Toronto - The
Toronto International Film Festival announces 25 titles from around the world to complete its 2008
Contemporary
World Cinema lineup, which will feature at total of 58 films from 42 countries. Purchase online at
tiff08.ca, by phone at
416-968-FILM
or
1-877-968-FILM or in person at the
Festival Box Office at Manulife Centre, 55 Bloor Street West (main floor, north entrance).
Box Office hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday.
$5 a Day Nigel Cole, USA
World Premiere
When Nat (Christopher Walken) - a free-spirited hustler who boasts he can live on $5 a day - calls to say he's dying and needs a drive
to New Mexico for a dubious cure, his son Flynn (Alessandro Nivola) reluctantly agrees. Also starring Amanda Peet and Sharon Stone.
Laila's Birthday Rashid Masharawi, Palestine/Tunisia/The Netherlands
World Premiere
A Ramala cab driver is intent on getting home in time to bring a gift and cake for his daughter's tenth birthday. But the challenges of
day-to-day life in this conflicted region will become formidable obstacles to his mission.
Middle of Nowhere John Stockwell, USA
World Premiere
New friends Dorian (Anton Yelchin,
Charlie Bartlett) and Grace (Eva Amurri) begin selling pot as a way of reconciling their very different
financial situations and freeing themselves of their disagreeable parents. Also starring Susan Sarandon and Willa Holland (
Genova).
Patrik, Age 1.5 Ella Lemhagen, Sweden
World Premiere
Goran and Sven have been approved for adoption. Patrik, age 1.5, is on his way! But, because of a misplaced decimal point, they'll be
forced to re-examine their dreams of the perfect family when a homophobic 15-year-old and his criminal past arrive at their door.
Pedro Nicholas Oceano, USA
World Premiere
Diagnosed as HIV-positive at a young age, Pedro Zamora gained attention in 1994 as a cast member on "The Real World." Following
the true-life story of Zamora and his family,
Pedro aims to honour their heritage, fight for equality, and love for life.
Skin Anthony Fabian, United Kingdom/South Africa
World Premiere
Based on true events,
Skin tells the remarkable story of Sandra Laing (Sophie Okonedo), a black woman struggling with unique issues
of discrimination and identity upon being born to white parents (Alice Krige and Sam Neill) in 1955 apartheid South Africa.
Three Wise Men Mika Kaurismäki, Finland
World Premiere
Acclaimed Finnish director Mika Kaurismäki (
LA Without a Map, TIFF 1998) offers a raw and often hilarious drama about a trio of antiheroes
- an expectant father, a ladies' man and a failed actor - who escape their family woes for a karaoke bar on Christmas Eve.
Two-Legged Horse Samira Makhmalbaf, Iran
World Premiere
In exchange for one dollar a day, Mirvais must carry a disabled boy on his back - like a horse - to and from school every day. But his
rider is unhappy. His wish for Mirvais to turn into a real horse has not yet come true.
Country Wedding Valdís Óskarsdóttir, Iceland
International Premiere
A motley crew of wedding guests is loaded onto two buses bound for a remote church one hour outside of Reykjavík. But no one
actually knows where the chapel is, and everyone is either too proud or too embarrassed to ask for directions.
Flame & Citron Ole Christian Madsen, Denmark/Germany
International Premiere
From acclaimed Dogme 95 filmmaker Ole Christian Madsen (
Kira's Reason - A Love Story, TIFF 2001) comes the true story of two
resistance fighters - code-named Flame and Citron - in Nazi-occupied Copenhagen, charged with the task of killing informers. But any
sense of just cause is challenged when Flame is ordered to execute his girlfriend, Ketty.
L'Empreinte de l'ange Safy Nebbou, France
International Premiere
While picking up her son at a birthday party, Elsa (Catherine Frot) finds her entire world turned upside down. Believing Lola, a little girl
at the party, to be her daughter, Elsa's ends up in a head-to-head confrontation with the girl's mother (Sandrine Bonnaire).
Native Dancer Guka Omarova, Kazakhstan/Russia/France/Germany
International Premiere
When a petrol station is burned to the ground, the developers blame the land owner, Batir, and kidnap his son. Batir has no choice but
to seek out the one person who can help him find his missing boy: Aiday, an old shaman whose house once stood on his land.
Once Upon a Time in Rio Breno Silveira, Brazil
International Premiere
Falling in love on Rio's Ipanema beach, Dé - a hot dog vendor and slum dweller struggling to maintain his dignity - and Nina - the only
child of a wealthy family - must stake their romance against deeply entrenched attitudes of prejudice and intolerance.
Sugar Ryan Fleck & Anna Boden, USA
International Premiere
Dominican baseball player Miguel Santos struggles to make it big in order to escape poverty and create a better life for his family. But
after making it to the U.S. minor leagues, he must pit his calling against his loneliness as a displaced immigrant in small-town Iowa.
The Ghost Karen Oganesyan, Russia
International Premiere
Hatching a most unusual plan to overcome his writer's block, successful writer Anton hires "Ghost," an assassin whose exploits Anton
hopes will reinvigorate his moribund imagination. But little does he know, Ghost is setting him up to take the fall for a murder.
