Toronto International Film Festival Announces 2013 Asian Film Summit

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Cameron Bailey, Artistic Director of the Toronto International Film Festival, today announced the return of the Asian Film Summit. Returning to the Shangri-La Hotel, Toronto, the 2013 Summit will take place during the Festival, on Tuesday, September 10, 2013. The Summit is a key element of TIFF’s ongoing commitment to building bridges between Asian cinema and the West.

“Last year we were honoured to have among our Asian Film Summit guests filmmakers Chen Kaige, Mira Nair and Eli Roth, film executives Harvey Weinstein, Bill Kong, Chris Dodd, Nina Lath Gupta and Stuart Ford, and global superstar Jackie Chan,” said Bailey. “We're looking forward to welcoming another stellar lineup of key influencers and film leaders from both sides of the Pacific.”

Toronto International Film Festival Expresses Deep Concern For Missing Syrian Filmmaker Orwa Nyrabia

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The Toronto International Film Festival issued a press release earlier this week expressing deep concern for independent filmmaker and producer Orwa Nyrabia who was reportedly arrested on the 23rd of August at the Damascus airport and has not been seen since. It is believed that he was arrested by one of the security services of the Syrian regime and detained in the jail cells of the intelligence services

The release ...

The Toronto International Film Festival® today expressed its deep concern in response to the recent arrest of Orwa Nyrabia, the director of Dox Box, the acclaimed international documentary film festival in Damascus. Nyrabia was arrested on the 23rd of August at the Damascus airport, as he was on his way to Cairo. He was arrested by one of the security services of the Syrian regime and detained in the jail cells of the intelligence services. There has been no news of him since.

Spike Lee's Bad 25 and Lee Daniels' The Paperboy Among New Films Added to 2012 Toronto Film Fest

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The Toronto International Film Festival has added 3 Galas and 18 Special Presentations, including 8 World Premieres, to its 2012 slate. The Festival will close with Paul Andrew Williams’ A Song For Marion, starring Vanessa Redgrave and Terence Stamp. 

Films added include Spike Lee's Bad 25 which celebrates the 25th anniversary of the Michael Jackson “Bad” album with unseen footage, and Lee Daniels' The Paperboy starring Matthew McConaughey, Nicole Kidman, John Cusack, David Oyelowo and Zac Efron,

The Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 6 to 16, 2012. 

World Premieres From Edward Burns Among Films in 2012 Toronto Film Festival's Contemporary World Cinema Program

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The Contemporary World Cinema program at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival will feature the world premieres of films by directors such as Sara Johnsen, Kasia Rosłaniec, Edward Burns, Sion Sono, Robert Connolly, John Akomfrah, Saïd Ould-Khelifa, Annemarie Jacir, Jo Sung-hee and Licinio Azevedo.

The Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 6 to 16, 2012. 

Film lineup includes:

Mumbai to be Focus of 2012 Toronto International Film Festival City to City Program

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Cameron Bailey, Artistic Director of the Toronto International Film Festival, announced today that the 2012 Festival's City to City program will focus on Mumbai.

“Past editions of City to City explored how filmmakers represented their urban landscape. This year we'll shift the scope of the program to showcase filmmakers living and working in Mumbai, regardless of where their films are set," said Bailey, who is currently in Mumbai participating in FICCI FRAMES, the global media and entertainment convention. “There's been an exciting evolution recently that's seen local independent films emerge to contrast with Bollywood's dazzling commercial movies. Whether you call it Mumbai or Bombay, this city is a massive player in the global film world, and a place I've grown to love in all its diversity. Toronto audiences are in for a thrill this September.”

This is the fourth year for the City to City series; cities featured in past programs include Tel Aviv, Istanbul and Buenos Aires. The announcement of the City to City lineup will be made in August. The 37th Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 6 to 16, 2012.

