blog.TOfilmfest.ca

2016 TOfilmfest Top 10

2016-09-22T11:30:00.000-04:00

Now that #TIFF16 has wrapped up, it's time to pick our top-ten of the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival. We use a simple criteria: which films would we be most eager to see again?
So, for what it's worth, here's our top-ten…

He said,

Moonlight, Barry Jenkins
The Birth of a Nation, Nate Parker
Barry, Vikram Gandhi
The Untamed, Amat Escalante
Mostly Sunny, Dilip Mehta
Una, Benedict Andrews
The Animal's Wife, Víctor Gaviria
Le Ciel Flamand, Peter Monsaert
Nelly, Anne Émond
Lady Macbeth, William Oldroyd

She said,

The Birth of a Nation, Nate Parker
Moonlight, Barry Jenkins
BrOTHERHOOD, Noel Clarke
Elle, Paul Verhoeven
Le Ciel Flamand, Peter Monsaert
The Commune, Thomas Vinterberg
Una, Benedict Andrews
Joe Cinque's Consolation, Sotiris Dounoukos
The Arbitration, Niyi Akinmolayan
Barry, Vikram Gandhi

We agreed…

Barry, Vikram Gandhi
The Birth of a Nation, Nate Parker
Le Ciel Flamand, Peter Monsaert
Moonlight, Barry Jenkins
Una, Benedict Andrews

See you all at #TIFF17! :-)

PS.
btw, here's a video of this year's highlights…

#PicktheBestoftheFest
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@TOfilmfest
...
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2016 TOfilmfest: How to get tickets!

2016-09-04T08:30:00.000-04:00

This Thursday September 8th, the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival begins! In our last post we've covered our top 20 picks, and some ways to sort through all 398 films.
Now, here's how to get tickets…

INDIVIDUAL TICKETS
Sunday, September 4th – Wednesday, September 7th
9AM – 7PM daily before the festival starts
- online, tiff.net/tiff/?tab=tickets
- phone, 416-599-8433 or 1-888-599-8433
- festival box-office, 225 King St W
  (inside Metro Centre; Duncan St entrance)
- 4 TICKET LIMIT

MORE TICKETS DAILY
Thursday, September 8th – Sunday, September 18th
7AM+ daily during the festival

additional tickets released for purchase at 7AM daily
(reserved-seats, and returned-tickets, available)
buy online, by phone, or at box-office
4 TICKET LIMIT

RUSH-LINE
Line-up hours in advance of any screening

If a screening is still off-sale, a rush-line will be created for non–ticket holders.
Arrive as soon as possible; admittance based on availability; first-come, first-served.
ONE TICKET PER PERSON
CASH ONLY (regular $20; premium $40)

Questions?

Ticket Product List
Ticket FAQ
Ticket Policies
Download official film schedule
(see also 2016 schedule changes)

#PicktheBestoftheFest
www.TOfilmfest.ca
@TOfilmfest
...
Get TOfilmfest.ca/email alerts
Follow us at twitter.com/TOfilmfest
Like us on facebook.com/TOfilmfest
Feed TOfilmfest.ca/rss into your newsreader
or ContactUs@TOfilmfest.ca

2016 TOfilmfest: Our top 20 picks

2016-09-03T23:30:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow, Sunday September 4th at 9AM (EDT), all tickets go on-sale for the Toronto International Film Festival®. Despite weeks of adding film titles, and searching the internet for reviews/videos/interviews, only now have we put together our top 20 picks.
So fwiw, here they are…

The Animal's Wife, Víctor Gaviria
Barakah Meets Barakah, Mahmoud Sabbagh
Barry, Vikram Gandhi
Below Her Mouth, April Mullen
The Birth of a Nation, Nate Parker
BrOTHERHOOD, Noel Clarke
Le Ciel Flamand, Peter Monsaert
The Commune, Thomas Vinterberg
Elle, Paul Verhoeven
The Girl with All the Gifts, Colm McCarthy
Goldstone, Ivan Sen
The Handmaiden, Chan-wook Park
Lady Macbeth, William Oldroyd
Marija, Michael Koch
Moonlight, Barry Jenkins
Mostly Sunny, Dilip Mehta
Nelly, Anne Émond
Una, Benedict Andrews
A United Kingdom, Amma Asante
The Untamed, Amat Escalante

In addition to the buttons available on our website…

…many films have a theatrical release already set for the fall, so we've put together

a list of release dates

— so you can choose to see these films first, or see them later! ;-)

Btw, if you're on-the-go, without access to the internet, download a PDF file of the 2016 Official Film Schedule (note there are some changes to the schedule for 2016).

