"THE MATCHMAKER" (2010 feature film directed by Avi Nesher)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:25:43 -0400

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

"MAVERICKS: APICHATPONG WEERASETHAKUL" (2010 presentation hosted by Dennis Lim)

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 01:02:38 -0400

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

"MAVERICKS: BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN" (2010 presentation hosted by Edward Norton)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 23:38:00 -0400

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

"MAVERICKS: KELLY REICHARDT" (2010 presentation hosted by Lisa Schwarzbaum)

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 01:05:14 -0400

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

"MAVERICKS: KEN LOACH & PAUL LAVERTY" (2010 presentation hosted by Michael Moore)

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 01:06:07 -0400

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

"MEEK'S CUTOFF" (2010 feature film directed by Kelly Reichardt)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:26:27 -0400

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

"MICROPHONE" (2010 feature film directed by Ahmad Abdalla)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:26:58 -0400

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

"MIRAL" (2010 feature film directed by Julian Schnabel)

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 12:09:13 -0400

The story of a woman who grew up in an orphanage for Palestinian children founded just after the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948. The director is Tom Hooper, whose credits include the soccer movie The Damned United and the Emmy-winning HBO miniseries John Adams. Based on a novel by Rula Jebreal. Schnabel's new movie stars Freida Pinto (of Slumdog Millionaire) as a Palestinian woman named Miral who spent her childhood in the Jerusalem orphanage founded by Hind Husseini (Hiam Abbass), and absorbed his philosophy that education is the path to peace. The cast also includes Willem Dafoe and Vanessa Redgrave. Harvey Weinstein: "This is the first film I am involved in that shows the 'other side' of the Israel/Palestine conflict. As a staunch supporter of Israel, I thought this would be a movie I would have a hard time wrapping my head around. However, meeting Rula moved me to open my heart and mind, and I hope we can do that with audiences worldwide." World premiere at the Venice Film Festival.

"MODRA" (2010 feature film directed by Ingrid Veninger)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:27:52 -0400

The story of two teenagers who discover themselves - and one another - on a week long summer trip to Slovakia. Lina is seventeen years old and lives in Toronto with her mother. For one week during the summer holidays she plans to visit her extended family in Modra, a small town in Slovakia. When Lina is dumped by her boyfriend she invites Leco instead, a cute boy from school. Not long after arriving in Modra, Lina and Leco discover they have little in common. To make matters worse, Lina's family mistakenly assumes they're a couple, setting off a chain reaction which leads to an explosion of repressed desire and confusion.

"MONSTERS" (2010 feature film directed by Gareth Edwards)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:28:13 -0400

Six years after Earth has suffered an alien invasion a cynical journalist agrees to escort a shaken American tourist through an infected zone in Mexico to the safety of the US border.

"MOSCOW 11:19:31" (2010 short film directed by Michael Nyman)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:28:51 -0400

in this short film, when legendary composer Michael Nyman fails to answer an interview question, music takes over.

"MOTHER OF ROCK: LILLIAN ROXON" (2010 feature documentary film directed by Paul Clarke)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:29:24 -0400

In New York City in 1968 a revolution was under way in a tiny club called Max's Kansas City. When Andy Warhol's Factory superstars collided with the underground music scene at Max's, punk rock was born. It would be the new sound of the world, far more influential than The Beatles. It was defined by The Velvet Underground, New York Dolls and Iggy Pop, whose attitudes and sounds still influence us today. The reigning queen of Max's was Australian journalist Lillian Roxon. She was a music visionary who understood before anyone else how important music would be in shaping popular culture, publishing her landmark Rock Encyclopedia in 1969. A funny, bitchy, passionate woman 30 years ahead of her time, Roxon was an influential cultural force, with Germaine Greer even dedicating The Female Eunuch to her

"MOTHERS" (2010 feature film directed by Milcho Manchevski)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:30:00 -0400

A child's friend is accosted by a flasher so she decides to go to the police herself; a film crew sets out to find the old traditions and discovers a grandmother living alone in an abandoned village; retired cleaning women are found raped and strangled in a small town. The innovative structure of Mothers highlights the delicate nature of truth and fiction, of drama and documentary. "This is a modern multinarativ, three stories, which are a cross section of human destinies, one of our version of Crime and Punishment of the 21st century," said recently the director Manchevski.

"MOURNING FOR ANNA" (2010 feature film directed by Catherine Martin)

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 01:12:48 -0400

In the film, a violonist is assassinated in her apartment in Montreal. Because she's devastated by the death of Anna, her only daughter, Francoise (Guylaine Tremblay) leaves Montreal for Kamouraska. Once there, she'll want to live alone in the house she inherited from her maternal ancestors. While she's trying hard to feel the presence of her daughter in the nature, Francoise contemplates committing a suicide. However, she'll be saved by Edouard (Francois Papineau), a painter. Besides, it appears that Edouard and Francoise met each other during their adolescence.

"MY JOY" (2010 feature film directed by Sergei Loznitsa)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:31:32 -0400

The story about a few days in the life of truck driver Georgi seems to be a never-ending nightmare, a spiral of violence and abuses of power. A man goes to work and on his way he is sucked into the everyday madness of his country, losing his health and memory in the process and ends up as a murderer, who calmly lies down to sleep after committing the crime. A dark parable about the situation in deep Russia today.

"MY ONLY SUNSHINE" (2008 feature film directed by Reha Erdem)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:32:00 -0400

Hayat, her father and bedridden grandfather live in a riverside shack near the dangerously dark but breathtakingly beautiful waters of the Bosphorus. Hayat's father owns a small boat that secures the family's survival through a miscellany of not always lawful ventures. Beyond the motion and romance of the water, Hayat's life is harsh and unrelenting. But Hayat has an instinct for survival. Her capacity for courage, endurance and hope in the face of these trials suggest that there is Life despite the manifold injustices of an unjust world.

"MYSTERIES OF LISBON" (2010 feature film directed by Raoul Ruiz)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:32:42 -0400

From one of the masters of cinema of our time comes a suptuous adaptation of Camilo Castelo Branco's classic Portuguese romantic novel. An epic tale of passion intrigue, jealousy and murder, set in the Lisbon of the 19th century, and with sets that have been majestically recreated for this big moment in Portuguese cinema!

"NEDS" (2010 feature film directed by Peter Mullan)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:33:02 -0400

Set in 1970s Glasgow, this film tells the story of a shy and intelligent young boy who, through a series of circumstances, turns into a NED - a non-educated delinquent. Attending a new school, he becomes increasingly violent and aggressive, all the while searching for a way out. Neds is set in Glasgow, 1973. The story follows a young John McGillan on the brink of adolescence, about to start secondary school. He's a bright boy, a sensitive boy, eager to learn, but the cards are stacked high against him. The McGill family's dirt poor, his hated father's a drunken bully. His teachers - punishing John for the 'sins' of his older brother Benny - are down on him from the start. John's on his own. And then there's the gangs. The Neds. Non-Educated Delinquents. The bad boys with weapons and attitude: cheap drugs, glam rock, fumbling sex, the violence and the camaraderie of the streets. Local monsters. Local heroes. Benny's fearsome reputation buys John protection, and then a way in. Scared, resentful, full of rage, John makes his decision. If no one else will give him a chance: fuck them. John takes to the savage life of the streets with a vengeance. But as his rage and frustration spin him further and further out of control, he is left facing a blank wall. No future. With one extraordinary chance of redemption.

