As a result of a bizarre 2009 production year, TIFF is the happy recipient of some premium titles which include the world premieres to some of my most anticipated films this year in: Mike Mill's Beginners, John Cameron Mitchell's Rabbit Hole, Mark Romanek's Never Let Me Go, Andrucha Waddington's Lope and Rowan Joffe's Brighton Rock. Then we have titles that are coming from this year's Sundance, Cannes or both (Blue Valentine picks up the trifecta honor) and then we have titles that come to us from out of nowhere with Michael Winterbottom's The Trip and Richard Ayoade's debut film, Submarine. Here are the Special Presentation items revealed in today's presser. Note: In case you're wondering: that's Colin Firth from The King's Speech.
Another Year Mike Leigh, United Kingdom North American Premiere
A happily married, middle-aged couple are visited by a number of unhappy and lonely friends who use them as
confidantes. When an unmarried friend falls for their young son, they watch as events unfold. The film stars Jim
Broadbent, Lesley Manville, Ruth Sheen, Peter Wight, Oliver Maltman, David Bradley, Karina Fernandez and Martin
Savage.
Beginners Mike Mills, USA World Premiere
When his 71-year-old father (Christopher Plummer) comes out of the closet, Oliver (Ewan McGregor) must explore
the honesty of his own relationships. From the director of Thumbsucker.
The Big Picture Eric Lartigau, France World Premiere
Paul Exben is a success story. He has a great job, a glamorous wife and two wonderful sons, except that this is not
the life he has been dreaming of. A moment of madness is going to change his life, forcing him to assume a new
identity that will enable him to live his life fully. The Big Picture, an adaptation of the novel by Douglas Kennedy, is
directed by Eric Lartigau and stars Romain Duris, Marina Foïs, Niels Arestrup and Catherine Deneuve. It is produced
by Pierre-Ange Le Pogam.
Biutiful Alejandro González Iñárritu, Spain/Mexico North American Premiere
This is a story of a man in free fall. On the road to redemption, darkness lights his way. Connected with the afterlife,
Uxbal is a tragic hero and father of two who's sensing the danger of death. He struggles with a tainted reality and a
fate that works against him in order to forgive, for love, and forever. The film stars Javier Bardem.
Blue Valentine Derek Cianfrance, USA Canadian Premiere
Blue Valentine is the story of love found and love lost, told in past and present moments in time. Flooded with
romantic memories of their courtship, Dean and Cindy use one night to try and save their failing marriage. Ryan
Gosling and Michelle Williams star in this honest portrait of a relationship on the rocks.
Brighton Rock Rowan Joffe, United Kingdom World Premiere
Based on Graham Greene's 1938 novel, we follow the odd relationship between a young thug on the rise in the
British underground and a tea room waitress who witnesses a crime he has committed.
Buried Rodrigo Cortés, Spain/USA Canadian Premiere
When Paul Conroy (Ryan Reynolds) wakes up six feet underground with no idea who put him there or why, life for
the truck driver and family man instantly becomes a hellish struggle for survival. Buried with only a cell phone and a
lighter, poor reception, a rapidly draining battery and a dwindling oxygen supply become his worst enemies in a
tightly confined race against time.
Conviction Tony Goldwyn, USA World Premiere
Conviction is the inspirational true story of a sister‟s unwavering devotion to her brother. When Betty Anne Waters‟
(two-time Academy® Award winner Hilary Swank) older brother Kenny (Sam Rockwell) is arrested for murder and
sentenced to life in 1983, Betty Anne, a Massachusetts wife and mother of two, dedicates her life to overturning the
murder conviction.
Cirkus Columbia Danis Tanovic, Bosnia and Herzegovina International Premiere
After twenty years of exile, a husband returns to his hometown in Herzegovina to settle some scores with his ex-wife,
armed with a new Mercedes, a sexy new girlfriend and a mangy black cat.
Dhobi Ghat Kiran Rao, India World Premiere
In the teeming metropolis of Mumbai, four people separated by class and language are drawn together in compelling
relationships. Shai, an affluent investment banker on a sabbatical, strikes up an unusual friendship with Munna, a
young and beautiful laundry boy with ambitions of being a Bollywood actor, and has a brief dalliance with Arun, a
gifted painter. As they slip away from familiar moorings and drift closer together, the city finds its way into the
crevices of their inner worlds.
Easy A Will Gluck, USA World Premiere
After a little white lie about losing her virginity gets out, a clean-cut high school girl (Emma Stone) sees her life
paralleling Hester Prynne‟s in The Scarlet Letter, which she is currently studying in school – until she decides to use
the rumour mill to advance her social and financial standing.
