Tearing Me Apart, Lisa: S. Craig Zahler, David Bruckner, Cattet/Forzani & James Franco Load up 2017 TIFF Midnight Madness

During the off season, the Midnight Madness section will have undergone a new coat of paint. For starters, and this applies to the Platform, Special Presentations, TIFF Docs and Discovery sections as well, there are now opening and closing night films. Not unlike the Sundance Film Fest who made much needed clarification programme changes during the post Geoffrey Gilmore, it would now appear that this move now essentially gives bookended and better defines the different programming missions. The other big change, this is now year 1 for MM under Programmer Peter Kuplowsky – he replaces Colin Geddes who splendidly built a section that arguably was a special run-off on its own.

A TIFF regular, James Franco will be presenting what will easily be the most hyped offering of the section in The Disaster Artist (surely Wiseau will be on hand to make this a memorable world preem). Two noteworthy carry overs from Locarno and Venice are in Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani’s Let the Corpses Tan and S. Craig Zahler’s Lido genre entry Brawl in Cell Block 99. Returning with their latest oeuvres, the section will also see the return of alumni in David Bruckner and Ryuhei Kitamura. Here are the eleven titles:

Bodied – Joseph Kahn, USA – World Premiere / Midnight Madness Opening Film
Brawl in Cell Block 99 – S. Craig Zahler, USA – North American Premiere
The Crescent – Seth A. Smith, Canada – World Premiere
The Disaster Artist – James Franco, USA World Premiere
Downrange – Ryuhei Kitamura, USA World Premiere
Great Choice – Robin Comisar, USA Canadian Premiere
Let the Corpses Tan – Hélène Cattet, Bruno Forzani, Belgium/France North American Premiere
Mom and Dad – Brian Taylor, USA World Premiere
Revenge – Coralie Fargeat, France World Premiere
The Ritual – David Bruckner, UK World Premiere
Vampire Clay – Sôichi Umezawa, Japan World Premiere / Midnight Madness Closing Film.