1st Thursday: A Guide to TIFF

Canadian Films (2011)

2011-07-26T12:50:00.000-07:00

Canada First

Amy George -- Yonah Lewis, Calvin Thomas, ON
Leave It On The Floor -- Sheldon Larry, ON
Nuit #1 -- Anne Emond, QC
The Odds -- Simon Davidson, BC
The Patron Saints -- Brian M. Cassidy, Melanie Shatzky, QC
Romeo Eleven (Roméo onze) -- Ivan Grbovic, QC
Wetlands (Marécages) -- Guy Édoin, QC

Open Vault

Hard Core Logo -- Bruce McDonald, 1996

City to City (2011)

2011-07-26T12:45:00.000-07:00

Caprichosos de San Telmo -- Alison Murray, Argentina/Canada
The Cat Vanishes -- Carlos Sorin, Argentina
Crane World -- Pablo Trapero, Argentina
Fatherland -- Nicolás Prividera, Argentina
Invasion -- Hugo Santiago, Argentina
A Mysterious World -- Rodrigo Moreno, Argentina/Germany
Pompeya -- Tamae Garateguy, Argentina
The Stones -- Román Cárdenas, Argentina
The Student -- Santiago Mitre, Argentina
Vaquero -- Juan Minujín, Argentina

Contemporary World Cinema (2011)

2011-07-26T12:43:00.000-07:00

388 Arletta Avenue -- Randall Cole, Canada
Always Brando -- Ridha Béhi
Azhagarsamy's Horse -- Suseendran, India
Beauty -- Oliver Hermanus, South Africa/France
Billy Bishop Goes to War -- Barbara Willis-Sweete, Canada
Blood of my Blood -- João Canijo, Portugal
Bonsái -- Cristián Jiménez, Chile/France/Argentina/Portugal
Colour of the Ocean -- Maggie Peren, Germany
Death for Sale -- Faouzi Bensaidi, Belgium/France/Morocco
Elena -- Andrey Zvyagintsev, Russia
Extraterrestrial -- Nacho Vigalondo, Spain
Footnote -- Joseph Cedar, Israel
The Forgiveness of Blood -- Joshua Marston, USA/Albania/Denmark/Italy
Free Men -- Ismaël Ferroukhi, France
From Up on Poppy Hill -- Goro Miyazaki, Japan
A Funny Man -- Martin P. Zandvliet, Denmark
Future Lasts Forever -- Ozcan Alper, Turkey/France/Germany
Good Bye -- Mohammad Rasoulof, Iran
Goodbye First Love -- Mia Hansen-Løve, France/Germany
Guilty -- Vincent Garenq, France
Gypsy -- Martin Šulík, Slovakia
Heleno -- José Henrique Fonseca, Brazil
Himizu -- Sion Sono, Japan
Hotel Swooni -- Kaat Beels, Belgium
I’m Yours -- Leonard Farlinger, Canada
Islands -- Stefano Chiantini, Italy
Juan of the Dead -- Alejandro Brugués, Spain/Cuba
Land of Oblivion -- Michale Boganim, France/Germany/Poland/Ukraine
Last Days in Jerusalem -- Tawfik Abu Wael, France/Israel/Palestine/Germany
Last Winter -- John Shank, Belgium/France
Lena -- Christophe Van Rompaey, The Netherlands/Belgium
Lipstikka -- Jonathan Sagall, Israel/United Kingdom
Lucky -- Avie Luthra, South Africa/United Kingdom
Man on Ground -- Akin Omotoso, South Africa
Michael -- Ribhu Dasgupta, India
Michael -- Markus Schleinzer, Austria
Miss Bala -- Gerardo Naranjo, Mexico
Mr. Tree -- Han Jie, China
Omar Killed Me -- Roschdy Zem, France
Restoration -- Yossi Madmony, Israel
Rose -- Wojciech Smarzowski, Poland
Rough Hands -- Mohamed Asli, Morocco
A Separation -- Asghar Farhadi, Iran
The Silver Cliff -- Karim Aïnouz, Brazil
Sisters&Brothers -- Carl Bessai, Canada
Sons of Norway -- Jens Lien, Norway
Superclásico -- Ole Christian Madsen, Denmark
Think of Me -- Bryan Wizemann, USA
UFO in her Eyes -- Xiaolu Guo, Germany
Union Square -- Nancy Savoca, USA
Your Sister's Sister -- Lynn Shelton, USA

Discovery (2011)

2011-07-26T12:41:00.000-07:00

Las Acacias -- Pablo Giorgelli, Argentina/Spain
Alois Nebel -- Tomáš Lunák, Czech Republic/Germany/Slovakia
Among Us -- Marco van Geffen, Netherlands
Avalon -- Axel Petersén, Sweden
Back to Stay -- Milagros Mumenthaler, Argentina/Switzerland/Netherlands
Behold the Lamb -- John McIlduff, United Kingdom
Breathing -- Karl Markovics, Austria
The Brooklyn Brothers Beat the Best -- Ryan O'Nan, USA
Bunohan -- Dain Said, Malaysia
Cuchera -- Joseph Israel Laban, Philippines
The Good Son -- Zaida Bergroth, Finland
Habibi -- Susan Youssef, Palestine/USA/Netherlands/United Arab Emirates
Hanaan -- Ruslan Pak, South Korea
Historias Que So Existem Quando Lembradas -- Julia Murat, Brazil/Argentina/France
The Invader -- Nicolas Provost, Belgium
J'aime regarder les filles -- Frédéric Louf, France
Lost in Paradise -- Ngoc Dang Vu, Vietnam
The Other Side of Sleep -- Rebecca Daly, Ireland/Hungary/Netherlands
Pariah -- Dee Rees, USA
Roman's Circuit -- Sebastián Brahm, Chile/Argentina
Summer Games -- Rolando Colla, Italy/Switzerland
The Sword Identity -- Haofeng Xu, China
Twiggy -- Emmanuelle Millet, France
Twilight Portrait A-- ngelina Nikonova, Russia
Volcano -- Rúnar Rúnarsson, Denmark/Iceland

Future Projections

2011-07-26T12:40:00.002-07:00

Memories of Idaho -- James Franco and Gus Van Sant
Mr. Brainwash in Toronto -- Mr. Brainwash
Buffalo Days -- Peter Lynch
Rufus Corporation: whiteonwhite:algorithmicnoir -- Eve Sussman
Sanctuary -- Gregory Crewdson
Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board -- Nicholas and Sheila Pye
Sunday -- Duane Hopkins
Plot Against Time -- David Rokeby
Slow Action -- Ben Rivers
Road Movie -- Elle Flanders and Tamira Sawatzky
Time as Activity -- David Lamelas

Gala Presentations (2011)

2011-07-26T12:39:00.000-07:00

Albert Nobbs -- Rodrigo Garcia, Ireland
The Awakening -- Nick Murphy, United Kingdom
Beloved -- Christophe Honoré, France
Butter -- Jim Field Smith, USA
A Dangerous Method -- David Cronenberg, France/Ireland/UK/Germany/Canada
From the Sky Down -- Davis Guggenheim, USA
A Happy Event -- Rémi Bezancon, France
Hysteria -- Tanya Wexler, USA/United Kingdom
The Ides of March -- George Clooney, USA
Killer Elite -- Gary McKendry, USA/Australia
The Lady -- Luc Besson, France/UK
Machine Gun Preacher -- Marc Forster, USA
Moneyball -- Bennett Miller, USA
Page Eight -- David Hare, United Kingdom
Peace, Love, & Misunderstanding -- Bruce Beresford, USA
Starbuck -- Ken Scott, Canada
Take this Waltz -- Sarah Polley, Canada
Trespass -- Joel Schumacher, USA
W.E. -- Madonna, UK
Winnie -- Darrell J. Roodt, South Africa /Canada

Masters (2011)

2011-07-26T12:35:00.000-07:00

Almayer's Folly (La Folie Almayer) -- Chantal Akerman, Belgium/France
Faust -- Alexander Sokurov, Russia
Hard Core Logo II -- Bruce McDonald, Canada
Le Havre -- Aki Kaurismäki, Finland
I Wish (Kiseki) -- Hirokazu Kore-Eda, Japan
The Kid with a Bike (Le Gamin au vélo) -- Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne, Belgium/France/Italy
Once Upon A Time in Anatolia (Bir Zamanlar Anadolu'da) -- Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Turkey/Bosnia & Herzegovina
Outside Satan (Hors Satan) -- Bruno Dumont, France
Pina -- Wim Wenders, Germany/France
Restless -- Gus Van Sant, USA
Snows of Kilimanjaro (Neiges du Kilimandjaro) -- Robert Guédiguian, France
This is not a Film -- Jafar Panahi and Mojtaba Mirtahmasb, Iran
The Turin Horse -- Béla Tarr, Hungary

Midnight Madness (2011)

2011-07-26T12:20:00.000-07:00

The Day -- Douglas Aarniokoski, USA
God Bless America -- Bobcat Goldthwait, USA
The Incident -- Alexandre Courtes, France
Kill List -- Ben Wheatley, United
Livid -- Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo, France
Lovely Molly -- Eduardo Sanchez, USA
The Raid -- Gareth Evans, Indonesia
Sleepless Night -- Frederic Jardin, France/Belgium/Luxembourg
Smuggler -- Katsuhito Ishii, Japan
You're Next -- Adam Wingard, USA

Real to Reel (2011)

2011-07-26T12:15:00.000-07:00

Arirang -- Kim Ki-Duk, South Korea
The Boy Who Was King -- Andrey Paounov, Bulgaria/Germany
Comic-Con: Episode IV – A Fan's Hope -- Morgan Spurlock, USA
Crazy Horse -- Frederick Wiseman, USA/France
Dark Girls -- Bill Duke and D. Channsin Berry, USA
Duch, Master of the Forges of Hell -- Rithy Panh, France/Cambodia
The Education of Auma Obama -- Branwen Okpako, Germany
Gerhard Richter Painting -- Corinna Belz, Germany
Girl Model -- Ashley Sabin and David Redmon, USA
I'm Carolyn Parker: The Good, the Mad, and the Beautiful -- Jonathan Demme, USA
In My Mother's Arms -- Atia Al Daradji and Mohamed Al Daradji, Iraq/Netherlands/United Kingdom
Into the Abyss -- Werner Herzog, USA
Last Call at the Oasis -- Jessica Yu, USA
The Last Dogs of Winter -- Costa Botes, New Zealand
The Last Gladiators -- Alex Gibney, USA
Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory -- Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky, USA
Paul Williams Still Alive -- Stephen Kessler, USA
Pink Ribbons, Inc -- Léa Pool, Canada
Samsara -- Ron Fricke, USA
Sarah Palin – You Betcha! -- Nick Broomfield and Joan Churchill, United Kingdom
The Story of Film: An Odyssey -- Mark Cousins, United Kingdom
Surviving Progress -- Mathieu Roy and Harold Crooks, Canada
The Tall Man -- Tony Krawitz, Australia
Undefeated -- Dan Lindsay and TJ Martin, USA
Urbanized -- Gary Hustwit, U.S./United Kingdom
Whores' Glory -- Michael Glawogger, Austria/Germany

Special Presentations (2011)

2011-07-26T12:10:00.000-07:00

11 Flowers -- Wang Xiaoshuai, China/France
50/50 -- Jonathan Levine, USA
360 -- Fernando Meirelles, UK/Austria/France/Brazil
Afghan Luke -- Mike Clattenburg, Canada
The Artist -- Michel Hazanavicius, France
Americano -- Mathieu Demy, France
Anonymous -- Roland Emmerich, Germany
A Better Life -- Cédric Khan, France
Breakaway -- Robert Lieberman, Canada
Burning Man -- Jonathan Teplitzky, Australia
Café de Flore -- Jean-Marc Vallée, Canada
The Cardboard Village -- Ermanno Olmi, Italy
Chicken with Plums -- Marjane Satrapi & Vincent Paronnaud, France/Germany/Belgium
Coriolanus -- Ralph Fiennes, UK
Countdown -- Huh Jong-ho, Korea
Damsels in Distress -- Whit Stillman, USA
Dark Horse -- Todd Solondz, USA
Death of a Superhero -- Ian FitzGibbon, Germany/Ireland
The Deep Blue Sea -- Terence Davies, UK
The Descendants -- Alexander Payne, USA
Drive -- Nicolas Winding Refn, USA
Edwin Boyd -- Nathan Morlando, Canada
Elles -- Malgoska Szumowska, France/Poland/Germany
Eye of the Storm -- Fred Schepisi, Australia
Friends with Kids -- Jennifer Westfeldt, USA
Goon -- Mike Dowse, Canada
Habemus Papam -- Nanni Moretti, Italy/France
Headhunters -- Morten Tyldum Norway
Hick -- Derick Martini, USA
The Hunter -- Daniel Nettheim, Australia
In Darkness -- Agnieszka Holland, Canada/Germany/Poland
Intruders -- Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, Spain
Jeff, Who Lives at Home -- Jay Duplass & Mark Duplass, USA
Keyhole -- Guy Maddin, Canada
Killer Joe -- William Friedkin, USA
Life Without Principle -- Johnnie To, Hong Kong
Like Crazy -- Drake Doremus, USA
Low Life -- Nicolas Klotz, Elisabeth Perceval, France
Martha Marcy May Marlene -- Sean Durkin, USA
Mausam (Seasons of Love) -- Pankaj Kapur, India
Melancholia -- Lars von Trier, Denmark/Sweden/France/Germany
Monsieur Lazhar -- Philippe Falardeau, Canada
The Moth Diaries -- Mary Harron, Canada/Ireland
My Worst Nightmare -- Anne Fontaine, France/Belgium
The Oranges -- Julian Farino, USA
Pearl Jam Twenty -- Cameron Crowe, USA
Rampart -- Oren Moverman, USA
Rebellion -- Mathieu Kassovitz, France
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen -- Lasse Hallstrom, UK
Shame -- Steve McQueen, UK
A Simple Life -- Ann Hui, HK/China
The Skin I Live In -- Pedro Almodóvar, Spain
Sleeping Beauty -- Julia Leigh, Australia
Take Shelter -- Jeff Nichols, USA
Ten Year -- Jamie Linden, USA
Terraferma -- Emanuele Crialese, Italy
That Summer -- Philippe Garrel, France/Italy/Switzerland
Trishna -- Michael Winterbottom, UK
Twixt -- Francis Ford Coppola, USA
Tyrannosaur -- Paddy Considine, UK
Violet & Daisy -- Geoffrey Fletcher, USA
Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale -- Wei Te-Sheng, Taiwan
We Need to Talk About Kevin -- Lynne Ramsay, UK
Where Do We Go Now? -- Nadine Labaki, France/Lebanon/Italy/Egypt
Woman in the Fifth -- Pawel Pawlikowski, France/Poland/United Kingdom
Wuthering Heights -- Andrea Arnold, United Kingdom

