Toronto Film Festival unveils Discovery, Mavericks line-ups

The Discovery section includes the upcoming world premiere of Stories Of Our Lives, a portmanteau of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex testimonies by anonymous filmmakers from Kenya.

Selections include first-looks of Ross Katz’s US comedy Adult Beginners, Sarah Leonor’s French Legion drama The Great Man, Isidora Marras’ Chile-Argentinian psychothriller I Am Not Lorena and UK drama X + Y.

“Christopher Nolan, Steve McQueen, Lynne Ramsay and David Gordon Green all presented their first features in our Discovery section,” said TIFF artistic director Cameron Bailey. “It’s a great place to spot new talent first.”

Besides St. Vincent, Festival Additions includes concert film cum road movie Roger Waters The Wall, while the world premiere of Krzysztof Zanussi’s Foreign Body takes its place among the Masters strand.

TIFF Docs arrivals include North American premieres for Mami Sunada’s The Kingdom Of Dreams And Madness and Santiago Esteinou’s The Years Of Fierro.

“The international representation of TIFF Docs is exemplified by timely films such as [Tamara Erde’s] This Is My Land and National Diploma [by Dieudo Hamadi]. This young director is an extraordinary talent to watch,” said Thom Powers, the festival’s international documentary programmer, who also serves as Mavericks programmer and created the two-day Doc Conference.

The TIFF Kids programme showcases Tomm Moore’s The Secret Of Kells follow-up Song Of The Sea.

On-stage conversations in the Mavericks series present an opportunity to hear from Jon Stewart, Juliette Binoche, Reese Witherspoon, Denzel Washington and Antoine Fuqua, Richard Gere and Robert Duvall.

The inaugural Festival Street initiatives, set to unfold from September 4-7 across the stretch of King Street between University Avenue and Peter Street, include music, installations, food trucks and games.

In total 285 features will screen, of which 143 are world, 73 are North American and 34 are international premieres. By the end of the festival, 31,038 minutes of film will have screened, including shorts. The longest film in selection is From What Is Before, clocking in at 250 minutes.

Festival programmers sifted through 5,671 submissions, of which 4,557 were Canadian.

TIFF is set to run from September 4-14. For further information visit the official website.

WP = World premiere
NAP = North American premiere
IP = International premiere
CP = Canadian premiere

DISCOVERY

’71 (UK), Yann Demange, CP

Adult Beginners (USA), Ross Katz WP

Atlantic. (Netherlands-Belgium-Germany-Morocco), Jan-Willem van Ewijk WP

The Crow’s Egg (Kaakkaa Muttai) (India), M Manikandan WP

Dukhtar (Pakistan-USA-Norway), Afia Nathaniel WP

Flapping In The Middle Of Nowhere (Ðap Cánh Giua Không Trung) (Vietnam), Nguyen Hoang Diep NAP

The Great Man (Le Grand Homme) (France), Sarah Leonor WP

I Am Not Lorena (No Soy Lorena) (Chile-Argentina), Isidora Marras WP

The Intruder (Infiltrant) (Netherlands), Shariff Korver WP

La Salada (Argentina), Juan Martín Hsu WP

Life In A Fishbowl (Vonarstræti) (Iceland-Finland-Sweden-Czech Republic), Baldvin Zophoníasson IP

The Little Death (Australia), Josh Lawson IP

Los Hongos (Colombia-Argentina-France-Germany), Oscar Ruiz Navia NAP

Magical Girl (Spain), Carlos Vermut WP

Mardan (Kurdistan), Batin Ghobadi WP

May Allah Bless France! (Qu’Allah Bénisse La France!) (France), Abd Al Malik WP

The Narrow Frame Of Midnight (Itar El-Layl) (Morocco-UK-France), Tala Hadid WP

OBRA (Brazil), Gregorio Graziosi WP

Run (France-Ivory Coast), Philippe Lacôte, NAP

Second Coming (UK), Debbie Tucker Green WP

Senza Nessuna Pietà (Italy), Michele Alhaique IP

Stories Of Our Lives (Kenya), Anonymous WP

Sway (USA-France-Thailand), Rooth Tang WP

Theeb (Jordan-Qatar-UEA-UK), Naji Abu Nowar NAP

The Tribe (Plemya) (Ukraine), Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy NAP

UNLUCKY PLAZA (Singapore), Ken Kwek WP

The Vanished Elephant (El Elefante Desaparecido) (Peru-Colombia-Spain), Javier Fuentes-León WP

Villa Touma, Suha Arraf NAP

X +Y (UK), Morgan Matthews WP

Previously announced titles in the Discovery programme include: Adam MacDonald’s Backcountry, Jeffrey St Jules’ Bang Bang Baby, Jefferson Moneo’s Big Muddy, Mathieu Denis’ Corbo, Pat Mills’ Guidance, Albert Shin’s In Her Place, Kris Elgstrand’s Songs She Wrote About People She Knows, Kyle Thomas’ The Valley Below, Jordan Canning’s We Were Wolves and Lindsay MacKay’s Wet Bum.