And, if you only have your smartphone, try TIFFwidget — a mobile-friendly website that uses data from TOfilmfest.

#PicktheBestoftheFest
www.TOfilmfest.ca
@TOfilmfest
...
Get TOfilmfest.ca/email alerts
Follow us at twitter.com/TOfilmfest
Like us on facebook.com/TOfilmfest
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or ContactUs@TOfilmfest.ca

2016 TOfilmfest: complete festival line-up released!

2016-08-26T22:00:00.000-04:00

This week the Toronto International Film Festival released it's final film title announcements, including additions to the Discovery, Kids, and Docs programs, as well has some In Conversation With… entries, and a few Special Events. Here are some highlights:

Divines, Houda Benyamina
The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki, Juho Kuosmanen
The Red Turtle, Michael Dudok de Wit
Sand Storm, Elite Zexer

My Life as a Courgette, Claude Barras

Gringo: The Dangerous Life of John McAfee, Nanette Burstein

There are almost 300 feature films at TOfilmfest.ca now — along with 300+ video-clips, 600+ star-rated reviews, and 2000+ links to official websites, articles & interviews — so, everyone can #PicktheBestoftheFest ! ;-)
www.TOfilmfest.ca
@TOfilmfest

PS.
btw, here's the official festival trailer… :-)

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2016 TOfilmfest: World Cinema, Masters, and more!

2016-08-22T22:00:00.000-04:00

It was a busy week for the Toronto International film festival — film titles were announced for many programs, including: Contemporary World Cinema, City to City: Lagos/Nigeria, Masters, Primetime, plus more Galas and Special Presentations. Here are some highlights…

The Promise, Terry George

Voyage of Time: Life's Journey, Terrence Malick

Heaven Will Wait, Marie-Castille Mention-Schaar
Indivisible, Edoardo de Angelis

The Arbitration, Niyi Akinmolayan
The Wedding Party, Kemi Adetiba

Black Mirror: San Junipero & Nosedive
Tuko Macho, Jim Chuchu

Certain Women, Kelly Reichardt
Julieta, Pedro Almodóvar

plus a Special Event (free)…

Pharrell Williams, live in concert, on King St. (free)

This week all remaining film titles will be announced, and the official schedule released — we'll be gathering reviews, video-clips, interviews, and links to articles… so you can #PicktheBestoftheFest this weekend! ;-)

www.TOfilmfest.ca
@TOfilmfest
...
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2016 TOfilmfest: Midnight Madness, Vanguard, and more!

2016-08-17T20:30:00.000-04:00

Last week, the Toronto International Film Festival released announcements for several programs, including Vanguard, Cinematheque, Documentary, and Midnight Madness programs... plus the line-up for the jury-prize Platform program. Here are some highlights:

Blind Sun, Joyce A. Nashawati

Prevenge, Alice Lowe

Blair Witch, Adam Wingard

The Girl with All the Gifts, Colm McCarthy

Jackie, Pablo Larraín

Moonlight, Barry Jenkins

Daughters of the Dust, Julie Dash

Pan's Labyrinth, Guillermo del Toro

Into the Inferno, Werner Herzog

Mostly Sunny, Dilip Mehta

This week, we'll be adding reviews, video-clips, interviews, trailers and more links to articles for all the films announced so far — and next week will bring the final film announcement, and the release of the official schedule!

#PicktheBestoftheFest
www.TOfilmfest.ca
@TOfilmfest
...
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Follow us at twitter.com/TOfilmfest
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2016 TOfilmfest: Canadian film highlights

2016-08-09T21:00:00.000-04:00

Last week, the Toronto International Film Festival held it's Canadian film press conference for 2016. Canadian feature films will appear in almost all of the film programs: Galas, Special Presentations, Masters, Contemporary, Vanguard, Primetime (international television series), Documentaries, and Cinematheque (retrospectives).
Here are some highlights:

Gala Presentations

The Journey is the Destination, Bronwen Hughes

Special Presentations

Below Her Mouth, April Mullen
It's Only the End of the World, Xavier Dolan
Two Lovers and a Bear, Kim Nguyen

Masters

Anatomy of Violence, Deepa Mehta

Discovery

Hello Destroyer, Kevan Funk
Prank, Vincent Biron

Documentary

Mostly Sunny, Dilip Mehta

This week, we'll be working on updating the Midnight Madness and Vanguard programs, as well as more Documentaries, and Cinematheque films.

