September 10 to 20, 2015
Toronto International Film Festival

DISCOVERY PROGRAMME FEATURING 30 FILMS BY EXCITING NEW FILMMAKERS FROM ACROSS THE GLOBE
Discovery programme showcasing 30 outstanding and absorbing feature films, including 16 World Premieres, by first and second time directors from Canada and across the globe.
"Discovery is the place where Festival audiences will find the future of filmmaking," said Cameron Bailey, Artistic Director of the Toronto International Film Festival.

DISCOVERY PROGRAMME
A Patch of Fog
Michael Lennox, United Kingdom World Premiere
A celebrated novelist and TV personality finds his reputation on the line when he is caught shoplifting by a lonely security guard, intent on becoming his friend for life. Stephen Graham (Pirates of the Caribbean, Boardwalk Empire) stars alongside Conleth Hill (Game of Thrones), Lara Pulver (Sherlock), Arsher Ali (Four Lions) and Ian McElhinney (Game of Thrones).

The Ardennes
Robin Pront, Belgium World Premiere
Two bandit brothers, one fresh from prison, the other eager to escape their criminal past, form a potentially explosive love triangle with the ex-con's ex-girlfriend, in Robin Pront's Cain vs. Abel update.

Beast
Tom McKeith, Sam McKeith, Australia/Philippines World Premiere
Deep in the slums of Manila, a young boxer's life is changed forever when his father pressures him to cheat in a fight.

Black
Adil El Arbi, Bilall Fallah, Belgium World Premiere
Fifteen-year-old Mavela is a member of the notorious Black Bronx gang. She falls head over heels in love with the charismatic Marwan, a boy from the rival gang 1080ers. The two young people are brutally forced to choose between loyalty to their gang and their love for each other. An impossible choice... or not?

Born to Dance
Tammy Davis, New Zealand World Premiere
A Maori teen faces parental and social pressure while leading his competitive hip-hop dance crew toward the regional championships, in this exhilarating feature directorial debut from New Zealand actor Tammy Davis.

Dégradé
Arab Nasser, Tarzan Nasser, Palestine/France/Qatar North American Premiere
Gaza Strip, present day. Christine's beauty salon is heaving with female clients: a bitter divorcée, a stern religious woman, a disenchanted housewife addicted to prescription drugs, and a young bride-to-be, among others. But their day of leisure is disrupted when gunfire breaks out across the street. A gangland family has stolen the lion from Gaza's zoo, and the police have decided it's time to wrestle control. Stuck in the salon, the women start to unravel...

Desde Allá
Lorenzo Vigas, Venezuela North American Premiere
Fifty-year-old Armando picks up young boys in the streets of Caracas and pays them to come home with him. He also regularly spies on an older man with whom he seems bound by something in the past. One day he meets 17-year-old Elder, the leader of a small gang. Violent at first, their relationship morphs into something beautiful... until the inevitable happens.

Downriver
Grant Scicluna, Australia International Premiere
James has served time for drowning a little boy when he himself was just a child, although the body was never found. Upon his parole, a visit from his victim's mother sends him on a quest to find the truth. With little time and danger at every turn, James risks his freedom and his life to uncover the trail of sins that might give closure to a grieving mother.

Eva Nová
Marko Škop, Slovakia World Premiere
Eva would do anything to regain the love of the one she hurt the most - her son. She is a recovered alcoholic, but decades ago she was a famous actress.

Five Nights in Maine
Maris Curran, USA World Premiere
Reeling from the tragic, sudden death of his wife, a man travels to rural Maine to seek answers from his estranged mother-in-law, who is herself confronting guilt and grief over her daughter's death. Starring David Oyelowo (Selma), Dianne Wiest and Rosie Perez.

The Here After (Efterskalv)
Magnus von Horn, Poland/Sweden/France North American Premiere
When John returns home to his father after serving time in prison, he is looking forward to starting his life afresh. However in the local community, his crime is neither forgotten nor forgiven. John's presence brings out the worst in everyone around him and a lynch-mob atmosphere slowly takes shape. Feeling abandoned by his former friends and the people he loves, John loses hope and the same aggressions that previously sent him to prison start building up again. Unable to leave the past behind, he decides to confront it.