"NEVER LET ME GO" (2010 feature film directed by Mark Romanek)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:33:27 -0400

As children, Ruth, Kathy and Tommy, spend their childhood at a seemingly idyllic English boarding school. As they grow into young adults, they find that they have to come to terms with the strength of the love they feel for each other, while preparing themselves for the haunting reality that awaits them.

"A NIGHT FOR DYING TIGERS" (2010 feature film directed by Terry Miles)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:33:48 -0400

There's no place like home. Thank god. A Night for Dying Tigers is a dark, heartfelt and ultimately revealing portrait of a family on the edge of disintegration.

"NORBERTO'S DEADLINE" (2010 feature film directed by Daniel Hendler)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:34:11 -0400

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

"NORWEGIAN WOOD" (2010 feature film directed by Anh Hung Tran)

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 13:11:43 -0400

The melancholy tune and sentiment of this classic Beatles song seems to have taken the life of Toru Watanabe (Kenichi Matsuyama), who is similarly uncertain as to how he should view his relationships. At heart, a quiet and serious young Tokyo college student in 1969, Watanabe, is deeply devoted to his first love, Naoko (Rinko Kikuchi), a beautiful and introspective young woman. But their mutual passion is made by the tragic death of their best friend years before. Watanabe lives with the influence of death everywhere, while Naoko feels as if some integral part of her has been permanently lost. On the night of Naokos 20th birthday, they finally made love to each other. However, shortly thereafter Naoko decided to quit college and become a recluse. It is at that time Midori (Kiko Mizuhara) a girl who is everything that Naoko is not -- outgoing, vivacious, supremely self-confident -- marches into Watanabe's life and he has to choose between his future and his past. Based on the novel by Haruki Murakami.

"NOSTALGIA FOR THE LIGHT" (2010 feature documentary film directed by Patricio Guzman)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:35:04 -0400

Guzman's follow up to "Salvador Allende," docu-feature "Nostalgia for the Light" turns on the Chilean director's reflections on the passage of time. These are inspired by observatories in Chile's Atacama Desert whose telescopes detect the oldest light in the universe. Meanwhile, nearby, families search for the bodies of relatives murdered by Augusto Pinochet's regime, which lie buried in a mass grave.

"NYMAN WITH A MOVIE CAMERA" (2010 short film directed by Michael Nyman)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 15:12:55 -0400

In NYman With A Movie Camera, Michael Nyman revisits one of the high-points of his career: the composition of his now-famous score for Dziga Vertov's Man With A Movie Camera (1929), film #9 on the Essential 100 list. In a partial attempt to deconstruct the master's invention of montage, Nyman began videotaping things around him, substituting new images, shot-for-shot, for Vertov's own, and then reapplying his score. The seemingly random images tease us into imagining a story, but in our frustration to fit the pieces together, we pay attention to Nyman's original score - and through it, we come to feel the narrative connections between the two films. Running September 12 to 19 in Cinema 5 at TIFF Bell Lightbox. Michael Nyman will be in attendance on September 12.

"OCTOBER" (2010 feature film directed by Diego Vega, Daniel Vega)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:35:59 -0400

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

"OF GODS AND MEN" (2010 feature film directed by Xavier Beauvois)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:36:38 -0400

The true story of seven French monks in Northern Africa who in 1996 were kidnapped and murdered by Islamic extremists.

"OKI'S MOVIE" (2010 feature film directed by Hong Sangsoo)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:37:06 -0400

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

"OLIVER SHERMAN" (2010 feature film directed by Ryan Redford)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:37:22 -0400

Feeling lost and disconnected, with no family of his own, veteran Sherman Oliver sets out to the countryside in search of the soldier who saved him back in the war. That man, Franklin Page, has long since moved on - to a wife, two children, and a reliable job in a reliably safe and quiet rural town. Upon arriving, Sherman seems at first a harmless if awkward shell of a man. But as he inserts himself further into the Pages' life, he reveals himself to be an angry, unstable individual prone to great jealousy and deep resentment. The stability Franklin worked so hard to establish is soon threatened, and the violence he believed he'd left behind in the war begins to re-emerge and cloud over both the household and the town itself.

"OTOLITH III" (2009 feature film directed by Otolith Group)

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 01:18:12 -0400

A 48-minute single-screen projection, Otolith III takes as its point of departure The Alien (1967), the unrealized sci-fi screenplay by the legendary Bengali auteur Satyajit Ray about a friendly alien visiting a rural Bengal village. Filmed in London, Otolith III is an experiment in temporal and geographical displacement that its makers call a "premake", a remake of a film before the original that proposes an alternative trajectory. Satyajit Ray directed Pather Panchali (1955), film # 7 on The Essential 100 list. The Otolith Group (named after the structure in the inner ear that gives us a sense of gravity and orientation) was formed in 2000 by London-based artists Anjalika Sagar and Kodwo Eshun. They have been nominated for the 2010 Turner Prize. Presented in collaboration with The Power Plant, 231 Queens Quay West.

"OUR DAY WILL COME" (2010 feature film directed by Romain Gavras)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:38:01 -0400

What do you do when you're a red-haired teenage loser with no friends except for an older guy, your shrink? When everyone hates you, especially your family? When all your peers make fun of you and kick you around? The answer: you and your loser buddy blow all the cash you can get your hands on to buy a sportscar, you dress smart and you head for the land of redheads, Ireland. But what starts off as a search for an ideal, gradually escalates into a rampage of hate, violence and self-destruction. Based on true events, the story centers on five thugs from Aubervilliers embroiled in a faceoff with the Yakuza mob after stealing and dealing paintings from French masters.

"OUTBOUND" (2010 feature film directed by Bogdan George Apetri)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:38:25 -0400

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

"OUTRAGEOUS!" (1977 feature film directed by Richard Benner)

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 14:34:34 -0400

Tuesday, September 14 at 7pm A story about a female impersonator who rooms with a pregnant schizophrenic.

"OUTSIDE THE LAW" (2010 feature film directed by Rachid Bouchareb)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:39:14 -0400

After losing their family home in Algeria, three brothers and their mother are scattered across the globe. Messaoud joins the French army fighting in Indochina; Abdelkader becomes a leader of the Algerian independence movement in France and Said moves to Paris to make his fortune in the shady clubs and boxing halls of Pigalle. Gradually, their interconnecting destinies reunite them in the French capital, where freedom is a battle to be fought and won.

"OVER YOUR CITIES GRASS WILL GROW" (2010 feature documentary film directed by Sophie Fiennes)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:39:36 -0400

Over Your Cities Grass Will Grow profiles major contemporary artist Anselm Keifer in the style of his work. The film bears witness to German artist Anselm Kiefer's alchemical creative processes and renders in film, as a cinematic journey, the personal universe he has built at his hill-studio estate in the South of France.

