Toronto Film Festival announces Masters, Vanguard selections

The Toronto International Film Festival announced its selections for the 2014 Masters, Vanguard, Midnight Madness, and documentaries programs on Tuesday.

The festival, in its 39th year, kicks off Sept. 4 with David Dobkin’s The Judge, a drama starring Robert Downey, Jr. as a big-time lawyer who returns home to defend his father (Robert Duvall) in court. While The Judge is an American film, the movie selections unveiled hail from all over the world—Japan, New Zealand, and Spain are just a few of the countries represented—and involve a number of well-known actors and filmmakers.

The Face of an Angel, which stars Daniel Brühl, Kate Beckinsale, and Cara Delevingne, will make its world premiere at the Masters Program, and Jean-Luc Godard’s latest, Goodbye to Language 3D, will make its North American debut at the Masters Program. The Guest, starring Dan Stevens of Downton Abbey as a man who arrives on a grieving family’s doorstep claiming to be their dead son’s friend, will make its Canadian premiere in the Midnight Madness program, as part of a lineup which also boasts Kevin Smith’s upcoming horror film Tusk, starring Justin Long. Takashi Miike’s Over Your Dead Body will make its international debut in the Vanguard program.

The festival runs September 4-14.

MASTERS PROGRAM

The Masters program includes films by “the most inspiring, audacious, and original filmmakers working in cinema today.” Oscar-winning French drama Amour was included in the 2012 program.

1001 Grams

Bent Hamer, Norway/Germany/France

World Premiere

A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence (En duva satt på en gren och funderade på tillvaron)

Roy Andersson, Sweden/Norway/France/Germany

North American Premiere

The Face of an Angel

Michael Winterbottom, United Kingdom

World Premiere

The Golden Era (Huang jin shi dai)

Ann Hui, China/Hong Kong

North American Premiere

Goodbye to Language 3D (Adieu au langage 3D)

Jean-Luc Godard, France

North American Premiere

Hill of Freedom (Ja-yu-ui eon-deok)

Hong Sang-soo, South Korea

North American Premiere

Leviathan

Andrey Zvyagintsev, Russia

Canadian Premiere

Revivre (Hwajang)

Im Kwon-taek, South Korea

North American Premiere

Timbuktu

Abderrahmane Sissako, France/Mauritania/Mali

North American Premiere

MIDNIGHT MADNESS PROGRAM

The Midnight Madness program puts all of the strangest, scariest films in one place — as TIFF claims, the selections bring “thrills, chills, and all sorts of kills to Festival audiences once again.”

[REC] 4: Apocalypse

Jaume Balagueró, Spain

World Premiere

Big Game

Jalmari Heleander, Finland/United Kingdom/Germany

World Premiere

Cub

Jonas Govaerts, Belgium

World Premiere

The Guest

Adam Wingard, USA

Canadian Premiere

It Follows

David Robert Mitchell, USA

North American Premiere

Tokyo Tribe

Sion Sono, Japan

International Premiere

Tusk

Kevin Smith, USA

World Premiere

What We Do in the Shadows

Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement, New Zealand/USA

Canadian Premiere

VANGUARD PROGRAM

The Vanguard program presents “bold international films that walk the razor’s edge.”

Alleluia

Fabrice Du Welz, France/Belgium

North American Premiere

The Duke of Burgundy

Peter Strickland, United Kingdom

World Premiere

Goodnight Mommy (Ich seh, Ich seh)

Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala, Austria

North American Premiere

Hyena

Gerard Johnson, United Kingdom

International Premiere

Luna

Dave McKean, United Kingdom

World Premiere

Over Your Dead Body

Takashi Miike, Japan

International Premiere

Shrew’s Nest (Musarañas)

Juanfer Andrés and Esteban Roel, Spain

World Premiere

Spring

Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, USA

World Premiere

They Have Escaped

JP Valkeapää, Finland

North American Premiere

Waste Land

Pieter Van Hees, Belgium

World Premiere

The World of Kanako (Kawaki)

Tetsuya Nakashima, Japan

International Premiere

DOCUMENTARIES

The TIFF documentary selection features nonfiction films on topics ranging from concert pianists to war. The Oscar-nominated The Act of Killing was a 2012 documentary selection.

Beats Of The Antonov

Hajooj Kuka, Sudan/South Africa

World Premiere

I Am Here (Wo Jiu Shi Wo)

Lixin Fan, China

International Premiere

Iraqi Odyssey

Samir, Iraq/Switzerland/Germany/United Arab Emirates

World Premiere

Merchants Of Doubt

Robert Kenner, USA

Canadian Premiere