Ixcanul
Jayro Bustamante, Guatemala/France Canadian Premiere
María, a young 17-year-old Mayan girl, lives and works with her parents on a coffee plantation in the foothills of an active volcano in Guatemala. An arranged marriage awaits her. Although María dreams of going to the "big city," her status as an indigenous woman does not permit her to change her destiny. A snake bite forces her to go out into the modern world where her life is saved, but at what price?

James White
Josh Mond, USA Canadian Premiere
James White (Christopher Abbott) is a troubled twenty-something trying to stay afloat in a frenzied New York City. He retreats further into a self-destructive, hedonistic lifestyle, but as his mother (Cynthia Nixon) battles a serious illness James is forced to take control of his life. The directorial debut of Martha Marcy May Marlene producer Josh Mond, James White, which had its world premiere at Sundance Film Festival 2014 where it was the winner of the Audience Award: NEXT, is a confident and closely observed debut that explores loss and the deep relationship between a mother and son.

Keeper
Guillaume Senez, Belgium/Switzerland/France North American Premiere
Maxime and Mélanie are in love. Together, they clumsily explore their sexuality with fiery curiosity until the day Mélanie realizes she's pregnant. At first Maxime takes the news badly, but then he gets used to the idea of becoming a father. He convinces Melanie to keep the baby. So it's been decided - Maxime and Mélanie, all of fifteen years old, will become parents.

Les Cowboys
Thomas Bidegain, France/Belgium North American Premiere
A vast prairie, a country and western gathering somewhere in the east of France. Alain is a central figure in this community. He's dancing with his daughter, 16-year-old Kelly, as his wife and their young son Kid watch from the sidelines. But on this day, Kelly disappears, and the family falls apart. Alain embarks on a relentless search for his daughter, even though it costs him everything and takes him to dark, unsettling places, where his sole support is Kid, who sacrifices his youth to accompany his father on this seemingly endless quest.

Meghmallar
Zahidur Rahim Anjan, Bangladesh World Premiere
A case of mistaken identity throws an apolitical chemistry teacher into the maelstrom of the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, in the striking debut feature from director Zahidur Rahim Anjan.

Mountain
Yaelle Kayam, Israel/Denmark North American Premiere
An Orthodox Jewish woman, living at the edge of the cemetery on Jerusalem's Mount of Olives, becomes fascinated by a nocturnal community of prostitutes and drug dealers congregating amongst the tombstones. Mountain is a haunting and dramatic exploration of a women's search for identity.

My Name is Emily
Simon Fitzmaurice, Ireland North American Premiere
Packed off to a foster home after her father is institutionalized, a rebellious young Irish girl resolves to bust her dad out of the hospital where he's been confined, in this spirited coming-of-age tale from celebrated memoirist and first-time feature director Simon Fitzmaurice.

The Paradise Suite
Joost van Ginkel, Netherlands/Sweden/Bulgaria World Premiere This dexterous tale of survival from director Joost van Ginkel traces the intersecting stories of six immigrants from very different backgrounds in Amsterdam who learn that they can irreversibly influence each other's lives, sometimes with just one glance.
Semana Santa Alejandra Márquez Abella, Mexico World Premiere
Dali and her eight-year-old son Pepe take a vacation to Acapulco with Dali's boyfriend, Chavez. Instead of bringing them closer, their beach holiday brings out things in each of them that threaten to pull this emerging family apart.

Spear
Stephen Page, Australia World Premiere
Djali, a young Aboriginal man, sets off on a journey of initiation to understand what it means to be a man in a modern day world. He sees the problems being faced by Aboriginal men in remote and urban communities. As he struggles to find his place, he becomes awakened to a spiritual force within, guiding him on his journey into manhood.

Very Big Shot (Film Kteer Kbeer)
Mir-Jean Bou Chaaya, Lebanon/Qatar World Premiere
Intending to smuggle the amphetamine Captagon to Iraqi Kurdistan, a small-time Lebanese drug dealer discovers that a way to foil customs, with the help of a talentless filmmaker. Posing as a film producer, he has no qualms manipulating public opinion to his advantage.

