TIFF 2017: Anders Walter, Jens Assur & Michael Matthews World Preem in Discovery Section
And finally, along with TIFF kids and a couple of insignificant minor mods, we finally have the last wave of Toronto Int. Film Fest titles. Several of these will be skipped by mainstream, red carpet hungry media, but IONCINEMA.com will be reviewing a large swath of items here. Top of our list are three directorial debuts that also happen to be world premiere status.
We have Michael Matthews who will launch with Five Fingers For Marseilles – South African thriller set film looks lavish with its rugged backdrop and is being repped by the XYZ Films.
Another XYZ Films can’t miss item is Anders Walter‘s take on graphic novel called I Kill Giants. Starring Zoe Saldana and Imogen Poots, this is about a misfit girl battling real and imagined monsters in her life.
And finally Jens Assur, a Swedish photographer turned filmmaker and who gave us one of the best shorts in the current decade with Killing the Chickens to Scare the Monkeys, delivers his 70s set coming-of-ager in Ravens.
35 countries in all are represented below. Here is the Discovery section (* = already announced).
1% Stephen McCallum, Australia – World Premiere
¾ (Three Quarters) Ilian Metev, Germany/Bulgaria – North American Premiere
A Fish Out Of Water (上岸的魚) Lai Kuo-An, Taiwan – World Premiere
*A Worthy Companion Carlos Sanchez, Jason Sanchez, Canada – World Premiere
*All You Can Eat Buddha Ian Lagarde, Canada – World Premiere
Apostasy Daniel Kokotajlo, United Kingdom – World Premiere
*AVA Sadaf Foroughi, Iran/Canada/Qatar – World Premiere
*Black Cop Cory Bowles, Canada – World Premiere
The Butterfly Tree Priscilla Cameron, Australia – International Premiere
*Cardinals Grayson Moore, Aidan Shipley, Canada – World Premiere
Disappearance (Napadid Shodan) Ali Asgari, Iran/Qatar – North American Premiere
Five Fingers For Marseilles – Michael Matthews, South Africa – World Premiere
The Future Ahead (El futuro que viene) Constanza Novick, Argentina – World Premiere
The Garden (Sommerhäuser) Sonja Maria Kröner, Germany – International Premiere
The Great Buddha+ (大佛普拉斯) Huang Hsin-Yao, Taiwan – International Premiere
The Lady From Holland Marleen Jonkman, Netherlands/Germany – World Premiere
Gutland Govinda Van Maele, Luxembourg/Germany/Belgium – World Premiere
High Fantasy Jenna Bass, South Africa – World Premiere
Human Traces Nic Gorman, New Zealand – North American Premiere – Discovery Closing Film.
I am not a Witch Rungano Nyoni, United Kingdom/France – North American Premiere
I Kill Giants Anders Walter, United Kingdom – World Premiere
Indian Horse Stephen Campanelli, Canada – World Premiere
Killing Jesus (Matar a Jesús) Laura Mora, Colombia/Argentina – World Premiere
Kissing Candice Aoife McArdle, Ireland – World Premiere
*Luk’Luk’I Wayne Wapeemukwa, Canada – World Premiere
*Mary Goes Round Molly McGlynn, Canada – World Premiere
Miracle (Stebuklas) Egle Vertelyte, Lithuania/Bulgaria/Poland – World Premiere
Montana Limor Shmila, Israel – World Premiere
*Never Steady, Never Still Kathleen Hepburn, Canada – World Premiere
Oblivion Verses Alireza Khatami, France/Germany/Netherlands/Chile – North American Premiere
Oh Lucy! Atsuko Hirayanagi, USA/Japan – North American Premiere
The Poet and the Boy (Si-e-nui Sa-rang) Kim Yang-hee, South Korea – International Premiere
Princesita Marialy Rivas, Chile/Argentina/Spain – World Premiere
Ravens Jens Assur, Sweden – World Premiere
Scaffolding (Pigumim) Matan Yair, Israel/Poland – North American Premiere
Shuttle Life (分貝人生) Tan Seng Kiat, Malaysia – North American Premiere
Simulation Abed Abest, Iran – North American Premiere
Soldiers. Story from Ferentari Ivana Mladenovic, Romania/Serbia/Belgium – World Premiere
Suleiman Mountain Elizaveta Stishova, Kyrgyzstan/Russia – World Premiere
The Swan (Svanurinn) Ása Helga Hjörleifsdóttir, Iceland – World Premiere – Discovery Opening Film.
Tigre Silvina Schnicer, Ulises Porra Guardiola, Argentina – World Premiere
Valley of Shadows (Skyggenes Dal) Jonas Matzow Gulbrandsen, Norway – World Premiere
Village Rockstars Rima Das, India – World Premiere
Waru (several filmmakers), New Zealand – International Premiere
Winter Brothers (Vinterbrødre) Hlynur Pálmason, Denmark/Iceland – North American Premiere
