TIFF unveiled its Canadian feature line-up today with films focusing on bold storytelling, social concerns, and political issues.
The announcement highlighted films from esteemed Canadian filmmakers Xavier Dolan, Deepa Mehta, Bruce McDonald, and Alanis Obomsawin, and up-and-comers Kim Nguyen, Nathan Morlando, and more.
“We are thrilled to present a robust selection of projects from some of Canada’s best filmmakers,” TIFF Senior Programmer Steve Gravestock said in a statement released by the festival. “From thought-provoking documentaries and affecting dramas, to unconventional biographies and thrillers, to animated features, this year’s selections highlight the diversity and high-calibre work produced in Canada.”
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Dolan, Morlando, and Nguyen are among the Canadians who debuted films at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. Now, they’ll bring their films to TIFF for their North American premieres. Dolan’s Cannes Jury prize-winning “It’s Only The End Of The World” packs a punch of French star-power with Marion Cotillard, Vincent Cassel, Lea Seydoux, and Gaspard Ulliel.
“We are proud to shine a spotlight on both veteran filmmakers and emerging talent in this year’s slate,” said Magali Simard, Film Programmes Manager. “Canadians continue to forge their own path on a global scale with their own distinct perspectives and methods of storytelling.”
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Highlights from the Canadian features announcement include a 1970s coming-of-age tale from Bruce McDonald (“Pontypool”), Deepa Mehta’s politically charged dramatization of the lives of six men who brutally gang-raped a young woman in New Delhi in 2012, and an investigation into the government’s discrimination against First Nations children on reserves from acclaimed documentarian Alanis Obomsawin, while Sandra Oh and Don McKellar will lend their voices to Anne Marie Fleming’s animated feature “Window Horses”.
The TIFF Canadian line-up boasts a number of female filmmakers including April Mullen, Brigitte Berman, Anne Emond, and Stella Meghie, among others. Meghie’s debut feature “Jean Of The Joneses” will have its Canadian premiere at TIFF after debuting at SXSW earlier this year.
The Canadian features announcement also revealed this year’s crop of TIFF’s Rising Stars.
Actors singled out for this honour include Sophie Nelisse, Jared Abrahamson, Grace Glowicki, and Mylene Mackay. Along with the homegrown talent, international rising stars will be announced in the coming weeks. Previous rising stars include Sarah Gadon, Tatiana Maslany, and Connor Jessup.
Maslany will be heading back to TIFF with the film “Two Lovers And A Bear”. ET Canada caught up with her when the movie made its debut at Cannes in May.