TIFF Kids (2011)

2011-07-26T12:05:00.000-07:00

First Position -- Bess Kargman, USA
The Flying Machine -- Martin Clapp, Geoff Lindsey and Dorota Kobiela, Poland/China
A Letter to Momo -- Hiroyuki Okiura, Japan
A Monster in Paris -- Bibo Bergeron, France

Vanguard (2011)

2011-07-26T12:00:00.000-07:00

Carré Blanc -- Jean-Baptiste Leonetti, France/Luxembourg/Belgium/Switzerland
Generation P -- Victor Ginzburg Russia/USA
Headshot -- Pen-ek Ratanaruang, Thailand/France
i am a good person/ i am a bad person -- Ingrid Veninger, Canada
Love and Bruises -- Lou Ye, China/France
Oslo, August 31 -- Joachim Trier, Norway
Snowtown -- Justin Kurzel, Australia
The Year of the Tiger -- Sebastián Lelio, Chile

Visions (2011)

2011-07-26T11:55:00.000-07:00

ALPS -- Yorgos Lanthimos, Greece/France North American Premiere
Century of Birthing -- Lav Diaz, The Philippines North American
Cut -- Amir Naderi, Japan North American Premiere
Dreileben (Three Lives) -- Christian Petzold, Dominik Graf and Christoph Hochhäusler , Germany North
Fable of the Fish -- Adolfo Borinaga Alix Jr., The Philippines
House of Tolerance -- Bertrand Bonello, France
KOTOKO -- Shinya Tsukamoto, Japan
The Last Christeros -- Matias Meyer, Mexico/The Netherlands
The Loneliest Planet -- Julia Loktev, USA/Germany
Monsters Club -- Toshiaki Toyoda, Japan
The Mountain -- Ghassan Salhab, Lebanon/Qatar
Mushrooms -- Vimukthi Jayasundara, India/France
Play -- Ruben Östlund, Sweden/France/Denmark
Porfirio -- Alejandro Landes, Colombia/Spain/Uruguay/Argentina/France
Random -- Debbie Tucker Green, United Kingdom
The River Used to be A Man -- Jan Zabeil, Germany
Swirl -- Helvecio Marins Jr. and Clarissa Campolina, Brazil
This Side of Resurrection -- Joaquim Sapinho, Portugal

Wavelengths (2011)

2011-07-26T11:50:00.000-07:00

Wavelengths 1: Analogue Arcadia

Edwin Parker -- Tacita Dean, USA/United Kingdom
Loutra/Baths -- Nick Collins, United Kingdom
99 Clerkenwell Road -- Sophie Michael, United Kingdom
Empire -- Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Thailand/Austria
Sack Barrow -- Ben Rivers, United Kingdom
Ars Colonia -- Raya Martin, The Philippines/The Netherlands
American Colour -- Joshua Bonnetta, USA/ Canada

Wavelengths 2: Twenty Cigarettes

Twenty Cigarettes -- James Benning, USA

Wavelengths 3: Serial Rhythms

Found Cuban Mounts -- Adriana Salazar Arroyo, Costa Rica/Germany
I Will Forget This Day -- Alina Rudnitskaya, Russia
Sea Series #10 -- John Price, Canada
Sailboat -- Joyce Wieland, Canada
Bouquets 11-20 -- Rose Lowder, France
A Preface to Red -- Jonathan Schwartz, USA
Resonance -- Karen Johannesen, USA
Optra Field VII-IX -- T. Marie, USA
Chevelle -- Kevin Jerome Everson, Canada/USA

Wavelengths 4: Space is the Place

349 (for Sol LeWitt) -- Chris Kennedy, Canada
Black Mirror at the National Gallery -- Mark Lewis, Canada, United Kingdom
Untitled -- Neïl Beloufa, France
Space is the Place -- Eriko Sonoda, Japan
Young Pines -- Ute Aurand, Germany
Coorow-Latham Road -- Blake Williams, Canada

Wavelengths 5: The Return/Aberration of Light

The Return -- Nathaniel Dorsky, USA
Aberration of Light: Dark Chamber Disclosure -- Sandra Gibson, Luis Recoder and Olivia Block, USA

The 2011 TIFF Season Has Begun

2011-06-15T05:43:00.000-07:00

The first important press release of the year was issued back in May, when TIFF announced they will be adding a new venue: the Princess of Wales Theatre at 300 King Street West. TIFF will be "outfitting the Princess of Wales Theatre with a state-of-the-art projection and audio system for both film and digital cinema. We’ll be equipping the venue with the ability to play 35mm, DCP and HDCAM formats." It will be used for red carpet events during the first half of the fest.

But, to me, the TIFF season officially began yesterday yesterday:

Continuing its move southward, TIFF will open a new box office at Metro Hall (225 King Street West) and will no longer hold screenings at the Varsity. (Buy a 40 and pour some out, won't you?) It looks like all of the other venues will be the same as last year, with the Scotiabank again primarily hosting press and industry screenings. I'm glad to see Jackman Hall on the list and am hoping that means Wavelengths will be back there again.

TICKET PACKAGES
There are a few new "please help us fill all those empty seats" ticket packages:

TIFF CHOICE 5-Film Sampler Pack
Selected by TIFF programmers, this new package allows film lovers to experience films from a variety of Festival programmes.

MY CHOICE 20-Film Daytime
Enjoy 20 regular screenings beginning before 5:01 p.m.

Back Half Pack
Festival-goers can save 50 percent off the regular ticket price when they purchase this new 5-ticket pack, valid September 13 through to the end of the Festival.

And it looks like the old student discount has been reclassified for "film lovers 25 and under." Because those filthy-loaded grad students are always working the system.

IMPORTANT DATES

June 20:
TIFF Members can purchase ticket packages using Visa.

July 4:
Visa cardholders can order ticket packages online as of 10 a.m. ET. Visa Screening Room packages on sale.

Beginning July 11:
Ticket packages on sale for Visa, cash and debit purchases as of 10 a.m. ET.

August 23:
Festival Box Office at 225 King St. West opens. The Programme Book, Official Film Schedule and Advance Order Book, for selecting films within My Choice Packs, are available only at the Festival Box Office. The Film Schedule is available online at tiff.net/festival.

Aug 25 to 29:
Single tickets on sale to TIFF Members (based on giving levels).

August 29:
Completed Advance Order Books for My Choice Packs are due by 7 p.m. ET at the Festival Box Office for entry into the Advance Order Draw.

Beginning September 2:
Ticket package pick up and exchange begins.

Beginning September 3:
Single tickets à la carte are available for purchase beginning at 7 a.m. ET from the Festival Box Office, by phone at 416-599-TIFF or 1-888-599-8433, and online at tiff.net/festival (subject to availability).

September 8 to 18:
36th Toronto International Film Festival

City to City: Istanbul (201)

2010-07-27T07:10:00.000-07:00

0 to 11 -- Pelin Esmer, Turkey/France/Germany
40 -- Emre Sahin, Turkey
Block-C -- Zeki Demirkubuz, Turkey Canadian Premiere
Dark Cloud -- Theron Patterson, Turkey
Distant -- Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Turkey
Hair -- Tayfun Pirselimoğlu, Turkey
The Majority -- Seren Yüce, Turkey
My Only Sunshine -- Reha Erdem, Turkey/Greece/Bulgaria
September 12 -- Özlem Sulak, Turkey/Germany
Somersault in a Coffin -- Dervis Zaim, Turkey

Contemporary World Cinema (2010)

2010-07-27T07:05:00.000-07:00

22nd of May -- Koen Mortier, Belgium
Africa United -- Debs Gardner-Paterson, United Kingdom
Aftershock -- Feng Xiaogang, China
All About Love -- Ann Hui , Hong Kong, China
Anything You Want -- Achero Mañas, Spain
Bad Faith -- Kristian Petri, Sweden
Behind Blue Skies -- Hannes Holm, Sweden
Black Ocean -- Marion Hänsel, Belgium/France/Germany
Blessed Events -- Isabelle Stever, Germany
Break Up Club -- Barbara Wong, Hong Kong
Carancho -- Pablo Trapero, Argentina/South Korea/France/Chile
Chico & Rita -- Fernando Trueba, Javier Mariscal, Tono Errando, Spain/United Kingdom
Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame -- Tsui Hark, China
The Edge -- Alexey Uchitel, Russia
Even the Rain -- Icíar Bollaín Spain/France/Mexico
The First Grader -- Justin Chadwick, United Kingdom
The Fourth Portrait -- Chung Mong-Hong, Taiwan
Home for Christmas -- Bent Hamer, Norway/Germany/Sweden
How I Ended This Summer -- Alexei Popogrebsky, Russia
The Human Resources Manager -- Eran Riklis, Israel/Germany/France/Romania
The Hunter -- Rafi Pitts, Iran
I Am Slave -- Gabriel Range, United Kingdom
Jucy -- Louise Alston, Australia
Lapland Odyssey -- Dome Karukoski, Finland
Late Autumn -- Kim Tae-Yong, South Korea
Leap Year -- Michael Rowe, Mexico
Life, Above All -- Oliver Schmitz, South Africa/Germany
The Light Thief -- Aktan Arym Kubat, Kyrgyzstan/Germany/France/Netherlands
Mamma Gógó Fridrik -- Thor Fridriksson, Iceland
Matariki -- Michael Bennett, New Zealand
The Matchmaker -- Avi Nesher, Israel
Meek's Cutoff -- Kelly Reichardt, USA
MODRA -- Ingrid Veninger, Canada
My Joy -- Sergei Loznitsa, Germany/Ukraine/The Netherlands
Neds -- Peter Mullan, United Kingdom/France/Italy
A Night for Dying Tigers -- Terry Miles, Canada
Of Gods and Men -- Xavier Beauvois, France
Oki's Movie -- Hong Sangsoo, South Korea
À l’origine d’un cri -- Robin Aubert, Canada
Outbound -- Bogdan George Apetri, Romania
Route 132 -- Louis Bélanger, Canada
Sensation -- Tom Hall, Ireland
The Solitude Of Prime Numbers -- Saverio Constanzo, Italy
Tender Son – The Frankenstein Project -- Kornél Mundruczó Hungary/Germany/Austria
Tracker -- Ian Sharp, United Kingdom/New Zealand
Three -- Tom Tykwer, Germany
Silent Souls -- Aleksei Fedorchenko, Russia
Small Town Murder Songs -- Ed Gass-Donnelly, Canada
State of Violence -- Khalo Matabane, South Africa/France
White Irish Drinkers -- John Gray, USA
Womb -- Benedek Fliegauf, Germany/Hungary/France

Discovery (2010)

2010-07-27T07:00:00.000-07:00

As If I Am Not There -- Juanita Wilson, Ireland/Macedonia/Sweden
ATTENBERG -- Athina Rachel Tsangiri, Greece
Autumn -- Aamir Bashir, India
Beautiful Boy -- Shawn Ku, USA
Blame -- Michael Henry, Australia
The Call -- Stefano Pasetto, Italy/Argentina
Ceremony -- Max Winkler, USA
Dirty Girl -- Abe Sylvia, USA
Girlfriend -- Justin Lerner, USA
Griff the Invisible -- Leon Ford, Australia
Half of Oscar Manuel -- Martin Cuenca, Spain/Cuba
Inside America -- Barbara Eder, Austria
Look, Stranger -- Arielle Javitch, USA
Mandoo -- Ebrahim Saeedi, Iraq
Marimbas From Hell -- Julio Hernández Cordón, Guatemala/France/Mexico
Norberto’s Deadline -- Daniel Hendler, Uruguay/Argentina
October -- Diego Vega, Daniel Vega, Peru/Venezuela/Spain
The Piano in a Factory -- Zhang Meng, China
Pinoy Sunday -- Wi Ding Ho, Taiwan
The Place in Between S-- arah Bouyain, France/Burkino Faso
Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale -- Jalmari Helander, Finland/Norway/France/Sweden
Sandcastle -- Boo Junfeng, Singapore
Soul of Sand -- Sidharth Srinivasan, India
Viva Riva!-- Djo Tunda Wa Munga, Democratic Republic of Congo/France/Belgium/South Africa
Wasted On the Young -- Ben C. Lucas, Australia
What I Most Want -- Delfina Castagnino, Argentina
Zephyr -- Belma Bas, Turkey

Future Projections (2010)

2010-07-27T06:50:00.000-07:00

According to a TIFF press release, the Future Projections program has been folded into their "Essential Cinema" exhibit, which will feature four newly-commissioned films, an exhibition, and eleven moving image projects. I'm doing my best to not be cynical about this, but it's hard when the Essential Cinema Top 100 list includes Amelie, Star Wars, Slumdog Millionaire, and Life is Beautiful. The good news is that the Future Projections lineup does include a few films I'm curious to see, including work by Egoyan, Maddin, Michael Snow, Martin Arnold, and Douglas Gordon.

Essential Cinema Exhibition

The Essential Cinema exhibition, which will be located in the TIFF Bell Lightbox, is a collection of "iconic costumes, film stills, posters, music samples and film clips, the exhibition charts these works – all 100 of them – that have played such a key role in defining film culture for more than a century."

