TIFF 2011: Craig Goodwill's PATCH TOWN To Premiere At TIFF, Tom Hodge Poster Premieres HERE!

Craig Goodwill's narrative short directorial debut, Patch Town, is officially scheduled to debut at this year's Toronto International Film Festival in the Short Cuts Canada section.  I've read the synopsis several times and I don't think I completely get it yet, but I will say that if it in any lives up to either the, "satirical comedy-meets-musical" vibe it's going for OR this amazingly awesome poster from The Dude Designs' Tom Hodge, I'm in! 

Patch Town stars Lisa Ray, the Toronto-born half-Bengali, half-Polish actress who has made her way from Indian regional cinema, to the cinema of the Indian diaspora, to English language indie fare.  The rest of the cast is local, with mostly stage backgrounds which should work well with the musical component.  I dunno, I'm kind of into this.  I haven't seen any footage yet, but rest assured, dear reader, when it's available, you'll see it here first! 

In the meantime, if you can distract yourself from the incredible poster (which you can click through in the gallery below for a closer look), check out the synopsis below:

Synopsis

This satirical comedy-meets-musical clashes the folklore of Soviet era oppression with the mindless, excessive consumerism of the 1980′s. Welcome to Patch Town.

The Story

Patch Town tells the story of an abandoned child whose adult dream is to be reunited with his long lost adoptive mother.

After years in a loving home, Jon was forgotten, abandoned and ultimately betrayed by his adoptive mother. He returns to live a sad life as a Patch Town Enterprise worker; a life of factory work and oppression in a place where hundreds of cabbage babies are born every day. The thankless task of shucking, picking, and processing these newborns to go out into the world has taken its toll on Jon. With each new birth, Jon slips deeper into sadness, lamenting the days when life was good and he was loved.

But Jon has a secret, and he soon finds himself in a life or death struggle with the Patch Town underworld lead by the notorious Child Catcher who stalks the factory and streets sniffing out those "rotten cabbage"  who don't abide by the company's rules.   Jon soon realizes that if he and his family are to survive, they need to flee. But, where is Jon to go?  With his family by his side, they escape to find the answers from a mother he has never forgotten.

Sounds a bit like City of Lost Children perhaps?  There is little to be gleaned of the film's style from the website yet, apart from some behind the scenes photos, but I like the Child Catcher I'm seeing in those images.  As TIFF nears, we expect to see more from Patch Town, and We'll share as it becomes available.