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| Zoom. Photo courtesy of TIFF. |
DISCOVERY PROGRAMME
A Patch of Fog
Michael Lennox, United Kingdom World Premiere
A celebrated novelist and TV personality finds his
reputation on the line when he is caught shoplifting by a lonely security
guard, intent on becoming his friend for life. Stephen Graham (Pirates of the
Caribbean, Boardwalk Empire) stars alongside Conleth Hill (Game of Thrones),
Lara Pulver (Sherlock), Arsher Ali (Four Lions) and Ian McElhinney (Game of
Thrones).
The Ardennes
Robin Pront, Belgium
World Premiere
Two bandit brothers, one fresh from prison, the other eager
to escape their criminal past, form a potentially explosive love triangle with
the ex-con’s ex-girlfriend, in Robin Pront’s Cain vs. Abel update.
Beast
Tom McKeith, Sam
McKeith, Australia/Philippines World Premiere
Deep in the slums of Manila, a young boxer's life is changed
forever when his father pressures him to cheat in a fight.
Black
Adil El Arbi, Bilall
Fallah, Belgium World Premiere
Fifteen-year-old Mavela is a member of the notorious Black
Bronx gang. She falls head over heels in love with the charismatic Marwan, a
boy from the rival gang 1080ers. The two young people are brutally forced to
choose between loyalty to their gang and their love for each other. An
impossible choice ... or not?
Born to Dance
Tammy Davis, New
Zealand World Premiere
A Maori teen faces parental and social pressure while
leading his competitive hip-hop dance crew toward the regional championships,
in this exhilarating feature directorial debut from New Zealand actor Tammy
Davis.
Dégradé
Arab Nasser, Tarzan
Nasser, Palestine/France/Qatar North American Premiere
Gaza Strip, present day. Christine’s beauty salon is heaving
with female clients: a bitter divorcée, a stern religious woman, a disenchanted
housewife addicted to prescription drugs, and a young bride-to-be, among
others. But their day of leisure is disrupted when gunfire breaks out across
the street. A gangland family has stolen the lion from Gaza’s zoo, and the
police have decided it’s time to wrestle control. Stuck in the salon, the women
start to unravel...
Desde Allá
Lorenzo Vigas, Venezuela North American Premiere
Fifty-year-old Armando picks up young boys in the streets of Caracas and pays
them to come home with him. He also regularly spies on an older man with whom
he seems bound by something in the past. One day he meets 17-year-old Elder,
the leader of a small gang. Violent at first, their relationship morphs into
something beautiful ... until the inevitable happens.
Downriver
Grant Scicluna,
Australia International Premiere
James has served time
for drowning a little boy when he himself was just a child, although the body
was never found. Upon his parole, a visit from his victim's mother sends him on
a quest to find the truth. With little time and danger at every turn, James
risks his freedom and his life to uncover the trail of sins that might give
closure to a grieving mother.
Eva Nová
Marko Škop, Slovakia World Premiere
Eva would do anything to regain the love of the one she hurt
the most — her son. She is a recovered alcoholic, but decades ago she was a
famous actress.
Five Nights in Maine
Maris Curran, USA World Premiere
Reeling from the tragic, sudden death of his wife, a man
travels to rural Maine to seek answers from his estranged mother-in-law, who is
herself confronting guilt and grief over her daughter's death. Starring David
Oyelowo (Selma), Dianne Wiest and Rosie Perez.
The Here After (Efterskalv)
Magnus von Horn, Poland/Sweden/France North American
Premiere
When John returns home to his father after serving time in
prison, he is looking forward to starting his life afresh. However in the local
community, his crime is neither forgotten nor forgiven. John’s presence brings
out the worst in everyone around him and a lynch-mob atmosphere slowly takes
shape. Feeling abandoned by his former friends and the people he loves, John
loses hope and the same aggressions that previously sent him to prison start
building up again. Unable to leave the past behind, he decides to confront it.
Ixcanul
Jayro Bustamante, Guatemala/France Canadian Premiere
María, a young 17-year-old Mayan girl, lives and works with
her parents on a coffee plantation in the foothills of an active volcano in
Guatemala. An arranged marriage awaits her. Although María dreams of going to
the “big city,” her status as an indigenous woman does not permit her to change
her destiny. A snake bite forces her to go out into the modern world where her
life is saved, but at what price?
James White
Josh Mond, USA
Canadian Premiere
James White (Christopher Abbott) is a troubled
twenty-something trying to stay afloat in a frenzied New York City. He retreats
further into a self-destructive, hedonistic lifestyle, but as his mother
(Cynthia Nixon) battles a serious illness James is forced to take control of
his life. The directorial debut of Martha Marcy May Marlene producer Josh Mond,
James White, which had its world premiere at Sundance Film Festival 2014 where
it was the winner of the Audience Award: NEXT, is a confident and closely
observed debut that explores loss and the deep relationship between a mother
and son.
Keeper
Guillaume Senez,
Belgium/Switzerland/France North American Premiere
Maxime and Mélanie are in love. Together, they clumsily
explore their sexuality with fiery curiosity until the day Mélanie realizes
she’s pregnant. At first Maxime takes the news badly, but then he gets used to
the idea of becoming a father. He convinces Melanie to keep the baby. So it’s
been decided – Maxime and Mélanie, all of fifteen years old, will become
parents.
Les Cowboys
Thomas Bidegain,
France/Belgium North American Premiere
A vast prairie, a country and western gathering somewhere in
the east of France. Alain is a central figure in this community. He’s dancing
with his daughter, 16-year-old Kelly, as his wife and their young son Kid watch
from the sidelines. But on this day, Kelly disappears, and the family falls
apart. Alain embarks on a relentless search for his daughter, even though it
costs him everything and takes him to dark, unsettling places, where his sole
support is Kid, who sacrifices his youth to accompany his father on this
seemingly endless quest.
Meghmallar Zahidur
Rahim Anjan,
Bangladesh World Premiere
A case of mistaken identity throws an apolitical chemistry
teacher into the maelstrom of the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, in the
striking debut feature from director Zahidur Rahim Anjan.
Mountain
Yaelle Kayam, Israel/Denmark North American Premiere
An Orthodox Jewish woman, living at the edge of the cemetery
on Jerusalem's Mount of Olives, becomes fascinated by a nocturnal community of
prostitutes and drug dealers congregating amongst the tombstones. Mountain is a
haunting and dramatic exploration of a women's search for identity.
My Name is Emily
Simon Fitzmaurice, Ireland North American Premiere
Packed off to a foster home after her father is
institutionalized, a rebellious young Irish girl resolves to bust her dad out
of the hospital where he's been confined, in this spirited coming-of-age tale
from celebrated memoirist and first-time feature director Simon Fitzmaurice.
The Paradise Suite
Joost van Ginkel, Netherlands/Sweden/Bulgaria World Premiere
This dexterous tale of survival from director Joost van
Ginkel traces the intersecting stories of six immigrants from very different
backgrounds in Amsterdam who learn that they can irreversibly influence each
other's lives, sometimes with just one glance.
Semana Santa
Alejandra Márquez Abella, Mexico World Premiere Dali and her
eight-year-old son Pepe take a vacation to Acapulco with Dali’s boyfriend,
Chavez. Instead of bringing them closer, their beach holiday brings out things
in each of them that threaten to pull this emerging family apart.
Spear
Stephen Page, Australia World Premiere
Djali, a young Aboriginal man, sets off on a journey of initiation
to understand what itmeans to be a man in a modern day world. He sees the
problems being faced by Aboriginal men in remote and urban communities. As he
struggles to find his place, he becomes awakened to a spiritual force within, guiding
him on his journey into manhood.
Very Big Shot (Film Kteer Kbeer)
Mir-Jean Bou Chaaya, Lebanon/Qatar World Premiere
Intending to smuggle the amphetamine Captagon to Iraqi
Kurdistan, a small-time Lebanese drug dealer discovers that a way to foil customs,
with the help of a talentless filmmaker. Posing as a film producer, he has no
qualms manipulating public opinion to his advantage.
The Wait (L’attesa)
Piero Messina, Italy
North American Premiere
Waiting for someone is an act of faith. Anna and Jeanne,
isolated in a Sicilian country house in Caltagirone, are waiting for Giuseppe’s
arrival. He is the former’s son, the latter’s boyfriend. Their wait turns into
a mysterious act of love and will, while in the streets people are celebrating
Easter.
We Monsters (Wir Monster)
Sebastian Ko, Germany North American Premiere
Paul and Christine know their teenage daughter Sarah has
been thrown off track by their separation — but is she capable of committing a
horrible crime? Wanting to protect her, they decide attempt to hide her
wrongdoing, but their joint guilt forces the family back together under a web
of lies. The directorial debut from German actor Sebastian Ko, We Monsters is a
gripping psychological thriller.
Wedding Doll (Chatona Meniyar)
Nitzan Gilady, Israel
International Premiere
Fixated on romantic fantasies, a kindly and strong-willed
young woman with a mild mental disability embarks on a relationship — much to
the concern of her protective mother — in this assured first feature from
director Nitzan Gilady.
CINEMATHEQUE PROGRAMME
Heat
Michael Mann, USA
Hard-boiled ex-con Neil McCauley is the leader of a crew of
seasoned thieves who operate with grim determination and military discipline.
But when a last-minute replacement on his team leads to a bloody triple murder
during an armoured truck robbery, McCauley is targeted by veteran detective
Vincent Hanna, whose obsessive dedication both mirrors and contrasts with
McCauley's ruthless professionalism. Starring Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro with
Jon Voight, Val Kilmer, Ashley Judd, Tom Sizemore and Amy Brenneman.
VANGUARD PROGRAMME
Zoom
Pedro Morelli, Canada
World Premiere
Zoom is a fast-paced, pop-art inspired, multi-plot
contemporary comedy. The film consists of three seemingly separate but
ultimately interlinked storylines about a comic book artist, a novelist and a
film director. Each character lives in a separate world but authors a story
about the life of another.
The 2015 Toronto International Film Festival runs September
10-20, 2015.
Please visit www.tiff.net
for more information.