Cloud 9 Andreas Dresen, Germany
North American Premiere
From the director of
Summer in Berlin (TIFF 2005) comes the story of Inge, a happily married woman in her 60s, who one day finds
herself tumbling into the arms of another man. Rejuvenated by a passion she has not felt in years, Inge informs both her husband and
her daughter of the affair, but does not know how to handle their appalled response to the shocking news.
Dernier Maquis Rabah Ameur-Zaïmeche, France/Algeria
North American Premiere
Dubbed "Mao" for his crafty management strategy of feigned benevolence, a truck yard owner (director Rabah Ameur-Zaïmeche)
decides to build an on-site mosque for his mostly Muslim employees. When debate and division begins to spread among the workers,
their varying personality quirks and competing philosophies begin to emerge.
A Film with Me in It Ian Fitzgibbon, Ireland
North American Premiere
Mark, a struggling actor, has just been through the ordeal of yet another fruitless audition. With his girlfriend about to walk out and his
landlord ready to evict him, Mark has only his friend Pierce and their joint ambition of writing a career-breaking film to keep him going.
Goodbye Solo Ramin Bahrani, USA
North American Premiere
Stoic 70-year-old William hires Solo, a charming 34-year-old taxi driver, to take him in two weeks time to a mountaintop from which he
plans to jump. Solo decides to become William's friend. His aim? To change William's mind before his two weeks are up.
Jerichow Christian Petzold, Germany
North American Premiere
Tension and intrigue unfold between three characters caught in a love triangle: Ali, a Turkish entrepreneur who is preoccupied with his
business; his wife Laura, who shelters secrets from her past, and Thomas, a young man dishonourably discharged from the army.
Katia's Sister Mijke de Jong, The Netherlands
North American Premiere
After emigrating from Russia to Amsterdam with her mother and older sister, a thirteen-year-old girl plunges into a harsh adult world.
With no opportunity to develop her own sense of identity, she even resigns herself to the name everyone uses for her - "Katia's sister."
Khamsa Karim Dridi, France
North American Premiere
Thirteen-year-old Khamsa flees his foster family for the Marseilles gypsy camp where he was born. Embraced by his old friends,
Khamsa's innocence begins to vanish when he and his friends become involved in a series of increasingly serious crimes.
L'Heure d'été Olivier Assayas, France
North American Premiere
After siblings Adrienne (Juliette Binoche), Frédéric (Charles Berling) and Jérémie (Jérémie Rénier) return home to the countryside for
their mother's (Edith Scob) 75th birthday, an unexpected event threatens family unity and forces them to face up to their past. From the
award-winning director of
Clean (TIFF 2004).
The Rest of the Night Francesco Munzi, Italy
North American Premiere
After being accused of stealing from a wealthy Italian couple, a young Romanian maid is forced to return to her ex-boyfriend, recently
released from jail and living in squalour with his younger brother. Joined by a cocaine addict who is making inroads on a life of petty
crime, this desperate group of outcasts plots a brazen robbery of the Italian couple's villa.
Wendy and Lucy Kelly Reichardt, USA
North American Premiere
Wendy (Michelle Williams) is driving with her dog Lucy to Alaska, in hopes of a summer of lucrative work at the fish cannery. When her
car breaks down in Oregon, the thin fabric of her financial security comes apart, and she faces a series of increasingly dire challenges.
The Contemporary World Cinema programme is made possible through the generous sponsorship of Sun Life Financial.
Bell Lightbox
Currently under construction in downtown Toronto, Bell Lightbox is soon to be the world's leading destination for film lovers. This major
new cultural institution on the Canadian and international landscape will be structured around five state-of-the-art cinemas celebrating
film from around the world. Bell Lightbox programming will give context to films through innovative cross-media exhibitions, lectures,
and film-related learning opportunities for all ages. Designed by innovative architecture firm KPMB, Bell Lightbox's fluid design
encourages exploration, movement and play within its soaring atriums.
The campaign to build Bell Lightbox is generously supported by founding sponsor Bell. The Government of Canada and the
Government of Ontario each have contributed $25 million to realize Bell Lightbox. A gift of more than $22 million has been confirmed
from the Reitman family - acclaimed filmmaker Ivan Reitman and his sisters Agi Mandel and Susan Michaels - and The Daniels
Corporation, who together form the King and John Festival Corporation. The project is also supported by RBC as Major Sponsor and
Official Bank, Visa†, Copyright Collective of Canada, NBC Universal Canada, The Allan Slaight Family, The Brian Linehan Charitable
Foundation, CIBC, and many other individuals and corporations. The Board of Directors, staff and many generous individuals have also
contributed to the campaign. The total amount raised to date is $147 million, three quarters of the total campaign of $196 million. For
more information on the Bell Lightbox campaign, visit
belllightbox.ca
We are a charitable, not-for-profit, cultural organization whose mission is to transform the way people see the world through film. Our
vision is to lead the world in creative and cultural discovery through the moving image.
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For information, contact the Communications Department at 416-934-3200 or email
[email protected]