#PicktheBestoftheFest
www.TOfilmfest.ca
@TOfilmfest

PS.
btw, here's a video of the Canadian press conference…

PPS.
missed any announcements? – you can look back...

got a favourite director or actor/actress? – check,
or ,
to see if they're headed to #TIFF16

what films are the critics raving about?

...
Get TOfilmfest.ca/email alerts
Follow us at twitter.com/TOfilmfest
Like us on facebook.com/TOfilmfest
Feed TOfilmfest.ca/rss into your newsreader
or ContactUs@TOfilmfest.ca

2016 TOfilmfest: kick-off highlights

2016-08-02T22:00:00.000-04:00

The 2016 Toronto International Film Festival kicked-off with the announcement of 68 films coming this September. With 19 Galas and 49 Special Presentations, there's a lot to look through! — so here are a dozen highlights headed to Toronto:

Galas

Loving, Jeff Nichols
The Magnificent Seven, Antoine Fuqua
The Rolling Stones Olé Olé Olé!, Paul Dugdale
Snowden, Oliver Stone
A United Kingdom, Amma Asante

Special Presentations

American Honey, Andrea Arnold
The Birth of a Nation, Nate Parker
Manchester by the Sea, Kenneth Lonergan
Neruda, Pablo Larraín
Paterson, Jim Jarmusch
Things to Come, Mia Hansen-Løve
Toni Erdmann, Maren Ade

Later this week, all Canadian films will be announced…

visit TOfilmfest.ca,
follow us @TOfilmfest, or
get updates via email at TOfilmfest.ca/email

#PicktheBestoftheFest
www.TOfilmfest.ca
@TOfilmfest

PS.
btw, here's a video of the opening press conference

PPS.
just a reminder, you can browse TIFF'16, films by...

Director or Actor/Actress,
Countries & Languages, plus
Release dates (if there's a theatrical release date set)

...
Get TOfilmfest.ca/email alerts
Follow us at twitter.com/TOfilmfest
Like us on facebook.com/TOfilmfest
Feed TOfilmfest.ca/rss into your newsreader
or ContactUs@TOfilmfest.ca

TOfilmfest does MDfilmfest 2016!

2016-05-11T11:30:00.000-04:00

We get invited to a lot of film festivals. Many of them are right here in Toronto. While we would love to support them all, it's just not possible. However, this year we decided to return to Baltimore for the Maryland Film Festival — where we had visited 3 years ago for #MDFF2013.

Baltimore is within a day's drive of Toronto; or a short flight from Pearson to Baltimore/Washington via Air Canada, or from Billy Bishop to Dulles, Virginia via Porter. Tickets are only $12, and can easily be bought at the theatre shortly before the screening. Films seldom sell-out, line-ups are brief, and pass-holders walk right in (without needing tickets)… just like the 'Festival of Festivals' was, before it became the Toronto International Film Festival.

#MDFF2016 marks the 18th year for the MDFF — putting it about where the Toronto International Film Festival was in the early 1990's. But while it took almost 30 years before Toronto opened it's marquee Lightbox headquarters, the Maryland Film Festival has already embarked on a landmark of it's own: the Parkway Film Center.

In collaboration with the Maryland Institute College of Art and John Hopkins University, the Parkway Film Center will convert an 1,100-seat theatre (originally built in 1915) into three smaller cinemas, ranging from 100 to 400 seats — the opening is slated for 2017. Along with being the permanent home of the MDFF, it will bring hundreds of new films to the heart of the city.

The Maryland Film Festival screens about 50 feature-films & 100 shorts — it's noncompetitive (no awards, no juries) and specifically avoids categorizing films into programs… it simply aims to provide "film for everyone."

Here are some of this year's highlights:

#TIFF15 films at #MDFF2016

The Apostate, Federico Veiroj
Cemetery of Splendour, Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Chevalier, Athina Rachel Tsangari
High-Rise, Ben Wheatley
How Heavy This Hammer, Kazik Radwanski
Ixcanul, Jayro Bustamante
Koza, Ivan Ostrochovský
Lamb,Yared Zeleke

#HotDocs16 at #MDFF2016

Do Not Resist, Craig Atkinson
Fraud, Dean Fleischer-Camp
Trapped, Dawn Porter

#MDFF2016 films of note

Always Shine, Sophia Takal
Fits, The, Anna Rose Holmer
Hunter Gatherer, Josh Locy
Love Witch, The, Anna Biller
Nuts!, Penny Lane
Slash, Clay Liford
Untouchable, David Feige

#MDFF2016 special-screenings

Deep Blue Sea, The [2011], Terence Davies (introduced by John Waters)
Fresh [1994], Boaz Yakin (presented by DeRay Mckesson)
L'inhumaine [1924], Marcel L'Herbier (with live score by Alloy Orchestra)

