TIFF10 Galas and Special Presentations
No signs of Terrence Malick yet, but fingers crossed!
Full Press Release from TIFF:
"On the occasion of our 35th anniversary, we are thrilled to announce this selection of important and notable films," says Piers Handling, Director and CEO of TIFF. "The richness and diversity of this year's Galas and Special Presentations programmes reflect the abundance of exciting works from established and emerging filmmakers in the world of cinema."
"We are honoured that filmmakers choose our Festival to premiere their films to the world," says Cameron Bailey, Co-Director of the Toronto International Film Festival. "We look forward to introducing these films to Toronto audiences - the most informed and enthusiastic filmgoers in the world."
The Festival's Galas and Special Presentations programmes will feature premieres of films from countries around the world including Chad, Denmark, France, Hong Kong, India, South Korea, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
Galas
The Bang Bang Club Steven Silver, Canada/South Africa
World Premiere
The Bang Bang Club was the name given to four young photographers, Greg
Marinovich, Kevin Carter, Ken Oosterbroek and Joao Silva, whose
photographs captured the final bloody days of white rule in South Africa
and the final demise of apartheid. The film tells the remarkable and
sometimes harrowing story of these young men - and
the extraordinary extremes they went to in order to capture their
pictures. The film stars Ryan Phillippe, Malin Akerman, Taylor Kitsch,
Neels Van Jaarsveld and Frank Rautenbach.
Barney's Version Richard J. Lewis, Canada/Italy
North American Premiere
From producer Robert Lantos, Barney's Version
is a film based on Mordecai Richler's prize-winning comic novel. Barney
Panofsky (Paul Giamatti) is a seemingly ordinary man who lives an
extraordinary life. Barney's candid confessional spans four decades and
two continents, and includes three wives (Rosamund Pike, Minnie Driver
and Rachelle Lefevre), one outrageous father (Dustin Hoffman) and a
charmingly dissolute best friend (Scott Speedman).
Black Swan Darren Aronofsky, USA
North American Premiere
A psychological thriller set in the world of New York City ballet, Black Swan
stars Natalie Portman as Nina, a featured dancer who finds herself
locked in a web of competitive intrigue with a new rival at the
company. Black Swan takes a thrilling and at times terrifying
journey through the psyche of a young ballerina whose starring role as
the duplicitous swan queen turns out to be a part for which she becomes
frighteningly perfect. Black Swan also stars Vincent Cassel, Mila Kunis, Barbara Hershey and Winona Ryder.
Casino Jack George Hickenlooper, Canada
World Premiere
Based on a true story, Kevin Spacey stars as Jack Abramoff, the former
high-powered lobbyist whose bribery schemes and fraudulent dealings with
Indian casinos ultimately landed him in prison, and stunned the world.
It remains the biggest scandal to hit Washington, D.C. since Watergate.
The film also stars Barry Pepper, Kelly Preston, Rachelle Lefevre and
Jon Lovitz.
The Conspirator Robert Redford, USA
World Premiere
While
an angry nation seeks vengeance, a young union war hero must defend a
mother accused of aiding her son in the assassination of President
Abraham Lincoln. Directed by Robert Redford, the film stars James
McAvoy, Robin Wright, Kevin Kline, Evan Rachel Wood and Tom Wilkinson.
The Debt John Madden, USA
North American Premiere
Helen
Mirren, Jessica Chastain and Sam Worthington star in this thriller
about three Israeli Mossad agents on a 1965 mission to capture a
notorious Nazi war criminal. Thirty years later, secrets about the case
emerge.
The Housemaid Im Sang-Soo, South Korea
North American Premiere
In this erotic thriller, the housemaid of an upper-class family becomes
entangled in a dangerous tryst. A satirical look at class structure,
reminiscent of the work of Claude Chabrol, this sexy soap opera is a
story of revenge and retribution.
Janie Jones David M. Rosenthal, USA
World Premiere
Aspiring recording artist Ethan Brand gets a stunning surprise on the
opening night of a tour - a strung out former groupie appears
unexpectedly, pleading with him to care for their daughter while she
pulls herself together. Enter Janie Jones.