The Wait (L'attesa)
Piero Messina, Italy North American Premiere
Waiting for someone is an act of faith. Anna and Jeanne, isolated in a Sicilian country house in Caltagirone, are waiting for Giuseppe's arrival. He is the former's son, the latter's boyfriend. Their wait turns into a mysterious act of love and will, while in the streets people are celebrating Easter.

We Monsters (Wir Monster)
Sebastian Ko, Germany North American Premiere
Paul and Christine know their teenage daughter Sarah has been thrown off track by their separation - but is she capable of committing a horrible crime? Wanting to protect her, they decide attempt to hide her wrongdoing, but their joint guilt forces the family back together under a web of lies. The directorial debut from German actor Sebastian Ko, We Monsters is a gripping psychological thriller.

Wedding Doll (Chatona Meniyar)
Nitzan Gilady, Israel International Premiere
Fixated on romantic fantasies, a kindly and strong-willed young woman with a mild mental disability embarks on a relationship - much to the concern of her protective mother - in this assured first feature from director Nitzan Gilady.

Previously announced Canadian titles in the Discovery Programme include Stephen Dunn's Closet Monster, Adam Garnet Jones' Fire Song, Jamie M. Dagg's River, Kire Paputts' The Rainbow Kid, and Andrew Cividino's Sleeping Giant.

CINEMATHEQUE PROGRAMME
Heat
Michael Mann, USA
Hard-boiled ex-con Neil McCauley is the leader of a crew of seasoned thieves who operate with grim determination and military discipline. But when a last-minute replacement on his team leads to a bloody triple murder during an armoured truck robbery, McCauley is targeted by veteran detective Vincent Hanna, whose obsessive dedication both mirrors and contrasts with McCauley's ruthless professionalism. Starring Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro with Jon Voight, Val Kilmer, Ashley Judd, Tom Sizemore and Amy Brenneman.

VANGUARD PROGRAMME
Zoom,
Pedro Morelli, Canada World Premiere
Zoom is a fast-paced, pop-art inspired, multi-plot contemporary comedy. The film consists of three seemingly separate but ultimately interlinked storylines about a comic book artist, a novelist and a film director. Each character lives in a separate world but authors a story about the life of another.


