Tuesday, August 30th, 2011
The Toronto International Film Festival held its annual TIFF Insiders night where the TIFF team of programmers all come together and share some of their favorite picks of the Festival. After all, it is this group of people that screen thousands of films each year – rejecting about 90% – to eventually arrive at the 300+ films that make up the 36th edition of TIFF.
So a crowded room of TIFF sponsors, donors, and other festival friends got a chance to meet the programmers and hear about some of the films that really stand out in their minds.
It didn’t take long for the first few programmers to talk about a documentary that seems to make an impact on whoever has seen it, Pink Ribbons, Inc. Léa Pool’s investigative film about the industry and “culture” around breast cancer.
Programmer Jane Schoettle’s highlighted the performance of Matthew Goode in Burning Man as must-see. A personal favorite of Schoettle’s is Pariah with director Dee Rees as a talent to watch out for. We’re already hearing the company behind Pariah is planning a push to get it noticed by Oscar voters.
Another two titles we heard talked about in the room that night; The Hunter with Willem Defoe playing a mercenary and Juan Of The Dead and its funny trailer.
A personal fave of TIFF Midnight Madness programmer Colin Geddes is You’re Next by the director and writer of last year’s Festival indie hit, A Horrible Way To Die. Geddes gem of the Festival is a “Die Hard” type of action film, Sleepless Night (Nuit Blanche.)
Drive, starring a stunt-driving Ryan Gosling was called out a few times as a fun one to see. The film earned the director, Nicolas Winding Refn an award at Cannes this year. (We were then reminded that Drive will open up wide in theatres the week after TIFF, so perhaps look for films at the Festival that are harder to find playing later.)
Real To Reel programmer Thom Powers wasted no time in calling Paradise Lost 3 – Purgatory his gem of the festival. The filmmakers Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky started their quest almost twenty years ago with the first Paradise Lost. It was just a few weeks ago when the featured protagonists of the films, were in the news, as the final twist in their two decade legal odysssy was finally written.
A hot pick of veteran TIFF Programmer Michèle Maheux is We Need To Talk About Kevin starring Tilda Swinton and John C. Reilly. Maheux’s favorite was The Artist – shot entirely in black and white, without dialogue and in a traditional 1.33 aspect ratio, the film excited someone in the audience who previously saw it so much she blurted out, “(The Artist) is most fun you’ll have at the film festival this year.”
Cameron Bailey cited Rampart starring Woody Harrelson as a very hot pick of the Festival. Bailey calls Harrelson’s performance of a dirty cop in LA one that is sure, “to get noticed by the Oscar voters this year.” Cameron’s gem and “one of the most gripping” films of the festival is Guilty. Vincent Garenq’s disturbing drama from France investigates the corrupt judicial system and false accusations of pedophilia. The TIFF co-director was quick to call Elles starring Juliette Binoche his not-to-miss of the Festival.
Piers Handling’s favorite pick was the french film Rebellion (L’ordre et la morale) – Handling called it simply, “the french Apocalypse Now.”
What’s on the Cadillac Festival Insider’s not-to-miss list? Branwen Okpako’s The Education of Auma Obama. A documentary on the U.S. President’s older half-sister. Festival programmer Rasha Salti was so happy to find this film and bring it to TIFF. Salti describes Auma as having many of the same passionate characteristics as her powerful brother.
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