The King's Speech Tom Hooper, United Kingdom/Australia
North American Premiere
The King's Speech
tells the story of the man who would become King George VI, the father
of the current Queen, Elizabeth II. After his brother abdicates, George
'Bertie' VI (Colin Firth) reluctantly assumes the throne. Plagued by a
dreaded nervous stammer and considered unfit to be King, Bertie engages
the help of an unorthodox speech therapist named Lionel Logue (Geoffrey
Rush). Through a set of unexpected techniques, and as a result of an
unlikely friendship, Bertie is able to find his voice and boldly lead
the country into war.
Little White Lies Guillaume Canet, France
World Premiere
Despite
a traumatic event, a group of friends decides to go ahead with their
annual beach vacation. Their relationships, convictions, sense of guilt
and friendship are sorely tested. They are finally forced to own up to
the little white lies they have been telling each other. Directed by
Guillaume Canet and starring: François Cluzet, Marion Cotillard, Benoît
Magimel, Gilles Lellouche, Jean Dujardin, Laurent Lafitte, Valérie
Bonneton and Pascale Arbillot.
Peep World Barry Blaustein, USA
World Premiere
On the day of their father's 70th
birthday party, four siblings come to terms with the publication of a
novel written by the youngest sibling that exposes the family's most
intimate secrets.
Potiche François Ozon, France
North American Premiere
A bourgeois housewife (Catherine Deneuve) takes on a rough union leader
(Gerard Depardieu) in François Ozon's sparkling comic war between the
sexes, and the classes.
The Town Ben Affleck, USA
North American Premiere
The Town
is a dramatic thriller about robbers and cops, friendship and betrayal,
love and hope, and escaping a past that has no future. In the Boston
neighbourhood of Charlestown, Doug MacCray is the leader of a crew of
ruthless bank robbers. But everything changed on the gang's last job
when they took bank manager Claire Keesey hostage. Questioning what she
saw, Doug seeks out Claire. As their relationship deepens, Doug wants
out of this life and the town, but now he must choose whether to betray
his friends or lose the woman he loves.
The Way Emilio Estevez, USA
World Premiere
Martin
Sheen plays Tom, an American doctor who comes to St. Jean Pied de Port,
France to collect the remains of his adult son, killed in the Pyrenees
in a storm while walking The Camino de Santiago. Driven by his profound
sadness and desire to understand his son better, Tom decides to embark
on the historical pilgrimage. Along the way he learns what it means to
be a citizen of the world again and discovers the difference between
"The life we live and the life we choose."
West is West Andy De Emmony, United Kingdom
World Premiere
Manchester, Northern England, 1976. The now much-diminished, but still
claustrophobic and dysfunctional, Khan family continues to struggle for
survival. Sajid, the youngest Khan, is under heavy assault both from his
father's tyrannical insistence on Pakistani tradition, and from the
fierce bullies in the schoolyard. His father decides to pack him off to
Mrs. Khan No 1 and family in the Punjab, the wife and daughters he had
abandoned 30 years earlier. The sequel to East is East, West is West is the coming of age story of both 15-year-old Sajid and of his father, 60-year-old George Khan.
Special Presentations
Another Year Mike Leigh, United Kingdom
North American Premiere
A happily married, middle-aged couple are visited by a number of
unhappy and lonely friends who use them as confidantes. When an
unmarried friend falls for their young son, they watch as events unfold.
The film stars Jim Broadbent, Lesley Manville, Ruth Sheen, Peter Wight,
Oliver Maltman, David Bradley, Karina Fernandez and Martin Savage.
Beginners Mike Mills, USA
World Premiere
When his 71-year-old father (Christopher Plummer) comes out of the
closet, Oliver (Ewan McGregor) must explore the honesty of his own
relationships. From the director of Thumbsucker.
The Big Picture Eric Lartigau, France
World Premiere
Paul Exben is a success story. He has a great job, a glamorous wife and
two wonderful sons, except that this is not the life he has been
dreaming of. A moment of madness is going to change his life, forcing
him to assume a new identity that will enable him to live his life
fully. The Big Picture, an adaptation of the novel by Douglas
Kennedy, is directed by Eric Lartigau and stars Romain Duris, Marina
Foïs, Niels Arestrup and Catherine Deneuve. It is produced by
Pierre-Ange Le Pogam.