"PASSIONE" (2010 feature film directed by John Turturro)

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 01:03:43 -0400

A look at the musical roots and traditions of Naples, Italy, as well as its influence on the rest of the world. Passion journeys through Napoli, one of the biggest jukeboxes in the world with a treasure chest of songs from the 1200s to present day. Each song conjures distant stories and myths that speak of love, sex, jealousy, crime, poverty, irony, superstition, and social protest.

"PASSION PLAY" (2010 feature film directed by Mitch Glazer)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:40:43 -0400

An angel, under the thumb of a ruthless gangster, is saved by a trumpet player down on his luck.

"PEEP WORLD" (2010 feature film directed by Barry W. Blaustein)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:41:10 -0400

On the day of their Father's 70th birthday party, four siblings come to terms with the publication of a novel written by the youngest sibling, that exposes the family's most intimate secrets.

"PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARD" (2010 feature film)

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 14:47:35 -0400

"This year we will present a special free screening of the winner of the Cadillac People's Choice Award on September 19, the last day of the Festival," says Cameron Bailey, Co-Director of the Toronto International Film Festival. The Toronto International Film Festival is proud to welcome back the Cadillac People's Choice Awards and their commitment to recognizing the Festival audience's favourites. The Cadillac People's Choice Award crowns the most popular film at the Festival as chosen by the public through a voting process that takes place at screenings throughout the 11 days of the Festival. The honours are awarded to the overall favourite as well as to the most crowd-pleasing films in the Midnight Madness and Documentary programmes. The Cadillac People's Choice Award is the ultimate popularity contest and recognizes the fan favourite film of the Festival. In 2009, this award was presented to Lee Daniels' Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire. Previous winners include Danny Boyle's multiple Academy Award(R)-winning Slumdog Millionaire, and David Cronenberg's Eastern Promises.

"THE PIANO IN A FACTORY" (2010 feature film directed by Zhang Meng)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:42:17 -0400

The film is the story of factory union worker who attempts to build a piano in order to reconnect with his estranged daughter. To fight for custody of his daughter who loves playing the piano, a steel factory worker decides to forge a piano from scratch. An offbeat ballad of friendship and devotion, The Piano in a Factory is an endearing portrait of China in the early 1990s when the certainty of state-run industry begins to falter.

"PINK SARIS" (2010 feature documentary film directed by Kim Longinotto)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:42:39 -0400

India is the setting for the documentary Pink Saris, which is being made for UK Channel 4 and continues the theme of strong women fighting against injustice. Shot in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, the doc centres on Indian activist Sampat Pal Devi (below) and her Gulabi Gang, a group of female vigilantes looking to bring greater social justice to India. The gang has become famous for vigilante attacks - sometimes using sticks or axes - against men and women who have abused girls.

"PINOY SUNDAY" (2010 feature film directed by Wi Ding Ho)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:43:05 -0400

The discovery of a discarded sofa, in Taipei city, transforms a routine Sunday into a capricious adventure of perseverance and self-discovery for - Filipino guest workers - Manuel and Dado. Pinoy Sunday is the story of Manuel and Dado, two Filipino migrant workers, who discover a discarded sofa. This transforms their normal Sunday routine into a tale of adventure, perseverance and self-discovery.

"THE PIPE" (2010 feature documentary film directed by Risteard O'Domhnaill)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:43:30 -0400

In a remote corner of the west of Ireland sits Broadhaven Bay. It is the perfect picture postcard, where the high cliffs of Erris Head and the Stags of Broadhaven stand sentry at the mouth of the bay against the mighty Atlantic, as if protecting the delicate golden sands of Glengad beach and the tiny village of Rossport which nestles behind the dunes. However this peaceful tranquility belies the turmoil that lies beneath, and the unique nature of the coastline which has sustained generations of farmers and fishermen, has also delivered to Shell Oil the perfect landfall for the Corrib Gas Pipeline. In the most dramatic clash of cultures in modern Ireland, the rights of farmers over their fields, and of fishermen to their fishing grounds, has come in direct conflict with one of the worlds most powerful oil companies. When the citizens look to their state for protection, they find that the state has put Shell's right to lay a pipeline ahead of their own rights. The Pipe is a story of a community tragically divided, and how they deal with a pipe that could bring economic prosperity or destruction of a way of life shared for generations.

"THE PLACE IN BETWEEN" (2010 feature film directed by Sarah Bouyain)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:44:03 -0400

To belong to two cultures...To navigate between two families so distant, culturally and georaphically, from each other. Separated by the history of colonialism. Bouyain's sensitive debut is a portrait of women caught between Africa and Europe. A biracial woman travels from France to Burkina Faso in search of her mother. In France, a white woman seeks to learn an African language for reasons unknown.

"POETRY" (2010 feature film directed by Lee Chang-dong)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:44:35 -0400

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

"THE POLL DIARIES" (2010 feature film directed by Chris Kraus)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:44:59 -0400

On the eve of World War I, a 14-year-old German girl returns to her home on the Baltic coast, a place uneasily shared by Germans, Russians and Estonians. While her morbid scientist father controls the family with a cruel hand, the passionate young girl secretly nurses a wounded Estonian anarchist back to health - an act of curiosity and then of defiance that could set off an uncontrollable chain reaction.

"POTICHE" (2010 feature film directed by Francois Ozon)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:45:24 -0400

A bourgeois housewife (Catherine Deneuve) takes on a rough union leader (Gerard Depardieu) in Francois Ozon's sparkling comic war between the sexes, and the classes.

"PRECIOUS LIFE" (2010 feature documentary film directed by Shlomi Eldar)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:46:09 -0400

A desperately ill Palestinian baby, his militant mother, an Israeli doctor and a Channel 10 reporter star in Shlomi Eldar's moving documentary, 'Precious Life,' which premiered at the upcoming Jerusalem Film Festival. The theme song and soundtrack of "Precious Life" were composed by the singer Yehuda Poliker.

"THE PRINCESS BRIDE" (1987 feature film directed by Rob Reiner)

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 14:35:27 -0400

Sunday, September 19 at 10pm When a young boy falls ill, his grandfather pops round to visit him. To cheer his grandson up, Grandpa has brought a storybook; The Princess Bride, a tale of the love between the beautiful Buttercup and the besotted Westley, a love cruelly interrupted by Westley's tragic apparent death at sea when seeking his fortune. Heartbroken, Buttercup has sworn never to love again, but accepts the marriage proposal of the rich and handsome Prince Humperdinck, heir to the throne of Florin; but death is no barrier to true love.

"THE PROMISE: THE MAKING OF "DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN"" (2010 feature documentary film directed by Thom Zimny)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:47:15 -0400

The recodring of Bruce Springsteen's "Darkness on the Edge of Town" album from 1978.

"PROMISES WRITTEN IN WATER" (2010 feature film directed by Vincent Gallo)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:47:48 -0400

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

"RABBIT HOLE" (2010 feature film directed by John Cameron Mitchell)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:48:25 -0400

Life for a happy couple is turned upside down after their young son dies in an accident. A family navigates the deepest form of loss in John Cameron Mitchell's screen adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize winning play by David Lindsay-Abaire. Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart deliver captivating performances as a husband and wife who fight to save their marriage in the life that begins again after tragedy.