THANKS TO: Eric Cotten (screening committee + MINDSEYECINEMA productions), Camille Blake Fall (screening committee + filmmakers' lounge), Eric Hatch (dir. of programming), Scott Braid (prog.admin), Jed Dietz (festival director) – and all the staff & volunteers! – for another terrific festival! :-)

#PicktheBestoftheFest
www.TOfilmfest.ca
@TOfilmfest

PS.
btw, here's an article from the New Yorker on #MDFF2016: "The State of Independent Film in 2016" — and here are links to our previous trip: TOfilmfest does MDfilmfest, pt.1 + pt.2.
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2015 TOfilmfest: Our top 10

2015-09-23T15:30:00.000-04:00

The 40th Toronto International Film Festival has now wrapped up, and it's time to take a look back, for our annual top 10 list.
We use a simple criteria: which films would we be interested to watch again?

Victoria, Sebastian Schipper
Bang Gang, Eva Husson
The Endless River, Oliver Hermanus
Black, Adil El Arbi & Bilall Fallah
Green Room, Jeremy Saulnier
Girls Lost, Alexandra-Therese Keining
Homesick, Anne Sewitsky
Mustang, Deniz Gamze Ergüven
Much Loved, Nabil Ayouch
Love, Gaspar Noé

Also check out Toronto Screen Shots for the upcoming 2015 TIFF CAST Awards — with more top 10 lists from this year's film-fest!

#PicktheBestoftheFest
www.TOfilmfest.ca
@TOfilmfest
...
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2015 TOfilmfest: How to get tickets!

2015-09-05T12:00:00.000-04:00

Next week the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival begins!
In previous posts we've covered:

Now, here's how to get tickets:

INDIVIDUAL TICKETS
Sunday, September 6th – Wednesday, September 9th
9AM – 7PM daily before the festival starts

online, tiff.net/festivals/festival15/tickets
phone, 416-599-8433 or 1-888-599-8433
festival box-office, 225 King St W
(inside Metro Centre; Duncan St entrance)
4 TICKET LIMIT

MORE TICKETS DAILY
Thursday, September 10th – Sunday, September 20th
7AM+ daily during the festival

additional tickets released for purchase at 7AM daily
(reserved-seats, and returned-tickets, available)
buy online, by phone, or at box-office
4 TICKET LIMIT

RUSH-LINE
Line-up hours in advance of any screening

If a screening is still off-sale, a rush-line will be created for non–ticket holders.
Arrive as soon as possible; admittance based on availability; first-come, first-served.
ONE TICKET PER PERSON
CASH ONLY (regular $20; premium $40)

Questions?

Ticket Product List
Ticket FAQ
Ticket Policies
Download official film schedule [ See also: 2015 schedule changes]

2015 TOfilmfest: Chasing the Buzz

2015-09-05T00:00:00.000-04:00

Today Peter Howell, movie-critic for the Toronto Star, published his annual Chasing the Buzz feature — a panel of critics/programmers/film-buffs name the one film they are most looking forward to at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival. We're very happy to be part of the buzz panel once again this year — our 8th! :-)
Here's our top pick:

2015: The hottest TIFF tickets in town

Victoria: “With more than 150 extras across 22 locations, this 12-page script required six assistant directors to capture the story in one genuine uninterrupted shot for 134 minutes. An astonishing cinematic feat.”

Here's a look back at the buzz, along with some of our picks from past years:

2014: The buzz is for Bill Murray

The Tribe: “Miroslav Slaboshpytskiy’s feature debut uses only sign language (no subtitles or voice-over) to immerse us into the violently tribal underworld of a deaf boarding school.”

2013: 12 Years a Slave tops our annual buzz poll

Of Good Report: “Initially banned in South Africa, Jahmil Qubeka’s controversial feature stirred worldwide debate until it finally won approval for release, plus ‘Artistic Bravery’ prize from the Durban Film Fest.”

2012: To the Wonder, The Master top our Buzz poll

Middle Of Nowhere: “Ava Duvernay became the first black woman to win best director at Sundance, with the lead-debut of the radiant Emayatzy Corinealdi.”

2011: Festival faceoff: Cronenberg and Polley top poll

The Artist: “Black and white? Silent? Yes, but Cameron Bailey tweeted raves from Cannes, Michèle Maheux wrote the program note, and it got very good reviews at our website.”