Biutiful Alejandro González Iñárritu, Spain/Mexico
North American Premiere
This is a story of a man in free fall. On the road to redemption,
darkness lights his way. Connected with the afterlife, Uxbal is a tragic
hero and father of two who's sensing the danger of death. He struggles
with a tainted reality and a fate that works against him in order to
forgive, for love, and forever. The film stars Javier Bardem.
Blue Valentine Derek Cianfrance, USA
Canadian Premiere
Blue Valentine
is the story of love found and love lost, told in past and present
moments in time. Flooded with romantic memories of their courtship, Dean
and Cindy use one night to try and save their failing marriage. Ryan
Gosling and Michelle Williams star in this honest portrait of a
relationship on the rocks.
Brighton Rock Rowan Joffe, United Kingdom
World Premiere
Based on Graham Greene's 1938 novel, we follow the odd relationship
between a young thug on the rise in the British underground and a tea
room waitress who witnesses a crime he has committed.
Buried Rodrigo Cortés, Spain/USA
Canadian Premiere
When Paul Conroy (Ryan Reynolds) wakes up six feet underground with no
idea who put him there or why, life for the truck driver and family man
instantly becomes a hellish struggle for survival. Buried with only a
cell phone and a lighter, poor reception, a rapidly draining battery and
a dwindling oxygen supply become his worst enemies in a tightly
confined race against time.
Conviction Tony Goldwyn, USA
World Premiere
Conviction
is the inspirational true story of a sister's unwavering devotion to
her brother. When Betty Anne Waters' (two-time Academy® Award winner
Hilary Swank) older brother Kenny (Sam Rockwell) is arrested for murder
and sentenced to life in 1983, Betty Anne, a Massachusetts wife and
mother of two, dedicates her life to overturning the murder conviction.
Cirkus Columbia Danis Tanovic, Bosnia and Herzegovina
International Premiere
After twenty years of exile, a husband returns to his hometown in
Herzegovina to settle some scores with his ex-wife, armed with a new
Mercedes, a sexy new girlfriend and a mangy black cat.
Dhobi Ghat Kiran Rao, India
World Premiere
In the teeming metropolis of Mumbai, four people separated by class and
language are drawn together in compelling relationships. Shai, an
affluent investment banker on a sabbatical, strikes up an unusual
friendship with Munna, a young and beautiful laundry boy with ambitions
of being a Bollywood actor, and has a brief dalliance with Arun, a
gifted painter. As they slip away from familiar moorings and drift
closer together, the city finds its way into the crevices of their inner
worlds.
Easy A Will Gluck, USA
World Premiere
After a little white lie about losing her virginity gets out, a
clean-cut high school girl (Emma Stone) sees her life paralleling Hester
Prynne's in The Scarlet Letter, which she is currently
studying in school - until she decides to use the rumour mill to advance
her social and financial standing.
Henry's Crime Malcolm Venville, USA
World Premiere
After serving three years in prison for a bank robbery he did not
commit, an amiable but aimless man decides to rob the bank for real. His
plan involves infiltrating a local theatre company, but his scheme gets
complicated when he falls for the company's lead actress. The film
stars Keanu Reeves, Vera Farmiga, James Caan, Fisher Stevens, Peter
Stormare, Danny Hoch and Bill Duke.
The Illusionist Sylvain Chomet, United Kingdom
North American Premiere
From the director of The Triplets Of Belleville
comes a film of grace and unique beauty. Working from a never-produced
script written by Jacques Tati for his daughter, Chomet tells the story
of a magician who was pushed aside by rock and roll, yet finds one young
girl who appreciates his magic. The film stars Jean-Claude Donda and
Eilidh Rankin.
In A Better World Susanne Bier, Denmark/Sweden
International Premiere
The story traces elements from a refugee camp in Africa to the grey
humdrum of everyday life in a Danish provincial town. The lives of two
Danish families cross each other, and an extraordinary but risky
friendship comes into bud. But loneliness, frailty and sorrow lie in
wait. Soon, friendship transforms into a dangerous alliance and a
breathtaking pursuit in which life is at stake.
I Saw the Devil Kim Jee-woon, South Korea
North American Premiere
A hard-boiled thriller from Korean master Kim Jee-woon, I Saw the Devil is a tale of bloody vengeance against a dangerous psychopath who has committed a gruesome series of murders.
