Oh, Canada: Toronto Film Festival Announces 2012 Canuck Titles
The Toronto International Film Festival announced the Canadian features lineup at a press conference in Toronto this afternoon. The lineup includes first-time feature filmmakers Jason Buxton, Brandon Cronenberg, Igor Drljaca and Kate Melville, as well as filmmakers returning to the Festival —including Bruce Sweeney, Sarah Polley, Xavier Dolan, Michael McGowan and Bernard Émond.
A complete list of all announced films in every program can be found here.
“Through comedy, thrills, drama and suspense, films in the lineup present stories of youth and violence, coming of age, the environment, dysfunctional families, sex and celebrity,” said Steve Gravestock, Senior Programmer, TIFF. “From intimate, affecting stories with big impact to films with global scope, the Canadian films in this year’s Festival will move audiences.”
Some of the films announced will be eligible for the City of Toronto + Canada Goose Award for Best Canadian Feature Film — given out annually to a Canadian filmmaker — and the SKYY Vodka Award for Best Canadian First Feature Film — presented annually to a Canadian filmmaker for the best debut feature.
The Canadian awards jury responsible for selecting this year’s winners includes producer and filmmaker Jody Shapiro, CPH PIX Festival Director Jacob Neiiendam, actor and filmmaker Valerie Buhagiar and director, writer and producer Patricia Rozema.
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The festival also announced 44 world-class Canadian short films in this year’s Short Cuts Canada programme. From strong social statements to deadpan humour, Short Cuts Canada programmers Alex Rogalski and Magali Simard received nearly 700 entries — the most submissions to date for the programme — suggesting steady growth in film talent in Canada.
“Programming Short Cuts Canada is more and more challenging each year because of the level to which Canadian filmmakers are elevating the quality of short films,” said Simard. “It is a very exciting time for us as programmers, and the future never looked brighter for Canadian shorts.”
“Films in this year’s programme have global reach and will appeal to audiences worldwide,” said Rogalski. “This year’s films are short in length, but long on impression.”
Films in the Short Cuts Canada programme are eligible for the Award for Best Canadian Short Film. This year’s jury includes journalist and author Matthew Hays, journalist Katrina Onstad and filmmaker Reginald Harkema.
The 37th Toronto International Film Festival runs September 6 to 16, 2012.
A complete list of all announced films in every program can be found here.
