The Toronto International Film Festival, or TIFF as it's known to close friends, features American blockbusters that will open the following week in the United States and Canada.
Here at Canadian Crossing, we care about the 73 films from Canada in TIFF 2015. Most of those 73 films will be short films, which we love but don't get much recognition short of a category 75 minutes into the next Oscars telecast.
2 films leap out from the list:
- Canadian filmmaker Patricia Rozema is someone I am trying to learn more about: her new film "Into the Forest" features Ellen Page (Canadian) and Evan Rachel Wood as orphaned sisters stranded in their wilderness home by global calamity.
- "My Internship in Canada" is a political satire film from Phillipe Falardeau (Monsieur Lazhar). Patrick Huard ("Starbuck" "Bon Cop, Bad Cop") plays an independent MP from Northern Quebec who holds the decisive vote over going to war. He conducts a listening tour with his visiting Haitian intern. The film also stars Suzanne Clément, who also was in "Mommy" with Huard. The film has parallels to the Kevin Costner movie "Swing Vote."
Other potentially intriguing films: "No Men Beyond This Point" with the last male child, now 37, in a colony of women who have discovered how to reproduce without men.
A Canadian film that will get more notice south of the border is Robert Budreau's "Born To Be Blue" with Ethan Hawke in the role of jazz singer Chet Baker.
Documentaries get a good shake in TIFF 2015. "Guantanamo's Child: Omar Khadr" comes from journalists Patrick Reed and Michelle Shephard telling Khadr's story in his own words. Longtime Maclean's film writer Brian D. Johnson's documentary "Al Purdy Was Here" reflects on the legendary poet.
Old favorites
The opening night film features a Canadian director in a U.S. production. Jean-Marc Vallée is back with yet another U.S. film in "Demolition" with Jake Gyllenhaal and Naomi Watts.
Deepa Mehta has a take on immigrant gangs in "Beeba Boys." Atom Egoyan is truly back with "Remember" a thriller involving a Nazi guard starring Canadian legend Christopher Plummer along with TV and film legend Martin Landau.
Guy Maddin brings his offbeat sense to "The Forbidden Room." Bruce McDonald's horror film "Hellions" played at Sundance last January and will be at TIFF. Chloe Rose (Degrassi) is a teenager who must survive a horrific Halloween night.
"Bring Me The Head of Tim Horton" wins best Canadian sounding title. The film, co-directed by Guy Maddin, is a behind-the-scenes look at Paul Gross' new film "Hyena Road" also coming to TIFF.
Surprises?
Some of the "lesser known" films have just as much opportunity to shine. "Wet Bum" was the surprise of TIFF 2014: Julia Sarah Stone was so good and heartbreaking at the same time, playing an awkward 14-year-old girl who develops friendships with old people in a retirement home where she works.
As much as we look forward to the bigger and well-known films, we want to find the "smaller films" such as "Wet Bum" or "Picture Day" from a few years back.
The 2015 Toronto International Film Festival runs September 10-20. For a complete list and description of the Canadian films at TIFF 2015, click here.
video credit: YouTube/LesFilms Christal
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