The Contemporary World Cinema slate of the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival will feature 48 titles from international filmmakers, that covers disparate regions of the world with a strong presence from Latin America, Scandinavia, and Central Europe.
“Each film in Contemporary World Cinema offers a much-needed look at another part of the world through the eyes of a storyteller embedded in that culture,” said Cameron Bailey, Artistic Director of TIFF. “Taken together, these four dozen films invite us all to expand and deepen our picture of the world.”
The Contemporary World Cinema program is being bolstered with a series of 23 World Premieres, among them Argentinian filmmaker Diego Lerman’s A Sort of Family, South African Khalo Matabane’s The Number, Iraqi Mohamed Jabarah Al-daradji’s The Journey, Finnish Teemu Nikki’s Euthanizer and Australian actor Simon Baker’s directorial debut, Breath. The program also highlights an impressive selection of films that have captivated audiences worldwide, including Félicité by Alain Gomis and the animated film The Big Bad Fox & Other Tales by Benjamin Renner and Patrick Imbert.
2017 Toronto International Film Festival Contemporary World Cinema Program
A Ciambra
Jonas Carpignano, Italy/France/USA/Germany
International Premiere
A Sort of Family (Una Especie de Familia)
Diego Lerman, Argentina/Brazil/France/Poland
World Premiere
Alanis
Anahí Berneri, Argentina
World Premiere
Ana, mon amour
Călin Peter Netzer, Romania/Germany/France
North American Premiere
Angels Wear White (Jia Nian Hua)
Vivian Qu, China/France
North American Premiere
April’s Daughter (Las Hijas de Abril)
Michel Franco, Mexico
North American Premiere
Arrhythmia
Boris Khlebnikov, Russia/Finland/Germany
North American Premiere
Beyond Words
Urszula Antoniak, Netherlands/Poland
World Premiere
Birds Without Names (Kanojo ga Sono Na wo Shiranai Toritachi)
Kazuya Shiraishi, Japan
World Premiere
Breath
Simon Baker, Australia
World Premiere
Dark is the Night (Madilim ang Gabi)
Adolfo Alix Jr., Philippines
World Premiere
Directions (Posoki)
Stephan Komandarev, Bulgaria/Germany/Macedonia
North American Premiere
Disappearance (Verdwijnen)
Boudewijn Koole, Netherlands/Norway
International Premiere
Euthanizer (Armomurhaaja)
Teemu Nikki, Finland
World Premiere
Félicité
Alain Gomis, France/Senegal/Belgium/Germany/Lebanon
North American Premiere
Good Favour
Rebecca Daly, Ireland/Belgium/Denmark/Netherlands
World Premiere
Hannah
Andrea Pallaoro, Italy/Belgium/France
North American Premiere
Insyriated
Philippe Van Leeuw, Belgium/France/Lebanon
Canadian Premiere
Life and nothing more
Antonio Méndez Esparza, Spain/USA
World Premiere
Longing (Gaagua)
Savi Gabizon, Israel
North American Premiere
Looking for Oum Kulthum
Shirin Neshat, Germany/Austria/Italy/Lebanon/Qatar
North American Premiere
Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts (Marlina si Pembunuh dalam Empat Babak)
Mouly Surya, Indonesia/France/Malaysia/Thailand
North American Premiere
Miami
Zaida Bergroth, Finland
International Premiere
Motorrad
Vicente Amorim, Brazil
World Premiere
Nina
Juraj Lehotský, Slovakia/Czech Republic
North American Premiere
On Body and Soul
Ildikó Enyedi, Hungary
North American Premiere
Samui Song (Mai Mee Samui Samrab Ter)
Pen-ek Ratanaruang, Thailand/Germany/Norway
North American Premiere
Sergio & Sergei (Sergio & Serguéi)
Ernesto Daranas Serrano, Spain/Cuba
World Premiere
The Big Bad Fox & Other Tales (Le Grand Méchant Renard et autres contes)
Benjamin Renner, Patrick Imbert, France
North American Premiere
The Insult (L’Insulte)
Ziad Doueiri, France/Lebanon
Canadian Premiere
The Journey (Al Rahal)
Mohamed Jabarah Al-daradji, Iraq/United Kingdom/France/Qatar/Netherlands
World Premiere
The Lodgers
Brian O’Malley, Ireland
World Premiere
The Number
Khalo Matabane, South Africa
World Premiere
The Royal Hibiscus Hotel
Ishaya Bako, Nigeria
World Premiere
The Summit (La Cordillera)
Santiago Mitre, Argentina/Spain/France
North American Premiere
Tulipani, Love, Honour and a Bicycle
Mike van Diem, Netherlands/Italy/Canada
World Premiere
Under the Tree (Undir Trénu)
Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurðsson, Iceland/Denmark/Poland/Germany
International Premiere
Veronica (Verónica)
Paco Plaza, Spain
International Premiere
Wajib
Annemarie Jacir, Palestine/France/Germany/Colombia/Norway/Qatar/United Arab Emirates
North American Premiere
Western
Valeska Grisebach, Germany/Bulgaria/Austria
North American Premiere
Previously announced Canadian titles in the Contemporary World Cinema programme include Simon Lavoie’s The Little Girl Who Was Too Fond Of Matches, Adam MacDonald’s Pyewacket, Kyle Rideout’s Public Schooled, Ingrid Veninger’s Porcupine Lake, Mina
Shum’s Meditation Park, Robin Aubert’s Les Affamés, Pat Mills’ Don’t Talk to Irene, and Tarique Qayumi’s BLACK KITE.
The 42nd Toronto International Film Festival runs September 7 to 17, 2017.