TIFF 2010: Discovery Section Highlights in Attenberg, Ceremony, Dirty Girl, Beautiful Boy and Look, Stranger

Comprised of mostly first timers and unknowns that need the spotlight focus, this year’s discovery section offers some titles that have been on my radar for a while now. Deemed as a showcase for innovative new filmmakers, some noticeable inclusions begin with a Greek film hitting the Venice Film Festival that we’ve profiled (see pic) on more than one occasion (ATTENBERG), and the world premieres for: Shawn Ku’s Beautiful Boy and an opposite sounding title in Abe Sylvia’s Dirty Girl (we just featured some pics), we have Max Winkler’s directorial debut Ceremony – featuring Uma Thurman, and a Filmmaker Magazine 25 New Faces mentioned Arielle Javitch and her debut film, Look, Stranger.

As If I Am Not There Juanita Wilson, Ireland/Macedonia/Sweden World Premiere
As If I Am Not There explores one woman’s experience of the horrors that took place at the beginning of the Bosnian
War. Disturbing and powerful, the film is an important testament to the survivors of the atrocities in the former Yugoslavia.

ATTENBERG Athina Rachel Tsangiri, Greece North American Premiere
A dying architect and his emotionally stunted daughter inhabit a once booming industrial community in the middle of
nowhere, now populated by the precious few who didn’t have the heart to leave it behind.

Autumn Aamir Bashir, India World Premiere
Shot in striking, widescreen images in India’s Kashmir region, Bashir’s debut tells the story of Rafiq, a young man
struggling to come to terms with the loss of his older brother, who has disappeared in the ongoing border conflict.

Beautiful Boy Shawn Ku, USA World Premiere
A married couple on the verge of separation are leveled by the news that their 18-year-old son has committed a mass
shooting at his college, then taken his own life. Stars Michael Sheen and Maria Bello.

Blame Michael Henry, Australia International Premiere
A group of young vigilantes seeking revenge for a sexual betrayal fall far from grace. When the truth is out, they find
themselves on the dark side of justice.

The Call Stefano Pasetto, Italy/Argentina World Premiere
Two women, one a married middle-aged airline stewardess, and the other a free-wheeling factory worker, meet and
decide to change their lives. Moving to Patagonia and leaving their men behind, they find that escape carries with it a
different set of responsibilities.

Ceremony Max Winkler, USA World Premiere
Along with his unwitting best friend, a young guy looks to crash the wedding of an older woman with whom he’s
infatuated. Stars Uma Thurman.

Dirty Girl Abe Sylvia, USA World Premiere
Danielle is the dirty girl of Norman High School. When her misbehaviour gets her banished to a remedial class, she teams
up with an innocent closet-case and they head out on a road trip to discover themselves. Stars Juno Temple, Dwight
Yoakam, Milla Jovovich and William H. Macy.

Girlfriend Justin Lerner, USA World Premiere
When an unexpected financial windfall affords a young man with Down syndrome some freedom, he decides to pursue
the object of his high school crush, Candy. The decision brings him into conflict with her volatile ex-boyfriend, and the
three find themselves involved in a complex, unpredictable triangle of love, aspiration and dreams. Stars Evan Sneider
and Jackson Rathbone.

Griff the Invisible Leon Ford, Australia World Premiere
Griff, office worker by day, superhero by night, has his world turned upside down when he meets Melody, a beautiful
young scientist who shares his passion for the impossible. Stars Ryan Kwanten.

Half of Oscar Manuel Martin Cuenca, Spain/Cuba World Premiere
Oscar and Maria are reunited by the imminent death of their grandfather. Maria has not been heard from in over two
years, and now arrives pregnant and with a boyfriend.

Inside America Barbara Eder, Austria North American Premiere
Drawing on her memories as an exchange student in a nowhere town on the US-Mexico border, Barbara Eder explores
the dark side of the American Dream.

Look, Stranger Arielle Javitch, USA World Premiere
Look, Stranger is an elegant, spare and powerful telling of one young woman’s journey through a war-torn landscape in
an effort to get back home. Stars Annamaria Marinca.

Mandoo Ebrahim Saeedi, Iraq North American Premiere
After the death of Saddam, Shaho, an Iranian Kurd, is determined to take his ailing father back to his village so he can
live out his final days in familiar surroundings. The only thing that stands in his way is a wide-eyed young woman.