It's Kind of a Funny Story Ryan Fleck, Anna Boden, USA
World Premiere
Stressed-out teenager Craig checks himself into a mental health clinic -
where he finds himself in the adult ward. Sustained by friendships on
both the inside and the outside, Craig learns more about life, love and
the pressures of growing up. The comedy-drama stars Keir Gilchrist, Emma
Roberts and Zach Galifianakis.
Jack Goes Boating Philip Seymour Hoffman, USA
International Premiere
Adapted from Bob Glaudini's acclaimed Off Broadway play, Jack Goes Boating
is a tale of love, betrayal, friendship and grace centered around two
working-class New York City couples. The film stars John Ortiz, Daphne
Rubin-Vega, Amy Ryan and Philip Seymour Hoffman, with Hoffman making his
feature directorial debut.
L'Amour Fou Pierre Thoretton, France
World Premiere
Yves Saint Laurent built one of fashion's most celebrated empires.
This moving documentary chronicles his rise, his lifelong partnership
with Pierre Bergé and their decision to auction off a lifetime of
precious art and objects.
The Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen Andrew Lau, Hong Kong
North American Premiere
In 1920s Shanghai, hero Chen Zhen single-handedly avenges his mentor's
death by killing all the Japanese at a dojo in Hongkou, only to be
showered with bullets while making his legendary flying kick. Now, years
later, Chen Zhen, who is believed dead, returns in disguise to
infiltrate a criminal empire and to dismantle the evil collusion that
plagues the country.
Lope Andrucha Waddington, Brazil/Spain
World Premiere
Andrucha
Waddington brings famed Spanish playwright Lope de Vega's passionate
life to the screen. The young poet returns to Madrid from war and gets
his foot in the door of Madrid's most important theatre troupe - quickly
charming his boss's daughter. His childhood friend, Isabel de Urbina,
also falls under the spell of his poems. So much seduction eventually
brings misfortune and he must flee Madrid.
Love Crime Alain Corneau, France
International Premiere
Dangerous Liaisons meets Working Girl in this deliciously caustic tale of office politics. Starring Kristin Scott Thomas and Ludivine Sagnier as mentor and ingénue, Love Crime is a remorseless clash of two competing egos.
Made in Dagenham Nigel Cole, United Kingdom
World Premiere
Sally Hawkins stars as Rita O'Grady, the catalyst for the 1968 Ford
Dagenham strike by 187 sewing machinists which led to the advent of the
Equal Party Act. Working in extremely impoverished conditions for long,
arduous hours, the women at the Ford Dagenham plant finally lose their
patience when they are reclassified as "unskilled." With humour, common
sense and courage, they take on their corporate paymasters, an
increasingly belligerent local community, and finally the government
itself. The film also stars Bob Hoskins, Miranda Richardson, Geraldine
James and Rosamund Pike.
Miral Julian Schnabel, United Kingdom/Israel/France
North American Premiere
From the director of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Before Night Falls and Basquiat, comes Miral,
the visceral, first-person diary of a young girl growing up in East
Jerusalem as she confronts the effects of occupation and war in every
corner of her life. Schnabel pieces together momentary fragments of
Miral's world - how she was formed, who influenced her, all that she
experiences in her tumultuous early years - to create a raw, moving,
poetic portrait of a woman whose small, personal story is inextricably
woven into the bigger history unfolding all around her.
Never Let Me Go Mark Romanek, United Kingdom
World Premiere
Kathy (Carey Mulligan), Tommy (Andrew Garfield) and Ruth (Keira
Knightley) spent their childhood at a seemingly idyllic boarding
school. When they leave the shelter of the school, the terrible truth of
their fate is revealed and they must confront the deep feelings of
love, jealousy and betrayal that threaten to pull them apart.
Norwegian Wood Tran Anh Hung, Japan
North American Premiere
Adapted from Haruki Murakami's bestselling novel. Watanabe, a quiet and
serious college student, becomes deeply devoted to Naoko, a beautiful
and introspective young woman with whom he shares the tragedy of their
best friend's death. When Naoko suddenly disappears, Midori, an
outgoing, vivacious and supremely self-confident girl marches into
Watanabe's life. The film stars Kenichi Matsuyama, Rinko Kikuchi and
Kiko Mizuhara.