MAVERICKS

There will be conversations with Denzel Washington and Antoine Fuqua, Juliette Binoche, Reese Witherspoon, Richard Gere, Robert Duvall and Jon Stewart

The 50 Year Argument (USA), Martin Scorsese, David Tedeschi CP

Do I Sound Gay? (USA), David Thorpe WP

A Midsummer Night’s Dream (USA), Julie Taymor IP

FESTIVAL ADDITIONS

SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS

Roger Waters The Wall (UK), Sean Evans and Roger Waters WP

The Sound And The Fury (USA), James Franco NAP

St. Vincent (USA), Theodore Melfi WP

MASTERS

Foreign Body (Obce Cialo) (Poland-Italy-Russia), Krzysztof Zanussi WP

Murder In Pacot (Meurtre à Pacot) (Haiti-France-Norway), Raoul Peck WP

The Tale Of The Princess Kaguya (Kaguya-Hime No Monogatari) (Japan), Isao Takahata NAP

Winter Sleep (Kis Uykusu) (Turkey-France-Germany), Nuri Bilge Ceylan NAP

TIFF DOCS

The Kingdom Of Dreams And Madness (Yume To Kyôki No Ohkoku) (Japan), Mami Sunada NAP

The Years Of Fierro (Los Años De Fierro) (Mexico), Santiago Esteinou NAP

VANGUARD

The Voices (USA-Germany), Marjane Satrapi CP

Contemporary World Cinema

Cut Bank (US), Matt Shakman IP

Tigers (India-France-UK), Danis Tanović WP

TIFF KIDS

Labyrinthus (Belgium), Douglas Boswell IP

Paper Planes (Australia), Robert Connolly IP

Secrets Of War (Oorlogsgeheimen) (Netherlands-Belgium-Luxembourg), Dennis Bots IP

Song Of The Sea (Ireland-Luxembourg-Belgium-France-Denmark), Tomm Moore WP

NEXT WAVE/ MANIFESTO INITIATIVES

TIFF NEXT WAVE COMMITTEE
The TIFF Next Wave committee of young film enthusiasts hand-picks festival films that will resonate with their peers, while the Manifesto organisation lends their expertise to identifying strong film representations of urban arts and culture.

Big Game (Finland-UK-Germany) Jalmari Helander – Midnight Madness WP

Girlhood (Bande De filles) (France), Céline Sciamma – Contemporary World Cinema NAP

Guidance (Canada), Pat Mills – Discovery WP

Laggies (USA), Lynn Shelton – Gala IP

Men, Women & Children (USA), Jason Reitman – Special Presentations WP

National Diploma (Examen d’Etat) (France-Congo), Dieudo Hamadi – TIFF Docs
NAP

Tokyo Fiancée (Belgium-Canada-France), Stefan Liberski – Contemporary World Cinema WP

Wet Bum (Canada), Lindsay MacKay – Discovery WP

What We Do In The Shadows (USA-New Zealand), Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement – Midnight Madness CP

X + Y (UK), Morgan Matthews – Discovery WP

MANIFESTO
Manifesto Community Projects is a non-profit organisation working to unite, inspire and empower diverse communities of young people through arts and culture. Returning for a second year, Manifesto helps audiences discover a diverse selection of films that epitomise the spirit and ingenuity of urban arts.

Beyond The Lights (USA), Gina Prince-Bythewood – Special Presentations WP

The Dark Horse (New Zealand), James Napier Robertson – Contemporary World Cinema IP

Eden (France), Mia Hansen-Løve – Special Presentations WP


Infinitely Polar Bear (USA), Maya Forbes – Special Presentations CP

May Allah Bless France! (Qu’Allah Bénisse La France!) (France), Abd Al Malik, France – Discovery WP

Run (France-Ivory Coast), Philippe Lacôte – Discovery NAP

Samba (France), Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano – Gala WP

Seymour: An Introduction (USA), Ethan Hawke – TIFF Docs IP

Top Five (USA), Chris Rock – Special Presentations WP

Whiplash (USA), Damien Chazelle – Special Presentations CP

TIFF FESTIVAL STREET PROGRAMMES

Hosted by etalk, Telefilm Canada is holding its first-ever live game show on Festival Street. This year’s TIFF Rising Stars will battle it out with well-known Canadian talent for bragging rights. The two teams will compete in games to put their knowledge of Canadian cinema to the test. Crowd participation is encouraged.

Black Flags
Marlo Yarlo, a Toronto-based artist who is interested in exploring the representation and function of the image, presents an installation of two sets of four flags with reflective accents that allude to the design of the Black Flag logo –a well-recognised symbol of punk subculture and DIY anarchistic aesthetic.

