The Toronto International Film Festival today unveiled its first 2009 selections, the North American debuts of international titles from the Cannes, Berlin and other festivals. The complete list is on the jump. Toronto also announced a new “City to City” program that will focus on movies “from and about a selected city.” 10 titles centering on Tel Aviv will be announced later.
THE TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL BRINGS HOME THE BEST OF THE FESTIVAL CIRCUIT
Toronto – The Toronto International Film Festival announces 26 international selections to screen this September. Programmers have brought back some of the finest titles from Cannes, Berlin and beyond, to screen as part of the 34th edition of the Festival running September 10-19, 2009. The official website for the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival, tiff.net/thefestival, will go live on Tuesday, June 23, 2009. Ticket packages for the Festival will be available for purchase by Visa†cardholders as of 10 a.m. on Monday, July 6, and by cash, debit or Visa as of 10 a.m. on Monday, July 13. Purchase online at tiff.net/thefestival, by phone at 416-968-FILM or 1-877-968-FILM (Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., closed weekends and holidays) or in person at the Festival Box Office at Nathan Phillips Square (100 Queen Street West, located in the white tent on the west side of the square). Box Office hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week.
Masters
Eccentricities of a Blonde-Haired Girl Manoel de Oliveira, France/Portugal/Spain
North American Premiere
Famed filmmaker Oliveira, who celebrates his 101st birthday this year, tells the tale of Macario’s obsession with the enticing blond he spies from his window. Little does he know that she will end up stealing much more than his heart.
Les Herbes Folles Alain Resnais, France
North American Premiere
From modernist master Alain Resnais comes a romantic adventure based around the simple act of losing a wallet.
Air Doll Hirokazu Kore-eda, Japan
North American Premiere
This compelling tale of a blow-up doll that becomes a real person and abandons her status of mere sex object comes to life with the superb performance of Korean actress Bae Doo-na.
Visions
Face Tsai Ming-liang, France/Taiwan/The Netherlands/Belgium
North American Premiere
A tableau vivant adorned with Tsai Ming-Liang’s signature aesthetic portrays a special homage to the Nouvelle Vague and the Louvre, which co-produced the film and hosted its shooting.
Independencia Raya Martin, France
North American Premiere
Mimicking early silent films, Independencia creates a lush metaphor that plays with cinematic illusions and the cultural and mythical history of the Philippines.
Irène Alain Cavalier, France
North American Premiere
Filmmaker Alain Cavalier turns his personal grief of becoming a widower into a first-person subjective documentary that focuses on his diary entries.
Karaoke Chris Chong Chan Fui, Malaysia
North American Premiere
Poetic, observant and allegorical, Karaoke juxtaposes a young man’s idealism with the reality of a changing Malaysia through karaoke videos.
Nymph Pen-Ek Ratanaruang,Thailand
North American Premiere
A haunting supernatural love affair set in a mysterious forest between a nymph and a couple who have drifted apart.
To Die Like a Man João Pedro Rodrigues, Portugal/France
North American Premiere
In order to forgive and be forgiven for the slights endured over a long life as a transsexual club performer, Tonia devolves her body back into a male form and seeks reconciliation with her estranged son.
Vanguard
Fish Tank Andrea Arnold, United Kingdom
North American Premiere
Andrea Arnold’s assured follow-up to Red Road is a taboo-breaking love story about a violent teenaged girl transformed by desire for her mother’s new boyfriend.
Discovery
Gigante Adrian Biniez, Uruguay/Germany/Argentina/The Netherlands
North American Premiere
Security guard Jara falls in love as he supervises staff through the closed-circuit cameras at a supermarket. First voyeur, then guardian angel, he protects and pursues the cleaning woman who has unknowingly captured his heart.
The Happiest Girl in the World Radu Jude, Romania/The Netherlands
North American Premiere
Family conflict produces comedy in this story of a young girl who wins a car in a lottery and her scheming parents who insist on selling it.
Kelin Ermek Tursunov, Kazakhstan
North American Premiere
A love story among the ragged steppes of ancient Kazakhstan is told in beautiful and poetic images, as a young love struggles to survive in the face of uncontrollable external factors.
La Pivellina Tizza Covi and Rainer Frimmel, Austria/Italy
North American Premiere
A small abandoned girl is sheltered by a circus woman in this tale of courage, loss and togetherness.
Samson and Delilah Warwick Thornton, Australia
North American Premiere
Teenagers Samson and Delilah live in an isolated Aboriginal community in the Central Australian desert. Their outsider status draws them closer together and they come to depend on each other when tragedy strikes.
Should I Really Do It Ismail Necmi, Turkey
North American Premiere
The concepts of real life and fiction, documentary and drama, are explored in this real-life feature which follows the unbelievable life of Petra, a German woman living in Turkey.
Contemporary World Cinema
Eyes Wide Open Haim Tabakman, Israel
North American Premiere
A gay love story set in the heart of an ultra-Orthodox Jewish community in Jerusalem, where the belief that love conquers all results in societal pressures and threats of violence.
Huacho Alejandro Fernandez Almendras, Chile
North American Premiere
A warm family saga which follows 24 hours in the life of a poverty-stricken provincial family in central Chile.
Like You Know It All Hong Sang-soo, Republic of Korea
North American Premiere
Delightfully comic exploration of the emotional and social geography of an art-house film, directed by Korean auteur Hong Sang-soo.
Lourdes Jessica Hausner, Austria/France/Germany
North American Premiere
In order to escape her isolation, wheelchair-bound Christine makes a life-changing journey to Lourdes, the iconic site of pilgrimage in the Pyrenees Mountains.
Men on the Bridge Asli Özge, Germany/Turkey/The Netherlands
North American Premiere
The stories of six men working on an Istanbul bridge are told by the original characters, in this mosaic depicting real persons exposing their lives and aspirations.
My Year Without Sex Sarah Watt, Australia
North American Premiere
A tender story from Australia highlights the realistic ups and downs of a family in the year following a parent’s emergency medical procedure.
Police, Adjective Corneliu Porumboiu, Romania
North American Premiere
A witty portrait of life in the small town of Vaslui, the sophisticated Police, Adjective builds on the promise of Porumboiu’s debut 12:08, East of Bucharest.
The Time that Remains Elia Suleiman, France/Belgium/Italy
North American Premiere
This semi-biographic film, divided into four historical episodes, portrays the daily life of Palestinians in 1948 who were considered a minority, even in their homeland.
The Wind Journeys Ciro Guerra, Colombia
North American Premiere
Ignacio, a former traveling musician, makes one final trip across the country following his wife’s death. He is joined by a teenaged fan, and together they explore the possibilities that life has in store for them.
The Masters programme is made possible through the generous sponsorship of BMO Nesbitt Burns.
The Contemporary World Cinema programme is made possible through the generous sponsorship of Sun Life Financial.