"RARE EXPORTS" (2010 feature film directed by Jalmari Helander)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:48:56 -0400

"A Finnish horror comedy about a very bad Santa." - Jason Anderson, Moviefone.ca In the depths of the Korvatunturi mountains, 486 metres deep, lies the closest ever guarded secret of Christmas. The time has come to dig it up! A film for those who think they don't believe in Santa Claus any more. In 2003, Finnish director Jalmari Helander made a zany short film about smugglers in the business of hunting Santa Claus, and inadvertently created a viral sensation. The short, "Rare Exports Inc.," and its 2005 follow-up, "Rare Exports: The Official Safety Instructions," contained a playfully inventive hook: Helander imagined Santa as a naked, bloodthirsty species far from the charitable bearded gentlemen of Christmas lore. Captured and tamed, Santas could be shipped to consumers each Christmas season and delight clueless children around the globe. Seven years later, he has taken the inevitable next step with "Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale," a feature-length adaptation of the material.

"RED NIGHTS" (2010 feature film directed by Julien Carbon, Laurent Courtiaud)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:49:29 -0400

"Red Nights" is a thriller in which women rule, especially Carrie Ng, who gives one of her best performances in a long long time. There are some Cantonese Opera scenes (with Stephen Wong as an opera actor), and there are some very brutal murders, and vicious S&M scenes (they're quite original). The main action takes place in Hong Kong; a contemporary movie, not a period piece. The characters speak French, Cantonese and Mandarin.

"REPEATERS" (2010 feature film directed by Carl Bessai)

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:16:47 -0400

Three young drug addicts who, while stuck in rehab, begin experiencing strange and inexplicable phenomenon that change their lives forever.

"RIO SEX COMEDY" (2010 feature film directed by Jonathan Nossiter)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:50:40 -0400

Rio Sex Comedy charts the misadventures of expatriates in Rio in their search for both personal pleasures and social justice. Charlotte Rampling is an English plastic surgeon determined to subvert anyone from going near the knife. Irene Jacob is a French anthropologist whose political correctness is upstaged by more carnal ambitions. Bill Pullman is a befuddled American ambassador who flees from his responsibilities into one of Rio's most dangerous favelas. There he becomes co-opted by the schemes of Fisher Stevens, favela tour operator and romantic huckster.

"ROADKILL" (1989 feature film directed by Bruce McDonald)

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 14:36:15 -0400

Thursday, September 16 at 10pm This is an early film by Bruce McDonald filmed on a tiny budget over a few weeks traveling the wilds in Canada. It tells the story of Ramona, sent to recover an errant band who are in danger of missing the final date in their tour. After obtaining the job through falsely claiming to be able to drive, she hires a taxi cab to drive her the hundreds / thousands of miles required to get the job done. On the way she meets a variety of characters from a trainee serial killer (who moans that the only jobs available in Canada are ice hockey players or serial killers, and he's no good at ice hockey) who's finding it hard to get off the ground, to a film crew desperate for some live action gore, to a silent young man who refuses to speak as 'he has nothing left to say any more'. The conclusion to the film is just great, as the spaghetti of apparently isolated plot lines are tied together in a thumping final scene. In true road movie style, Ramona gradually develops and breaks out as she proceeds on her journey, and the whole attitude of the film is very open and free, complemented by the 8mm filming in black and white. It seems very unprofessional but that's a lot of its charm, only some of which is retained in the bigger budget sequel, 'Highway 61'.

"ROSES A CREDIT" (2010 feature film directed by Amos Gitai)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:52:23 -0400

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

"ROUTE 132" (2010 feature film directed by Louis Belanger)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:52:48 -0400

Two old friends and small-time crooks embark on a crime spree, but take an unexpected detour that could lead them down the road to redemption.

"ROUTE IRISH" (2010 feature film directed by Ken Loach)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:53:37 -0400

The story of a private security contractor in Iraq who rejected the official explanation of his friend's death and sets out to discover the truth. A British solider who worked with a security firm in Iraq attends the funeral of his best friend, who was killed on the notorious Baghdad highway Route Irish. After receiving an envelope containing his friend's cell phone with a video recording of a massacre of Iraqi civilians, he sets out to avenge his friend's memory.

"SAMMY'S ADVENTURES: THE SECRET PASSAGE" (2010 3-D animated feature film directed by Ben Stassen)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:54:29 -0400

A sea turtle who was hatched in 1959 spends the next 50 years traveling the world while it is being changed by global warming. Wonderfully crafted in 3-D animation.

"SANDCASTLE" (2010 feature film directed by Boo Junfeng)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:54:52 -0400

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

"SARAH'S KEY" (2010 feature film directed by Gilles Paquet-Brenner)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:55:19 -0400

Based on Tatiana de Rosnay's best-selling novel, Sarah's Key tells the story of an American journalist on the brink of making big life decisions regarding her marriage and her unborn child. What starts off as research for an article about the Vel'd'Hiv Roundup in 1942 in France ends up as a journey towards self discovery as she stumbles upon a terrible secret.

"SCORE: A HOCKEY MUSICAL" (2010 feature film directed by Michael McGowan)

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 00:20:14 -0400

The Toronto International Film Festival opens September 9 with the world premiere Gala Presentation of Score: A Hockey Musical, written and directed by Michael McGowan (One Week, Saint Ralph). The film tells the story of a teenage hockey phenom who lives the quintessential Canadian dream of being discovered on the ice and goes from obscurity to fame overnight. The film stars musical icon Olivia Newton-John (Grease, Glee), singer/songwriter Marc Jordan, newcomers Noah Reid and Allie MacDonald, and features cameos from an impressive lineup of Canadian music, broadcast and hockey stars. In the film, seventeen-year old Farley has led a sheltered life. Much to the dismay of his parents (Newton-John, Jordan), Farley loves to play shinny with the local rink rats. To their even greater dismay, Farley is signed to a hockey league, where he achieves instant stardom, throwing him into a world of hype. Farley soon finds that hockey fame comes with a price. The film co-stars Stephen McHattie (Watchmen, The Rocket), John Pyper-Ferguson (Hard Core Logo, Brothers & Sisters) and Brandon Firla (Little Mosque on the Prairie, Billable Hours), and features cameos by music artists Nelly Furtado, Hawksley Workman and John McDermott, journalists George Stroumboulopoulos and Evan Solomon, sports anchor Steve Kouleas, hockey dad Walter Gretzky and hockey star Theo Fleury. Score: A Hockey Musical features 19 original songs with lyrics written by McGowan, and featuring music from Barenaked Ladies, Olivia Newton-John, Amy Sky and Marc Jordan, and five songs on which Hawksley Workman contributed. (The DVD release will contain extra scenes of Margaret Atwood, Eddie Shack, and Dan Hill.) @cameron_tiff: If you're lucky enough to be at Roy Thomson Hall for #TIFF10's Opening Night screening, stay 'til the end of the credits. #surprise

"A SCREAMING MAN" (2010 feature film directed by Mahamat-Saleh Haroun)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:56:12 -0400

Present-day Chad. Adam, sixty something, a former swimming champion, is pool attendant at a smart N'Djamena hotel. When the hotel gets taken over by new Chinese owners, he is forced to give up his job to his son Abdel. Terribly resentful, he feels socially humiliated. The country is in the throes of a civil war. Rebel forces are attacking the government. The authorities demand that the population contribute to the "war effort", giving money or volunteers old enough to fight off the assailants. The District Chief constantly harasses Adam for his contribution. But Adam is penniless; he only has his son.

