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TORONTO 2017

Toronto is ready to make new "Discoveries"

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- Discovery, the freshest of all TIFF’s programmes, includes 45 films by emerging filmmakers from all around the world

Toronto is ready to make new "Discoveries"
The Garden by Sonja Maria Kröner

The 42nd Toronto International Film Festival (7-17 September) has announced the final section of its line-up, the Discovery programme, which this year boasts its biggest selection ever, with 45 titles by first- or second-time filmmakers from all around the world. This is the final of an ongoing series of announcements, which started almost a month ago with the Gala and Special Presentations (see the news), before continuing with Platform (which includes mostly European films having their world premieres), TIFF Docs and Midnight Madness (see the news), and last week, the Contemporary World Cinema and Masters sections (see the news). It’s worth noting that this year, TIFF has a smaller line-up compared to last year but can still vaunt some impressive figures, with 255 feature films set to be screened, 147 of which as world, 19 as international and 72 as North American premieres.

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The Discovery programme, as the name suggests, aims to promote and present new and emerging directors to the audience. It is probably the most engaging programme of the festival, as many of these films will be having their world premieres, so this creates a new level of exploration of new, talented voices in global cinema. With subjects ranging from claustrophobic family dramas to portraits of small, rural communities, via explorations of teen sexuality and LGBTQ+ issues, Discovery remains true to its title.

Europe’s presence is once again quite impressive, as 40% of the selected titles (18 films) are European productions or co-productions, with most of them having their world premieres, while many are being presented to North American audiences for the first time, including Locarno favourites (3/4 [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ilian Metev
film profile
]
 by Ilian Metev and Winter Brothers [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Elliott Crosset Hove
interview: Hlynur Pálmason
film profile
]
 by Hlynur Pálmason), the Directors’ Fortnight title I Am Not a Witch [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Rungano Nyoni
film profile
]
 by Rungano Nyoni and Scaffolding [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Matan Yair
film profile
]
 by Matan Yair, screened in ACID. Most of the selected European movies are by debutant directors (Marleen JonkmanAoife McArdle and Govinda Van Maele), while Chilean filmmaker Marialy Rivas returns with her second feature, Princesita [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
, five years after Young & Wild. It’s also worth noting that Miracle [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Eglė Vertelytė
film profile
]
 by Egle Vertelyte is the first Lithuanian film to be selected at TIFF in 17 years.

Regarding the selection, Piers Handling, director and CEO of TIFF, stated: “The Discovery programme allows us to carve out a space for emerging filmmakers to be seen by the international film industry and has helped launch the careers of award-winning filmmakers such as Maren AdeBarry JenkinsSteve McQueenChristopher Nolan and Dee Rees.”

The complete list of films selected in the Discovery programme is as follows:

1% - Stephen McCallum (Australia)
3/4 [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ilian Metev
film profile
]
 - Ilian Metev (Germany/Bulgaria)
A Fish Out Of Water - Lai Kuo-An (Taiwan)
A Worthy Companion - Carlos SanchezJason Sanchez (Canada)
All You Can Eat Buddha - Ian Lagarde (Canada)
Apostasy [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
 - Daniel Kokotajlo (United Kingdom)
AVA - Sadaf Foroughi (Iran/Canada/Qatar)
Black Cop - Cory Bowles (Canada)
The Butterfly Tree - Priscilla Cameron (Australia)
Cardinals - Grayson MooreAidan Shipley (Canada)
Disappearance - Ali Asgari (Iran/Qatar)
Five Fingers For Marseilles - Michael Matthews (South Africa)
The Future Ahead - Constanza Novick (Argentina)
The Garden [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
 - Sonja Maria Kröner (Germany)
The Great Buddha+ - Huang Hsin-Yao (Taiwan)
Messi and Maud [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
 - Marleen Jonkman (Netherlands/Germany)
Gutland [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Govinda Van Maele
film profile
]
 - Govinda Van Maele (Luxembourg/Germany/Belgium)
High Fantasy - Jenna Bass (South Africa)
Human Traces - Nic Gorman (New Zealand)
I Am Not a Witch [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Rungano Nyoni
film profile
]
 - Rungano Nyoni (United Kingdom/France)
I Kill Giants [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
 - Anders Walter (United Kingdom)
Indian Horse - Stephen Campanelli (Canada)
Killing Jesus - Laura Mora (Colombia/Argentina)
Kissing Candice [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Aoife McArdle
film profile
]
 - Aoife McArdle (Ireland)
Luk'Luk'I - Wayne Wapeemukwa (Canada)
Mary Goes Round - Molly McGlynn (Canada)
Miracle [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Eglė Vertelytė
film profile
]
 - Egle Vertelyte (Lithuania/Bulgaria/Poland)
Montana [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
 - Limor Shmila (Israel)
Never Steady, Never Still - Kathleen Hepburn (Canada)
Oblivion Verses [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Alireza Khatami
film profile
]
 - Alireza Khatami (France/Germany/Netherlands/Chile)
Oh Lucy! - Atsuko Hirayanagi (USA/Japan)
The Poet and the Boy - Kim Yang-hee (South Korea)
Princesita [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
 - Marialy Rivas (Chile/Argentina/Spain)
Ravens [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jens Assur
film profile
]
 - Jens Assur (Sweden)
Scaffolding [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Matan Yair
film profile
]
 - Matan Yair (Israel/Poland)
Shuttle Life - Tan Seng Kiat (Malaysia)
Simulation - Abed Abest (Iran)
Soldiers. A Story from Ferentari [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Dawid Ogrodnik
interview: Ivana Mladenovic
film profile
]
 - Ivana Mladenovic (Romania/Serbia/Belgium)
Suleiman Mountain [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
 - Elizaveta Stishova (Kyrgyzstan/Russia)
The Swan [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ása Helga Hjörleifsdóttir
interview: Thorvaldur Kristjánsson
film profile
]
 - Ása Helga Hjörleifsdóttir (Iceland)
Tigre - Silvina SchnicerUlises Porra Guardiola (Argentina)
Valley of Shadows [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jonas Matzow Gulbrandsen
film profile
]
 - Jonas Matzow Gulbrandsen (Norway)
Village Rockstars - Rima Das (India)
Waru - Briar Grace-SmithAinsley GardinerRenae MaihiCasey KaaAwanui Simich-PeneChelsea CohenKatie WolfePaula Jones (New Zealand)
Winter Brothers [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Elliott Crosset Hove
interview: Hlynur Pálmason
film profile
]
 - Hlynur Pálmason (Denmark/Iceland)

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