Commissioned Films

8½ Screens -- Atom Egoyan
E-100 -- James Andean and François Xavier Saint-Pierre
Essential Titles -- Barr Gilmore
Hauntings I and II -- Guy Maddin

Future Projections

24 Hour Psycho Back and Forth and To and Fro (2008) -- Douglas Gordon
Heavenhell (2009) -- Chris Chong Chan Fui + Yasuhiro Morinaga
In Love for the Mood (2009) -- Ming Wong
Jeanne (2003) -- Martin Arnold
Journey to the Moon (2003) -- William Kentridge
Klatsassin (2006) -- Stan Douglas
Man With a Movie Camera: The Global Remake (2007-ongoing) -- Perry Bard
NYman With A Movie Camera (2010) -- Michael Nyman
Otolith III (2009) -- The Otolith Group
Slidelength (1969-71) -- Michael Snow
Soft Rains #6: Suburban Horror (part 1) (2003) -- Jennifer and Kevin McCoy
Workers Leaving the Factory in Eleven Decades (2006) -- Harun Forocki

Gala Presentations (2010)

2010-07-27T06:45:00.000-07:00

The Bang Bang Club -- Steven Silver, Canada/South Africa { IMDb, trailer }
Barney’s Version -- Richard J Lewis, Canada/Italy { IMDb, trailer }
A Beginners Guide to Endings -- Jonathan Sobol, Canada
Black Swan -- Darren Aronofsky, USA { IMDb }
Casino Jack -- George Hickenlooper, Canada { IMDb }
The Conspirator -- Robert Redford, USA { IMDb }
The Debt -- John Madden, UK { IMDb, trailer }
The Housemaid -- Im Sang-Soo, South Korea { IMDb, trailer, Daily Notebook }
Janie Jones -- David M. Rosenthal, USA { IMDb }
The King’s Speech -- Tom Hooper, UK { IMDb }
Last Night -- Massy Tadjedin, USA/France
Little White Lies -- Guillaume Canet, France { IMDb }
Peep World -- Barry Blaustein, USA { IMDb }
Potiche -- Francois Ozon, France { IMDb }
The Promise: The Making of Darkness on the Edge of Town -- Thom Zimny, USA
Score: A Hockey Musical -- Michael McGowan, Canada { IMDb }
Sarah’s Key -- Gilles Paquet Brenner, France
The Town -- Ben Affleck, USA { IMDb, Official Site }
The Way -- Emilio Estevez, USA { IMDb, Official Site }

Masters (2010)

2010-07-27T06:40:00.000-07:00

13 Assassins -- Takashi Miike, Japan
Erotic Man -- Jørgen Leth, Denmark { IMDb }
Essential Killing -- Jerzy Skolimowski, Poland/Norway/Ireland/Hungary
Film Socialism J-- ean-Luc Godard, Switzerland
I Wish I Knew -- Jia Zhang-ke, China/The Netherlands
Mysteries of Lisbon -- Raul Ruiz, Portugal/France { IMDb }
Nostalgia for the Light -- Patricio Guzmán, France/Germany/Chile { IMDb, excerpt, The Daily Notebook }
Poetry -- Lee Chang-dong, South Korea
Roses à Crédit -- Amos Gitai, France
Route Irish -- Ken Loach, United Kingdom/France/Belgium/Italy/Spain
The Sleeping Beauty -- Catherine Breillat, France
The Strange Case of Angelica -- Manoel de Oliveira, Portugal/Spain/France/Brazil
Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives -- Apichatpong Weerasethakul, U.K./Thailand/France/Germany/Spain

Mavericks (2010)

2010-07-27T06:35:00.000-07:00

Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Bruce Springsteen Interviewed by Edward Norton
Steve Nash Presents Into the Wind
Kelly Reichardt
Ken Loach and Paul Laverty Interviewed by Michael Moore on Politics and Cinema
Waiting for “Superman” and a Panel on Education with Bill Gates, Geoffrey Canada, Davis Guggenheim and Lesley Chilcott
In Conversation With… Philip Seymour Hoffman

Midnight Madness (2010)

2010-07-27T06:30:00.000-07:00

Bunraku -- Guy Moshe, USA
The Butcher, The Chef and the Swordsman -- Wuershan, Hong Kong, China/USA
Fire of Conscience -- Dante Lam, Hong Kong, China
Fubar II -- Michael Dowse, Canada
Insidious -- James Wan, USA
Red Nights -- Julien Carbon, Laurent Courtiaud, Hong Kong, China/France
Stake Land -- Jim Mickle, USA
SUPER -- James Gunn, USA
Vanishing on 7th Street -- Brad Anderson, USA
The Ward -- John Carpenter, USA

Real to Reel (2010)

2010-07-27T06:25:00.000-07:00

ANPO -- Linda Hoaglund, Japan/USA { IMDb, excerpt }
Armadillo -- Janus Metz, Denmark { IMDb, trailer }
Boxing Gym -- Frederick Wiseman, USA { IMDb, trailer, The Daily Notebook }
Cave of Forgotten Dreams -- Werner Herzog, USA { IMDb }
Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer -- Alex Gibney, USA { IMDb }
Cool It -- Ondi Timoner, USA { IMDb }
The Game of Death -- Christophe Nick & Thomas Bornot, France
Genpin -- Naomi Kawase, Japan { IMDb }
Guest -- Jose Luis Guerin, Spain { IMDb }
How to Start Your Own Country -- Jody Shapiro, Canada
Inside Job -- Charles Ferguson, USA { IMDb, The Daily Notebook }
Machete Maidens Unleashed! -- Mark Hartley, Australia { IMDb, trailer }
The Man of a Thousand Songs -- William D. MacGillivray, Canada
Mother of Rock: Lillian Roxon -- Paul Clarke, Australia { IMDb }
Pink Saris -- Kim Longinotto, UK
The Pipe -- Risteard Ó Domhnaill, Ireland { IMDb, excerpts }
Precious Life -- Shlomi Eldar, Israel { IMDb, excerpt, official site }
The Sound of Mumbai: A Musical -- Sarah McCarthy, United Kingdom { trailer }
Tabloid -- Errol Morris, USA
Tears of Gaza-- Vibeke Løkkegerg, Norway { IMDb }
When My Child is Born -- Guo Jing & Ke Dingding, China
Windfall -- Laura Israel, USA { IMDb }
!Women Art Revolution – A Secret History -- Lynn Hershman Leeson, USA { IMDb, official site }

Special Presentations (2010)

2010-07-27T06:20:00.000-07:00

127 Hours -- Danny Boyle, USA
AMIGO -- John Sayles, USA
L’Amour Fou -- Pierre Thoretton, France { IMDb }
Another Year -- Mike Leigh, UK { IMDb, excerpt }
Beginners -- Mike Mills, USA { IMDb }
The Big Picture -- Eric Lartigau, France { IMDb }
Biutiful -- Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Spain/Mexico { IMDb, trailer, Daily Notebook }
Blue Valentine -- Derek Cianfrance, USA { IMDb, excerpt }
Brighton Rock -- Rowan Joffe, UK { IMDb }
Buried -- Rodrigo Cortes, Spain/USA { IMDb, trailer }
Cirkus Columbia -- Danis Tanovic, Bosnia and Herzegovina { IMDb }
Conviction -- Tony Goldwyn, USA { IMDb, trailer }
Deep in the Woods -- Benoît Jacquot, France/Germany
Dhobi Ghat -- Kiran Rao, India { IMDb }
Easy A -- Will Gluck, USA { IMDb, trailer }
Everything Must Go -- Dan Rush, USA
Force of Nature: The David Suzuki Movie -- Sturla Gunnarsson, Canada
Good Neighbours -- Jacob Tierney, Canada
Gorbaciòf - The Cashier who Liked Gambling -- Stefano Incerti, Italy
Les amours imaginaires (Heartbeats) -- Xavier Dolan, Canada
Henry’s Crime -- Malcom Venville, USA { IMDb }
Hereafter -- Clint Eastwood, United Kingdom
The House by the Medlar Tree -- Pasquale Scimeca, Italy
The Illusionist -- Sylvain Chomet, UK { IMDb, trailer}
I’m Still Here -- Casey Affleck, USA
In a Better World -- Susanne Bier, Denmark/Sweden { IMDb }
Incendies -- Denis Villeneuve, Canada
I Saw The Devil -- Kim Jee-woon, South Korea { IMDb, trailer }
It’s Kind of a Funny Story -- Ryan Fleck & Anna Boden, USA { IMDb, trailer }
Jack Goes Boating -- Philip Seymour Hoffman, USA { IMDb, trailer, Daily Notebook }
Julia’s Eyes -- Guillem Morales, Spain
The Last Circus -- Álex de la Iglesia, Spain/France
The Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen -- Andrew Lau, Hong Kong { IMDb, trailer }
Let Me In -- Matt Reeves, United Kingdom / USA
Lope -- Andrucha Waddington, Brazil/Spain { IMDb, trailer }
Love Crime -- Alain Corneau, France { IMDb, trailer }
Made In Dagenham -- Nigel Cole, UK { IMDb, trailer }
Miral -- Julian Schnabel, UK/Israel/France { IMDb, trailer }
Mothers -- Milcho Manchevski, Macedonia/France/Bulgaria
Never Let Me Go -- Mark Romanek, United Kingdom { IMDb, trailer }
Norweigan Wood -- Tran Anh Hung, Japan { IMDb, trailer }
Outside The Law -- Rachid Bouchareb, France/Algeria/Tunisia/Italy/Belgium { IMDb, trailer, Daily Notebook }
Passion -- John Turturro, Italy
Passion Play -- Mitch Glazer, USA
The Poll Diaries -- Chris Kraus, Germany/Austria/Estonia
Rabbit Hole -- John Cameron Mitchell, USA { IMDb }
Repeaters -- Carl Bessai, Canada
Rio Sex Comedy -- Jonathan Nossiter, France/Brazil
A Screaming Man -- Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, France/Belgium/Chad { IMDb, excerpt, Daily Notebook }
Special Treatment -- Jeanne Labrune, France/Luxembourg/Belgium
Stone -- John Curran, USA { IMDb, trailer }
Submarine -- Richard Ayoade, UK { IMDb }
Tamara Drewe -- Stephen Frears, UK { IMDb, trailer }
That Girl In Yellow Boots -- Anurag Kashyap, India { IMDb }
Trigger -- Bruce McDonald, Canada
The Trip -- Michael Winterbottom, United Kingdom { IMDb }
Trust -- David Schwimmer, USA { IMDb, trailer }
What's Wrong With Virginia -- Dustin Lance Black, USA
The Whistleblower -- Larysa Kondracki, Canada/Germany
You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger -- Woody Allen, USA/UK/Spain { IMDb, trailer, The Daily Notebook }

Sprockets (2010)

2010-07-27T06:15:00.000-07:00

Karla and Jonas -- Charlotte Sachs Bostrup, Denmark
Little Sister -- Richard Bowen, China/USA
Make Believe -- J. Clay Tweel, USA
Sammy’s Adventures: The Secret Passage -- Ben Stassen, Belgium

Vanguard (2010)

2010-07-27T06:10:00.000-07:00

At Ellen’s Age -- Pia Marais, Germany
The Christening -- Marcin Wrona, Poland
Cold Fish -- Sion Sono, Japan
Confessions -- Tetsuya Nakashima, Japan
Easy Money -- Daniel Espinosa, Sweden
A Horrible Way to Die -- Adam Wingard, USA
Kaboom -- Gregg Araki, USA/France
L.A. Zombie -- Bruce LaBruce, Germany/USA/France
Microphone -- Ahmad Abdalla, Egypt
Monsters -- Gareth Edwards, United Kingdom
Our Day Will Come -- Romain Gavras, France

Visions (2010)

2010-07-27T06:05:00.000-07:00

The Autobiography of Nicolae Ceausescu -- Andrei Ujica, Romania
Brownian Movement -- Nanouk Leopold, The Netherlands/Germany/Belgium
Curling -- Denis Côté, Canada
The Ditch -- Wang Bing, France/Belgium
The Four Times -- Michelangelo Frammartino, Italy/Germany/Switzerland
k.364 A Journey by Train -- Douglas Gordon, United Kingdom/Germany/France
Moscow 11:19:31 -- Michael Nyman, United Kingdom
Over Your Cities Grass Will Grow -- Sophie Fiennes, U.K./France/The Netherlands
Promises Written in Water -- Vincent Gallo, USA
Summer of Goliath -- Nicolàs Pereda, Mexico/Canada/Netherlands
Trois temps après la mort d'Anna -- Catherine Martin, Canada
A Useful Life -- Federico Veiroj, Uruguay

Wavelengths (2010)

2010-07-27T06:00:00.000-07:00

Wavelengths 1: Soul of the City

Tokyo-Ebisu -- Tomonari Nishikawa
The Soul of Things -- Dominic Angerame
Get Out of the Car -- Thom Andersen
Victoria, George, Edward and Thatcher -- Callum Cooper
Landscape, semi-surround -- Eriko Sonoda
Everywhere was the Same -- Basma Al-Sharif
Leona Alone -- Oliver Husain

Wavelengths 2: Plein-Air

Burning Bush -- Vincent Grenier
Home Movie -- John Price
Ouverture -- Christopher Becks
Cinematographie -- Philipp Fleischmann
Portrait, Teetrinken, Roter Vorhang -- Helga Fanderl
Anne Truitt Working -- Jem Cohen
Color Field Films 1 & 2 -- Madison Brookshire

Wavelengths 3: Ruhr -- James Benning

Wavelengths 4: Pastourelle

Compline -- Nathaniel Dorsky
Aubade -- Nathaniel Dorsky
Pastourelle -- Nathaniel Dorsky
Water Lillies -- T. Marie

Wavelengths 5: Blue Mantle

One -- Eve Heller
753 McPherson Ave. -- Kevin Jerome Everson
Blue Mantle -- Rebecca Meyers
Hell Roaring Creek -- Lucien Castaign-Taylor
Atlantiques -- Mati Diop
Slaveship -- T. Marie

Wavelengths 6: Coming Attractions

Il Finish delle figure -- Paolo Gioli
The Day Was a Scorcher -- Ken Jacobs
Concorso di bellezza fra bambini a Torino -- Segundo de Chomón
Delphine de Oliveira -- Friedl vom Gröller
Jonas Mekas in Kodachrome Days -- Ken Jacobs
Coming Attractions -- Peter Tscherkassky
Bits and Pieces

Opening Night Film Announ . . . zzzzzzzzz

2010-07-19T13:17:00.000-07:00

TIFF has announced the opening night film, Score: A Hockey Musical, which, as far as I'm concerned, is notable for two reasons: 1. it's the excuse I needed to start my annual TIFF spreadsheet, and 2. it's the excuse I needed to post this video of Olivia Newton-John looking super hot in 1980:

11 Days?

2010-06-17T08:56:00.000-07:00

The biggest news from TIFF today? They've extended the schedule to Sunday!