"SENSATION" (2010 feature film directed by Tom Hall)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:56:40 -0400

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

"SEPTEMBER 12" (2010 short film directed by Ozlem Sulak)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:57:23 -0400

In this meditative and monumental examination of the legacy of Turkey's 1980 military coup, individual narrations of the tumultuous event are juxtaposed with quotidian routines, 30 years on. Almost 30 years ago, on September 12, 1980, thanks to a right-wing military coup d'etat, General Kenan Evren took power in Turkey, established martial law, abolished political parties and unions and abolished democratic rights. Coming after nearly a decade of social and political conflicts often bordering on civil war, the coup unleashed a wave of repression against working class and left-wing opponents of the Turkish regime. The coup d'etat not only destroyed the entire opposition in Turkey and suppressed the basic liberties but also led to more than 20 years of silence. There would be absolutely no talk of political opinion for the generations to come. September 12 follows the encounters of seventeen people on the days leading up to the coup. The personal accounts range from the supporters to the opponents of the putsch, allowing them to express their opinion about what happened. Up to the present, life in Turkey is always measured by "before" and "after" the coup when talking about politics, music, art or literature. SEPTEMBER 12 will be presented along with 7 short films.

"SHORT CUTS CANADA: PROGRAMME 1" (2010 short films directed by Nadia Litz, Greg Atkins, Kevan Funk, Michael Vass, Kaveh Nabatian, Sara St. Onge, Aaron Phelan)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 23:25:58 -0400

How to Rid your Lover of a Negative Emotion Caused by You! Nadia Litz Like any other couple, Sadie and Dennis have problems. Will Sadie's trust issues remain insurmountable, or will she finally decide to open up? Above the Knee, Greg Atkins Jack's suit-and-tie career never quite fit. As he summons the courage to dress for the job he wants, he risks changing the way his co-workers and his wife see and treat him. Fine Young Man, Kevan Funk Pete - with his perfect job, perfect home and perfect wife - seems to epitomize the American Dream. But is his life really so spotless? Old Ways, Michael Vass When a judge sentences a child to the death penalty, the court mitigates a public relations crisis with an elaborate and dubious scheme. Vapor, Kaveh Nabatian In this stunning portrait of a shattered psyche, a Mexican man begins to understand his life when he confronts his own deep-seated phobias. Turkey, Sara St. Onge Ally is doing her best to accommodate her husband, two stepdaughters and her husband's ex-wife for a Thanksgiving dinner, but even she has her limit. Home: Life Advice, Aaron Phelan A young woman works at a retirement home where an elderly man makes scathing comments about her appearance

"SHORT CUTS CANADA: PROGRAMME 2" (2010 short films directed by Brandon Cronenberg, Jeff Barnaby, Theodore Ushev, Liz Van Allen Cairns, Joe LoBianco, Anne Emond, Ky Nam Le Duc)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 23:30:51 -0400

Camera and Christopher Merk, Brandon Cronenberg Quiet Christopher Merk just found a new apartment. Getting to know his neighbours doesn't require borrowing a cup of sugar; it means picking up the remote. File Under Miscellaneous, Jeff Barnaby Resigned to assimilate and shed his identity, a spiritually exhausted Mi'kmaq man visits a dystopian clinic. Lipsett Diaries, Theodore Ushev Deconstructing a visionary in experimental film, this animated documentary presents the incredible creativity and emotional tumult that defined filmmaker Arthur Lipsett's life. Sad Bear, Liz Van Allen Cairns, Joe LoBianco Sad Bear collects people's saddest objects to help them process past regrets. People are generally amenable to this, except for Steve, who can't let go of his prized possession. Sophie Lavoie, Anne Emond Anne Emond delivers a stripped-down study of a young woman participating in a patient interview during her doctor's appointment. Poudre, Ky Nam Le Duc Two young men, who have recently returned from military missions, struggle to reintegrate with civilian life while coping with the impact of their respective experiences

"SHORT CUTS CANADA: PROGRAMME 3" (2010 short films directed by Tao Gu, Dan Popa, Firas Momani, Brian D. Johnson, Caroline Monnet, Trevor Anderson)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 23:34:00 -0400

Qu Da Hai De Lu Shang, Tao Gu On May 12, 2008, the largest earthquake in China's history devastated the Wenchuan region. Director Tao Gu visits his parents' home to capture the physical and emotional aftermath. Metropolitaine, Dan Popa At once an essay and an epic story where we never get to really meet the protagonist, La Metropolitaine conveys with grandeur that love can be everywhere and nowhere. Adder's Bite, Firas Momani On the surface, all is calm. In a dark and humid cavern, an abominable ceremony to which grotesque creatures devote themselves is interrupted by the arrival of an intruder. The piercing short The Adder's Bite, inspired by the bold ideas of Nietzsche, is a visual poem that disturbs and mesmerizes. Yesno, Brian D. Johnson Adapting esteemed poet Dennis Lee's recent collection of poetry, film-critic-cum- filmmaker Brian Johnson creates a vivid visual language to lift Lee's words off the page. Warchild, Caroline Monnet On a solitary portage between the barren wilderness and a desolate city, a young man reflects on his troubled past and hopeful future. High Level Bridge, Trevor Anderson Edmonton's High Level Bridge has a morbid notoriety; it's a frequent spot for suicides. Anderson pays homage to the people and events surrounding an odd landmark

"SHORT CUTS CANADA: PROGRAMME 4" (2010 short films directed by Nick Fox-Gieg, Claude Cloutier, Danis Goulet, Antoine Bourges, Isaac Cravit, Sophie Goyette, John Bolton)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 23:25:50 -0400

Interregnum, Nick Fox-Gieg As a Nazi-occupied France has a population under threat, one man's attempt to thwart a corrupted system shapes a dramatic sequence of events. Trenches, Claude Cloutier Trench warfare is brought to harrowing life as Claude Cloutier creates a high-stakes world of physical and psychological dangers, by animating archival images with India ink. Wapawekka, Danis Goulet Josh and his father visit their family cottage for the last time. They are leaving their traditional Cree territory, but Josh has already adopted an urban lifestyle and finds it hard to relate to his heritage. Woman Waiting, Antoine Bourges A middle-aged woman searches for a place to live in Vancouver. The system should be there to assist her, but amidst all the red tape of applications and waiting periods, she longs for human help. Living History, Isaac Cravit Living History follows a father and his teenaged son as they make their way to the annual reenactment of the Upper Canada Rebellion. MANEGES, Sophie Goyette Trying to avoid some big decisions, Nadege spends a restless night at an arcade and go-kart track. Closer You Get to Canada, John Bolton Adapted from Thomas King's darkly comic story, two old friends trapped in a futuristic American seniors' residence try to escape to Canada

"SHORT CUTS CANADA: PROGRAMME 5" (2010 short films directed by Kazik Radwanski, Halima Ouardiri, Cam Woykin, Hans Olson, Carla Susanto, Vincent Biron)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 23:27:23 -0400

