Toronto 2019: SYNCHRONIC, THE LONG WALK, And GUNS AKIMBO Are Coming to Town

2019 TIFF MASTERS LINEUP ANNOUNCED

Under new programming leadership, Masters presents latest offerings from emerging and returning auteurs, including the World Premiere of Arturo Ripstein’s Devil Between the Legs

TORONTO — The Toronto International Film Festival® has revealed the 11 films that will comprise the 2019 Masters programme, with Brad Deane assuming the role of Lead Programmer. Deane continues in his role as Director of TIFF Cinematheque and as a member of the Festival’s Platform Selection Committee.

Featuring films set in Asia, Europe, North America, and Central America, the Masters lineup has titles that run the gamut, from dramatic true stories to dark comedies, from a black-and-white narrative to a documentary film, with a healthy dose of introspection and socio-political commentary throughout. The slate will bring two World Premieres to Toronto.

“One of the most exciting things about leading the vision for this programme so far has been the opportunity to explore what defines a Master and the role that these directors play in pushing the future of cinema forward,” said Deane. “I made it a priority to bring filmmakers into the fold that haven’t previously screened in this programme so their films can play alongside some of the more established names. By looking at the films in the programme, it’s apparent that mastering the form is only the jumping-off point for unique and powerful storytelling, and I am looking forward to the discussions that will emerge among Toronto audiences about what makes a master.”

In Devil Between the Legs, Arturo Ripstein directs a script written by his wife, Paz Alicia Garciadiego, about a warring old couple and their maid, who eventually takes matters into her own hands. Swedish filmmaker Roy Andersson will come back to the Festival with About Endlessness, a series of vignettes documenting our lack of awareness.

American-Canadian Abenaki filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin will premiere her latest documentary, Jordan River Anderson, The Messenger, about the long struggle of Indigenous activists to ensure equitable access to government-funded services for First Nations children. British legend Ken Loach’s Sorry We Missed You presents a bittersweet tale of the gig economy in modern-day England.

Marco Bellocchio’s The Traitor is a biographical drama about Tommaso Buscetta, a mafia informant whose testimony led to the largest prosecution of the Sicilian Mafia in Italian history. To the Ends of the Earth, the latest from Japanese director Kiyoshi Kurosawa, tells the story of an introverted travel-show host on assignment in Uzbekistan.

There are five first-timers in Masters this year. A Hidden Life, a portrait of Franz Jägerstätter, a conscientious Austrian who refused to fight for the Nazis in World War II, will mark American director Terrence Malick’s first time attending the Festival in this category. Angela Schanelec’s I Was at Home, But... chronicles the aftermath of a 13-year-old student’s disappearance and his mysterious reappearance. Zombi Child, from France’s Bertrand Bonello, spans 55 years, jumping between 1962 Haiti and present-day Paris and dealing with the repercussions of colonialism. In The Whistlers, from Romanian New Wave director Corneliu Porumboiu, a corrupt cop travels to the Spanish island of La Gomera, home to a secret whistling language. And Elia Suleiman stars in his latest film, It Must Be Heaven, a dark comedy centred on a man who leaves Palestine only to find that his problems follow him everywhere he goes.

The 44th Toronto International Film Festival runs September 5–15, 2019.

Films screening as part of the Masters programme include:

A Hidden Life Terrence Malick | USA/Germany North American Premiere

About Endlessness Roy Andersson | Sweden/Germany/Norway North American Premiere

Devil Between the Legs (El Diablo entre las Piernas) Arturo Ripstein | Mexico/Spain World Premiere

I Was at Home, But... (Ich war zuhause, aber...) Angela Schanelec | Germany/Serbia North American Premiere

It Must Be Heaven Elia Suleiman | France/Qatar/Germany/Canada/Palestine/Turkey North American Premiere

Jordan River Anderson, The Messenger Alanis Obomsawin | Canada World Premiere

Sorry We Missed You Ken Loach | United Kingdom/France/Belgium North American Premiere

To the Ends of the Earth (Tabi no Owari Sekai no Hajimari) Kiyoshi Kurosawa | Japan/Uzbekistan/Qatar North American Premiere

The Traitor Marco Bellocchio | Italy

North American Premiere

The Whistlers Corneliu Porumboiu | Romania/France/Germany North American Premiere

Zombi Child Bertrand Bonello | France North American Premiere

Alanis Obomsawin’s Jordan River Anderson, The Messenger was a previously announced.