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TIFF Launches New Festivals For Kids and Youth

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TIFF, the organization behind September’s Toronto International Film Festival, announced today two new film festivals directed towards children and youth with a new emphasis on interactive programming, including gaming and participatory activities in a digital environment. The two new film festivals represent an evolution of the Sprockets Toronto International Film Festival for Children and Youth, effectively dividing its programming into separate events for two age groups. Running from April 10 through 22, 2012, the TIFF Kids International Film Festival will celebrate special programming and activities for children aged 3 to 13. New for 2012 is TIFF Kids digiPlaySpace, a family-friendly interactive environment which includes interactive installations, learning-centric games, apps, new digital creative tools and hands-on production activities. Also launching this year, the TIFF Next Wave Film Festival runs May 10 through 12, 2012 and engages youth aged 14 to 18 with programming aimed at a teen audience.

"We’ve had the pleasure of seeing our children’s film festival grow at a phenomenal pace into one of the most prominent and respected in the world, one that is extremely successful with children in elementary and middle schools and with teen audiences," said Shane Smith, Director of Public Programmes, TIFF. ?It’s fitting that as we celebrate our 15th anniversary, we separate our programming into two festivals that allow us to broaden and deepen the selection and experience for each audience, as well as their families and educators. We’re beyond excited to be presenting both the TIFF Kids International Film Festival and the TIFF Next Wave Film Festival this year.?

In addition to premiere screenings of high-calibre feature films and shorts from around the world, special guests, learning workshops and the Jump Cuts competitions, interactive engagement will be a key feature of the TIFF Kids International Film Festival—both online and through on-site activities. Not only will young audiences take over all five cinemas and learning studios of TIFF Bell Lightbox, but for the first time the first floor gallery space will be transformed into the TIFF Kids digiPlaySpace—an interactive playground where children will learn, laugh and be entertained by emerging creative technologies and innovative media experiences. Several installations, games and workshop zones will allow children to exercise their creativity and see first-hand how the future of storytelling is evolving.

A signature of the TIFF Kids digiPlaySpace is the Canadian premiere of Funky Forest, an interactive ecosystem where children create trees with their bodies and then divert the water flowing from a waterfall to keep the trees alive. The health of the trees contributes to the overall health of the forest and the types of creatures that inhabit it. Other highlights include installations from leading interactive play developers Aesthetec Studio, where movement and voice is transformed into light and music; giant green screens that enable children to immerse themselves into the worlds of film and dance; and stop-motion stations that provide the chance for kids to learn the magic of animation.

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TIFF is Calling Young Filmmakes for the TIFF Kids and TIFF Next Wave Jump Cuts Young Filmmakers competitions and TIFF Kids Juries

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Toronto International Film Festival is encouraging young filmmakers and cinephiles to take part in its two new film festivals, the TIFF Kids International Film Festival and the TIFF Next Wave Film Festival, both happening this Spring at TIFF Bell Lightbox. Running from April 10 through 22, 2012, the TIFF Kids International Film Festival will celebrate special programming and activities for children aged 3 to 13. The TIFF Next Wave Film Festival runs May 10 through 12, 2012 and connects with youth aged 14 to 18 with programming aimed at a teen audience.

Entering its 11th year, the Jump Cuts Young Filmmakers programme engages Ontario's young people and gives emerging directors the opportunity to see their work on the big screen. The TIFF Kids International Film Festival Jump Cuts competition is open to young filmmakers in two categories: grades 3 to 6 and grades 7 to 8.The submission deadline is March 5, 2012 and entries can be submitted via tiff.net/tiffkids. The TIFF Next Wave Film Festival Jump Cuts competition is open to amateur filmmakers in grades 9 through 12. The submission deadline is March 19, 2012 and entries can be submitted via tiff.net/nextwave/jumpcuts.

The TIFF Kids International Film Festival is also looking for young cinephiles to participate on their young people’s juries. The jurors actively discuss the films they see and work collaboratively to reach consensus on determining the Festival winners. TIFF Kids jurors attend the Festival for free and watch films in special reserved jury seating, all while enjoying complimentary popcorn and drinks. Winners of the internationally recognized awards will be announced at the end of the Festival. To apply for a place on the juries, young film fans aged 8 to12 must write a short review (100 to 250 words) of a movie they either particularly enjoyed or did not like. The official Jury Entry Form can be found on the TIFF Kids website. All reviews must be received by February 10, 2012.