2010: Ten bee-utiful years of great buzz

Submarine: “Richard Ayoade, music video director, talented comedy-writer and very funny actor (‘Moss’ from the U.K.’s Channel 4 The IT Crowd) helms his first feature film.”

2009: Serious buzz

Antichrist: “See the film that won the first anti-award from Cannes' ecumenical jury.”

2008: Must-see films

Medicine for Melancholy (Barry Jenkins): "Being a fan of Cameron Bailey's Planet Africa program in years past, I'd pick this feature debut, which was well received at SXSW."

2015 TOfilmfest: Our top 20 picks

2015-09-04T19:30:00.000-04:00

After weeks of adding film titles, searching the internet for reviews/videos/articles, and finally selecting our tickets, it's time to take a look at our top picks for the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival. So fwiw, here are our top 20 picks…

Amazing Grace, Sydney Pollack
Angry Indian Goddesses, Pan Nalin
Bang Gang (A Modern Love Story), Eva Husson
Black, Adil El Arbi / Bilall Fallah
Cuckold, Charlie Vundla

The Endless River, Oliver Hermanus
Girls Lost, Alexandra-Therese Keining
Green Room, Jeremy Saulnier
Hardcore, Ilya Naishuller
Homesick, Anne Sewitsky
The Lobster, Yorgos Lanthimos
Love, Gaspar Noé
Much Loved, Nabil Ayouch
Mustang, Deniz Gamze Ergüven
The Paradise Suite, Joost van Ginkel
Parched, Leena Yadav
Room, Lenny Abrahamson
Summertime, Catherine Corsini
Victoria, Sebastian Schipper
We Monsters, Sebastian Ko

2015 TOfilmfest: Choosing your films

2015-09-02T21:00:00.000-04:00

Recently a friend, and fellow film-fest fan, mentioned she was choosing at least one movie from each of the festival's official programs — a good way to see a variety of cinema.

Last year @ParticPelic spent several hours watching videos trying to trim down her choices (btw, local cinema writer @TerrorInToronto has put a list of videos together into a convenient single playlist for 2015).

As for us, since we add films to our website with each weekly announcement, we tend to look back at all the film titles by date of announcement.

Everyone has their own method to choose their movies but fwiw, here are some other ways to #PicktheBestoftheFest at TOfilmfest:

— enjoyed the work of a particular director or actor/actress? …you'll likely want to see their latest film
— want to visit another place in the world and be immersed into another language & culture? …cinema makes it easy to travel the world!
— in Ontario any film without an official OFRB rating will be restricted to adults 18+…
— although regular tickets cost $25 (and premium screenings $48), there are plenty of free screenings for 2015…
— tired of trekking from the Lightbox cinema to the Ryerson theatre? …pick screenings closer together! ;-)
— not on vacation? …see everything that's playing when you're available
— many films have screened previously, and been reviewed by movie critics… why not check?

BONUS: Release dates — many films have a theatrical release already set for the fall …so you can see them later!

Btw, if you're on-the-go, without access to the internet, download a PDF file of the 2015 Official Film Schedule (note there are some changes to the schedule for 2015).

And, if you only have your smartphone, try TIFFwidget — a mobile-friendly website that uses data from TOfilmfest.

So, what's on our list?

Our next post will highlight our picks for the 2015 film festival... :-)

#ChacunSonCinema!
www.TOfilmfest.ca
@TOfilmfest
...
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2015 TOfilmfest: complete festival line-up released!

2015-08-27T23:00:00.000-04:00

This week the Toronto International Film Festival released it's final film title announcements, including additions to Discovery, Vanguard, Cinematheque, Kids, In Conversation With... (formerly "Mavericks") and Special Events programs.
Here are some highlights:

Vertigo [1958], Alfred Hitchcock
with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra

Black, Adil El Arbi / Bilall Fallah
Ixcanul, Jayro Bustamante

Heat [1995], Michael Mann

In Conversation With... Julianne Moore
In Conversation With... Salma Hayek

My Skinny Sister, Sanna Lenken

Zoom, Pedro Morelli

2015 TOfilmfest: World Cinema, Wavelengths, and more!

2015-08-26T21:30:00.000-04:00

Last week, the Toronto International Film Festival announced film titles for a number of programs, including: Gala Presentations, Special Presentations, City to City: London, Wavelengths, and Contemporary World Cinema / Contemporary World Speakers.
Here are some highlights:

