Toronto Film Festival Announces Films for Cinematheque Programme

The Toronto International Film Festival® is pleased to announce the crop of films slated for the 2017 TIFF Cinematheque programme. In light of Canada's sesquicentennial, this year's programme celebrates homegrown filmmakers and their works by revisiting and restoring landmarks of Canada's cinematic history. This all-Canadian lineup consists of titles culled from TIFF's Canada on Screen list of essential Canadian moving-image works.

TIFF Cinematheque will be a FREE programme for all to enjoy as part of Canada on Screen.

Highlights include the debuts of three new digital restorations done under the supervision of the films' directors. Featured titles are Clement Virgo's Rude (95), the first Canadian dramatic feature to be written, directed and produced by an all-black team; Patricia Rozema's Cannes Prix de la jeunesse-winning I've Heard the Mermaids Singing (87); and Peter Mettler's poetic essay film Picture of Light (94). Showcasing iconic films dealing with themes still relevant and prevalent today, this year's programme underscores the endurance of Canada's legacy on screen.

"At TIFF we're proud to continue our commitment to the preservation and restoration of Canada's filmic history," said Jesse Wente, Head, TIFF Cinematheque. "These groundbreaking works from the 1980s and 1990s demonstrate our country's long history of celebrating directors who push boundaries with their personal visions. We look forward to bringing them back to audiences via these beautiful digital restorations."

"I am delighted that this year's Toronto International Film Festival will showcase several digitally restored classics of Canadian cinema," said the Honorable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Canadian Heritage. "As we celebrate Canada 150, I invite you all to participate, and to experience these films that reveal the richness of our cinematic heritage."

Also featured as part of the Cinematheque lineup are larger-than-life screenings of Graeme Ferguson's North of Superior (71), at Cinesphere, the world's first permanent IMAX cinema, presented in collaboration with Ontario Place. As the first film commissioned for and screened at Cinesphere at its 1971 grand opening, North of Superior is the film that helped put the IMAX format on the map. This September, audiences will have the opportunity to experience the film as intended - on the IMAX screen - and round out the day with an afternoon of music, entertainment and food on the Ontario Place grounds. Free transportation will be provided to Ontario Place from TIFF Bell Lightbox. For film lovers across the country and around the world, a free live webcast of the introduction, film and Q&A will be available online during a select screening.

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

Films screening as part of the TIFF Cinematheque programme include:

I've Heard the Mermaids Singing Patricia Rozema, Canada, 1987
*New digital restoration: Work carried out at Technicolor, Toronto and Montreal under the supervision of Director Patricia Rozema.

Picture of Light Peter Mettler, Canada, 1994
*New digital restoration: Work carried out at Technicolor, Toronto and Montreal, with soundtrack restoration by Lou Solakofski of
Tattersall Sound and Picture, and Peter Bräker sound design, Switzerland, under the supervision of Director Peter Mettler.

Rude Clement Virgo, Canada, 1995
*New digital restoration: Work carried out at Technicolor, Toronto and Montreal under the supervision of Director Clement Virgo and
Producer Damon D'Oliveira.

North of Superior Graeme Ferguson, Canada, 1971
*Special IMAX screening at Cinesphere

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