Green Crayons, Kazik Radwanski Director Kazik Radwanski narrows his lens on Xavier and Liam, two second-grade boys who are moulded by their actions and moralistic educators. Mokhtar, Halima Ouardiri Based on the eponymous folktale, Mokhtar recounts the tale of a young boy in a remote Moroccan village as he adopts a fallen owl. Open Window, Cam Woykin A backyard birthday party is consumed with tension when an abusive relationship between the birthday boy's parents is revealed. Champagne, Hans Olson Clara's birthday is just another night shift of staging beds at the local furniture store, until she learns her secret crush James is working his final shift. Tsunami, Horses and Civilization / Carla Susanto A tsunami approaches a city where the human residents are incapable of saving themselves from imminent disaster. Les fleurs de l'age, Vincent Biron Selling ice cream, smoking pot, falling in love, dealing with family: it's just another summer day for a regular group of school kids

"SHORT CUTS CANADA: PROGRAMME 6" (2010 short films directed by Kire Paputts, Emmanuel Shirinian, Russell Bennett, M. Rankin, Darragh McDonald, Emanuel Hoss-Desmarais, Marie-Josee Saint-Pierre, Martin Sokol)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 23:27:58 -0400

Animal Control, Kire Paputts Larry is an amateur taxidermist who, as the pick-up man for the local Animal Services, gets all his specimens through work. Softies / Emmanuel Shirinian, Russell Bennett Chooch and Ponch are hit men. While waiting to knock off a mark, they ponder what life might have in store if they quit their day jobs and pursued their unrealized potential. Negativipeg, M. Rankin In part three of the Burton Cycle, Rory Lepine gives a personal account of his fateful 1985 encounter with The Guess Who's legendary lead singer, Burton Cummings, at a 7-Eleven in Winnipeg. Love. Marriage. Miscarriage. / Darragh McDonald In the wake of a miscarriage, Magda finds herself at a family gathering,caught between denial and acceptance. Marius Borodine, Emanuel Hoss-Desmarais A mockumentary about inventor Marius Borodine who is on the brink of completing his master stroke creation when something goes terribly awry. Projet Sapporo, Marie-Josee Saint-Pierre This homage to acclaimed calligrapher Gazanbou Higuchi utilizes rotoscope animation to illustrate the craft of Japanese shodo. Eggcellent, Martin Sokol An underperforming chicken is under enormous pressure to produce at work

"SILENT SOULS" (2010 feature film directed by Aleksei Fedorchenko)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:58:05 -0400

A man and his companion go on a journey to cremate the dead body of the former beloved wife, on a riverbank in the area where they spent their honeymoon. When Miron's beloved wife Tanya passes away, he asks his best friend Aist to help him say goodbye according to the rituals of the Merya culture, an ancient Finno-Ugric tribe from Lake Nero. The two men set out on a road trip thousands of miles across the boundless lands.

"SITE AND VISION: SHORT AND EXPERIMENTAL FILM" (2010 short films directed by Yoel Meranda, Burcak Kaygun, Eytan Ipeker, Belmin Soylemez)

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 01:06:56 -0400

SEPTEMBER 12 will be presented along with 7 short films: "ascents in february" Yoel Meranda, Turkey [World Premiere] An abstract, impish spot of light leads the camera onto Istanbul's streets. "not be or..." Yoel Meranda, Turkey [World Premiere] This whiplash montage of Istanbul's urban imagery conveys a pure sense of speed and disorientation. "On Thin Ice" Burcak Kaygun, Turkey [Canadian Premiere] A painterly composition explores movement and sound in the abstract, as skaters on a winter ice rink swirl round and round. "rauscht" Yoel Meranda, Turkey [International Premiere] A politician's televised speech is utterly transformed into stunning abstraction. "Science Lab" Eytan Ipeker, Turkey [International Premiere] This short is a visual compendium of experimental techniques, all uncannily mined from footage of the filmmaker's piano keys. "straitscaping" Yoel Meranda, Turkey [World Premiere] Yoel Meranda completely transforms brief footage of a ferry trip across the Bosphorus. "Waves" Belmin Soylemez, Turkey [North American Premiere] This striking experimental documentary focuses on the boys and young men who jump into the Bosphorus to escape the city and the heat.

"THE SLEEPING BEAUTY" (2010 feature film directed by Catherine Breillat)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:58:37 -0400

An epic fantasia of a young girl's coming-of-age, featuring Catherine Breillat's signature take on gender relations and breathtaking cinematography.

"SLIDELENGTH" (2010 presentation)

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 09:24:15 -0400

Michael Snow's projection-based work comprises eighty 35mm colour slides projected at 15-second intervals. This project is related to Snow's own Wavelength, film # 73 on the Essential 100 list. Snow was recently the subject of a significant career retrospective at The Power Plant, Toronto. Presented within the Essential Cinema exhibition at TIFF Bell Lightbox's main gallery.

"SMALL TOWN MURDER SONGS" (2010 feature film directed by Ed Gass-Donnelly)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:59:07 -0400

A police officer in a small Mennonite town struggles to make amends for his violent past when a local murder upsets the calm of his newly reformed life. Ed Gass-Donnelly's (This Beautiful City) Small Town Murder Songs mixes sexuality, religion and tradition in a Greek tragedy about repression and mistrust.

"SOFT RAINS #6: SUBURBAN HORROR (PART 1)" (2003 feature film directed by Jennifer McCoy, Kevin McCoy)

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 09:25:35 -0400

The Soft Rains series consist of miniature robotic film sets that recreate familiar cinema archetypes and genres. For this work, the McCoys created a tiny diorama of an unsettling suburban idyll inspired by David Lynch's Blue Velvet (1986), film # 92 on The Essential 100 list. Live video cameras trained on this diorama create an endlessly looping video sequence, presented on a nearby projection screen. Jennifer and Kevin McCoy are a Brooklyn-based couple who work with interactive media, film, performance and installation to explore personal experience in relation to new technology, the mass media, and global commerce. Presented in collaboration with The Royal Ontario Museum's Institute for Contemporary Culture, 100 Queen's Park.

"THE SOLITUDE OF PRIME NUMBERS" (2010 feature film directed by Saverio Costanzo)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 23:00:00 -0400

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

"SOMERSAULT IN A COFFIN" (1996 feature film directed by Dervis Zaim)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 23:00:26 -0400

Mahsun Supertitiz is an unemployed homeless man who steals cars at night so that he can sleep in a heated place during the winter. Mahsun lives in Rumelihisar, an old section of Istanbul, and makes ends meet by getting the local fishermen to help him. Mahsun loves the cars he robs, cleans and polishes them, and drives them through the streets of Rumelihisar during the daytime.

"SOUL OF SAND" (2010 feature film directed by Sidharth Srinivasan)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 23:01:00 -0400

Amid the epic landscape of the Mahabharata, the stage is set for an intimate yet eternal tussle between custom and commerce, tradition and modernity. Bhanu Kumar, a lower caste watchman, stands fierce guard over his feudal master's disused, barren mine. One night, a runaway couple in desperate search of refuge, come to Bhanu seeking shelter. The rusted gate of the Royal Silica Mine opens, exposing a bloody world of lust, fear and violence in the name of caste, ownership and honour.