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TIFF to Screen Feature and Short Films on the 2011 Top Ten list

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TIFF kicks off the eleventh annual Canada’s Top Ten on January 5, 2012 at TIFF Bell Lightbox. The event offers public screenings of feature and short films on the Top Ten list, introductions and Q&A sessions with filmmakers – including Guy Maddin, Philippe Falardeau, Jean-Marc Vallée and Nathan Morlando – and a panel featuring Canada’s Top Ten filmmakers discussing the gangster/crime genre in Canadian film. Canada’s Top Ten will run to January 15. Select films will tour theatres across the country in early 2012, including Vancouver’s Pacific Cinematheque, Edmonton’s Metro Cinema and Ottawa’s ByTowne Cinema. Established in 2001, Canada’s Top Ten celebrates excellence in Canadian cinema and raises public awareness of Canadian achievements in film.

Canada’s Top Ten screening schedule (guests in attendance noted below)

Thursday, January 5

8 PM
Monsieur Lazhar (dir. Philippe Falardeau)

Friday, January 6

4 PM
Monsieur Lazhar (dir. Philippe Falardeau)

7 PM
Keyhole  (dir. Guy Maddin and producer Jody Shapiro)

9:30 PM
Edwin Boyd (dir. Nathan Morlando and producer Allison Black)

Saturday, January 7

4 PM
Keyhole (dir. Guy Maddin)

7 PM
Panel Discussion – A Canadian Gangster (Guy Maddin, Keyhole; Nathan Morlando, Edwin Boyd; and Jason Eisener, Hobo With a Shotgun)

9 PM
Hobo With a Shotgun  (dir. Jason Eisener)

Sunday, January 8
7 PM
Canada’s Top Ten Shorts  Programme A:
Ora (dir. Philippe Baylaucq)
Hope (actor Lucas Silveira)

We Ate the Children Last  (dir. Andrew Cividino)
Choke (dir. Michelle Latimer)
Doubles With Slight Pepper 

8:30 PM
Canada’s Top Ten Shorts  Programme B:
No Words Came Down (dir. Ryan Flowers and actor Andrew Gillingham)
Rhonda's Party (dir. Ashley McKenzie)
The Fuse: Or How I Burned Simon Bolivar  (dir. Igor Drljaca)
La Ronde (dir. Sophie Goyette and producer Elaine Hébert)
Trotteur (dir. Arnaud Brisebois)

Tuesday, January 10

4 PM
Hobo With a Shotgun  (dir. Jason Eisener)

7 PM
Starbuck

Wednesday, January 11

3 PM
Starbuck

7 PM
Marécages

Thursday, January 12

3 PM
Marécages

7:00 PM
A Dangerous Method  (actor Sarah Gadon)

Friday, January 13

3 PM
Starbuck

9 PM
Café de flore (dir. Jean-Marc Vallée)

Saturday, January 14

6 PM
Le Vendeur  (dir. Sébastien Pilote)

9 PM
Take This Waltz (actor Luke Kirby)

Sunday, January 15

12 PM
Le Vendeur  (dir. Sébastien Pilote

3 PM
Take This Waltz

5:30 PM
Café de flore

Canada’s Top Ten films are chosen from features, shorts, documentaries, animation and experimental films. Each film must have premiered at a major film festival or obtained a commercial theatrical release in Canada in 2011. The filmmaker must be a Canadian citizen or resident, and have a history of working in Canada or on Canadian-financed films.