Henry's Crime Malcolm Venville, USA World Premiere
After serving three years in prison for a bank robbery he did not commit, an amiable but aimless man decides to rob
the bank for real. His plan involves infiltrating a local theatre company, but his scheme gets complicated when he
falls for the company‟s lead actress. The film stars Keanu Reeves, Vera Farmiga, James Caan, Fisher Stevens,
Peter Stormare, Danny Hoch and Bill Duke.
The Illusionist Sylvain Chomet, United Kingdom North American Premiere
From the director of The Triplets Of Belleville comes a film of grace and unique beauty. Working from a never-
produced script written by Jacques Tati for his daughter, Chomet tells the story of a magician who was pushed aside
by rock and roll, yet finds one young girl who appreciates his magic. The film stars Jean-Claude Donda and Eilidh
Rankin.
In A Better World Susanne Bier, Denmark/Sweden International Premiere
The story traces elements from a refugee camp in Africa to the grey humdrum of everyday life in a Danish provincial
town. The lives of two Danish families cross each other, and an extraordinary but risky friendship comes into bud.
But loneliness, frailty and sorrow lie in wait. Soon, friendship transforms into a dangerous alliance and a breathtaking
pursuit in which life is at stake.
I Saw the Devil Kim Jee-woon, South Korea
North American Premiere
A hard-boiled thriller from Korean master Kim Jee-woon, I Saw the Devil is a tale of bloody vengeance against a
dangerous psychopath who has committed a gruesome series of murders.
It's Kind of a Funny Story Ryan Fleck, Anna Boden, USA World Premiere
Stressed-out teenager Craig checks himself into a mental health clinic – where he finds himself in the adult ward.
Sustained by friendships on both the inside and the outside, Craig learns more about life, love and the pressures of
growing up. The comedy-drama stars Keir Gilchrist, Emma Roberts and Zach Galifianakis.
Jack Goes Boating Philip Seymour Hoffman, USA International Premiere
Adapted from Bob Glaudini's acclaimed Off Broadway play, Jack Goes Boating is a tale of love, betrayal, friendship
and grace centered around two working-class New York City couples. The film stars John Ortiz, Daphne Rubin-
Vega, Amy Ryan and Philip Seymour Hoffman, with Hoffman making his feature directorial debut.
L'Amour Fou Pierre Thoretton, France World Premiere
Yves Saint Laurent built one of fashion's most celebrated empires. This moving documentary chronicles his rise, his
lifelong partnership with Pierre Bergé and their decision to auction off a lifetime of precious art and objects.
The Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen Andrew Lau, Hong Kong North American Premiere
In 1920s Shanghai, hero Chen Zhen single-handedly avenges his mentor‟s death by killing all the Japanese at a dojo
in Hongkou, only to be showered with bullets while making his legendary flying kick. Now, years later, Chen Zhen,
who is believed dead, returns in disguise to infiltrate a criminal empire and to dismantle the evil collusion that plagues
the country.
Lope Andrucha Waddington, Brazil/Spain World Premiere
Andrucha Waddington brings famed Spanish playwright Lope de Vega‟s passionate life to the screen. The young
poet returns to Madrid from war and gets his foot in the door of Madrid's most important theatre troupe – quickly
charming his boss's daughter. His childhood friend, Isabel de Urbina, also falls under the spell of his poems. So
much seduction eventually brings misfortune and he must flee Madrid.
Love Crime Alain Corneau, France International Premiere
Dangerous Liaisons meets Working Girl in this deliciously caustic tale of office politics. Starring Kristin Scott Thomas
and Ludivine Sagnier as mentor and ingénue, Love Crime is a remorseless clash of two competing egos.
Made in Dagenham Nigel Cole, United Kingdom World Premiere
Sally Hawkins stars as Rita O‟Grady, the catalyst for the 1968 Ford Dagenham strike by 187 sewing machinists
which led to the advent of the Equal Party Act. Working in extremely impoverished conditions for long, arduous
hours, the women at the Ford Dagenham plant finally lose their patience when they are reclassified as “unskilled.”
With humour, common sense and courage, they take on their corporate paymasters, an increasingly belligerent local
community, and finally the government itself. The film also stars Bob Hoskins, Miranda Richardson, Geraldine James
and Rosamund Pike.
Miral Julian Schnabel, United Kingdom/Israel/France North American Premiere
From the director of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Before Night Falls and Basquiat, comes Miral, the visceral,
first-person diary of a young girl growing up in East Jerusalem as she confronts the effects of occupation and war in
every corner of her life. Schnabel pieces together momentary fragments of Miral‟s world – how she was formed, who
influenced her, all that she experiences in her tumultuous early years – to create a raw, moving, poetic portrait of a
woman whose small, personal story is inextricably woven into the bigger history unfolding all around her.