Buying Tickets & Coupons (Updated for 2010)

2010-06-17T07:20:00.000-07:00

The 2010 edition of the TIFF website went live this morning (it's pretty), and the first important information has been posted: Tickets and Packages.

Tickets go on sale on Monday morning, June 21, for donors, and Visa cardholders can begin making purchase on July 5. Like last year, TIFF has divided ticket-purchasing options into three basic categories, which have been rebranded:

My Choice Packages (you choose the films)
TIFF Choice Packages (programmers choose the films for you)
A-la Carte tickets (September 3, 7am Single tickets on sale)

The good news: Ticket prices haven't changed! New this year, they've dropped the old "Festival" and "Festival Lite" package titles for more consistent and obviously-descriptive names.For those hoping to see as many films as possible, there are three main options: the 10-Tickets Package is $160 ($159.14 last year), the 30-Films Package is $386 ($386.25 last year), and the 50-Films Package is $524 ($524.27 last year). The Courier Film Selection Service (formerly Out-of-Town Package) is $150.

Keep in mind that you can buy more than one 10-Tickets Package. If cost is a real issue, one option is to buy one of the two Day Packages, which are good for 25 films ($202) or 15 films (new for this year at $139) that begin before 5:01 pm. (In 2006, 23 of the 34 films I saw would have qualified.) Combined with one 10-Tickets Package and some careful scheduling, the daytime packages can offer great bang for the buck.

The 10-Tickets Package remains the most flexible option, though it's less so than it used to be. You can no longer treat yourself and nine friends to a single screening. Instead, the 10-Tickets Package is now limited to 4 tickets per screening, per person and/or account. The 30-Films Package and the 50-Films Package, however, are good for only one ticket per screening.

For what it's worth, 30-34 films (or 3.5-4 per day) seems to be my comfort zone. I've tried several strategies in the past. In 2005 I used the 50-Films Package to preorder more than 40 tickets, and by Tuesday or Wednesday I was already skipping screenings to catch up on sleep and to get some sun on my skin. In 2006 I preordered tickets to the 30 films at the top of my to-see list, scheduling one or two light days midweek, and then bought a few individual tickets, based on friends' recommendations and general buzz, after I got there. Last year, when the 30-ticket package wasn't an option, I returned to the 50-Films Package and took better advantage of those extra coupons by doing a lot of schedule-shuffling. During the last four or five days of the fest, I often had tickets to two films that were playing simultaneously, made a last-minute decision, and then whenever possible sold my extra ticket at face value to someone in the rush line.

Note: This is an updated post.

Cannes 2010

2010-06-11T10:49:00.000-07:00

We can assume that many of these films will make their way to Toronto in September. As always, thanks to David Hudson for his invaluable work at Mubi.

Competition

Un Certain Regard

Xavier Dolan's Heartbeats.
Ivan Fund and Santiago Loza's The Lips.
Fabrice Gobert's Lights Out.
Jean-Luc Godard's Film Socialism. Notes. Review.
Christoph Hochhäusler's The City Below. Cargo roundup.
Hong Sang-soo's Ha Ha Ha. (And UCR awards.) Review.
Jia Zhangke's I Wish I Knew. Review. Notes.
Lodge Kerrigan's Rebecca H. (Return to the Dogs).
Ágnes Kocsis's Pál Adrienn. (And FIPRESCI and Ecumenical awards.)
Radu Muntean's Tuesday, After Christmas. Review.
Hideo Nakata's Chatroom.
Manoel de Oliveira's The Strange Case of Angelica. Review.
Cristi Puiu's Aurora. Notes. Review.
Oliver Schmitz's Life, Above All.
Pablo Trapero's Carancho.

Out of Competition

Midnight Screenings

Gregg Araki's Kaboom.
Gilles Marchand's Black Heaven.

Special Screenings

Cannes Classics

Craig McCall's Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff.

Directors' Fortnight

Cam Archer's Shit Year.
Renaud Barret and Florent de la Tullaye's Benda Bilili!
Jean-Stéphane Bron's Cleveland Vs Wall Street.
Alicia Duffy's All Good Children.
Michelangelo Frammartino's The Four Times (and Fortnight awards).
Gustavo Hernández's The Silent House.
Stephen Kijak's Stones in Exile.
Frederick Wiseman's Boxing Gym.
And the rest have been rounded up here.

Critics' Week

Quentin Dupieux's Rubber.
The awards entry rounds up the rest.

Wrap-Ups and Commentary

Big roundup of coverage of films that didn't quite make their own entries.

Viewing (8'33"). On Friday, the Guardian's Xan Brooks sat down with Peter Bradshaw, Jason Solomons, Leslie Felperin and Mark Cousins "to reflect on this year's less than vintage selection before laying their bets for the Palme d'Or."

Awards for the student films in the Cinéfondation Selection were announced on Friday and indieWIRE's got the list of winners.

IndieWIRE's been collecting letter grades for the films from nearly 20 critics.

Updates, 5/23: Basil Tsiokos for indieWIRE: "Gregg Araki's Kaboom was announced today as the winner of the inaugural Queer Palm, awarded to an LGBT film at the Cannes Film Festival, at a ceremony held at Zanzibar, the oldest gay bar in Europe and popular with gay fest goers. Sponsored by Gallic filmmakers Olivier Ducastel and Jacques Martineau (Cote d'Azur, The Adventures of Felix), the Queer Palm joins Berlin's Teddy and Venice's Queer Lion, similar LGBT-themed awards at other major world festivals."Robert Koehler's favorites.A MUBI travelogue.Jonathan Romney looks back on Cannes 2010 for the Independent.

Apichatpong Weerasethakul's Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives wins the Palme d'Or. Here's the complete list of award-winners. Also: The Un Certain Regard and independent jury awards.

Updates, 5/24: The award-winners have given a brief press conference and Cannes has selected quotes and audio.Festival wrap-ups: Peter Bradshaw (Guardian), Mary and Richard Corliss (Time), Manohla Dargis (New York Times), Roger Ebert, Aaron Hillis (Moving Pictures), J Hoberman (Voice), Ben Kenigsberg (Time Out Chicago), Eric Kohn (indieWIRE), Guy Lodge (In Contention), Lisa Nesselson (Boston Phoenix), Andrew O'Hehir (Salon), John Powers (NPR), James Rocchi (MSN Movies), Blake Williams and Steve Zeitchik (Los Angeles Times)."If the Main Competition suffered because of the lack of film output from last year (Venice and TIFF have already seen the benefits), next year's edition of the Cannes film festival is already shaping up to be a fantastic year with names like Pedro, Von Trier, Dardennes, Cronenberg, PTA and Salles in the possible line-up. For those who made a case about there not being much female representation — they'll be pleased to see that the latest works from Andrea Arnold and Lynne Ramsay should be in the line-up." At ioncinema, Eric Lavallee presents "a list of 20 projects I think will be in the fest next year."

"Apichatpong's Palme d'Or brings renewed meaning to the purpose of a prize which has increasingly been identified with establishment cinema, and in one dramatic stroke, a smart jury with nerve transforms it like one of Apichatpong's jungle creatures into a whole new animal," blogs Robert Koehler at filmjourney.org. "Whatever anyone thought of the Competition going in, none of that matters now. A great film has gotten its due, and now, instead of gazing back, the Palme is looking forward." Also, a filmmaker gallery.

Daniel Kasman's "Top Picks (No Comment)."

A Creature of Habit

2009-08-25T07:41:00.001-07:00

The TIFF program book is sitting on my desk, and my office smells of fresh print, which means I'll be eating at Arby's today. Why? Because three years ago I grabbed my program book when I left for lunch and happened to flip through it while eating curly fries and a ham sandwich. And the next year I did the same thing. And now it's a habit -- one of the many TIFF-related rituals I observe each summer.

Others? After checking into my hotel on Thursday afternoon, I immediately walk to a crappy pizza place on Yonge and eat a slice while people-watching. After lunch, I pick up my tickets, thumb through the thick stack, and then buy some groceries in the bottom floor of College Park. I always carry the same old leather bag throughout the fest and meticulously squirrel away used tickets in one of its front pockets. My favorite habit is walking slowly to morning movies at the ScotiaBank, arriving just a few minutes before the screening time, and grabbing a cup of coffee on the way into the theater. These, I have to admit, are some of the most satisfying moments in my life.

Come to think of it, most of my habits are food-related, and they're all as essential to my TIFF experience as the movies are, probably because they often involve conversations with old friends. I always eat at least one meal with Girish at Zyng. I always grab a chicken shawarma at St. Patrick Market. I always run into Andrew and Moen at the food court in Village by the Grange. (I'll always associate the taste of pho with the Cinematheque Ontario.) Late in the week, I always end up at Fran's, exhausted and incoherent, after another 4- or 5-film day.

Anyone else have TIFF rituals?

My Other New Favorite Trailer

2009-08-23T07:58:00.000-07:00

For L' Enfer de Henri-Georges Clouzot:

My New Favorite Trailer

2009-08-23T07:41:00.001-07:00

If this trailer for Colony is typical of the film's aesthetic, I'm there.

Thoughts on the final film list?

2009-08-20T09:50:00.000-07:00

With the latest round of press releases, we now have the complete list of films. The schedule will go live next Tuesday, which gives us five days to bitch and moan about the omissions (Rivette! Costa! Ade! Cisse!), cheer for the new additions (Denis!), and, hopefully, discover some hidden gems among the long list of premieres and first-time directors.

Most of the people who keep an eye on this site have since moved the discussion to Twitter and Facebook, but if you have thoughts about the lineup, I'd love to hear them. And, please, if anyone can recommend a film that might otherwise be overlooked, share it in the comments.

I'm thinking that with some kind providence from the scheduling gods, I won't have much trouble finding 35-40 good/great films this year.

Releases:

Dialogues, Mavericks, and a few more Docs

2009-08-19T09:10:00.001-07:00

Five press releases yesterday. I've already updated Dialogues, Mavericks (Frederick Wiseman!), and Real to Reel.

Additions to Galas and Special Presentations

2009-08-13T10:50:00.000-07:00

I've updated the Gala Presentations and Special Presentations lists.

"The 2009 Festival Adds To Its Lineup Of Galas And Special Presentations"

City to City, Future Projections, and Dundas Events

2009-08-11T09:36:00.000-07:00

I've added the City to City program to the master list. It includes a couple classic films, Efraim Kishon's The Big Dig (1969) and Uri Zohar's Big Eyes (1974), along with Keren Yedaya's Jaffa, which got mixed reviews at Cannes, and a new, two-part History of Israeli Cinema by Raphael Nadjari. Of the Future Projections, I'll definitely catch Phantoms of Nabua by Apitchatpong Weersethakul. I've never attended any of the events on Dundas Square but a visit by Neil Young is tempting.

New additions to Contemporary World Cinema and Visions

2009-08-06T13:09:00.000-07:00

Eleven more films have been added to the Contemporary World Cinema program; seven more were added to Visions. Official release:

"The 2009 Festival Announces Films For Contemporary World Cinema And Visions Programmes"

Canadian Films Announced

2009-08-04T12:14:00.000-07:00

I've updated all of the program listings except for Short Cuts Canada, which I don't plan to post. However, I did just notice there's a new 10-minute Guy Maddin short, Night Mayor, included in the program.

Six Weeks and Counting

2009-07-30T06:59:00.000-07:00

With the unveiling of the Venice lineup, we now know a bit more about what to expect from the next wave of announcements. Presumably, most of the competition films will find their way to Toronto, including new work by Claire Denis, Jacques Rivette, Fatih Akin, and Patrice Chereau. The out of competition lineup also includes interesting names like Fruit Chan, Abel Ferrara, Joe Dante, and Oliver Stone (?). With a total of 71 world premieres, Venice is also spotlighting a lot of names that are new to me. Any recommendations?

A couple other questions:

Horizons Events includes new films by Herzog, Sokurov, and Wiseman. I assume these are shorts?
With only six weeks left, does anyone care to predict which Cannes/Venice title(s) won't be at TIFF?

UPDATE: Well that didn't take long. TIFF has announced eight more films, including the Akin and Dante. Also, films by Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Jason Reitman.

10 More Films Announced

2009-07-28T09:09:00.000-07:00

So here are ten words I never expected to type: I'm really looking forward to the new Nic Cage movie. Werner Herzog's Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans is among the ten Galas and Special Presentations announced today. Also added are films by Michael Moore, the Coens, and Rebecca Miller.

Wavelengths, Midnight Madness, and Real-to-Reel Announced

2009-07-21T09:29:00.000-07:00

It's safe to assume that most of the TIFF talk today will revolve around the Midnight Madness lineup and the probability of Megan Fox and Diablo Cody showing up to present Jennifer's Body. So is it weird that I'm much more excited by the prospect of seeing Ben Russell's first feature-length film, Let Each One Go Where He May? The Wavelengths program isn't short on names this year: Snow, Gehr, Godard, Apitchatpong, Straub, Farocki, Jennings, . . . Wow.

Press releases:

$2.50 Charge for Ticket Exchanges

2009-07-15T05:34:00.000-07:00

Richard at TIFF Talk noticed a change in the ticketing policy:

Thanks to Greg from TOfilmfest.ca for pointing out that in the latest mailing to festival goers, it lists that if you want to exchange a ticket to one film for a different film or screening, there is a $2.50 charge per ticket. Tickets can be exchanged up until the day before the actual screening.

He also offers some advice for minimizing your number of exchanges. I decided to buy the full 50-ticket Festival Pass this year, which will give me 10-15 extra vouchers to play with. As Richard notes, rather than exchanging a real ticket, you can always sell it to someone in the rush line. I usually walk to the front of the line, hold the ticket in the air, and sell it at face value. There's always a taker.

Galas and Special Presentations Announced

2009-07-14T13:46:00.000-07:00

This morning, 23 films were added to the Special Presentations and Gala Presentations programs, including the opening film, Creation, directed by Jon Amiel. Here are the press releases:

Among the announcements, the biggest and most exciting surprise (to me, at least) is that TIFF will be world premiering Bruno Dumont's Hadewijch.