Disorder, Alice Winocour

ma ma, Julio Medem
Mustang, Deniz Gamze Ergüven

Kilo Two Bravo, Paul Katis
The Ones Below, David Farr

Cuckold, Charlie Vundla
Much Loved, Nabil Ayouch

The Other Side, Roberto Minervini

2015 TOfilmfest: Midnight Madness, Vanguard, and more!

2015-08-19T22:30:00.000-04:00

It was a busy week for the Toronto International Film Festival! — two days of film announcements saw additions to the Vanguard, Cinematheque, Documentary, Midnight Madness, and Masters programs... plus line-ups for new Platform and Primetime programs. Here are some highlights:

Der Nachtmahr, Akiz Ikon
Love, Gaspar Noé

Green Room, Jeremy Saulnier
Hardcore, Ilya Naishuller

Bang Gang, Eva Husson
High-Rise, Ben Wheatley

The Assassin, Hou Hsiao-hsien
Every Thing Will Be Fine [in 3-D], Wim Wenders

The Mask [1961], Julian Roffman
Titicut Follies [1967], Frederick Wiseman

Amazing Grace [1972], Sydney Pollack
Sherpa, Jennifer Peedom

Keith Richards: Under the Influence, Morgan Neville

Btw, next week will mark the final film announcements, and the release of the official schedule!

#PicktheBestoftheFest
www.TOfilmfest.ca
@TOfilmfest
...
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Follow us at twitter.com/TOfilmfest
Like us on facebook.com/TOfilmfest
Feed TOfilmfest.ca/rss into your newsreader
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2015 TOfilmfest: Canadian film highlights

2015-08-13T10:00:00.000-04:00

Last week, the Toronto International Film Festival held it's Canadian film press conference for 2015. Canadian feature films will appear as Special Presentations, as well as in the Documentary, Discovery, Contemporary World Cinema, Vanguard, and Wavelengths programs.

Here are some highlights:

Born to be Blue, Robert Budreau
Into the Forest, Patricia Rozema

Closet Monster, Stephen Dunn
Sleeping Giant, Andrew Cividino

Endorphine, André Turpin
No Men Beyond This Point, Mark Sawers

Ninth Floor, Mina Shum
This Changes Everything, Avi Lewis

My Internship in Canada, Philippe Falardeau
Les êtres chers, Anne Émond

www.TOfilmfest.ca
@TOfilmfest

PS.
btw, here's a video of the Canadian film press conference...

PPS.
missed any announcements? – you can look back...

got a favourite director or actor/actress? – check,
or ,
to see if they're headed to #TIFF15

what films are the critics raving about?

#PicktheBestoftheFest

...

Get TOfilmfest.ca/email alerts
Follow us at twitter.com/TOfilmfest
Like us on facebook.com/TOfilmfest
Feed TOfilmfest.ca/rss into your newsreader
or ContactUs@TOfilmfest.ca

2015 TOfilmfest: kick-off highlights

2015-08-03T13:30:00.000-04:00

This week the 40th Toronto International Film Festival® kicked-off with the first batch of film title announcements. So far, 15 Galas and 34 Special Presentations have been announced.
Here are a dozen highlights — some previously screened & reviewed, and some having their premiere-screening this September.

Well rated by critics...

Son of Saul, László Nemes
Dheepan, Jacques Audiard
Sicario, Denis Villeneuve
Victoria, Sebastian Schipper

I Smile Back, Adam Salky
The Lobster, Yorgos Lanthimos

Worth a look...

Parched, Leena Yadav
Room, Lenny Abrahamson
The Danish Girl, Tom Hooper
Guilty, Meghna Gulzar
Anomalisa, Charlie Kaufman/Duke Johnson
Where To Invade Next, Michael Moore

Btw later this week, the full Canadian film line-up will be announced, so check our website at TOfilmfest.ca, follow us on Twitter @TOfilmfest, or get these blog-posts via email at TOfilmfest.ca/email.

#PicktheBestoftheFest
www.TOfilmfest.ca
@TOfilmfest

PS.
btw, here's a video of the opening press conference

PPS.
just a reminder, you can browse TIFF'15, films by...

Director or Actor/Actress,
Countries & Languages, plus
Release dates (check if there's theatrical release date set)

...
Get TOfilmfest.ca/email alerts
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2014 TOfilmfest Top 10

2014-09-18T21:00:00.000-04:00

Now that TIFF'14 has wrapped up, it's time to pick our top-ten of the 2014 film festival.
(We use a simple criteria: which films would we be most eager to see again?)
So, for what it's worth, here's our 2014 Toronto International Film Festival top-ten...

