Toronto Film Festival Announces International Short Cuts Titles

The Toronto International Film Festival® has unveiled the 35 exceptional short films that make up the International portion of this year's Short Cuts programme. A lineup that stands out for its diversity of voices and backgrounds, the International selection for 2017 includes works from over 30 countries in 16 different languages, with a strong presence from the Middle East and South America. Of the 35 selected films, 17 were directed by women.

The International lineup also includes seven stunning short animations, including Niki Lindroth von Bahr's The Burden (Min börda), winner of the Cristal for a Short Film award at the 2017 Annecy International Animation Film Festival, and The Death, Dad & Son by
Denis Walgenwitz and Winshluss, the renowned French comic book artist whose film credits include co-writing and co-directing the Oscar-nominated Persepolis (07). Another well-known name featured in THE LINEUP is Justine Bateman; the former Family Ties star's short film directorial debut, FIVE MINUTES, will be premiering at the Festival.

Programme highlights also include Ifunanya Maduka's heartbreaking Waiting for Hassana, which shares a brave teenager's devastating account of the 2014 Boko Haram kidnapping; Mahdi Fleifel's A Drowning Man, the dramatic story of a young immigrant
trying to survive in a new and strange city; and Yang Qiu's A Gentle Night (Xiao Cheng Er Yue), which will be screening fresh off its Short Film Palme d'Or win at Cannes.

Films in the Short Cuts programme are eligible for the IWC Short Cuts Award for Best Film. This year's jury includes Marit van den Elshout, Head of CineMart at the International Film Festival Rotterdam; TIFF 2016 City of Toronto Award for Best Canadian First Feature Film winner Johnny Ma (Old Stone); and Cannes 2017 Art Cinema Award winner Chloé Zhao (The Rider).

Short Cuts is programmed by Jason Anderson and Danis Goulet. The Canadian titles that are part of this year's programme will be announced on August 9, 2017.

The Short Cuts programme is made possible through the generous sponsorship of IWC Schaffhausen.

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

International titles screening as part of the Short Cuts programme include:

Airport MICHAELA Müller, Switzerland/Croatia North American Premiere

Blue Christmas Charlotte Wells, UK/USA World Premiere

Bonboné Rakan Mayasi, Palestine/Lebanon World Premiere

The Burden (Min börda) Niki Lindroth von Bahr, Sweden North American Premiere

Catastrophe Jamille van Wijngaarden, Netherlands International Premiere

Damiana Andrés Ramírez Pulido, Colombia/Brazil North American Premiere

The Death, Dad & Son (La Mort, Père & Fils) Winshluss, Denis Walgenwitz, France International Premiere

Drop by Drop (Água Mole) Xá, Laura Gonçalves, Portugal North American Premiere

A Drowning Man Mahdi Fleifel, Denmark/Greece/UK North American Premiere

Everlasting MOM (Ima Lanetzah) Elinor Nechemya, Israel International Premiere

Fifteen (Khamastashar) Sameh Alaa, Egypt World Premiere

FIVE MINUTES Justine Bateman, USA World Premiere

A Gentle Night (Xiao Cheng Er Yue) Yang Qiu, China Canadian Premiere

I Didn't Shoot Jesse James (Je n'ai pas tué Jesse James) Sophie Beaulieu, France North American Premiere

Jodilerks Dela Cruz, Employee of the Month Carlo Francisco Manatad, Philippines/Singapore North American Premiere

Long Distance Relationship (Namoro À Distância) Carolina Markowicz, Brazil World Premiere

Lower Heaven Emad Aleebrahim Dehkordi, France/Iran International Premiere