I shudder with anticipa . . .

2009-07-05T13:53:00.000-07:00

Forgive the stupid title. Rocky Horror was on TV the other night, and I was surprised to discover how many lines I still knew by heart. Anyway, tomorrow, July 6, is a big day for TIFF fans. Ticket packages go on sale to Visa cardholders. The website is scheduled to go live. And, because it's now been nearly two weeks since the first film titles were announced, presumably a few more press releases will be posted.

Along with several Cannes films yet to be announced, at the top of my "Most Wanted" list is Claire Denis's White Material. Last week, Peter Knegt at Indiewire published his list of "30 Films to Watch for at TIFF," which covers a lot of English-language ground. I wonder which of these will be the next Best Picture winner?

Amelia, directed by Mira Nair
Biutiful, directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu
Brothers, directed by Jim Sheridan
Dear John, directed by Lasse Hallstrom
Green Zone, directed by Paul Greengrass
The Informant, directed by Steven Soderbergh
Love Ranch, directed by Taylor Hackford
Nine, directed by Rob Marshall
Ondine, directed by Neil Jordan
The Road, directed by John Hillcoat
A Serious Man, directed by Joel and Ethan Coen
The Tempest, directed by Julie Taymor
All Good Things, directed by Andrew Jarecki
Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans, directed by Werner Herzog
The Box, directed by Richard Kelly
Crazy Heart, directed by Scott Cooper
Desert Flower, directed by Sherry Hormann
The Good Heart, directed by Dagur Kari
The Last Station, directed by Michael Hoffman
The Men Who Stare At Goats, directed by Grant Heslov
My Own Love Song, directed by Oliver Dahan
Sympathy For Delicious, directed by Mark Ruffalo
Untitled Michael Moore Project, directed by Michael Moore
Freakonomics, directed by Heidi Ewing, Alex Gibney, Rachel Grady, Eugene Jarecki and Morgan Spurlock
The Invention of Lying, directed by Ricky Gervais and Matthew Robinson
Jennifer’s Body, directed by Karyn Kusama
Up In The Air, directed by Jason Reitman
Whip It, directed by Drew Barrymore
Youth In Revolt, directed by Miguel Arteta
Where The Wild Things Are, directed by Spike Jonze

Any particular films you're looking forward to?

First 26 films and new City to City Program

2009-06-23T08:58:00.000-07:00

Two press releases were posted this morning:

The Toronto International Film Festival Brings Home The Best Of The Festival Circuit
Announcing the first 26 titles, all of which will be having their North American premieres at TIFF. Filmmakers of note include: Hong Sang-soo, Corneliu Porumboiu, Elia Suleiman, Manoel de Oliveira, Alain Resnais, Hirokazu Kore-eda, Tsai Ming-liang, Raya Martin, and Pen-Ek Ratanaruang.

New City To City Programme To Explore Urban Experience Through Screenings And Debate

The Toronto International Film Festival is pleased to announce the launch of City to City, a new annual Festival programme that will explore the evolving urban experience while presenting the best films from and about a selected city. City to City's inaugural spotlight lands on Tel Aviv. The programme will also include a public forum that will bring leading filmmakers and thinkers from Tel Aviv and Toronto into debate. Films selected for this programme will be announced later this summer.

"Cities are, almost by definition, cinematic," says Cameron Bailey, Festival Co-Director. "Films about cities show us what cities have been and what they can become. They show us how to live as urban citizens while also reflecting our fantasies and fears. Last year, the world's urban population hit 50 percent of the planet. By 2025, two-thirds of us will lead urban lives. We need to take a moment to think about what it means to live in these large and growing communities, with increasingly diverse and multicultural populations, and to consider how a city's identity is perpetually in flux. The City to City programme will screen great films set in great cities, allowing us to discover foreign urban environments while also enabling us to think more about our own."

Canada First! (2009)

2009-06-23T08:50:00.000-07:00

All Fall Down -- Philip Hoffman, ON { website }
Crackie -- Sherry White, NL { trailer, IMDb }
George Ryga's HUNGRY HILLS -- Rob King, SK { IMDb }
Machotaildrop -- Corey Adams and Alex Craig, BC,Canada/USA { IMDb }
The Wild Hunt -- Alexandre Franchi, QC
Year of the Carnivore -- Sook-Yin Lee, BC { IMDb }

Canadian Open Vault (2009)

2009-06-23T08:47:00.000-07:00

The Adjuster (1991) -- Atom Egoyan { excerpt, IMDb }
Sparrows (1926) -- William Beaudine { trailer, IMDb }

City to City (2009)

2009-06-23T08:46:00.000-07:00

Bena -- Niv Klainer, Israel/France { IMDb }
Big Dig (1969) -- Efraim Kishon, Israel/USA/West Germany { IMDb }
Big Eyes (1974) -- Uri Zohar, Israel { IMDb }
The Bubble (2006) -- Eytan Fox, Israel { IMDb }
A History of Israeli Cinema, Part 1 -- Raphael Nadjari, Israel/France { IMDb }
A History of Israeli Cinema, Part 2 -- Raphael Nadjari, Israel/France { IMDb }
Jaffa -- Keren Yedaya, Israel/France/Germany { trailer, IMDb }
Kirot -- Danny Lerner, Israel/France/USA { IMDb }
Life According to Agfa (1992) -- Assi Dayan, Israel { IMDb }
Phobidilia -- Yoav Paz and Doron Paz, Israel { IMDb }

Contemporary World Cinema (2009)

2009-06-23T08:45:00.000-07:00

25 Carat -- Patxi Amezcua, Spain { trailer, IMDb }
Adrift -- Bui Thac Chuyen, Vietnam
Ajami -- Scandar Copti and Yaron Shani, Israel/Germany { IMDb }
At the End of Daybreak -- Ho Yuhang, Malaysia/Hong Kong, China/South Korea { IMDb }
Backyard -- Carlos Carrera, Mexico { trailer, IMDb }
Balibo -- Robert Connolly, Australia { trailer, IMDb }
Beyond the Circle -- Golam Rabbany Biplob, Bangladesh
Blessed -- Ana Kokkinos, Australia { IMDb }
Bran Nue Dae -- Rachel Perkins, Australia { trailer, IMDb }
Castaway on the Moon -- Lee Hey-jun, South Korea
Cell 211 -- Daniel Monzon, Spain/France { trailer, IMDb }
Cole -- Carl Bessai, BC { trailer, IMDb }
Deliver Us from Evil -- Ole Bornedal, Denmark/Sweden/Norway { trailer, IMDb }
Dogtooth -- Yorgos Lanthimos, Greece { excerpt, IMDb }
The Double Hour -- Giuseppe Capotondi, Italy { IMDb }
Down for Life -- Alan Jacobs, USA { IMDb }
Excited -- Bruce Sweeney, BC
Eyes Wide Open -- Haim Tabakman, Israel { trailer, IMDb, IFC Daily }
Giulia Doesn't Date at Night -- Giuseppe Piccioni, Italy { trailer, IMDb }
A Gun to the Head -- Blaine Thurier, BC { trailer, IMDb }
Heiran -- Shalizeh Arefpour, Iran
Help Gone Mad -- Boris Khlebnikov, Russia { IMDb }
High Life -- Gary Yates, ON/MB { trailer, IMDb }
The House of Branching Love -- Mika Kaurismäki, Finland { trailer, IMDb }
Huacho -- Alejandro Fernandez Almendras, Chile { IMDb, trailer }
I Am Not Your Friend -- György Pálfi, Hungary { trailer, IMDb }
If I Knew What You Said -- Mike Sandejas, The Philippines { trailer, IMDb }
Jean Charles -- Henrique Goldman, United Kingdom/Brazil { trailer, IMDb }
The Last Days of Emma Blank -- Alex van Warmerdam, The Netherlands { trailer, IMDb }
Like You Know It All -- Hong Sang-soo, Republic of Korea { IMDb, trailer }
Lourdes -- Jessica Hausner, Austria/France/Germany { IMDb }
Men on the Bridge -- Asli Oezge, Germany/Turkey/The Netherlands { IMDb, trailer }
My Year Without Sex -- Sarah Watt, Australia { trailer }
Passenger Side -- Matthew Bissonnette, ON { trailer, IMDb }
Le Père de mes Enfants -- Mia Hansen-Løve, France/Germany { trailer, IMDb }
Police, Adjective -- Corneliu Porumboiu, Romania { IMDb, excerpt, IFC Daily }
Prince of Tears -- Yonfan, Taiwan/Hong Kong, China { trailer }
Rabia -- Sebastián Cordero, Spain/Colombia { IMDb }
Same Same but Different -- Detlev Buck, Germany { IMDb }
Sawasdee Bangkok -- Wisit Sasanatieng, Aditya Assarat, Kongdej Jaturanrasmee and Pen-ek Ratanaruang, Thailand
The Search -- Wan Ma Cai Dan, China { IMDb }
Shameless -- Jan Hrebejk, Czech Republic { trailer, IMDb }
Slovenian Girl -- Damjan Kozole, Slovenia/Germany/Serbia/Croatia { trailer, IMDb }
Suck -- Robert Stefaniuk, ON { IMDb }
Tales from the Golden Age -- Cristian Mungiu, Ioana Maria Uricaru, Hanno Höfer, Razvan Marculescu and Constantin Popescu, Romania/France { trailer, IMDb }
Tanner Hall -- Francesca Gregorini and Tatiana von Furstenberg, USA { IMDb }
The Time that Remains -- Elia Suleiman, France/Belgium/Italy { IMDb, excerpt, IFC Daily }
V.O.S. -- Cesc Gay, Spain { trailer, IMDb }
The Wind Journeys -- Ciro Guerra, Colombia { IMDb, trailer, IFC Daily }

Dialogues (2009)

2009-06-23T08:41:00.000-07:00

Discovery (2009)

2009-06-23T08:40:00.000-07:00

The Angel -- Margreth Olin, Norway/Sweden/Finland { trailer, IMDb }
Applause -- Martin Pieter Zandvliet, Denmark { excerpt, IMDb }
Bare Essence of Life -- Satoko Yokohama, Japan { IMDb }
Beautiful Kate -- Rachel Ward, Australia { trailer, IMDb }
A Brand New Life -- Ounie Lecomte, South Korea/France { IMDb }
Crab Trap -- Oscar Ruiz Navia, Colombia/France
The Day Will Come -- Susanne Schneider, Germany/France { IMDb }
The Disappearance of Alice Creed -- J. Blakeson, United Kingdom { IMDb }
Eamon -- Margaret Corkery, Ireland { IMDb }
Every Day Is a Holiday -- Dima El-Horr, France/Germany/Lebanon { trailer, IMDb }
Five Hours from Paris -- Leon Prudovsky, Israel { IMDb }
Gigante -- Adrian Biniez, Uruguay/Germany/Argentina/The Netherlands { excerpt, IMDb }
The Happiest Girl in the World -- Radu Jude, Romania/The Netherlands { trailer, IMDb }
Heliopolis -- Ahmad Abdalla, Egypt { trailer, IMDb }
Le Jour où Dieu est parti en voyage -- Philippe van Leeuw, Belgium
Kelin -- Ermek Tursunov, Kazakhstan { IMDb }
Last Ride -- Glendyn Ivin, Australia { trailer, IMDb }
Mall Girls -- Katarzyna Roslaniec, Poland
The Man Beyond the Bridge -- Laxmikant Shetgaonkar, India
My Dog Tulip -- Paul Fierlinger and Sandra Fierlinger, USA { excerpts, IMDb }
My Tehran for Sale -- Granaz Moussavi, Australia/Iran { IMDb }
Nora -- Alla Kovgan and David Hinton, USA/United Kingdom/Mozambique
Northless -- Rigoberto Perezcano, Mexico/Spain { IMDb }
La Pivellina -- Tizza Covi and Rainer Frimmel, Austria/Italy { trailer, IMDb }
Saint Louis Blues -- Dyana Gaye, France/Senegal
Samson and Delilah -- Warwick Thornton, Australia { trailer, IMDb }
Shirley Adams -- Oliver Hermanus, South Africa/USA { trailer }
Should I Really Do It -- Ismail Necmi, Turkey { trailer, IMDb }
La Soga -- Josh Crook, Dominican Republic/USA { trailer, IMDb }
Toad’s Oil -- Koji Yakusho, Japan { trailer, IMDb }
Together -- Matias Armand Jordal, Norway { trailer, IMDb }
The Unloved -- Samantha Morton, United Kingdom { excerpts, IMDb }

Gala Presentations (2009)

2009-06-23T08:39:00.000-07:00

Agora -- Alejandro Amenábar, Spain { trailer, IMDb }
Chloe -- Atom Egoyan, France/Canada { IMDb }
Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky -- Jan Kounen, France { trailer, IMDb }
Cooking with Stella -- Dilip Mehta, Canada { IMDb }
Creation -- Jon Amiel, United Kingdom { trailer, IMDb }
The Damned United -- Tom Hooper, United Kingdom { trailer, IMDb }
Dil Bole Hadippa -- Anurag Singh, India { trailer, IMDb }
Dorian Gray -- Oliver Parker, United Kingdom { trailer, IMDb }
Get Low -- Aaron Schneider, USA { IMDb }
I, Don Giovanni -- Carlos Saura, Austria/Italy/Spain { IMDb }
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus -- Terry Gilliam, United Kingdom/Canada { trailer, IMDb }
The Invention of Lying -- Ricky Gervais and Matthew Robinson, USA { trailer, IMDb }
Love and Other Impossible Pursuits -- Don Roos, USA { IMDb }
Max Manus -- Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg, Norway/Denmark/Germany { trailer, IMDb }
The Men Who Stare at Goats -- Grant Heslov, USA { IMDb }
Micmacs -- Jean-Pierre Jeunet, France { trailer, IMDb }
Mother and Child -- Rodrigo Garcia, USA { IMDb }
Phantom Pain -- Matthias Emcke, Germany { trailer, IMDb }
Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire -- Lee Daniels, USA { trailer, IMDb }
The Private Lives of Pippa Lee -- Rebecca Miller, USA { trailer, IMDb }
What’s Your Raashee? -- Ashutosh Gowariker, India { IMDb }
The Young Victoria -- Jean-Marc Vallée, Canada { trailer, IMDb }

