Tiff's Discovery Programme Boasts Biggest Lineup to Date with 45 Fresh Titles by New Storytellers From Around the World

The Toronto International Film Festival debuted the 2017 Discovery programme lineup with 45 first and second feature films by up-and-coming filmmakers from around the world. Good news for the future of global cinema: this is the biggest Discovery programme to date, with 25% more titles than the 2016 roster and two-thirds of the selection World Premiering at TIFF.

"Uncovering new talent is one of the key roles of the Festival," said Piers Handling, Director and CEO of TIFF. "The Discovery programme allows us to carve out a space for emerging filmmakers to be seen by the international film industry and has helped launch the careers of award-winning filmmakers like Maren Ade, Barry Jenkins, Steve McQueen, Christopher Nolan, and Dee Rees."

The films, produced or co-produced in 35 different countries, include fresh, experimental and compelling voices. Life in small, rural communities is portrayed in Miracle, Ravens and The Swan, while families dealing with crises and conflict are addressed in Apostasy, Shuttle Life and Suleiman Mountain. LGBTQ+ themes run through several of the Discovery titles, including Montana, Soldiers. Story from Ferentari and The Poet and the Boy, while teen sexuality is explored in Disappearance, Kissing Candice and Princesita.

"If you don't support the future of filmmaking, you fall behind. So we're always looking for new talent," said Cameron Bailey, Artistic Director of TIFF. "The fact that the Discovery programme continues to grow is deeply encouraging, and speaks to the fact that there are a lot of people that want to make films when it is often increasingly more difficult to do so."

The Toronto International Film Festival is also delighted to announce an additional title to the Docs programme: Sighted Eyes/Feeling Heart, a documentary about Lorraine Hansberry, a black writer, communist, feminist, lesbian and outspoken trailblazer at the height of the Civil Rights Movement.

The 42nd Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 7 to 17, 2017.

Films screening as part of the Discovery programme include:

1% Stephen McCallum, Australia World Premiere

3⁄4 (Three Quarters) Ilian Metev, Germany/Bulgaria North American Premiere

A Fish Out Of Water (????) Lai Kuo-An, Taiwan World Premiere

*A Worthy Companion Carlos Sanchez, Jason Sanchez, Canada World Premiere

*All You Can Eat Buddha Ian Lagarde, Canada World Premiere

Apostasy Daniel Kokotajlo, United Kingdom World Premiere

*AVA Sadaf Foroughi, Iran/Canada/Qatar World Premiere

*Black Cop Cory Bowles, Canada World Premiere

The Butterfly Tree Priscilla Cameron, Australia International Premiere

*Cardinals Grayson Moore, Aidan Shipley, Canada World Premiere

Disappearance (Napadid Shodan) Ali Asgari, Iran/Qatar North American Premiere

Five Fingers For Marseilles (Menoana e Mehlano ea Marseilles) Michael Matthews, South Africa World Premiere

The Future Ahead (El futuro que viene) Constanza Novick, Argentina World Premiere

The Garden (Sommerhäuser) Sonja Maria Kröner, Germany International Premiere

The Great Buddha+ (?????) Huang Hsin-Yao, Taiwan International Premiere

The Lady From Holland Marleen Jonkman, Netherlands/Germany World Premiere

Gutland Govinda Van Maele, Luxembourg/Germany/Belgium World Premiere

High Fantasy Jenna Bass, South Africa World Premiere

Human Traces Nic Gorman, New Zealand North American Premiere

Discovery Closing Film.
I am not a Witch Rungano Nyoni, United Kingdom/France North American Premiere

I Kill Giants Anders Walter, United Kingdom World Premiere

Indian Horse Stephen Campanelli, Canada World Premiere

Killing Jesus (Matar a Jesús) Laura Mora, Colombia/Argentina World Premiere

Kissing Candice Aoife McArdle, Ireland World Premiere

*Luk'Luk'I Wayne Wapeemukwa, Canada World Premiere

*Mary Goes Round Molly McGlynn, Canada World Premiere

Miracle (Stebuklas) Egle Vertelyte, Lithuania/Bulgaria/Poland World Premiere

Montana Limor Shmila, Israel World Premiere

*Never Steady, Never Still Kathleen Hepburn, Canada World Premiere

Oblivion Verses (Los Versos del Olvido) Alireza Khatami, France/Germany/Netherlands/Chile North American Premiere

Oh Lucy! Atsuko Hirayanagi, USA/Japan North American Premiere

The Poet and the Boy (Si-e-nui Sa-rang) Kim Yang-hee, South Korea International Premiere

Princesita Marialy Rivas, Chile/Argentina/Spain World Premiere

Ravens Jens Assur, Sweden World Premiere

Scaffolding (Pigumim) Matan Yair, Israel/Poland North American Premiere

Shuttle Life (????) Tan Seng Kiat, Malaysia North American Premiere

Simulation Abed Abest, Iran North American Premiere

Soldiers. Story from Ferentari (Solda?ii. Poveste din Ferentari) Ivana Mladenovic, Romania/Serbia/Belgium World Premiere

Suleiman Mountain Elizaveta Stishova, Kyrgyzstan/Russia World Premiere

The Swan (Svanurinn) Ása Helga Hjörleifsdóttir, Iceland World Premiere

Discovery Opening Film.
Tigre Silvina Schnicer, Ulises Porra Guardiola, Argentina World Premiere

Valley of Shadows (Skyggenes Dal) Jonas Matzow Gulbrandsen, Norway World Premiere

Village Rockstars Rima Das, India World Premiere

Waru Briar Grace-Smith, Ainsley Gardiner, Renae Maihi, Casey Kaa, Awanui Simich-Pene, Chelsea Cohen, Katie Wolfe, Paula Jones, New Zealand
International Premiere

Winter Brothers (Vinterbrødre) Hlynur Pálmason, Denmark/Iceland North American Premiere

*Title was previously announced on August 9 with the complete Canadian feature lineup.

TIFF DOCS

Sighted Eyes/Feeling Heart Tracy Heather Strain, USA World Premiere

For film synopses, cast lists, images and more information see tiff.net/discovery.

Festival tickets go on sale September 4 at 10am (with TIFF Member pre-sale on September 2 from 10am to 4pm). Buy tickets online at tiff.net, by phone at 416.599.TIFF or 1.888.599.8433, or in person at a box office. See box office locations and hours at tiff.net/tickets.

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About TIFF: TIFF is a charitable cultural organization whose mission is to transform the way people see the world, through film. An international leader in film culture, TIFF projects include the annual Toronto International Film Festival in September; TIFF Bell Lightbox, which features five cinemas, major exhibitions, and learning and entertainment facilities; and innovative national distribution programme Film Circuit. The organization generates an annual economic impact of $189 million CAD. TIFF Bell Lightbox is generously supported by contributors including Founding Sponsor Bell, the Government of Canada, the Government of Ontario, the City of Toronto, the Reitman family (Ivan Reitman, Agi Mandel and Susan Michaels), The Daniels Corporation and RBC. For more information, visit tiff.net.

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