Canada’s Top Ten features (in alphabetical order)

Café de Flore — Jean-Marc Vallée (Alliance Films)
A Dangerous Method — David Cronenberg (Entertainment One)
Edwin Boyd — Nathan Morlando (Entertainment One)
Hobo With a Shotgun — Jason Eisener (Alliance Films)
Keyhole — Guy Maddin (Entertainment One)
Marécages — Guy Édoin (Mongrel Media)
Monsieur Lazhar — Philippe Falardeau (Entertainment One)
Starbuck — Ken Scott (Entertainment One)
Take This Waltz — Sarah Polley (Mongrel Media)
Le Vendeur — Sébastien Pilote (Entertainment One)

Canada’s Top Ten short films (in alphabetical order):

Choke — Michelle Latimer
Doubles With Slight Pepper — Ian Harnarine
The Fuse: Or How I Burned Simon Bolivar — Igor Drljaca
Hope — Pedro Pires (Phi Group)
No Words Came Down — Ryan Flowers &Lisa Pham
Ora — Philippe Baylaucq (National Film Board of Canada)
Rhonda’s Party — Ashley McKenzie
La Ronde — Sophie Goyette (Locomotion Films)
Trotteur — Arnaud Brisebois &Francis Leclerc (Phi Group and Cirrus Communications)
We Ate the Children Last — Andrew Cividino

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Toronto International Film Festival unveils its 2011 top 10 Films

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Toronto International Film Festival unveiled the top 10 best features and top 10 best short films of 2011.  Canada’s Top Ten films are chosen from features, shorts, documentaries, animation and experimental films. Each film must have premiered at a major film festival or obtained a commercial theatrical release in Canada in 2011. The filmmaker must be a Canadian citizen or resident, and have a history of working in Canada or on Canadian-financed films.

Monsieur Lazhar, Canada's Canada’s official entry for Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award     and audience favorite film at the just wrapped Whistler Film Festival made the list, along with Edwin Boyd, about the mid-century Canadian bank robber, and Starbuck, about a sperm donor who learns he's fathered more than 500 children.


Canada’s Top Ten feature film selections for 2011 (in alphabetical order):

Café de flore — Jean-Marc Vallée (Alliance Films)
A Dangerous Method — David Cronenberg (Entertainment One)
Edwin Boyd — Nathan Morlando (Entertainment One)
Hobo With a Shotgun — Jason Eisener (Alliance Films)
Keyhole — Guy Maddin (Entertainment One)  
Marécages — Guy Édoin (Mongrel Media)
Monsieur Lazhar — Philippe Falardeau (Entertainment One)
Starbuck — Ken Scott (Entertainment One)
Take This Waltz — Sarah Polley (Mongrel Media)
Le Vendeur — Sébastien Pilote (Entertainment One)



Canada’s Top Ten short film selections for 2011 (in alphabetical order):

Choke — Michelle Latimer
Doubles With Slight Pepper — Ian Harnarine
The Fuse: Or How I Burned Simon Bolivar — Igor Drljaca
Hope — Pedro Pires (Phi Group)
No Words Came Down — Ryan Flowers and Lisa Pham
Ora — Philippe Baylaucq (National Film Board of Canada)
Rhonda's Party — Ashley McKenzie
La Ronde — Sophie Goyette (Locomotion Films)
Trotteur — Arnaud Brisebois and Francis Leclerc (Phi Group and Cirrus Communications)
We Ate the Children Last — Andrew Cividino

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Toronto International Film Festival Supports Detained Iranian Filmmakers

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The Toronto International Film Festival in a press release expressed its deep concern in response to the recent arrest of six Iranian filmmakers by the Iranian authorities on charges of espionage. The six filmmakers are Mojtaba Mirtahmasb, Katayoun Shahabi, Hadi Afarideh, Nasser Saffarian, Shahnama Bazdar and Mohsen Shahrnazdar.

The detaineed filmmakers have been accused of collaborating with the BBC network, forbidden in Iran, and of portraying a negative image of the country in their films.

Mr. Mojtaba Mirtahmasb is the co-director of banned Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi's latest film THIS IS NOT A FILM, which was most recently screened as part of the 36th Toronto International Film Festival.

image via insideofiran