Never Let Me Go Mark Romanek, United Kingdom World Premiere (pic Romanek directing)
Kathy (Carey Mulligan), Tommy (Andrew Garfield) and Ruth (Keira Knightley) spent their childhood at a seemingly
idyllic boarding school. When they leave the shelter of the school, the terrible truth of their fate is revealed and they
must confront the deep feelings of love, jealousy and betrayal that threaten to pull them apart.
Norwegian Wood Tran Anh Hung, Japan North American Premiere
Adapted from Haruki Murakami's bestselling novel. Watanabe, a quiet and serious college student, becomes deeply
devoted to Naoko, a beautiful and introspective young woman with whom he shares the tragedy of their best friend‟s
death. When Naoko suddenly disappears, Midori, an outgoing, vivacious and supremely self-confident girl marches
into Watanabe's life. The film stars Kenichi Matsuyama, Rinko Kikuchi and Kiko Mizuhara.
Outside the Law Rachid Bouchareb, France/Algeria/Tunisia/Italy/Belgium North American Premiere
Bouchareb's follow-up to Days of Glory is an epic French gangster movie in the tradition of Once Upon a Time in
America. The film follows three brothers from childhood in Algeria through turbulent years in Paris, as their paths
diverge towards radical politics and violent crime.
Rabbit Hole John Cameron Mitchell, USA World Premiere
A family navigates the deepest form of loss in John Cameron Mitchell's screen adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize
winning play by David Lindsay-Abaire. Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart deliver captivating performances as a
husband and wife who fight to save their marriage in the life that begins again after tragedy.
A Screaming Man Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, France/Belgium/Chad North American Premiere
One of Africa's preeminent film artists, Haroun returns to themes of family and loyalty in war-torn Chad. A father and
son work together at the pool of five-star hotel, but the civil war forces life-and-death choices upon them.
Stone John Curran, USA World Premiere
Robert De Niro and Edward Norton deliver powerful performances as a seasoned corrections official and a scheming
inmate whose lives become dangerously intertwined. Stone weaves together the parallel journeys of two men
grappling with dark impulses, as the line between lawman and lawbreaker becomes precariously thin. The film also
stars Milla Jovovich and Frances Conroy.
Submarine Richard Ayoade, United Kingdom World Premiere
British comic Richard Ayoade delivers his hotly-anticipated feature debut Submarine. One boy must fight to save his
mother from the advances of a mystic, and simultaneously lure his eczema-strafed girlfriend in to the bedroom,
armed with only a vast vocabulary and near-total self-belief. His name is Oliver Tate.
That Girl in Yellow Boots Anurag Kashyap, India North American Premiere
Ruth is searching for her father – a man she hardly knew but cannot forget. Desperation drives her to work without a
permit, at a massage parlour, where she gives „happy endings‟ to unfulfilled men. Torn between several schisms,
Mumbai becomes the backdrop for Ruth's quest as she struggles to find her independence and space even as she is
sucked deeper into the labyrinthine politics of the city's underbelly.
Tamara Drewe Stephen Frears, United Kingdom North American Premiere
Based on Posy Simmonds‟ beloved graphic novel. When Tamara Drewe returns to the village of her youth, life for
the locals is thrown upside down. Tamara – once an ugly duckling – has been transformed and is now a minor
celebrity. As infatuations, jealousies, love affairs and career ambitions collide among the inhabitants of the
neighbouring farmsteads, Tamara sets a contemporary comedy of manners into play.
The Trip Michael Winterbottom, United Kingdom World Premiere
Follow two good friends in this hilarious road movie as they embark on a tour of the Lake District and the Yorkshire
Dales of Northern England, eating, chatting and driving each other crazy. The film stars Steve Coogan and Rob
Brydon.
Trust David Schwimmer, USA World Premiere
Safe and sound in their suburban home, Will and Lynn Cameron (Clive Owen and Catherine Keener) used to sleep
well at night. When their 14-year-old daughter, Annie, made a new friend on-line – a 16-year-old boy named Charlie
– Will and Lynn didn‟t think much of it. But when Annie and Charlie make a plan to meet what happens in the next
twenty-four hours changes the entire family forever. Charlie is really a 40-year-old serial pedophile (Tom McCarthy)
and, once Annie‟s rape comes to light, it becomes a touchstone event that reverberates through the entire family.
You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger Woody Allen, United Kingdom/USA/Spain North American Premiere
Woody Allen's latest comic ensemble piece follows a group of Londoners struggling with failing marriages, restless
libidos, the perils of aging and desires that drive a series of decisions with unforeseen consequences. The film stars
Antonio Banderas, Josh Brolin, Anthony Hopkins, Gemma Jones, Lucy Punch and Naomi Watts.
Masters
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