"THE SOUND OF MUMBAI: A MUSICAL" (2010 feature documentary film directed by Sarah McCarthy)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 23:01:47 -0400

This film follows three children from the slums of Mumbai as they prepare for a once in a lifetime concert. The head of the Bombay Chamber Orchestra, Jini Dinshaw, invites a slum school choir to sing songs from The Sound of Music with a full orchestra backing and in front of an audience of over a thousand people. Performing in such a prestigious concert is a world away from life in the slums, but will singing songs about climbing mountains really help these kids find their dreams? Sometimes uplifting, sometimes heartbreaking this is the story of a group of incredible children who are given a chance to escape the drudgery of their lives... for one night only.

"SPECIAL TREATMENT" (2010 feature film directed by Jeanne Labrune)

Sat, 28 Aug 2010 18:42:32 -0400

A high-class prostitute and a pre-eminent psychoanalyst discover that they share many things in common. They are both unhappy with their professions, seeking a way out that involves unique contact with each other's worlds.

"STAKE LAND" (2010 feature film directed by Jim Mickle)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 23:02:34 -0400

"It's an apocalyptic vampire Western. It's told through the eyes of a young boy who is taken under the wing of Nick, who plays a brutal, solitary ghoul hunter in a world populated by grungy creatures--these are not the pretty TRUE BLOOD vampires. It's kind of a new Depression; politics have fallen and the economy has fallen. And it's their story together--how this kid goes from being a young boy in a suburban town to ultimately becoming a stone cold vampire killer. This was written back before the election, so it's got some political-mindedness to it, because that was a hot topic at the time--the economics and financial system."

"STATE OF VIOLENCE" (2010 feature film directed by Khalo Matabane)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 23:03:06 -0400

In his follow-up to Conversations on a Sunday Afternoon, Matabane delivers a potent drama about a South African corporate leader whose past as a violent revolutionary comes back to threaten him.

"STONE" (2010 feature film directed by John Curran)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 23:03:42 -0400

A convicted arsonist looks to manipulate a parole officer into a plan to secure his parole by placing his beautiful wife in the lawman's path. The prison scenes were filmed at the State Prison of Southern Michigan. The prison scenes were filmed at the State Prison of Southern Michigan. At one time this was the world's largest walled prison. Since its closure the site has become a popular filming venue, having also served as the prison location for 'Hillary Swank''s Conviction (2010/II).

"THE STRANGE CASE OF ANGELICA" (2010 feature film directed by Manoel de Oliveira)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 23:04:39 -0400

Set in the 1950s, a photographer is asked by hotel owners to take portraits of their recently deceased daughter. Manoel de Oliveira, a 101-year-old filmmaker, returns to the Douro River, the site of his first short, Douro Faina Fluvial, to create a surprising tale about a metaphysical love that defies reason. Photographer Isaac becomes smitten when he is called to take the last picture of the beautiful Angelica. Although she is dead, when he looks at her through his viewfinder she becomes animated and lively.

"SUBMARINE" (2010 feature film directed by Richard Ayoade)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 23:05:30 -0400

A comedy which follows a 15-year-old boy with two objectives: To lose his virginity before his next birthday, and to stop his mother from leaving his father for her dance teacher. Director Ayoade is most famous in the U.K. for his perfs in cult TV skeins "The IT Crowd" and "The Mighty Boosh." This will be his feature directing debut.

"SUMMER OF GOLIATH" (2010 feature film directed by Nicolas Pereda)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 23:06:15 -0400

Toronto resident Nicolas Pereda explores the boundaries between fiction and documentary to evoke the atmosphere of the place in his latest feature, Summer of Goliath. It's a hot summer in the rural Mexican community of Huilotepec and the townspeople are tense and suspicious of one another. Shocked by her husband's sudden departure, Teresa embarks on a mission to find out what happened. Instead of finding answers, her mission becomes a journey through the streets and homes of the people she meets. Blending fiction and documentary, her wanderings portray the town and its inhabitants. Constructed through characters and the village's corporeal landscape, we drift with Teresa through spaces and people suffering the effects of lost loved ones, brokenpromises, disconnection and eternal longing.

"SUPER" (2010 feature film directed by James Gunn)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 23:06:39 -0400

After his wife falls under the influence of a drug dealer, an everyday guy transforms himself into Crimson Bolt, a superhero with the best intentions, though he lacks for heroic skills.

"TABLOID" (2010 feature documentary film directed by Errol Morris)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 23:08:57 -0400

Joyce McKinney, a former Miss Wyoming, who, in the late seventies, abducted Kirk Anderson, a Mormon missionary in England, chained him to a bed and forced him to have sex with her. But that's hardly the weirdest thing about McKinney or the case. After jumping bail, she was eventually sentenced in absentia to one year in prison, due to the fact that Britain, at the time, didn't really have rape laws against men in the books. She was later accused of stalking her victim -- who had since married and had children -- during the 1980s and in 2008, she gained more media attention after taking her dog to Korea to be cloned.

"TAMARA DREWE" (2010 feature film directed by Stephen Frears)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 23:09:21 -0400

A young newspaper writer returns to her hometown in the English countryside, where her childhood home is being prepped for sale.

"TEARS OF GAZA" (2010 feature documentary film directed by Vibeke Lokkeberg)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 23:09:51 -0400

The film follows three children through the war and the period after the ceasefire. In a rough style, by way of unique footage, the brutal consequences of modern wars are exposed. The film also depicts the ability of women and children to handle their everyday life after a dramatic war experience. Many of them live in tents or in ruins without walls or roofs. They are all in need of money, food, water and electricity. Others have lost family members, or are left with seriously injured children. Can war solve conflicts or create peace?

"TENDER SON - THE FRANKENSTEIN PROJECT" (2010 feature film directed by Kornel Mundruczo)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 23:10:11 -0400

Long ago, a young man fathered a child without ever knowing what became of him. Now 17, his son Rudi returns home hoping to reunite with his family after years spent in an institution. A terrible event soon changes everything and the father has no choice but to accompany his son on his inevitable brutal path and their common search for redemption.

"THAT GIRL IN YELLOW BOOTS" (2010 feature film directed by Anurag Kashyap)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 23:10:29 -0400

That Girl in Yellow Boots is a thriller tracing Ruth's (Kalki Koechlin) search for her father - a man she hardly knew but cannot forget. Desperation drives her to work without a permit, at a massage parlour. Torn between several schisms, Mumbai becomes the alien but yet strangely familiar backdrop for Ruth's quest. She struggles to find her independence and space even as she is sucked deeper into the labyrinthine politics of the city's underbelly. A city that feeds on her misery, a love that eludes her and above all, a devastating truth that she must encounter.

"THREE" (2010 feature film directed by Tom Tykwer)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 23:10:50 -0400

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

"TIFF BELL LIGHTBOX 101" (2010 presentation hosted by Noah Cowan, Jesse Wente, Shane Smith)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 23:11:09 -0400

It's finally here. But what is it? What will it be? Who's it for? -- Noah Cowan, Shane Smith and Jesse Wente talk about the exciting plans for TIFF Bell Lightbox. At a special session in TIFF Bell Lightbox, September 14, 4pm the public is invited to this special "Meet With..." and has a chance to ask questions about all things TIFF Bell Lightbox. Special guest Guy Maddin will be on hand to talk about his commissioned new installation in the building.