Marimbas From Hell Julio Hernández Cordón, Guatemala/France/Mexico World Premiere
Don Alfonso loses his job playing the marimba, an indigenous, traditional Guatemalan instrument, at a hotel in Guatemala
City. He approaches musician Blacko and proposes that they fuse the sound of the marimba with heavy metal.

Norberto’s Deadline Daniel Hendler, Uruguay/Argentina North American Premiere
Award-winning actor Daniel Hendler offers a hilarious account of a man trying to combat his shyness. After being fired
from his job, Norberto tries his hand at real estate and his new boss suggests he take some personal affirmation courses.
Instead he discovers the theatre and his love and unknown talent for acting.

October Diego Vega, Daniel Vega, Peru/Venezuela/Spain North American Premiere
Money-lender Clemente only knows how to relate to others through transactions. His life is turned upside down when
someone leaves him a baby in a basket. When a client, Sofia, steps in to help tend to the baby, Clemente is faced with
new possibilities during Lima’s October celebration of the Lord of Miracles.

The Piano in a Factory Zhang Meng, China World Premiere
To fight for custody of his daughter who loves playing the piano, a steel factory worker decides to forge a piano from
scratch. An offbeat ballad of friendship and devotion, The Piano in a Factory is an endearing portrait of China in the early
1990s when the certainty of state-run industry begins to falter.

Pinoy Sunday Wi Ding Ho, Taiwan North American Premiere
Pinoy Sunday is the story of Manuel and Dado, two Filipino migrant workers, who discover a discarded sofa. This
transforms their normal Sunday routine into a tale of adventure, perseverance and self-discovery.

The Place in Between Sarah Bouyain, France/Burkino Faso North American Premiere
Bouyain’s sensitive debut is a portrait of women caught between Africa and Europe. A biracial woman travels from France
to Burkina Faso in search of her mother. In France, a white woman seeks to learn an African language for reasons
unknown.

Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale Jalmari Helander, Finland/Norway/France/Sweden North American Premiere
Santa Claus is somewhat less than jolly – in fact, he’s the stuff nightmares are made of – in Jalmari Helander’s
atmospheric and witty re-working of a cherished folk tale.

Sandcastle Boo Junfeng, Singapore North American Premiere
A gentle and affectionate study of the themes of identity, history and memory, Boo Junfeng’s debut feature Sandcastle is
a loving portrait of a young man coming to terms with the lives of his parents and his grandparents, while trying to make
sense of Singapore’s troubled history.

Soul of Sand Sidharth Srinivasan, India World Premiere
Bhanu Kumar, a lower caste watchman, stands fierce guard over his feudal master’s disused, barren mine. One night, a
runaway couple in desperate search of refuge, come to Bhanu seeking shelter. The rusted gate of the Royal Silica Mine
opens, exposing a bloody world of lust, fear and violence in the name of caste, ownership and honour.

Viva Riva! Djo Tunda Wa Munga, Democratic Republic of Congo/France/Belgium/South Africa World Premiere
Riva returns home to Kinshasa flush with cash. The town is literally out of gas, and he is sitting on a truckload of it. His
first night home, Riva falls in love with a beautiful woman and is emboldened when he learns that a local gangster is
keeping her on a short leash. Meanwhile, the gang Riva left behind in Angola arrive in hot pursuit of the gas he stole from
them.

Wasted On the Young Ben C. Lucas, Australia International Premiere
Wasted on the Young is set in the socially conscious and disaffected society of an elite high school where two step
brothers occupy opposite ends of the school hierarchy. When a high school party goes dangerously off the rails, they find
that revenge is just a computer click away.

What I Most Want Delfina Castagnino, Argentina International Premiere
María’s four-year relationship is coming to an end while Pilar’s father has recently passed away. Though their losses are
of a very different nature, the two friends find comfort in each other’s company. María stays with Pilar in the Argentine
Patagonia and the two women share wine and lake visits as they confront their future.

Zephyr Belma Bas, Turkey World Premiere
This shadowy and atmospheric coming-of-age story follows 11-year-old Zephyr. Left in the care of her stoic grandparents,
she roams a rural paradise looking for action, trying to figure out who she is and refusing to grow up.