He said,

Mommy, Xavier Dolan
Whiplash, Damien Chazelle
Pasolini, Abel Ferrara
The Tribe, Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy
They Have Escaped, Jukka-Pekka Valkeapää
The Voices, Marjane Satrapi
The Little Death, Josh Lawson
Cut Snake, Tony Ayres
Sand Dollars, Laura Guzmán, Israel Cárdenas
Breathe, Mélanie Laurent

She said,

Mommy, Xavier Dolan
Whiplash, Damien Chazelle
The Dark Horse, James Robertson
Cut Snake, Tony Ayres
The Voices, Marjane Satrapi
Charlie’s Country, Rolf de Heer
Teen Lust, Blaine Thurier
Alleluia, Fabrice Du Welz
The Little Death, Josh Lawson
Breathe, Mélanie Laurent

We agreed...

Mommy, Xavier Dolan
Whiplash, Damien Chazelle
The Voices, Marjane Satrapi
The Little Death, Josh Lawson
Cut Snake, Tony Ayres
Breathe, Mélanie Laurent

See you all at TIFF'15!
#PicktheBestoftheFest
www.TOfilmfest.ca
@TOfilmfest
...
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2014 TOfilmfest tickets

2014-08-27T17:00:00.000-04:00

The 2014 Toronto International Film Festival begins next week.
In the previous couple of posts we've covered:

Here's how to get tickets:

INDIVIDUAL TICKETS
Sunday, August 31st – Wednesday, September 3rd
9AM – 7PM daily before the festival starts

online, tickets.tiff.net/WebTixsTickets/TicketingStartPage.aspx
phone, 416-599-8433 or 1-888-599-8433
festival box-office, 225 King St W
(inside Metro Centre; Duncan St entrance)
4 TICKET LIMIT

MORE TICKETS DAILY
Thursday, September 4th – Sunday, September 14th
7AM+ daily during the festival

additional tickets released for purchase at 7AM daily
(reserved-seats, and returned-tickets, available)
buy online, by phone, or at box-office
4 TICKET LIMIT

RUSH-LINE
Line-up hours in advance of any screening

If a screening is still off-sale, a rush-line will be created for non–ticket holders.
Arrive as soon as possible; admittance based on availability; first-come, first-served.
ONE TICKET PER PERSON
CASH ONLY (regular $20; premium $40)

Questions?

2014 TOfilmfest Top 20 (anticipated)

2014-08-26T20:45:00.000-04:00

Once again, we're very happy to be invited by Peter Howell, movie critic for the Toronto Star, to be a part of his annual Chasing the Buzz poll — a panel of critics/programmers/film-buffs name the film they are most looking forward to at the festival.

This will be our 7th year, and we are being asked to provide just one film title, and just one sentence to state the reason for our choice. As part of the process, we came up with a list of 20 films that we're most looking forward to at TIFF'14 – here they are, in no particular order:

Aire Libre, Anahí Berneri
The Little Death, Josh Lawson
The Dark Horse, James Napier Robertson
Heaven Knows What, Benny & Joshua Safdie
The World of Kanako, Tetsuya Nakashima
Sand Dollars, Laura Amelia Guzmán
Whiplash, Damien Chazelle
They Have Escaped, J.P. Valkeapää
Kabukicho Love Hotel, Ryuichi Hiroki
Mommy, Xavier Dolan
Maps to the Stars, David Cronenberg
Pasolini, Abel Ferrara
Breathe, Mélanie Laurent
Alleluia, Fabrice Du Welz
Teen Lust, Blaine Thurier
The Voices, Marjane Satrapi
Charlie’s Country, Rolf de Heer
The Tribe, Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy
Behavior, Ernesto Daranas
Girlhood, Céline Sciamma

The top picks from all panelists will be published in the Saturday Star on August 30th, and also appear online at TheStar.com.

#PicktheBestoftheFest
www.TOfilmfest.ca
@TOfilmfest
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TOfilmfest selection process

2014-08-26T17:30:00.000-04:00

Last year we did the Maryland Film Festival, and recently one of our friends (film-producer and festival-programmer), who's heading up from Baltimore for TIFF'14, asked:

What movies are you looking forward to seeing the most and WHY?
Is it the director, screening location, time of day, running time, time of week, better popcorn? What goes into everyone's selection process?

It's a great question, because the Toronto International Film Fest is a "no-time-to-eat-or-breathe" festival. It's just not possible to see more than a fraction of the 400+ films screening over 11 days — and it's especially challenging, from a scheduling perspective, because there are often 20+ films screening at the same time!

