The Toronto International Film Festival is launching a newprogramme, Vanguard, with four world premieres to back up the sidebar'sambition to showcase films that are "stylistically bold, structurally playfuland appeal to adventurous, risk-taking audiences."

The four world premieres are, from Australia, GeoffreyWright's contemporary adaptation of Macbeth;from France, Chacun Sa Nuit byPascal Arnold and Jean-Marc Barr, an erotically-charged murder mystery; JadeWarrior, a Finland-China-Estoniacoproduction by Antti-Jussi Annila, set in present-day Finland and ancientChina that combines action and romantic melodrama; and Bunny Chow, from South Africa's John Barker, a road movie aboutthree stand-up comedians en route to a music festival.

North American premieres in the programme are John CameronMitchell's Cannes hit Shortbus; Renaissance, a France/UK Luxembourg co-production directed byChristian Volckman; Election 1+2, atwo-part epic from Hong Kong filmmaker Johnnie To; Drama/Mex, from Gerardo Naranjo of Mexico, executive producedby Gael Garcia Bernal; 2:37, fromAustralia's Murali K. Thalluri, an exploration of teenage suicide; and alsofrom Australia, Suburban Mayhem,directed by Paul Goldman. Making its Canadian premiere is SleepingDogs Lie, by Bobcat Goldthwait, a comedyabout a young woman's beastly secret that premiered at Sundance under the titleStay.

"The Festival has felt the need for some time toestablish a programme for 'early adopters'", said TIFF co-director Noah Cowanin a statement, "people who delight in movies that push the envelopes oftechnology, culture, sexuality and cinema itself. These films are edgy,irreverent, definitely sexy, and have a palpable, youthful zing."