TIFF 2019 CONTEMPORARY WORLD CINEMA SLATE OFFERS A GLOBAL SNAPSHOT OF THE WORLD THROUGH ESSENTIAL STORYTELLING

Atiq Rahimi, Mati Diop, Gael García Bernal, Ladj Ly, Pema Tseden, Hikari, Rubaiyat Hossain, Karl Markovics, Nadav Lapid, Edward Burns, and Grímur Hákonarson included in this year’s selection of remarkable talent and award-winning directors

TORONTO — The 2019 Toronto International Film Festival® unveiled today the lineup for its 2019 Contemporary World Cinema (CWC) programme. The rich slate of titles from 48 countries features a wide range of thought-provoking stories that delve into cultural issues and social struggles in poetic and captivating ways. Introducing 21 works directed and co-directed by women, this year’s edition of CWC focuses on fractured families, self-exploration, female-driven narratives, and the consequences of social and political crises.

“Contemporary World Cinema is a place where different cultures meet,” said Kiva Reardon, International Programmer and new Lead Programmer for the section. “The vision for the programme is to help expand the cinematic canon and push the definition of what has previously been deemed as fundamental. This is a selection of essential, urgent cinema. It has been a pleasure to work with my fellow programmers in this new role to offer bold stories and invigorating films that ask our audiences to reflect on their position in the world.”

"Contemporary World Cinema is the heartbeat of the Festival," said Cameron Bailey, TIFF Artistic Director and Co-Head. "This is where audiences feel the pulse of what's happening now all around the world in screen storytelling. It takes a strong curatorial vision to shape that vast variety of films. I'm glad we have Kiva Reardon on the job as CWC Lead Programmer."

With contributions from Cameron Bailey, Brad Deane, Giovanna Fulvi, Steve Gravestock, Dorota Lech, Michael Lerman, Michèle Maheux, Diana Sanchez, and Ravi Srinivasan, Reardon has decided to emphasize the importance of showing the current state of the world through the lens of international, deeply talented filmmakers who help guide us through the reality of our social and political environments.

The African continent is represented in the lineup by eight films beaming with creativity. Opening the programme is Atiq Rahimi’s third feature, Our Lady of the Nile, which follows a group of Rwandan girls in a Catholic boarding school. The bewitching work, which boasts hypnotic cinematography, foreshadows the country’s 1994 genocide. The programme also serves as a platform for acclaimed regional projects such as Jenna Bass’ South African road movie Flatland, Jahmil X.T. Qubeka’s Knuckle City, Rabah Ameur-Zaïmeche’s Terminal Sud, and Amjad Abu Alala’s mystical You Will Die at Twenty.

Winner of the Grand Prix in Cannes, Mati Diop’s exploration of migration, Atlantics: A Ghost Love Story, leads a bold wave of films exploring pressing global issues: Guatemalan director Jayro Bustamante presents an examination of his country’s political wounds with La Llorona, in which civil war victims haunt their torturer’s life; Laos’ first and only female director to ever present a film at TIFF, Mattie Do, couples family loss and time-travelling in The Long Walk; and Lijo Jose Pellissery’s Jallikattu offers a daring allegory on toxic masculinity in a remote Indian village. Other award-winning films included in the slate are Synonyms, the Golden Bear–winning film from Israeli filmmaker Nadav Lapid, and the recipients of the 2019 Cannes Jury Prize: French director Ladj Ly’s Les Misérables and the Brazilan film Bacurau, co-directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho and Juliano Dornelles.

This year’s CWC slate is also rich in contributions from internationally renowned actors — both in front of and behind the camera — with Mexican actor Gael García Bernal’s second film as director, Chicuarotes; Austrian performer Karl Markovics’s third feature, Nobadi; Dutch actor-turned-director Halina Reijn’s Instinct; and an extraordinary performance from Iranian icon Golshifteh Farahani in Manele Labidi’s Arab Blues. Produced by US powerhouse Jada Pinkett Smith, Minhal Baig’s Hala is a coming-of-age story about an American Muslim teenager trying to balance her relationship with her strict parents and her own desires. The film is inspired by Baig’s own life and brings to the screen a fresh look at the teen experience.

Other highlights in the programme study the complexity of family dynamics, such as Taiwanese Chung Mong-Hong’s lyrical A Sun, which focuses on a fractured father–son relationship. Balloon, directed by Tibetan filmmaker Pema Tseden, tells the conflicting struggles of a family dealing with China’s one-child policy. And Yaron Zilberman returns to TIFF with the World Premiere of Incitement, the first-ever fiction film to depict the cataclysmic assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.

Spotlighting the struggles and triumphs of women in societies around the world are: Maryam Touzani’s domestic epic Adam; Hikari’s 37 Seconds, which follows a young manga artist who uses her craft as a tool of self-discovery; and Sharipa Urazbayeva’s Mariam, the story of a strong Kazakhstani mother and her drive to help her family survive. Films centring on working-class women include internationally acclaimed Bengali director Rubaiyat Hossain’s Made in Bangladesh, which follows a factory worker fighting for dignity in the world of fast fashion; The County, from Cannes prize–winning Icelandic director Grímur Hákonarson; and Edward Burns’ intriguing family portrait Beneath the Blue Suburban Skies.

The 44th Toronto International Film Festival runs September 5–15, 2019.

Films screening as part of the Contemporary World Cinema programme include:

37 Seconds Hikari | Japan/USA Canadian Premiere

Adam Maryam Touzani | Morocco/France/Belgium North American Premiere

Arab Blues (Un Divan à Tunis) Manele Labidi | France North American Premiere

Atlantics: A Ghost Love Story Mati Diop | France/Senegal/Belgium North American Premiere

Atlantis Valentyn Vasyanovych | Ukraine North American Premiere

Bacurau Kleber Mendonça Filho, Juliano Dornelles | Brazil North American Premiere

Balloon (Qi Qiu) Pema Tseden | China North American Premiere

The Barefoot Emperor Jessica Woodworth, Peter Brosens | Belgium/Netherlands/Croatia/Bulgaria World Premiere

Beanpole (Dylda) Kantemir Balagov | Russia North American Premiere

Beneath the Blue Suburban Skies Edward Burns | USA World Premiere

Blow the Man Down Danielle Krudy, Bridget Savage Cole | USA International Premiere

Bombay Rose Gitanjali Rao | India/United Kingdom/Qatar North American Premiere

Chicuarotes Gael García Bernal | Mexico North American Premiere

The Climb Michael Angelo Covino | USA Canadian Premiere

Corpus Christi (Boze Cialo) Jan Komasa | Poland/France North American Premiere

The County (Héraðið) Grímur Hákonarson | Iceland/Denmark/Germany/France International Premiere

Dogs Don’t Wear Pants (Koirat eivät käytä housuja) J-P Valkeapää | Finland/Latvia North American Premiere

The Father (Bashtata) Petar Valchanov, Kristina Grozeva | Bulgaria/Greece/Italy North American Premiere

Flatland Jenna Bass | South Africa/Luxembourg/Germany North American Premiere

A Girl Missing (Yokogao) Koji Fukada | Japan/France North American Premiere

Hala Minhal Baig | USA Canadian Premiere

Henry Glassie: Field Work Pat Collins | Ireland World Premiere

Incitement Yaron Zilberman | Israel World Premiere

Instinct Halina Reijn | Netherlands North American Premiere

The Invisible Life of Eurídice Gusmão (A Vida Invisível de Eurídice Gusmão) Karim Aïnouz | Brazil/Germany North American Premiere

Jallikattu Lijo Jose Pellissery | India World Premiere

Knuckle City Jahmil X.T. Qubeka | South Africa International Premiere

La Llorona Jayro Bustamante | Guatemala/France North American Premiere

Les Misérables Ladj Ly | France North American Premiere

The Long Walk (Bor Mi Vanh Chark) Mattie Do | Laos/Spain/Singapore North American Premiere

Made in Bangladesh Rubaiyat Hossain | France/Bangladesh/Denmark/Portugal World Premiere

Mariam Sharipa Urazbayeva | Kazakhstan North American Premiere

Maria’s Paradise (Marian paratiisi) Zaida Bergroth | Finland/Estonia World Premiere

Nobadi Karl Markovics | Austria World Premiere

Contemporary World Cinema Opening Film Our Lady of the Nile (Notre-Dame du Nil) Atiq Rahimi | France/Belgium/Rwanda World Premiere

The Perfect Candidate Haifaa Al-Mansour | Saudi Arabia/Germany North American Premiere

Red Fields (Mami) Keren Yedaya | Israel/Luxembourg/Germany International Premiere

Resin (Harpiks) Daniel Joseph Borgman | Denmark World Premiere

So Long, My Son (Di Jiu Tian Chang) Wang Xiaoshuai | China North American Premiere

Spider (Araña) Andrés Wood | Chile International Premiere

A Sun (Yang Guang Pu Zhao) Chung Mong-Hong | Taiwan World Premiere

Synonyms (Synonymes) Nadav Lapid | France/Israel/Germany North American Premiere

Terminal Sud (South Terminal) Rabah Ameur-Zaïmeche | France North American Premiere

Three Summers (Três Verões) Sandra Kogut | Brazil/France World Premiere

Verdict Raymund Ribay Gutierrez | Philippines/France Canadian Premiere

A White, White Day (Hvítur, Hvítur Dagur) Hlynur Pálmason | Iceland/Denmark/Sweden North American Premiere

The Wild Goose Lake (Nan Fang Che Zhan De Ju Hui) Diao Yinan | China/France North American Premiere

You Will Die at Twenty Amjad Abu Alala | Sudan/France/Egypt/Germany/Norway/Qatar North American Premiere

Previously announced Canadian features screening at the Festival as part of the Contemporary World Cinema programme include: And the Birds Rained Down, Antigone, The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open, Castle in the Ground, The Last Porno Show, Tammy’s Always Dying, and White Lie.

TIFF’S WAVELENGTHS PROGRAMME HIGHLIGHTS POLITICAL AND FORMAL ACUMEN IN 2019 LINEUP

Including films by Pedro Costa, Albert Serra, Charlotte Prodger, Oliver Laxe, Marwa Arsanios, Éric Baudelaire, Anocha Suwichakornpong & Ben Rivers,Sergei Loznitsa, James N. Kienitz Wilkins, Jessica Sarah Rinland, Deborah Stratman, and Burak Çevik

TORONTO — The Toronto International Film Festival®’s Wavelengths programme revealed today the lineup for its 19th edition, consisting of international shorts and features by established and emerging talents. With a total of 37 titles, this year’s selection is a testament to political fortitude and artistic experimentation, seen across a captivating mix of genres and perspectives.

The selection comprises four programmes of experimental short films, two curated pairings, and 10 features, each contributing to a dynamic survey of some of today’s most exciting moving-image work. Wavelengths is curated and overseen by Andréa Picard, with contributions from members of TIFF’s international programming team — namely Brad Deane, Giovanna Fulvi, Dorota Lech, and Kiva Reardon — and programming associate Jesse Cumming.

“As we approach the 20th anniversary of Wavelengths, one can discern an important shift in formal language and experimentation, and an even wider range of artistic expression, which reflects — in some cases seriously, and others surprisingly playfully — a refusal to be contained, confined, or even labelled,” said Picard. “As the world runs further amok, it is comforting and inspiring to see filmmakers and artists continue to make work that is personal, committed, generous, aesthetically alert, and rigorous. The films in this year’s programme perfectly exemplify the essential role art plays in resistance and resilience, but also in our capacity for imagination.”

Wavelengths is pleased to host a number of alumni to present some of their most provocative and accomplished work to date, including Catalan artist-filmmaker Albert Serra with Liberté, his award-winning tale of 18th-century decadence and desire; Portuguese auteur Pedro Costa with Vitalina Varela, a continuation of his pathos-laden tales of life in Lisbon’s margins; Sergei Loznitsa with State Funeral, in which he repurposes footage shot in 1953, in the days following the death of Joseph Stalin, into a trenchant reflection on cults of personality; and Anocha Suwichakornpong and Ben Rivers, who return to TIFF with Krabi, 2562, a collaborative work on memory, landscape, and social awareness.

Resistance and tenacity — both political and personal — are the theme of several Wavelengths selections, including two highlights from the burgeoning “Galician New Wave”: Oliver Laxe’s quietly monumental Fire Will Come, the follow-up to his Festival selection Mimosas (TIFF 2016), and Eloy Enciso’s Endless Night, set in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War, with its script drawn from letters and other texts of the era. A different strength is exhibited in Hassen Ferhani’s understated documentary 143 Sahara Street, which presents the world in a microcosm as seen through a portrait of octogenarian Malika, who lives and works alone in her roadside diner in the Sahara Desert.

Wavelengths 2019 also welcomes many newcomers to the programme, with a number of works that reflect on the state of contemporary geopolitics through a mix of styles that range from non-fiction to the speculative. Highlights from contemporary Brazil include The Fever by director Maya Da-Rin, an Indigenous-led tale of a father who must navigate his daughter’s imminent departure for medical school; Affonso Uchôa’s forceful yet elegant documentary experiment Seven Years in May (which screens with Gabino Rodríguez and Nicolás Pereda’s previously announced My Skin, Luminous); and the short film The Bite by artist Pedro Neves Marques, a science fiction–tinged story about a queer love triangle struggling to survive an encroaching mosquito epidemic in the rainforest.

This year’s shorts programmes feature formally impressive and surprising work by a number of leading international talents, including World Premieres by Zachary Epcar, Luke Fowler, Gastón Solnicki, Mike Gibisser, and Tomonari Nishikawa, as well as the North American Premieres of Turner Prize–winning artist Charlotte Prodger’s entry in this year’s Venice Biennale, SaF05, and Marwa Arsanios’s Who’s Afraid of Ideology? Part 2, which premiered at the Sharjah Biennial. As ever, the programme is rounded out by a number of restorations and rediscoveries, including Edward Owens’s Remembrance: A Portrait Study (1967), a touching and playful tribute to the artist’s mother, and 2minutes40seconds (1975), an experimental documentary by Korean filmmaker Han Ok-hee, founding member of the feminist film collective Kaidu Club.

The 44th Toronto International Film Festival runs September 5–15, 2019.

Wavelengths’ complete 2019 lineup is as follows:

SHORT FILM PROGRAMMES

Wavelengths 1: WLS19 Austrian Pavilion Philipp Fleischmann | Austria | World Premiere SaF05 Charlotte Prodger | United Kingdom | North American Premiere Slow Volumes Mike Gibisser | USA | World Premiere The Bite (A Mordida) Pedro Neves Marques | Portugal/Brazil | World Premiere

Wavelengths 2: Sun Rave 2008 Blake Williams | Canada | World Premiere Amusement Ride Tomonari Nishikawa | Japan | World Premiere

Black Sun (Sol Negro) Maureen Fazendeiro | Portugal/France | International Premiere

A Topography of Memory Burak Çevik | Turkey/Canada | North American Premiere

Sun Rave (Lafhat Shams) Roy Samaha | Lebanon | North American Premiere (tourism studies) Joshua Gen Solondz | USA | Canadian Premiere

Wavelengths 3: Look Around 2minutes40seconds Han Ok-hee | South Korea | International Premiere Hrvoji, Look at You From the Tower Ryan Ferko | Canada/Serbia/Croatia/Slovenia | World Premiere

Circumplector Gastón Solnicki | Argentina | World Premiere

Cézanne Luke Fowler | United Kingdom/France | World Premiere

Second Generation Miryam Charles | Canada | North American

Premiere Transcript (Lín Mó) Erica Sheu | USA/Taiwan | Canadian Premiere

Who's Afraid of Ideology? Part 2 Marwa Arsanios | Lebanon/Kurdistan/Syria | North American Premiere

Wavelengths 4: Lives of Performers Billy Zachary Epcar | USA | World Premiere

Remembrance: A Portrait Study Edward Owens | USA | Festival Premiere

Vever (for Barbara) Deborah Stratman | Guatemala/USA | Canadian Premiere

Book of Hours Annie MacDonell | Canada | World Premiere

We Still Have to Close Our Eyes John Torres | Philippines | North American Premiere

This Action Lies (Cest Action Gist) James N. Kienitz Wilkins | USA/Switzerland | North American Premiere

PAIRINGS

Those That, at a Distance, Resemble Another Jessica Sarah Rinland | United Kingdom/Argentina/Spain North American Premiere preceded by Heavy Metal Detox Josef Dabernig | Austria World Premiere

Seven Years in May (Sete Anos em Maio) Affonso Uchôa | Brazil/Argentina North American Premiere and My Skin, Luminous (Mi Piel, Luminosa) Gabino Rodríguez, Nicolás Pereda | Mexico/Canada North American Premiere

FEATURES

143 Sahara Street (143 rue du désert) Hassen Ferhani | Algeria North American Premiere

Endless Night (Longa noite) Eloy Enciso | Spain North American Premiere

The Fever (A Febre) Maya Da-Rin | Brazil/France/Germany North American Premiere

Fire Will Come (O que arde) Oliver Laxe | Spain/France/Luxembourg North American Premiere

Heimat is a Space in Time (Heimat ist ein Raum aus Zeit) Thomas Heise | Germany/Austria North American Premiere

Krabi, 2562 Anocha Suwichakornpong, Ben Rivers | Thailand/United Kingdom North American Premiere

Liberté Albert Serra | France/Spain/Portugal/Germany North American Premiere

State Funeral Sergei Loznitsa | Netherlands/Lithuania North American Premiere

Un Film Dramatique Éric Baudelaire | France North American Premiere

Vitalina Varela Pedro Costa | Portugal North American Premiere

TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL ADDS 2 GALAS AND 16 SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS TO LINEUP

Including films by Olivier Assayas, Justine Triet, Trey Edward Shults, and Hirokazu Kore-eda

TORONTO — TIFF Co-Heads Cameron Bailey and Joana Vicente today announced the second set of selections in the Gala and Special Presentations programmes screening this September at the 44th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival.

“We’re thrilled to announce this second wave of Galas and Special Presentations, which I believe are some of the most compelling in the lineup,” said Bailey, Artistic Director and Co-Head of TIFF. “Audiences will be delighted by the artistry present in this year’s splashiest sections.”

“Our TIFF programmers have given us a lot to look forward to this year,” said Vicente, Executive Director and Co-Head of TIFF. “These final films add even more emotional resonance and gravitas to this year’s already stellar lineup.”

These films round out the Gala and Special Presentations programmes for a total of 20 and 55 films, respectively.

The 44th Toronto International Film Festival runs September 5–15, 2019.

GALAS 2019

The Aeronauts Tom Harper | United Kingdom Canadian Premiere

The Burnt Orange Heresy Giuseppe Capotondi | USA/United Kingdom North American Premiere

SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS 2019

American Son Kenny Leon | USA World Premiere

Deerskin (Le Daim) Quentin Dupieux | France International Premiere

Dirt Music Gregor Jordan | United Kingdom/Australia World Premiere

The Elder One (Moothon) Geetu Mohandas | India World Premiere

Guns Akimbo Jason Lei Howden | Germany/New Zealand World Premiere

Human Capital Marc Meyers | USA World Premiere

Jungleland Max Winkler | USA World Premiere

Lucy in the Sky Noah Hawley | USA World Premiere

Lyrebird Dan Friedkin | USA International Premiere

Mosul Matthew Michael Carnahan | USA North American Premiere

Seberg Benedict Andrews | USA/United Kingdom North American Premiere

Sibyl Justine Triet | France/Belgium North American Premiere

SYNCHRONIC Aaron Moorhead, Justin Benson | USA World Premiere

The Truth (La vérité) Hirokazu Kore-eda | France/Japan North American Premiere

Wasp Network Olivier Assayas | France, Brazil, Spain, Belgium North American Premiere

Waves Trey Edward Shults | USA International Premiere

Albert Shin’s Clifton Hill was previously announced as part of the Special Presentations programme.