Masters (2009)

2009-06-23T08:38:00.000-07:00

Air Doll -- Hirokazu Kore-eda, Japan { trailer, IMDb, IFC Daily }
Antichrist -- Lars von Trier, Denmark/Sweden/France/Italy { IMDb }
Carmel -- Amos Gitaï, Israel/France/Italy { IMDb }
La Donation -- Bernard Émond, QC { trailer, IMDb }
Eccentricities of a Blonde-Haired Girl -- Manoel de Oliveira { trailer, IMDb }
Les Herbes Folles -- Alain Resnais, France { excerpt, IMDb, IFC Daily }
Honeymoons -- Goran Paskaljevic, Serbia/Albania/Italy { IMDb }
Hotel Atlântico -- Suzana Amaral, Brazil { trailer, IMDb }
Melody for a Street Organ -- Kira Muratova, Ukraine { IMDb }
Le Refuge -- François Ozon, France
Vincere -- Marco Bellocchio, Italy { trailer, IMDb, IFC Daily }
Vision -- Margarethe von Trotta, Germany { trailer, IMDb }
White Material -- Claire Denis, France { IMDb }
The White Ribbon -- Michael Haneke, Germany/Austria/France/Italy { trailer, IMDb, IFC Daily }
The Window -- Buddhadeb Dasgupta, India { IMDb }

Mavericks (2009)

2009-06-23T08:37:00.001-07:00

Midnight Madness (2009)

2009-06-23T08:37:00.000-07:00

Bitch Slap -- Rick Jacobson, USA { trailer, IMDb }
Daybreakers -- Michael Spierig and Peter Spierig, Australia/USA { trailer, IMDb }
George A. Romero's Survival of the Dead -- George A. Romero, Canada { IMDb }
Jennifer's Body -- Karyn Kusama, USA { trailer, IMDb }
The Loved Ones -- Sean Byrne, Australia { IMDb }
Ong Bak 2: The Beginning -- Tony Jaa, Thailand { trailer, IMDb }
[REC] 2 -- Jaume Balagueró, Paco Plaza, Spain { trailer, IMDb }
Solomon Kane -- Michael J. Bassett, United Kingdom { IMDb }
Symbol -- Hitoshi Matsumoto, Japan { trailer, IMDb }
A Town Called Panic -- Stéphane Aubier and Vincent Patar, Belgium/Luxembourg/France { trailer, IMDb }

Real to Reel (2009)

2009-06-23T08:36:00.000-07:00

Ahead of Time -- Bob Richman, USA { IMDb }
The Art of the Steal -- Don Argott, USA { IMDb }
Bassidji -- Mehran Tamadon, Iran/France/Switzerland { IMDb }
Cleanflix -- Andrew James and Joshua Ligairi, USA { IMDb }
Collapse -- Chris Smith, USA
Colony -- Carter Gunn and Ross McDonnell, Ireland { trailer, IMDb }
Glenn Gould: The Inner Life -- Peter Raymont and Michele Hozer, ON
Google Baby -- Zippi Brand Frank, Israel
How to Fold a Flag -- Michael Tucker and Petra Epperlein, USA { IMDb }
L'Enfer de Henri-Georges Clouzot -- Serge Bromberg and Ruxandra Medrea, France { trailer, IMDb }
The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers -- Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith, USA { IMDb }
Once Upon a Time Proletarian: 12 Tales of a Country -- Guo Xiaolu, China { IMDb }
Petropolis: Aerial Perspectives on the Alberta Tar Sands -- Peter Mettler, ON { excerpt }
Presumed Guilty -- Roberto Hernández and Geoffrey Smith, Mexico { IMDb }
Reel Injun -- Neil Diamond, QC { trailer, IMDb }
Schmatta: Rags to Riches to Rags -- Marc Levin, USA { IMDb }
Snowblind -- Vikram Jayanti, USA/United Kingdom
Stolen -- Violeta Ayala and Dan Fallshaw, Australia { IMDb }
The Sunshine Boy -- Fridrik Thor Fridriksson, Iceland { IMDb }
The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls -- Leanne Pooley, New Zealand { trailer, IMDb }
Videocracy -- Erik Gandini, Sweden
Waking Sleeping Beauty -- Don Hahn, USA { IMDb }

Special Presentations (2009)

2009-06-23T08:35:00.000-07:00

L'Affaire Farewell -- Christian Carion, France { trailer, IMDb }
Baaria -- Giuseppe Tornatore, Italy { trailer, IMDb }
Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans -- Werner Herzog, USA { trailer, IMDb }
The Boys Are Back -- Scott Hicks, Australia/United Kingdom { trailer, IMDb }
Bright Star -- Jane Campion, United Kingdom/Australia { excerpt, IMDb, IFC Daily }
Broken Embraces -- Pedro Almodóvar, Spain { trailer, IMDb, IFC Daily }
Cairo Time -- Ruba Nadda, Canada/Ireland { trailer, IMDb }
Capitalism: A Love Story -- Michael Moore, USA { trailer, IMDb }
City of Life and Death -- Lu Chuan, China { trailer, IMDb }
Cracks -- Jordan Scott, Ireland { IMDb }
Defendor -- Peter Stebbings, Canada { IMDb }
Les Derniers Jours du Monde -- Arnaud Larrieu and Jean-Marie Larrie, France/Spain { trailer, IMDb }
An Education -- Lone Scherfig, United Kingdom { trailer, IMDb }
The Front Line -- Renato De Maria, Italy { IMDb }
Glorious 39 -- Stephen Poliakoff, United Kingdom { IMDb }
Good Hair -- Jeff Stilson, USA { IMDb }
The Good Heart -- Dagur Kari, Iceland { IMDb }
Hadewijch -- Bruno Dumont, France { IMDb }
Harry Brown -- Daniel Barber, United Kingdom { IMDb }
The Hole -- Joe Dante, USA { IMDb }
Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist and Rebel -- Brigitte Berman, Canada
I Killed My Mother -- Xavier Dolan, Canada { trailer, IMDb }
The Informant! -- Steven Soderbergh, USA { trailer, IMDb }
The Joneses -- Derrick Borte, USA { IMDb }
Kamui -- Yoichi Sai, Japan { IMDb }
Leaves of Grass -- Tim Blake Nelson, USA { IMDb }
Life During Wartime -- Todd Solondz, USA { IMDb }
London River -- Rachid Bouchareb, United Kingdom/France/Algeria { trailer, IMDb }
Mao's Last Dancer -- Bruce Beresford, Australia/USA/China { IMDb }
Moloch Tropical -- Raoul Peck, Haiti/France { IMDb }
Mother -- Bong Joon-ho, South Korea { trailer, IMDb, IFC Daily }
Mr. Nobody -- Jaco Van Dormael, France/Germany/Canada/Belgium { trailer, IMDb }
My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done -- Werner Herzog, USA { trailer, IMDb }
Ondine -- Neil Jordan, Ireland/USA { IMDb }
Partir -- Catherine Corsini, France { IMDb }
Perrier’s Bounty -- Ian Fitzgibbon, Ireland/United Kingdom { IMDb }
A Prophet -- Jacques Audiard, France { trailer, IMDb }
The Road -- John Hillcoat, USA { trailer, IMDb }
Road, Movie -- Dev Benegal, India/USA { IMDb }
Scheherazade Tell Me a Story -- Yousry Nasrallah, Egypt { IMDb }
The Secret of Their Eyes -- Juan José Campanella, Argentina/Spain { trailer, IMDb }
A Serious Man -- Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, USA { trailer, IMDb }
A Single Man -- Tom Ford, USA { IMDb }
Solitary Man -- Brian Koppelman and David Levien, USA { IMDb }
Soul Kitchen -- Fatih Akin, Germany { IMDb }
The Traveller -- Ahmed Maher, Egypt/Italy
Triage -- Danis Tanovic, Ireland/Spain { IMDb }
The Trotsky -- Jacob Tierney, Canada { IMDb }
Up in the Air -- Jason Reitman, USA { IMDb }
Valhalla Rising -- Nicolas Winding Refn, Denmark/United Kingdom { trailer, IMDb }
Vengeance -- Johnnie To, Hong Kong/France { trailer, IMDb, IFC Daily }
The Vintner's Luck -- Niki Caro, New Zealand/France { trailer, IMDb }
The Waiting City -- Claire McCarthy, Australia { IMDb }
Wheat -- He Ping, China { trailer, IMDb }
Whip It -- Drew Barrymore, USA { trailer, IMDb }
Women Without Men -- Shirin Neshat, Germany/France/Austria { trailer, IMDb }
Youth in Revolt -- Miguel Arteta, USA { IMDb }

Sprockets (2009)

2009-06-23T08:33:00.000-07:00

A Shine of Rainbows -- Vic Sarin, Canada/Ireland { IMDb }
Timetrip: The Curse of the Viking Witch -- Mogens Hagedorn, Denmark { trailer, IMDb }
Turtle: The Incredible Journey -- Nick Stringer, United Kingdom/Austria/Germany { IMDb }
Under the Mountain -- Jonathan King, New Zealand { trailer, IMDb }

Vanguard (2009)

2009-06-23T08:32:00.000-07:00

Accident -- Soi Cheang, Hong Kong, China { IMDb }
The Ape -- Jesper Ganslandt, Sweden { IMDb }
Bunny and the Bull -- Paul King, United Kingdom { IMDb }
Carcasses -- Denis Côté, QC { trailer, IMDb }
The Dirty Saints -- Luis Ortega, Argentina { IMDb }
Enter the Void -- Gaspar Noé, France/Germany/Italy { trailer, IMDb, IFC Daily }
Fish Tank -- Andrea Arnold, United Kingdom { excerpt, IMDb, IFC Daily }
Hipsters -- Valery Todorovsky, Russia { trailer, IMDb }
Leslie, My Name Is Evil -- Reginald Harkema, ON { trailer, IMDb }
The Misfortunates -- Felix Van Groeningen, Belgium/Holland { trailer, IMDb, IFC Daily }
My Queen Karo -- Dorothée van den Berghe { trailer, IMDb }
She, A Chinese -- Xiaolu Guo, United Kingdom/France/Germany
Spring Fever -- Lou Ye, China { excerpt, IMDb, IFC Daily }
The White Stripes Under Great White Northern Lights -- Emmett Malloy, USA

Visions (2009)

2009-06-23T08:30:00.000-07:00

Between Two Worlds -- Vimukthi Jayasundara, Sri Lanka
Face -- Tsai Ming-liang, France/Taiwan/The Netherlands/Belgium { excerpt, IMDb, IFC Daily }
Gaia -- Jason Lehel, USA { IMDb }
Hiroshima -- Pablo Stoll, Uruguay
I Am Love -- Luca Guadagnino, Italy { IMDb }
Independencia -- Raya Martin, France { trailer, IMDb, IFC Daily }
Irene -- Alain Cavalier, France { IMDb, IFC Daily }
Karaoke -- Chris Chong Chan Fui, Malaysia { trailer, IMDb }
Lebanon -- Samuel Maoz, Israel { IMDb }
Nymph -- Pen-Ek Ratanaruang,Thailand { trailer, IMDb, IFC Daily }
To Die Like a Man -- Joao Pedro Rodrigues, Portugal/France { IMDb }
To the Sea -- Pedro González-Rubio, Mexico
Trash Humpers -- Harmony Korine, USA/United Kingdom

Wavelengths (2009)

2009-06-23T08:20:00.000-07:00

Wavelengths 1: Titans

Hotel Roccalba -- Josef Dabernig
Puccini Conservato -- Michael Snow
Titan -- Klaus Lutz
Two Projects by Frederick Kiesler -- Heinz Emigholz
Waterfront Follies -- Ernie Gehr
010101 -- T. Marie

Wavelengths 2: Pro Agri

Cordão Verde -- Hiroatsu Suzuki, Rossana Torres
Käfig -- Karl Kels
Lumphini 2552 -- Tomonari Nishikawa
Pro Agri-- Nicky Hamlyn
Tamalpais -- Chris Kennedy

Wavelengths 3: Let Each One Go Where He May

Let Each One Go Where He May -- Ben Russell

Wavelengths 4: Une Catastrophe

Une Catastrophe -- Jean-Luc Godard
A Letter to Uncle Boonmee -- Apichatpong Weerasethakul
The Secret School -- Marina Giotti
Le Streghe, femmes entre elles -- Jean-Marie Straub
Film For Invisible Ink, Case No. 142: Abbreviation For Dead Winter -- David Gatten

Wavelengths 5: In Comparison

In Comparison -- Harun Farocki
S/T -- Lisandro Alonso

Wavelengths 6: Flash Point Camera

FM/TRCS -- Coleen Fitzgibbon
Flash Camera Movie -- Sebastjan Henrickson
Greenpoint -- Jim Jennings
Passage Briare -- Friedl vom Gröller (Kubelka)
Polterabend -- Friedl vom Gröller (Kubelka)
Snowing Chestnut Blossoms -- Ute Aurand

A Silver Lining

2009-06-22T13:52:00.000-07:00

The market has tanked, operating budgets are being slashed, and good workers are losing their jobs, BUT I just made my flight and hotel reservations and was able to book a better hotel for one more night and, all told, spent $500 less than last year. Hurray for the crappy economy?

That Time of Year Again

2009-06-21T13:56:00.000-07:00

I was tempted for a short time to change the name of this site, as the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival is scheduled to open on September 10th, the second Thursday of the month. I haven't read an official explanation for the change, though I suspect it has something to do with the Biennale in Venice, which is also running a bit later than usual, from the 2nd to the 12th.

Also coming from TIFF in 2009 is a new brand and a new website (tiff.net). The film festival site, which is scheduled to go live on July 6, will be located at tiff.net/thefestival. For more news regarding changes to the calendar and ticketing policies, download the "Awareness Brochure" (pdf) and check out Richard's two posts at TIFF Talk.

A couple bits of news that caught my eye:

TIFF is making an effort to reduce some of the stress of ordering by giving us more time. This year the full schedule will be available online on August 20, ticket package drop off will begin on the 25th, and the deadline has been extended to the 31st, giving us 6 days instead of 3 to fill out and return our orders. I'm still not clear on how, exactly, this will affect out-of-towners, but extra time can only be a good thing, as far as I'm concerned.
Ticket-package prices have risen but not dramatically. The new prices seemed odd -- $524.27 for Festival Package; $386.25 for Festival Package Lite -- until I got out my calculator. It looks like they did a 3% across-the-board increase for the more popular packages.
The premium/public distinction that was introduced last year is still in effect, meaning that many pass holders will be excluded from screenings at the Elgin and Roy Thompson Hall.
There are a couple new package options that are presumably intended to sell more tickets to locals for the premiere screenings.
Donors at the Benefactor level ($250) and higher will again be given priority during the ticket lottery.

Cannes 2009

2009-06-21T13:32:00.000-07:00

Presumably, many of these films will have their North American premieres at TIFF. Links and invaluable research all courtesy of David Hudson at IFC's The Daily.

Competition

"Antichrist" (Lars von Trier).
"Bright Star" (Jane Campion).
"Broken Embraces" (Pedro Almodóvar).
"Enter the Void" (Gaspar Noé).
"Face" (Tsai Ming-Liang).
"Fish Tank" (Andrea Arnold).
"In the Beginning" (Xavier Giannoli).
"Inglourious Basterds" (Quentin Tarantino).
"Kinatay" (Brillante Mendoza).
"Looking for Eric" (Ken Loach).
"Map of the Sounds of Tokyo" (Isabel Coixet).
"A Prophet" (Jacques Audiard).
"Spring Fever" (Lou Ye).
"Taking Woodstock" (Ang Lee).
"Thirst" (Park Chan-wook).
"The Time That Remains" (Elia Suleiman).
"Vengeance" (Johnnie To).
"Vincere" (Marco Bellocchio).
"The White Ribbon" (Michael Haneke).
"Wild Grass" (Alain Resnais).

Un Certain Regard

"Adrift" (Heitor Dhalia).
"Air Doll" (Hirokazu Kore-eda).
"Dogtooth" (Yorgos Lanthimos).
"Eyes Wide Open" (Haim Tabakman).
"Father of My Children" (Mia Hansen-Løve).
"Independencia" (Raya Martin).
"Irène" (Alain Cavalier).
"Mother" (Bong Joon-ho).
"No One Knows About the Persion Cats" (Bahman Ghobadi).
"Nymph" (Pen-Ek Ratanaruang).
"Police, Adjective" (Corneliu Proumboiu).
"Precious" (Lee Daniels).
"The Silent Army" (Jean van de Velde).
"Tale in the Darkness" (Nikolay Khomeriki).
"Tales From the Golden Age" (Hanno Höfer, Razvan Marculescu, Cristian Mungiu, Constantin Popescu and Ioana Uricaru).
"To Die Like a Man" (João Pedro Rodrigues).
"Tomorrow at Dawn" (Denis Dercourt).
"Tzar" (Pavel Lounguine).
"The Wind Journeys" (Ciro Guerra).

Out of Competition

"Agora" (Alejandro Amenabar).
"The Army of Crime" (Robert Guédiguian).
"Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky" (Jan Kounen).
"Don't Look Back" (Marina de Van).
"Drag Me to Hell" (Sam Raimi).
"The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" (Terry Gilliam).
"A Town Called Panic" (Stéphane Aubier and Vincent Patar).
"Up" (Peter Docter).

Special Screenings

"Ashes and Blood" (Fanny Ardant).
"A Brand New Life" (Ounie Lecomte).
"Jaffa" (Keren Yedaya).
"Manila" (Adolfo Alix and Raya Martin).
"My Neighbor, My Killer" (Anne Aghion).
"Petition" (Zhao Liang).
"Tell Me Who You Are" (Souleymane Cissé).
"The Thorn in the Heart" (Michel Gondry).

2008 Wrap-Up

2009-06-20T14:40:00.000-07:00

My coverage of TIFF '08 can be found on other sites:

Have Fun, Everyone!

2008-09-03T20:00:00.000-07:00

It's 11 o'clock, my suitcase is packed, my passport and ticket voucher are safely tucked into my carry-on, and I'm listening to the last few minutes of Rob's and J. Robert's summer movie wrap-up podcast before heading to bed for five or six hours of fitful sleep.

Safe travels, everyone, and enjoy the fest.

Picking Up Your Tickets

2008-09-02T07:01:00.000-07:00

Toronto locals have already begun picking up their ticket orders (here are first-hand accounts from TIFF Talk and Movie Moxie). For those of us coming to town later in the week, the main thing to note is the change in location. Instead of heading to the bowels of College Park, we'll all need to go to:

Festival Box Office at Toronto Life Square
10 Dundas Street East, third floor
[ Google Map ]

Would any local be willing to post specific directions to the office in the comments? Is it at all hard to find?

While We're Waiting

2008-08-30T13:17:00.000-07:00

BlogTO has posted a podcast featuring Toronto critics Matthew Brown and Matthew Price. They spend most of the first nine minutes railing against TIFF for their decision to cut pass holders out of screenings at the Elgin. In other words, they'd fit in just fine here at 1st Thursday. They're veterans of the fest, devoted cinephiles, and a lot of fun to listen to.

The Lottery

2008-08-29T07:29:00.000-07:00

I can't type the words "The Lottery" without thinking of the time I asked my English as a Second Language students to read the famous Shirley Jackson story. When I showed up for class the next week, a woman from Argentina was sitting directly across the table from me, giving me what I can only describe as "the evil eye."

"Why did you make us read this?"

And it suddenly occurred to me just how odd it is that American school children are often taught that story in middle school.

But anyway, hopefully nothing so unexpected will greet us at the end of today's lottery. Anyone hear a final number on the boxes? Post updates here.

Making Schedules, Ordering Tickets

2008-08-27T05:28:00.000-07:00

Richard at TIFF Talk has updated his invaluable "How the Heck do I Fill Out the Order Form" post. Thanks, Richard.

I've compiled a long list of films I want to see but haven't yet begun studying the schedule. That's the one part of the process that I really enjoy doing with pen and paper and with the printed schedule in front of me. I've heard from several people who are incredibly disappointed by the new Visa Screening Room policy. A good number of high profile films simply aren't available to festival goers who purchased a ticket package -- not without steep additional cost, at least. Any other scheduling frustrations?

And the more important question: Has anyone received their Out-of-Town Package yet?

Why They Added the AMC . . .

2008-08-26T09:21:00.000-07:00

Three public screenings for each film?

Christmas Eve

2008-08-25T10:39:00.001-07:00

I just received an email from TIFF, confirming that my Out-of-Town Package ~~is on the way~~ will be shipped tomorrow. Only ~~a few more hours~~ a little more than a day until Christmas morning, when FedEx will show up at my office, program book in hand. Let the obsessive package-tracking begin.

Over lunch today I finished working through the film list and have done just about all of the research I can do before the full descriptions go live. Here are a few smaller films that have caught my eye.

Teza - Haile Gerima, Germany/Ethiopia/France
Shakespeare and Victor Hugo's Intimacies - Yulene Olaizola, Mexico
Hooked - Adrian Sitaru, Romania/France
Winds of September - Tom Shu-Yu Lin, Taiwan
Sea Point Days - François Verster, South Africa

With a lineup like TIFF's you have to take some chances. Any other suggestions for potential hidden gems?

Fran's

2008-08-22T09:47:00.000-07:00

Fran's Restaurant has its own Wikipedia entry. A "Toronto Tradition" (their words, not mine) for nearly 70 years, Fran's is a classic, 24-hour diner that serves up massive plates of diner food: burgers, fries, omelettes, waffles, soup, chili, sandwiches, and every variety of fried food. And booze.

Best of all, the College Street location is right in the heart of downtown -- just north of College Park (directly across the street, in fact) and only a block or two from several popular hotels, including the Days Inn and Delta Chelsea. I've eaten at least once at Fran's every time I've been to Toronto. It's a great place to drink coffee and read the paper on a lazy morning, and a perfect spot to talk film late into the night.

One tip: If you go for breakfast, get the home fries. You won't need to eat for the rest of the day.

Updated Map

2008-08-21T11:30:00.000-07:00

Here's an updated version of the map that Larry McClelland and I put together for TIFF '07. (Click to see a hi-rez version.) I've added the AMC 24 and removed the ROM. The dining suggestions are all courtesy of Larry.

A word of advice to first-timers: Unless they've dramatically overhauled their materials, the map you'll receive from TIFF sucks. You'll save yourself time and frustration by printing out a copy of this map or the one at TIFF Talk.

Rather than create a new post, I've just updated last year's, which explains why there are year-old comments below.

Online Ticketing System

2008-08-20T08:16:00.001-07:00

I recall one or two readers mentioning that they'd tried out the Online Ticketing Tool last year and had had good experiences with it. I received an email from TIFF yesterday notifying me that I'd been selected for this "pilot program," so I have two questions:

First, did anyone else receive this email? I don't remember expressing an interest in participating in online ticketing, so I'm curious to know why I was selected and if others were as well.

Second, any advice or words of warning from veterans of online ticketing? I have until tomorrow to decide whether or not I want to participate.

Final Film List (2008)

2008-08-19T05:26:00.000-07:00

So here it is: The Full List.

For me, the biggest news is that Agnes Varda and Terrence Davies will be participating in Dialogues. Varda, who will be accompanying her latest project to Toronto, will also discuss her first very first film, La Pointe courte (1956). Davies, who also has a new film at the fest, will be talking about the trilogy of films he made in 1984, Children, Madonna and Child, and Transfiguration.

I'm also happy to see Olivier Assayas, Kelly Reichardt, Samira Makhmalbaf, and Ryan Fleck and Anne Boden among the last additions to the Contemporary World Cinema lineup.

Biggest disappointments? No Hong Sang-soo or Ross McElwee. I'm also kind of surprised The Road didn't make it.

Canada First! -- A new film by Lyne Charlebois
Contemporary World Cinema -- 25 titles added, including new films by Assayas, Reichardt, Fleck/Boden, and Samira Makhmalbaf.
Dialogues -- With Agnes Varda, Terrence Davies, Joan Dupont, and Deepa Mehta
Gala Presentations -- The Coen Brothers are coming
Masters -- New films by Paul Schrader and Werner Schroeter
Mavericks -- Featuring Kathryn Bigelow, Howard Zinn, Julian Schnabel, and Chuck Close
Real to Reel -- Three more titles added
Special Presentations -- Two new titles, including another omnibus film, this one about New York

Coming Attractions

2008-08-18T09:56:00.000-07:00

A couple important dates to remember:

August 19

The complete film list, along with the Gala and Visa Screening Room schedules, will be available by 3pm.

August 23

Premium tickets (Galas at Roy Thomson Hall, Visa Screening Room presentations at the Elgin Theatre) available as of 10:00am by Visa, debit and cash.

August 26

Festival Box Office at Toronto Life Square opens.
Complete schedule available online at 10:00am.
Advance Order Book, Programme Book, and Official Film Schedule can be picked up in person.

August 27

Out-of-Town Packages will arrive by 10:30 am (assuming FedEx gets it there in time and we don't see a repeat of the frustrating customs problem of the last two years).

August 28

Out-of-Town Package orders must be picked up by 5:00 pm in order to guarantee arrival in Toronto by 1 pm the next day.

August 29

Deadline to drop off completed Advance Order Book for participation in the draw. Orders will be accepted at the Festival Box Office at Toronto Life Square only.
The ticket draw will begin some time after 1pm.

August 29/30

Advance Orders will be confirmed. We'll all know what we're seeing.

September 1

Pick up your complete Advance Orders. They will be available at the Festival Box Office at Toronto Life Square.

September 3

All tickets onsale as of 7:00am.
Festival Box Office at Roy Thomson Hall opens at 7:00am.

My plan is to edit (wherever necessary) and republish several of the posts from last year -- for example, travel information, theater overviews, the festival map, and ticket-ordering tips. If you have any questions or requests, please feel free to post them in the comments.

Remainder of Discovery Lineup Announced

2008-08-14T12:12:00.000-07:00

No official release on the TIFF site yet, but Variety is announcing 19 additions to the Discovery program.

EDIT: The Discovery press release is up, as is news of additions to Vanguard and Visions.

It's Official: I'm Ready to Go to Toronto

2008-08-13T18:26:00.000-07:00

When the alarm went off on Monday morning, I woke up feeling incredibly anxious. I'd been dreaming it was the last day of TIFF and that I had somehow managed to see only six films. Time had slipped by. I'd been busy. I just hadn't gotten around to watching that many movies. It was, I guess, the cinephile's version of the final exam dream -- the one in which you've skipped every lecture and now must ace a test in order to graduate. Joanna pointed at me and laughed when I described my dream as a nightmare.

I assume the dream was a reflection of growing levels of anxiety in my life, generally. Last Thursday we signed a contract on a new house and now have to figure out how to sell this one. I'm hoping to make a job change in the coming weeks. There are other things -- big, life-changing things -- in the works. And so, despite running this site, I'd more or less forgotten about TIFF (and films and hobbies and free time and, too often, sleep) for a couple weeks.

But I'm now ready to go to Toronto. Because today new films by two of my favorite living directors were officially announced (along with 19 other Special Presentations and 1 Closing Night Gala): Claire Denis's 35 Rhums and Richard Linklater's Me and Orson Welles.

Only three more weeks. Anyone getting excited? Any films in particular you're looking forward to?

Spanish language and Asian films added

2008-08-06T16:16:00.000-07:00

Two more press releases today, announcing new additions to Contemporary World Cinema, Galas, Masters, Real to Reel, Special Presentations, Vanguard, and Visions. (Click "Films" to see the complete list of announced films.)

New films by Takeshi Kitano and Hirokazu Kore-eda will be welcomed news for a lot of people, but I'm most excited to see confirmation of Albert Serra's Birdsong.

Covering TIFF

2008-07-31T06:14:00.000-07:00

Tuesday night I received official word that I'll have full press credentials for TIFF this year, which will be a first for me. The confirmation email mentioned where and when to pick up the pass (Sutton Place Hotel, beginning on 9/3) but didn't offer any insights into how the process works. I'm planning to attend public screenings, for the most part, but I'll balance out my schedule with press screenings, and I'm hoping to pick up a few interviews along the way.

