Visionary Works from Internationally Acclaimed Directors Headline TIFF's Platform Program

The Toronto International Film Festival® unveiled its lineup of 12 films for this year's Platform programme, following on the success of last year's Platform, which included celebrated films such as William Oldroyd's Lady Macbeth, Pablo Larrain's Jackie and Barry Jenkins's Academy Award Best Picture winner, Moonlight. This year's lineup hails from eight countries on five continents. The films will compete for the Platform Prize, to be awarded by a jury comprising award-winning filmmakers Chen Kaige, Malgorzata Szumowska and Wim Wenders.

Now in its third year, TIFF's Platform programme showcases original voices in contemporary cinema. In the past two years, Platform has presented the world premieres of Ben Wheatley's High-Rise, Eva Husson's Bang Gang and Martin Zandvliet's Land of Mine, which was Oscar-nominated for Best Foreign Language Film.

"The films unveiled today embody our bold vision for the programme, and our ongoing commitment to showcase artistic and inventive directors that fearlessly push boundaries," said Piers Handling, Director and CEO of TIFF. "The twelve titles exemplify bravery, dynamism and a unique voice in storytelling that we look for when curating the Platform programme."

"Platform is the place to look for the distinct stamp of today's most interesting directors as they establish their reputations," said Cameron Bailey, TIFF's Artistic Director. "It's important that the Platform jury also reflects original thinking in cinema. We're thrilled to bring together Wim Wenders, Chen Kaige and Malgorzata Szumowska, each one responsible for bringing visionary films into the world."

The programme will open with the world premiere of The Death of Stalin, from award winning director-writer Armando Iannucci. The historical epic follows the final days leading up to the Soviet dictator's death. Sweet Country, a period western from acclaimed Australian filmmaker Warwick Thornton will close the Platform section.

Platform titles are eligible for the Toronto Platform Prize ($25,000 CAD) made possible by Air France. Juried by Kaige, Szumowska and Wenders, the prize winner is announced at the TIFF Awards Ceremony on September 17, 2017.

Films screening as part of the Platform programme include:

Beast Michael Pearce, United Kingdom
World Premiere

Brad's Status Mike White, USA
World Premiere

Custody Xavier Legrand, France
North American Premiere

Dark River Clio Barnard, United Kingdom
World Premiere

. Platform Opening Film
The Death of Stalin Armando Iannucci, France/United Kingdom/Belgium
World Premiere

Euphoria Lisa Langseth, Sweden/Germany
World Premiere

If You Saw His Heart Joan Chemla, France
World Premiere

Mademoiselle Paradis Barbara Albert, Austria/Germany
World Premiere

Razzia Nabil Ayouch, France
World Premiere

The Seen and Unseen Kamila Andini, Indonesia
World Premiere

. Platform Closing Film .
Sweet Country Warwick Thornton, Australia
North American Premiere

What Will People Say (Hva vil folk si) Iram Haq, Norway/Germany/Sweden
World Premiere

ABOUT THE JURY

Chen Kaige
Chen Kaige was born in Beijing. After graduating from the Beijing Film Academy in 1982, he made his feature film debut with Yellow Earth (84). In 1993, he won the first Palme D'Or for a Chinese language film at Cannes for his epic Farewell, My Concubine (93). His numerous features include Together (02) and To Each His Own (07), both of which have screened at the Toronto International Film Festival, in addition to Temptress Moon (96), Killing Me Softly (02), The Promise (05), Forever Enthralled (08), Sacrifice (10), and Caught in the Web (12), which also screened with the Festival. In 2015, Chen directed Monk Comes Down the Mountain, a martial arts drama that was a box office powerhouse in China. Legend of the Demon Cat, currently in post-production, marks the most ambitious project by Chen to date. The film tells the famous Japanese tale of Kukai the monk.

Malgorzata Szumowska
Ma?gorzata Szumowska is a Polish filmmaker from Kraków. Her films include the Silver Leopard-winning 33 Scenes from Life (08); In the Name Of (13), which received the Berlinale Teddy Award; Elles (11); and Body (15), which was the recipient of the Silver Bear for Best Director at Berlinale and a European Film Award. She has been nominated twice for the European Film Award for European Discovery of the Year, and has won many other prestigious awards around the world.

Wim Wenders
Wim Wenders was born in Düsseldorf, and studied filmmaking at the Academy of Film and Television in Munich. Seven of his films, including Alice in the Cities (74) and Kings of the Road (76), screened at the inaugural Festival in 1976, and he returned to TIFF with the features Paris, Texas (84), which won the Palme D'Or and the British Film Academy Award; Lisbon Story (94); Land of Plenty (04); Pina (11), which was nominated for an Oscar; Every Thing Will Be Fine (15); and Les Beaux Jours d'Aranjuez (16). His other films include The State of Things (82), which won a Golden Lion; Wings of Desire (87), which won the Director's Prize at Cannes; Buena Vista Social Club (99), which was also nominated for an Oscar; and Don't Come Knocking (05). In 2015, Wenders won the Honorary Golden Bear for his lifetime achievements. Submergence (17) is his latest feature.