So, for what it's worth, these are some of the things we consider when selecting our screenings:

Director/Actor/Actress – if you've followed and enjoyed the work of a particular director or actor/actress, you'll likely want to see their latest film
Countries & Languages – if you want to visit another place in the world, be immersed into another language and culture, cinema makes it easy to travel the world
Classification – although some movies may be intended for a younger audience, any film without an official OFRB rating will be restricted to adults 18+
Release dates – some may want to be the first to see a new film, but we generally avoid films that have a theatrical release already set for the fall

Ticket prices – with advance ticket package prices up 28% this year, and $46 'premium' screenings appearing across many different programs, it's important to consider whether your choices are likely to be worth the expense
Star-rated reviews – many films that have screened previously have been reviewed by critics, so it's wise to check (although, it's possible that whatever earned a film a rave-review, may cause you to avoid it; likewise a damning review might cite something that compels you to want to see it for yourself)
Location – certainly some cinemas are better than others, but it's not a factor for us (we still believe it's better to watch a great film in vintage-seats, than some movie you'll soon forget, in comfortable/modern ones)
Timing – it's definitely advisable to plan most of your screenings within a reasonable walking radius, and give yourself ample time to get in the line, for the next film

Also, you may be interested to browse films by program:

Gala-premieres, red-carpets, movie-stars
Special Presentations, high-profile premieres
Masters, art-house filmmakers
Conversations with film Mavericks
Contemporary World Cinema
Contemporary World Speakers
City To City: Seoul, South Korea
Discover new directors
Vanguard cinema, leading-edge
Wavelengths: Avant-garde cinema
Documentaries
Short-films Canada
Short-films International
Kid-friendly family films
Midnight Madness, action/horror/schlock/fantasy
FREE: Special events
FREE: Cinematheque classics
FREE: Future Projections, cinematic art

Btw, if you want to filter, sort, and search all the feature-films from your smart-phone, try TIFFwidget — it's a mobile-browser friendly version of our full TOfilmfest.ca website. Also, there's a PDF of the 2014 official film schedule, in case you can't pick one up.

So, what's on our list?

Our next post will highlight our picks for TIFF'14... :-)

#PicktheBestoftheFest

www.TOfilmfest.ca
@TOfilmfest
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2014 Full Festival Line-up Complete!

2014-08-21T17:00:00.000-04:00

The final film titles have been announced for the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival:

Discovery

’71, Yann Demange
Adult Beginners, Ross Katz
Atlantic, Jan-Willem van Ewijk
The Crow’s Egg, M. Manikandan
Dukhtar, Afia Nathaniel
Flapping in the Middle of Nowhere, Nguyen Hoang Diep
The Great Man, Sarah Leonor
I am not Lorena, Isidora Marras
The Intruder, Shariff Korver
Life in a Fishbowl, Baldvin Zophoníasson
The Little Death, Josh Lawson
Los Hongos, Oscar Ruiz Navia
Magical Girl, Carlos Vermut
Mardan, Batin Ghobadi
May Allah Bless France! Abd Al Malik
The Narrow Frame of Midnight, Tala Hadid
OBRA, Gregorio Graziosi
Run, Philippe Lacôte
La Salada, Juán Martín Hsu
Second Coming, Debbie Tucker Green
Senza nessuna pietà, Michele Alhaique
Stories of Our Lives
Sway, Rooth Tang
Theeb, Naji Abu Nowar
The Tribe, Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy
Unlucky Plaza, Ken Kwek
The Vanished Elephant, Javier Fuentes-León
Villa Touma, Suha Arraf
X+Y, Morgan Matthews

Mavericks in Conversation

Special Events

Kids

Labyrinthus, Douglas Boswell
Paper Planes, Robert Connolly
Secrets of War, Dennis Bots
Song of the Sea, Tomm Moore

There were also additions to some previously announced programs:

Special Presentations

Roger Waters The Wall, Sean Evans and Roger Waters
St. Vincent, Theodore Melfi

Contemporary World Cinema

Cut Bank, Matt Shakman
Tigers, Danis Tanovic

Masters

Foreign Body, Krzysztof Zanussi
Murder in Pacot, Raoul Peck
The Tale of The Princess Kaguya, Isao Takahata
Winter Sleep, Nuri Bilge Ceylan

Documentary

The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness, Mami Sunada
The Years of Fierro, Santiago Esteinou

Vanguard

The Voices, Marjane Satrapi

Including short-films and free screenings, the festival is bringing over 400 films to Toronto this September!

See you at the fest,
www.TOfilmfest.ca

PS.
btw, here's the 2014 complete film schedule in PDF format.
...
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2014 World Cinema

2014-08-18T20:00:00.000-04:00

Last week, the Toronto International Film Festival announced the addition of film titles from around the world...

City to City (Seoul, South Korea)