"TIFF BELL LIGHTBOX BLOCK PARTY" (2010 presentation hosted by Matt Baram, Naomi Snieckus)

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 23:18:40 -0400

This summer's coolest party requires no ticket. A free block party to celebrate the opening of TIFF Bell Lightbox on September 12, 2010. From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., TIFF offers an exciting array of programming for all ages in the heart of the entertainment district, right on King Street (between John and Peter streets). A fantastic concert line-up includes some of the biggest names in indie rock, pop and hip-hop, plus a very special surprise guest to be announced on September 11. In addition there will be fun family activities, delicious food from local King Street restaurants, free cupcakes supplied by Madeleines, Cherry Pie and Ice Cream, and a movie star look-alike contest. 11:05 - 11:30 am Los Angeles funk/rock band 100 Monkeys kicks off the TIFF Bell Lightbox celebration. Noon - 12:20 pm Join TIFF for the ribbon-cutting ceremony with the special guests and dignitaries in attendance. Marking the official opening of TIFF Bell Lightbox, the building will be open to the public with free admission. 12:20 - 2:00 pm Polaris Music Prize Showcase: Three Canadian bands shortlisted for the 2010 Polaris Music Prize perform, Montreal's Karkwa, Toronto's The Sadies and Radio Radio from Atlantic Canada. The Polaris Music Prize is a $20,000 prize for the Canadian album of the year, as determined by music journalists, broadcasters and bloggers around the country. 12:45 - 1:15 pm Movie Star Look-Alike Contest: Channel your inner film star for the chance to win a fantastic Tim Burton ticket package. The best impersonators at the party will be featured on the stage and judged by audience applause. The contest will be hosted by Donnarama, Canada's premier Barbra Streisand impersonator. Check out TIFF's Essential 100 list for inspiration at tiff.net/essential. 2:15 - 2:45 pm Toronto's own pop darling Fefe Dobson takes the stage to perform songs from her upcoming album, Joy. 3:00 - 3:45 pm Special Guest: Don't miss a surprise musical performance from one of Canada's hottest global superstars introduced by CBC's George Stroumboulopoulos. Time TBD A special performance by Toronto's Joy of Dance Studio.

"THE TOWN" (2010 feature film directed by Ben Affleck)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 23:11:58 -0400

As he plans his next job, a longtime thief tries to balance his feelings for a bank manager connected to one of his earlier heists, as well as the FBI agent looking to bring him and his crew down. The book ("Thieves") won the 2005 Hammett Prize for excellence in crime writing.

"TRACKER" (2010 feature film directed by Ian Sharp)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 23:12:37 -0400

A former Boer War guerrilla in New Zealand is sent to bring back a Maori accused of killing a British soldier

"TRIGGER" (2010 feature film directed by Bruce McDonald)

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 12:12:05 -0400

Trigger is the story of two rock n' roll women who once shared a friendship, a band and a whole lot of chaos. Now a dozen years later they meet again, and over the course of one evening rediscover friendship, remember rock n'roll and reignite chaos.

"THE TRIP" (2010 feature film directed by Michael Winterbottom)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 23:14:11 -0400

Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon play two friends ("loose versions of ourselves," according to Brydon) who embark on a restaurant tour of the Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales.

"TRUST" (2010 feature film directed by David Schwimmer)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 23:14:35 -0400

David Schwimmer departs from his comedic roots in this harrowing drama that examines the build-up and aftermath of a teenager's (Liana Liberato) seduction by an online sexual predator. Clive Owen and Catherine Keener are perfectly cast as the grieving parents, but relative newcomer Liberato's slow-burning self-realization and climactic breakdown is undeniably heartrending.

"UNCLE BOONMEE WHO CAN RECALL HIS PAST LIVES" (2010 feature film directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 23:15:13 -0400

On his deathbed, Uncle Boonmee, recalls his many past lives. Winner of this year's Palme d'Or, Thai auteur Apichatpong Weerasethakul takes viewers on a subliminal journey through a cinematic border zone where magic, transmigration of souls and generations of memory cohabit in a highly original masterpiece.

"A USEFUL LIFE" (2010 feature film directed by Federico Veiroj)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 23:15:50 -0400

Jorge has been working at the Cinematheque in Montevideo, Uruguay, for 25 years. Its imminent closing forces him to take drastic steps and become the star of his own life. Shot in black and white, A Useful Life is an entertaining homage to a life of film. Jorge (45) lives with his parents and has been working at a film archive for 25 years. He does technical jobs, programming work, and hosts a radio show about films. The situation is increasingly dire at the film archive and Jorge, who has never worked anywhere else but in film, loses his job. La vida util won the Films in Progress Industry Award in 2009, while Acne, his first film, participated in the Quinzaine des Realisateurs at Cannes 2008 and San Sebastian's Horizontes Latinos in 2008.

"VANISHING ON 7TH STREET" (2010 feature film directed by Brad Anderson)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 23:16:18 -0400

In the film a mysterious and seemingly global blackout causes countless populations to simply vanish, leaving only their clothes and possessions behind. A small handful of survivors band together in a dimly-lit tavern on 7th Street, struggling to combat the apocalyptic horror. Realizing they may in fact be the last people on earth, the darkness hones in on them alone. John Leguizamo will be at this year's Toronto International Film Festival to premiere "Vanishing on 7th Street," in which he plays a film projectionist who finds people starting to disappear all around him.

"VIVA RIVA!" (2010 feature film directed by Djo Tunda Wa Munga)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 23:16:47 -0400

Riva returns home to Kinshasa flush with cash. The town is literally out of gas, and he is sitting on a truckload of it. His first night home, Riva falls in love with a beautiful woman and is emboldened when he learns that a local gangster is keeping her on a short leash. Meanwhile, the gang Riva left behind in Angola arrive in hot pursuit of the gas he stole from them. 'VIVA RIVA' is a thriller portraying criminal trafficking in Kinshasa through a generation of young people willing to do anything. In Kinshasa, 'Those that haven't' spend their time envying 'Those that have', and dreaming of the day when they will too. After ten years abroad, RIVA returns loaded and decides to lead the good life like 'Those that have'. But his wealth comes from the money he stole from his bosses, namely Angolan crooks. The latter decide to take their revenge.

"WAITING FOR "SUPERMAN"" (2010 feature documentary film directed by Davis Guggenheim)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 23:17:19 -0400

For a nation that proudly declared it would leave no child behind, America continues to do so at alarming rates. Despite increased spending and politicians' promises, our buckling public-education system, once the best in the world, routinely forsakes the education of millions of children. Filmmaker Davis Guggenheim reminds us that education "statistics" have names: Anthony, Francisco, Bianca, Daisy, and Emily, whose stories make up the engrossing foundation of WAITING FOR SUPERMAN. As he follows a handful of promising kids through a system that inhibits, rather than encourages, academic growth, Guggenheim undertakes an exhaustive review of public education, surveying "drop-out factories" and "academic sinkholes," methodically dissecting the system and its seemingly intractable problems. Following the Mavericks screening, audiences will be treated to an on-stage panel discussion with Guggenheim, producer Lesley Chilcott, educator Geoffrey Canada, and philanthropist and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates.