Toronto International Film Festival Unveils Contemporary World Cinema Programme
By: Caryn Robbins Aug. 15, 2017
The Toronto International Film Festival® revealed today the 48 titles from international filmmakers that make up the Festival's Contemporary World Cinema slate. This year's programme features a powerful lineup that covers disparate regions of the world with a strong presence from Latin America, Scandinavia, and Central Europe. The schedule includes an eclectic mix that showcases the visions of returning filmmakers, as well as Festival first-timers from 43 countries.
"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 toexpand and deepen our picture of the world." The Contemporary World Cinema programme 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 programme 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. Films screening as part of the Contemporary World Cinema programme include:
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 C?lin 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
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.
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