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Michael Caine in Youth - My pick for 'Best of the Fest' Photo courtesy of TIFF. |
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Sicario. Photo courtesy of TIFF. |
The Films
The size of the documentary continent alone, while strong overall and well curated by Thom Powers, illustrates just how much the size of TIFF has swelled to its capacity. TIFF was more daunting than ever with its line-up of 400 films. While that scale guarantees something great playing at any given time slot of the day, it also means that the programme is overwhelming, tricky to navigate, and a complete game of Tetris to manage: missing a scheduled screening almost inevitably crosses a film off a list. It’s hard to remember which film is what—unable to recall the difference between The Clan and The Club, for example, I just saw something else—and the size often makes it difficult to discover hidden gems if one only remembers the films of interest while exploring the schedule.
However, the upside to the massive programme is that TIFF is
the festival happens year-round. It’s impossible to see even a quarter of the
line-up even if one catches five films a day, never mind squeezing in time to
digest the films and write about them. (I’ll be covering more TIFF films,
especially Canadian films I missed and titles in the Discovery programme, in
the weeks to come.) This year’s Festival boasts an overall strong consistency
to the programming, mostly thanks to the doc-heavy slate I had, but TIFF 2015
offers fewer duds than previous editions of the Festival. While only one film
received a five-star rating (Youth),
only one earned a one-star pan (In
Jackson Heights). The number of 4.5 star reviews is higher than ever, and
it would be even higher if reviews at POV featured star ratings. Commenting on
the size is only really an observation when it comes to the quality and
quantity of the films: once one simply accepts that a well-enjoyed Festival
covers only a fraction of the line-up, TIFF’s a great and satisfying
experience.
Room is this
year’s winner of the coveted People’s Choice Award. It’s not especially
surprising, since this very moving film offers the immediate emotional pull
that inspires to put their tickets in the box. It’s a good film, if somewhat
disappointing compared to the novel, but I also have to revisit the film since
I caught it a 9:30 in the morning after getting back from a party at 2:30 AM.
(There’s probably a reason I’m not as enthusiastic as others are!) The
inaugural Platform award, on the other hand, went to Alan Zweig for his doc HURT. (Yay!) I’m pleased to see Zweig win,
especially since I finally had a chance to meet him at the Festival this year
and we chatted about the film and docs in general. (Check POV soon for the
interview.) He’s also been working hard and has had a surprising difficulty
breaking out of the Toronto film scene despite the strength of his films, so
here’s hoping that the Platform win boost delivers results.
TIFF Awards:
People’s Choice: Room (Runner-up: Angry Indian Goddesses, 2nd Runner-up: Spotlight)
People’s Choice –
Documentary: The Winter Fire (Runner-up:
This Changes Everything, 2nd
Runner-up: Al Purdy Was Here)
People’s Choice –
Midnight Madness: Hardcore
Platform Award: HURT
Best Canadian
Feature: Closet Monster (so sad I
missed this!)
Best Canadian Feature
– Special Citation: My Internship in Canada
Best Canadian First
Feature: Sleeping Giant
Best Canadian Short: Overpass (Runner-up: Bacon and God’s Wrath)
Best International Short: Maman(s)
FIPRESCI Prize –
Special Presentations: Desierto
FIPRESCI Prize –
Discovery: Eva Nova (check back
soon for a review!)
Of the 44 TIFF films I saw during the Festival, there’s one
easy favourite: Paolo Sorrentino’s Youth is
the standout film of the fest. I love everything about Youth. The exceptional performances by Michael Caine, Jane Fonda,
Harvey Keitel, and Rachel Weisz, plus Sorrentino’s drippingly gorgeous style
make this film one of the most memorable TIFF films ever. It’s easily my
favourite film of year so far. Runners-up include the aforementioned Sunset Song, Sicario, and the horror show The
Witch. On the non-fiction front, the top doc is Brian D. Johnson’s Al Purdy Was Here. (Check POV soon for a
review.) This elegiac documentary is essential viewing, not simply for its
portrait of a great Canadian writer, but for its inspired conversation that
illustrates the value in engaging peers with the arts.
The Top Ten Films of TIFF 2015 (in alphabetical order):
Al Purdy Was Here
Miss Sharon Jones
The Music of Strangers:
Yo Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble
Where to Invade Next
Honourable mentions (alphabetical): Dégradé, Demolition, The Heart of a Dog, Hurt, Thru You Princess
Pat’s TIFF awards:
Best of the Fest: Youth
Runner-up: Sicario
Top Doc: Al Purdy Was Here
Runner-up: Where to
Invade Next
Best Canadian Film: Al Purdy Was Here
Runner-up: My
Internship in Canada
Best First Feature: Al Purdy Was Here, The Witch (tie)
Best Short Film: Bacon and God’s Wrath
Hidden Gem: Thru You Princess
Runner-up: Dégradé
Best Director: Paolo Sorrentino, Youth
Runner-up: Denis Villeneuve, Sicario
Best Lead Performance
– Female: Alicia Vikander, The Danish
Girl
Runner-up: Cate Blanchett, Truth
Best Lead Performance
– Male: Michael Caine, Youth
Runner-up: Eddie Redmayne, The Danish Girl
Best Supporting
Performance – Female: Jane Fonda, Youth
Runner-up: Rachel Weisz, Youth
Best Supporting
Performance – Male: Benicio Del Toro, Sicario
Runner-up: Harvey Keitel, Youth
Best Cinematography: Luca Bigazzi, Youth
Best Score: Alexandre
Desplat, The Danish Girl
Best Song (cover): “You Got the Love,” Youth
Biggest letdown: Ville-Marie
Most excruciating: In Jackson Heights
Best Freaky Goat: Black
Philip, The Witch
Most Confusing
Line-up: The simultaneous wait for Youth
and Truth at the Elgin
Best Q&A/intro: Julie
Delpy and Dany Boon, Lolo
Thanks to all the
volunteers, programmers, (friendly) publicists, film fans, and everyone else at
the fest who made this another great TIFF!
What are your #TIFF15 highlights?
Please visit www.tiff.net for more
information on this year’s festival.
More coverage on this year’s festival can be found here.