Outside the Law Rachid Bouchareb, France/Algeria/Tunisia/Italy/Belgium
North American Premiere
Bouchareb's follow-up to Days of Glory
is an epic French gangster movie in the tradition of Once Upon a Time
in America. The film follows three brothers from childhood in Algeria
through turbulent years in Paris, as their paths diverge towards radical
politics and violent crime.
Rabbit Hole John Cameron Mitchell, USA
World Premiere
A family navigates the deepest form of loss in John Cameron Mitchell's
screen adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize winning play by David
Lindsay-Abaire. Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart deliver captivating
performances as a husband and wife who fight to save their marriage in
the life that begins again after tragedy.
A Screaming Man Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, France/Belgium/Chad
North American Premiere
One of Africa's preeminent film artists, Haroun returns to themes of
family and loyalty in war-torn Chad. A father and son work together at
the pool of five-star hotel, but the civil war forces life-and-death
choices upon them.
Stone John Curran, USA
World Premiere
Robert
De Niro and Edward Norton deliver powerful performances as a seasoned
corrections official and a scheming inmate whose lives become
dangerously intertwined. Stone weaves together the parallel
journeys of two men grappling with dark impulses, as the line between
lawman and lawbreaker becomes precariously thin. The film also stars
Milla Jovovich and Frances Conroy.
Submarine Richard Ayoade, United Kingdom
World Premiere
British comic Richard Ayoade delivers his hotly-anticipated feature debut Submarine. One
boy must fight to save his mother from the advances of a mystic, and
simultaneously lure his eczema-strafed girlfriend in to the bedroom,
armed with only a vast vocabulary and near-total self-belief. His name
is Oliver Tate.
That Girl in Yellow Boots Anurag Kashyap, India
North American Premiere
Ruth is searching for her father - a man she hardly knew but cannot
forget. Desperation drives her to work without a permit, at a massage
parlour, where she gives 'happy endings' to unfulfilled men. Torn
between several schisms, Mumbai becomes the backdrop for Ruth's quest as
she struggles to find her independence and space even as she is sucked
deeper into the labyrinthine politics of the city's underbelly.
Tamara Drewe Stephen Frears, United Kingdom
North American Premiere
Based
on Posy Simmonds' beloved graphic novel. When Tamara Drewe returns to
the village of her youth, life for the locals is thrown upside down.
Tamara - once an ugly duckling - has been transformed and is now a minor
celebrity. As infatuations, jealousies, love affairs and career
ambitions collide among the inhabitants of the neighbouring farmsteads,
Tamara sets a contemporary comedy of manners into play.
The Trip Michael Winterbottom, United Kingdom
World Premiere
Follow two good friends in this hilarious road movie as they embark on a
tour of the Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales of Northern England,
eating, chatting and driving each other crazy. The film stars Steve
Coogan and Rob Brydon.
Trust David Schwimmer, USA
World Premiere
Safe and sound in their suburban home, Will and Lynn Cameron (Clive
Owen and Catherine Keener) used to sleep well at night. When their
14-year-old daughter, Annie, made a new friend on-line - a 16-year-old
boy named Charlie - Will and Lynn didn't think much of it. But when
Annie and Charlie make a plan to meet what happens in the next
twenty-four hours changes the entire family forever. Charlie is really a
40-year-old serial pedophile (Tom McCarthy) and, once Annie's rape
comes to light, it becomes a touchstone event that reverberates through
the entire family.
You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger Woody Allen, United Kingdom/USA/Spain
North American Premiere
Woody
Allen's latest comic ensemble piece follows a group of Londoners
struggling with failing marriages, restless libidos, the perils of aging
and desires that drive a series of decisions with unforeseen
consequences. The film stars Antonio Banderas, Josh Brolin, Anthony
Hopkins, Gemma Jones, Lucy Punch and Naomi Watts.
Masters
Mysteries of Lisbon Raul Ruiz, Portugal/France
World Premiere
Based on a famous nineteenth-century Portuguese novel, Raul Ruiz's Mysteries of Lisbon
follows a jealous countess, a wealthy businessman and a young orphaned
boy across Portugal, France, Italy and Brazil where they connect with a
variety of mysterious individuals.