Toronto International Film Festival presents:
Festival Street’s Rdio Music Zone and the Steve and Rashmi Gupta Family Stage
From 6pm nightly on Festival Street, step into the Rdio Music Zone and check out a high-energy slate of bands on the Steve and Rashmi Gupta Family Stage. Nearby is Grolsch Open House, a lounge hosted by TIFF official beer sponsor.

Performers include: Absolutely Free; Adrian X; DJ Misty; Elaquent; Jason Collett; John Kong; Maylee Todd; and Rich Aucoin.

Performers co-presented by Festival Music House include: BADBADNOTGOOD; Bobby Bazini; Diana; Eon The Soul Proprietor; and Reuben And The Dark.

Snakes & Lattes Presents: The Board Game Concierge
A range of board games by the Peter Street entrance.

Festival Collectibles
Hidden along the street are a slew of Festival Collectibles curated or created by notable filmmakers Don McKellar, Guy Maddin, Andrea Dorfman, Ingrid Veninger, and Josh Solondz.

Re-Sounding the Films of Norman McLaren with Absolutely Free
Co-Presented by the National Film Board Of Canada
In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Norman McLaren, founder of the National Film Board Of Canada animation studio and one of Canada’s most legendary artists, Festival Street and the National Film Board Of Canada present an outdoor screening of his short films with original scores written and performed live by Toronto group, Absolutely Free.

Rearview Mirror
Filmmakers-animators-artists Seth Scriver and Shayne Ehman have taken a character from last year’s Best Canadian First Feature Film Asphalt Watches and super-sized it at TIFF Bell Lightbox

HAL9000 Photo Booth
TIFF has partnered with Toronto-based creative agency Young Offenders’ Fezz Stenton and Adam Belanger to create a larger-than-life interactive Photo Booth version of HAL9000 from Stanley Kubrick’s sci-fi classic 2001: A Space Odyssey, in anticipation of TIFF’s fall Stanley Kubrick Exhibition, opening October 31 at TIFF Bell Lightbox. Find HAL9000 on John St and have a chat with him, get him to snap your photo, enter to win tickets to upcoming events, and look out for Kubrick’s most iconic characters roaming Festival Street.

Shed Plays
Co-presented by the Toronto Fringe
An annual favourite at the raucous Fringe Club patio at the Toronto Fringe, Shed Plays offer movie-themed micro-plays performed by vanguard indie theatre artists, mischievous clowns and divine divas, deceased authors, and award-winning comedians, all inside a shed.

Film Festival Therapy
Share feelings with Film Festival therapist Amanda Burt and receive expert care, film festival guidance and a prescription for happiness.

Check Mates
Play chess on a large board.

Festival Street Piano
In between scheduled performances, play on a public piano, imaginatively painted by local artist Jonathan Petersen.

Light Tunnel
Enter Festival Street from University Ave and take a walk through a soothing red carpet. Light Tunnel is a light and sound art installation by Nathan Whitford of Urban Visuals, consisting of custom LED fixtures with over 3,200 LEDs. The lights are programmed to a multi-channel soundscape composed by John Kameel Farah, and dedicated to the memory of Nadia Farah.

Festival Seating
Festival Seating areas offer a venue to do business, catch up with old friends, play a game, listen to a street-side concert or grab a snack.

Popup Performances

Dancing Phil
Phil Villeneuve danced his way onto The Ellen DeGeneres Show and will be on Festival Street.

Fresh Kils
Sound Battle Royale Champion, Juno-nominated producer and engineer and MPC maestro Fresh Kils will create hip-hop and underground beats.

Mammalian Diving Reflex – Socialist Games
Created by research-art atelier Mammalian Diving Reflex, Socialist Games calls on strangers to play with strangers in summer-camp style activities

déVAH
déVah invents a rich texture of sound using various non-acoustic modifying tools creating different tones and dimensions to music, continuously evolving and recreating itself with hopes of innovating the quartet world through electric string creativity.

Bob Wiseman
Juno award-winner and CBC Lifetime Achievement award-winning composer and songwriter.

The Di Palmas
Country & Western originals and covers on non-C&W tunes in C&W style.

Marker Starling
AKA Chris Cummings on the piano with his Rhythm Ace.

Bryan Holt + Lisa Tahara
Classically trained cellist Bryan Holt and pianist Lisa Tahara

HARKthegirl
AKA songwriter Marnie Herald

Mustafa the Poet & FrancisGotHeat
Young poet Mustafa is joined by multi-instrumentalist FrancisGotHeat

Sponsor & Partner Activations

Grolsch Open House

Bell Local Calls

McCafé Sampling Vehicle

Express Pop-Up Closet

Airbnb Backyard

Restaurant Row Patio Extensions

City Of Toronto INFOTOGO Visitor Information Centre.