I've already picked up some tips from friends, but I'm looking for more advice from press veterans:

When is the schedule of press screenings typically announced?
How much time should I allow between press screenings? Are there lines?
How do I schedule interviews? I've already exchanged emails with the press representative for the Wavelengths program. Can I assume the other programs have similar people whose job it is to coordinate interviews?
Any TIFF-specific interviewing advice? How early should I arrive? Can I expect them to be on schedule? How much time am I likely to get with a filmmaker? I assume this varies according to the level of buzz/celebrity?
Any favorite stories from past TIFFs?
Other advice?

26 Documentaries Added

2008-07-29T12:30:00.000-07:00

The latest TIFF press release announces the addition of 26 more documentaries, including the latest film from Agnes Varda. See: Mavericks, Special Presentations, Masters, and Real to Reel.

Venice Lineup (2008)

2008-07-29T07:17:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure how this works exactly, but I assume Venice gets to announce these titles before TIFF. Presumably, many of these films will be announced in the coming days as North American premieres for Toronto. Anyone care to speculate on the "2 surprise films" that will play in the Orizzonti?

New films by Denis (and not White Material, as I'd expected), Aronofsky, Kitano, Jia (a new short), Kiarostami (the Binoche film), de Oliviera, Varda, McElwee, and several other big names.

In Competition

Darren Aronofsky The Wrestler – USA
Guillermo Arriaga The Burning Plain – USA
Pupi Avati Il papà di Giovanna – Italy
Marco Bechis BirdWatchers – Italy
Patrick Mario Bernard, Pierre Trividic L’Autre – France
Kathryn Bigelow Hurt Locker – USA
Pappi Corsicato Il seme della discordia – Italy
Jonathan Demme Rachel Getting Married – USA
Haile Gerima Teza – Ethiopia / Germany / France
Aleksey German Jr. Bumažnyj soldat (Paper Soldier) – Russia
Semih Kaplanoglu Süt – Turkey / France / Germany
Takeshi Kitano Akires to kame (Achilles and the Tortoise) – Japan
Hayao Miyazaki Gake no ue no Ponyo (Ponyo on Cliff by the Sea) – Japan
Amir Naderi Vegas: Based on a True Story – USA
Mamoru Oshii The Sky Crawlers – Japan
Ferzan Özpetek Un giorno perfetto – Italy
Christian Petzold Jerichow – Germany
Barbet Schroeder Inju, la Bête dans l’ombre – France
Werner Schroeter Nuit de chien – France / Germany / Portugal
Tariq Teguia Gabbla (Inland) – Algeria / France
YU Lik-wai Dangkou (Plastic City) – Brazil / China / Hong Kong/China / Japan

Out of Competition

Paolo Benvenuti Puccini e la fanciulla – Italy
Adriano Celentano Yuppi Du – Italy
Joel Coen, Ethan Coen Burn After Reading – USA
Claire Denis 35 Rhums – France / Spain
JIA Zhangke Heshang aiqing (Cry me a river) (short film) – China / Spain / France
Abbas Kiarostami Shirin – Iran
Domenico Modugno Tutto è musica (1963) – Italy
Mario Monicelli Vicino al Colosseo… c’è Monti (short film) – Italy
Manoel de Oliveira Do Visível ao Invisível (short film) – Brazil / Portugal
Tito Schipa Jr. Orfeo 9 (1973) – Italy
Agnés Varda Les Plages d’Agnès – France
Fabrice Du Welz Vinyan – France / UK / Belgium
José Mojica Marins Encarnação do demonio – Brazil
Piero Tellini Nel blu dipinto di blu (Volare) (1959) – Italy

Orizzonti (a section aiming to provide an overview of new trends in cinema)

Ramin Bahrani Goodbye Solo – USA
Julio Bressane, Rosa Dias A Erva do Rato – Brazil
Arnaud des Pallières Parc – France
Lav Diaz Melancholia – Philippines
Philippe Grandrieux Un lac – France
Mikhail Kalatozishvili Dikoe Pole (Wild Field) – Russia
Mirko Locatelli Il primo giorno d’inverno – Italy
Gerardo Naranjo Voy a explotar – Mexico
Francis Xavier Pasion Jay – Philippines
Marco Pontecorvo Pa-ra-da – Italy / France / Romania
Tariq Tapa Zero Bridge – India / USA
Jean-Pierre Duret, Andréa Santana Puisque nous sommes nés - France / Brazil
HUANG Wenhai Women - China / Switzerland
Ross McElwee In Paraguay – USA
Avi Mograbi Z32 – Israel / France
Gianfranco Rosi Below Sea Level – Italy / USA
Eugenio Polgovsky Los Herederos – Mexico
Andreï Schtakleff, Jonathan Le Fourn L’Exil et le royaume – France
2 Surprise Films

Trailers: Gala Presentations (2008)

2008-07-25T13:38:00.000-07:00

The Duchess Saul Dibb

Empty Nest Daniel Burman

The Good, The Bad, The Weird Kim Jee-woon

Passchendaele Paul Gross

Rachel Getting Married Jonathan Demme

Secret Life of Bees Gina Prince-Bythewood

Trailers: Midnight Madness (2008

2008-07-25T08:36:00.000-07:00

Chocolate Prachya Pinkaew

Detroit Metal City Toshio Lee

Eden Log Franck Vestiel

JCVD Mabrouk El Mechri

Martyrs Pascal Laugier

Not Quite Hollywood Mark Hartley

Sexykiller Miguel Martí

Midnight Madness and Wavelengths

2008-07-23T09:33:00.001-07:00

No official press release yet, but the lineups for Midnight Madness and Wavelengths have been announced.

The AMC

2008-07-21T13:45:00.000-07:00

Updated for 2010

The AMC 24 at the corner of Yonge and Dundas opened in April 2008 and made its premiere as a TIFF venue in September of that year. According to the original TIFF press release, "The AMC Yonge & Dundas will provide almost one third of TIFF’s 34 screens, and offers state-of-the-art digital facilities." The theater is very conveniently located; the Dundas subway station drops you off in the basement of the building.

During its first two years, I've been pretty pleased with the AMC (although, when given the choice, I still prefer the Scotiabank/Paramount). The theaters vary considerably in size, from relatively small to massive auditoriums, but all have stadium seating, good sound and projection, and excellent sight lines (as in all stadium theaters, sitting in the front rows isn't much fun). I've never taken the time to note which particular theaters are large or small, so I'm afraid I don't have any advice in that regard for scheduling.

My favorite thing about the AMC is the food court that's located one floor beneath it. It's especially convenient on four- or five-film days, when free time is at a premium. I can't find a full list of restaurants online but as of last year it had a decent mix of fast-food staples (Subway) and international food stands.

My main complaint about the AMC? Is it just me or does it always feel just a little too warm and humid in there?

Subway Stop: Dundas
Rush & Ticket-Holder Lines: Both lines usually form outside on the sidewalks. Ticket-holder lines are then moved up the escalators and into the AMC lobby as the screening time approaches.

[ View Larger Map ]

Trailers: Discovery (2008)

2008-07-21T13:19:00.000-07:00

Hunger Steve McQueen

Medicine for Melancholy Barry Jenkins

The Paranoids Gabriel Medina

Tony Manero Pablo Larraín

Trailers: Contemporary World Cinema (2008)

2008-07-21T10:24:00.000-07:00

Acne Federico Veiroj

The Country Teacher Bohdan Sláma

Delta Kornél Mundruczó

Un Été sans point ni coup sûr Francis Leclerc

El Greco Iannis Smaragdis

Linha de Passe Walter Salles and Daniela Thomas

Lion’s Den Pablo Trapero

O’Horten Bent Hamer

White Night Wedding Baltasar Kormakur

Trailers: Special Presentations (2008)

2008-07-18T13:26:00.000-07:00

Adoration Atom Egoyan

Ashes of Time Redux Wong Kar-wai

Blindness Fernando Meirelles

C'est pas moi, je le jure Philippe Falardeau

Un conte de Noël Arnaud Desplechin

Il Divo Paolo Sorrentino

La Fille de Monaco Anne Fontaine

Gomorrah Matteo Garrone

Happy-Go-Lucky Mike Leigh

Il y a longtemps que je t'aime Philippe Claudel

Miracle at St. Anna Spike Lee

Religulous Larry Charles

RocknRolla Guy Ritchie

Waltz with Bashir Ari Folman

Trailers: Visions (2008)

2008-07-18T13:20:00.000-07:00

Service Brillante Mendoza

Seven Weeks and Counting

2008-07-17T10:53:00.000-07:00

During my lunch hour today I printed out the list of films that have already been announced, grabbed the latest issue of Film Comment, and spent some time looking more closely at the Cannes films. I'd convinced myself that most of the big titles were already confirmed for Toronto, but several are still missing, chief among them:

Lucretia Martel's The Headless Woman
Philippe Garrel's Frontier of Dawn
Steven Soderbergh's 4-hour cut of Che
Kelly Reichardt's Wendy and Lisa

New films by Ferrara, Depardon, and Straub are also conspicuously absent. And after reading descriptions of Clint Eastwood's The Changeling, I'm kind of curious to see it too. I've been on a bit of a "classic Hollywood melodrama" kick lately. For fans of American indies, there's also Charlie Kaufman's Synecdoche, New York, which, amazingly, still lacks American distribution.

Reading through Film Comment, I was struck by a few areas of consensus -- that Ceylan's Three Monkeys was a disappointment, that the Cantet film only seems like a reinvention of the "inspiring teacher" story if you haven't watched season 4 of The Wire, that the animated Israeli documentary, Waltz with Bashir, really is that good (it already has distribution from Sony Picture Classics, assuming SPC still exists two months from now). A few other films are now blipping more brightly on my radar: Sergey Dvortsevoy's Tulpan, Duane Hopkins's Better Things (not yet announced for TIFF), and Brillante Mendoza's Service (Mendoza's one of those director's I feel I need to check out).

Speculation? After the announcement today of new films by Jonathan Demme and Richard Eyre (Notes on a Scandal, 2006), I assume we'll soon see the flood of Hollywood prestige pictures and eventual Oscar winners. The Road is the only one I'm excited about, but the Coen brothers' Burn After Reading will probably show up, too (it opens in general release during the fest, so we can expect a premiere during the first weekend).

Among world filmmakers, my fingers are most tightly-crossed for Claire Denis's White Material, which stars Isaach de Bankole (!) and Isabelle Huppert (!!), and which, if the IMDb page is to be trusted, is scheduled to open in France on November 5. Another Denis film, 35 Rhums, is also in post-production and is tagged, generally, as a 2008 release, but I can't imagine she'd bring two films. Gavin Smith's favorite film at Cannes was Olivier Assayas's Summer Hours, which he saw in a "market screening" and which I didn't even know existed.

What else are we still missing?

New Additions to Gala Presentations and Special Presentations

2008-07-17T10:46:00.001-07:00

Only five titles added today, including a new film from Jonathan Demme and a Hollywood movie I might be tempted to see: Appaloosa, a western co-written and directed by Ed Harris.

Full Slate of Canadian Films Announced

2008-07-16T07:45:00.000-07:00

A whole slue of Canadian titles were announced yesterday, including a new film from Deepa Mehta and Blindness, the latest from Fernando Meirelles (City of God) with a script by Don McKellar. I'm kind of intrigued by the idea of Toronto Stories, an omnibus film featuring four stories shot in the city by Toronto filmmakers, including Sook-Yin Lee.

New Additions to Gala, Special Presentations, Masters, and Contemporary World Cinema

2008-07-15T09:27:00.000-07:00

I've just returned from a quick trip to the San Francisco Silent Film Festival, so I'm a bit late in posting the most recent batch of announcements (release 1, release 2). I've updated the individual entries to reflect the additions: Gala Presentations, Special Presentations, Masters, Contemporary World Cinema. And remember you can always click on the "Films" label to see the full, updated lineup.

As usual, the newest list of world premieres includes a number of filmmakers I've never heard of. I'm probably most excited to see a new film by Bhodan Slama, whose film Something Like Happiness was one of my most pleasant surprises at TIFF 2005. If you know anything about the films, please feel free to leave comments in the other posts.

1st Thursday: A Guide to TIFF

Canadian Films (2011)

City to City (2011)

Contemporary World Cinema (2011)

Discovery (2011)

Future Projections

Gala Presentations (2011)

Masters (2011)

Midnight Madness (2011)

Real to Reel (2011)

Special Presentations (2011)

TIFF Kids (2011)

Vanguard (2011)

Visions (2011)

Wavelengths (2011)

The 2011 TIFF Season Has Begun

City to City: Istanbul (201)

Contemporary World Cinema (2010)

Discovery (2010)

Future Projections (2010)

Gala Presentations (2010)

Masters (2010)

Mavericks (2010)

Midnight Madness (2010)

Real to Reel (2010)

Special Presentations (2010)

Sprockets (2010)

Vanguard (2010)

Visions (2010)

Wavelengths (2010)

Opening Night Film Announ . . . zzzzzzzzz

11 Days?

Buying Tickets & Coupons (Updated for 2010)

Cannes 2010

Competition

Un Certain Regard

Out of Competition

Midnight Screenings

Special Screenings

Cannes Classics

Directors' Fortnight

Critics' Week

Wrap-Ups and Commentary

A Creature of Habit

My Other New Favorite Trailer

My New Favorite Trailer

Thoughts on the final film list?

Dialogues, Mavericks, and a few more Docs

Additions to Galas and Special Presentations

City to City, Future Projections, and Dundas Events

New additions to Contemporary World Cinema and Visions

Canadian Films Announced

Six Weeks and Counting

10 More Films Announced

More Special Presentations Announced

Wavelengths, Midnight Madness, and Real-to-Reel Announced

$2.50 Charge for Ticket Exchanges

Galas and Special Presentations Announced

I shudder with anticipa . . .

First 26 films and new City to City Program

Canada First! (2009)

Canadian Open Vault (2009)

City to City (2009)

Contemporary World Cinema (2009)

Dialogues (2009)

Discovery (2009)

Gala Presentations (2009)

Masters (2009)

Mavericks (2009)

Midnight Madness (2009)

Real to Reel (2009)

Special Presentations (2009)

Sprockets (2009)

Vanguard (2009)

Visions (2009)

Wavelengths (2009)

A Silver Lining

That Time of Year Again

Cannes 2009

2008 Wrap-Up