The Contemporary World Cinema lineup.
* "25 April," Leanne Pooley, New Zealand, World Premiere
* "3000 Nights (3000 Layla)," Mai Masri, Palestine/France/Jordan/Lebanon/United Arab Emirates/Qatar, World Premiere
* "An," Naomi Kawase Japan/France/Germany, North American Premiere
* "The Apostate (El Apóstata)," Federico Veiroj, Spain/France/Uruguay, World Premiere
* "As I Open My Eyes (A peine j'ouvre les jeux)," Leyla Bouzid, Tunisia/France/Belgium, North American Premiere
* "Baba Joon," Yuval Delshad, Israel, World Premiere
* "Box," Florin Șerban, Romania/Germany/France, North American Premiere
* "Campo Grande," Sandra Kogut, Brazil/France, World Premiere
* "Chevalier," Athina Rachel Tsangari, Greece, North American Premiere
* "A Copy of My Mind," Joko Anwar, Indonesia/South Korea, North American Premiere
* "Cuckold," Charlie Vundla, South Africa, World Premiere
* "Embrace of the Serpent (El Abrazo de la Serpiente)," Ciro Guerra, Colombia/Venezuela/Argentina, North American Premiere
* "The Endless River (La Rivière sans fin)," Oliver Hermanus, South Africa/France, North American Premiere
* "The Fear (La Peur)," Damien Odoul, France, World Premiere
* "Frenzy (Abluka)," Emin Alper, Turkey/France, North American Premiere
* "Girls Lost," Alexandra-Therese Keining, Sweden, World Premiere
* "Granny's Dancing on the Table," Hanna Sköld, Sweden, World Premiere
* "A Heavy Heart (Herbert)," Thomas Stuber, Germany, World Premiere
* "Homesick (De nærmeste)," Anne Sewitsky, Norway, Canadian Premiere
* "Hong Kong Trilogy: Preschooled Preoccupied Preposterous," Christopher Doyle, Hong Kong, World Premiere
* "Honor Thy Father," Erik Matti, Philippines, World Premiere
* "Invisible (Imbisibol)," Lawrence Fajardo, Philippines/Japan, International Premiere
* "In the Room," Eric Khoo, Hong Kong/Singapore, World Premiere
* "Incident Light (La Luz Incidente)," Ariel Rotter, Argentina/France/Uruguay, World Premiere
* "I Promise You Anarchy (Te prometo anarquía)," Julio Hernández Cordón, Mexico/Germany, North American Premiere
* "Ivy (Sarmaşik)," Tolga Karaçelik, Turkey, Canadian Premiere
* "Jack," Elisabeth Scharang, Austria, North American Premiere
* "Journey to the Shore (Kishibe no tabu)," Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Japan/France, North American Premiere
* "The Kind Words (Hamilim Hatovot)," Shemi Zarhin, Israel/Canada, International Premiere
* "Koza," Ivan Ostrochovský, Slovakia/Czech Republic, North American Premiere
* "Lamb," Yared Zeleke, Ethiopia/France/Germany/Norway, North American Premiere
* "Last Cab to Darwin," Jeremy Sims, Australia, International Premiere
* "Let Them Come (Maintenant ils peuvent venir)," Salem Brahimi, France/Algeria, World Premiere
* "Magallanes," Salvador del Solar, Peru/Argentina/Colombia/Spain, International Premiere
* "Mekko," Sterlin Harjo, USA, International Premiere
* "A Month of Sundays," Matthew Saville, Australia, World Premiere
* "Much Loved," Nabil Ayouch, Morocco/France, North American Premiere
* "Murmur of the Hearts," Sylvia Chang, Taiwan/Hong Kong, North American Premiere
* "One Breath (Ein Atem)," Christian Zübert, Germany, World Premiere
* "One Floor Below (Un Etaj mai Jos)," Radu Muntean, Romania/France/Germany/Sweden, North American Premiere
* "Parisienne (Peur de rien)," Danielle Arbid, France, World Premiere
* "Paths of the Soul (Kang Rinpoche)," Zhang Yang, China, World Premiere
* "THE PEOPLE vs. FRITZ BAUER (Der Staat gegen Fritz Bauer)," Lars Kraume, Germany, North American
* "Price of Love," Hermon Hailay, Ethiopia, North American Premiere
* "Rams (Hrútar)," Grímur Hákonarson, Iceland, Canadian Premiere
* "Schneider vs. Bax," Alex van Warmerdam, Netherlands/Belgium, North American Premiere
* "Song of Songs (Pesn pesney)," Eva Neymann, Ukraine, North American Premiere
* "Sparrows," Rúnar Rúnarsson, Iceland/Denmark, World Premiere
* "Starve Your Dog," Hicham Lasri, Morocco, World Premiere
* "The Steps," Andrew Currie, Canada, World Premiere
* "Story of Judas (Histoire de Judas)," Rabah Ameur-Zaïmeche, France, North American Premiere
* "Stranger (Zhat)," Yermek Tursunov, Kazakhstan, World Premiere
* "Thank You for Bombing," Barbara Eder, Austria, World Premiere
* "The Treasure (Comoara)," Corneliu Porumboiu, Romania/France, North American Premiere
* "Truman," Cesc Gay, Spain/Argentina, World Premiere
* "The Whispering Star (Hiso Hiso Boshi)," Sion Sono, Japan, World Premiere

Previously announced Canadian titles in the Contemporary World Cinema programme include Kazik Radwanski's "How Heavy this Hammer, Anne Émond's "Les êtres chers," Philippe Falardeau's "My Internship in Canada" and Igor Drljača's "The Waiting Room."


TIFF NEXT WAVE COMMITTEE IDENTIFIES SELECTION OF YOUTH-DRIVEN FILMS AT THE TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
TORONTO - The TIFF Next Wave committee of young film enthusiasts has hand-picked 10 Toronto International Film Festival® films that will resonate with their peers.

As I Open My Eyes (A peine j'ouvre les yeux)
Leyla Bouzid, Tunisia/France/Belgium (Contemporary World Cinema), North American Premiere

Born To Dance
Tammy Davis, New Zealand (Discovery) World Premiere

The Final Girls
Todd Strauss-Schulson, USA (Midnight Madness) International Premiere

Girls Lost
Alexandra-Therese Keining, Sweden (Contemporary World Cinema) World Premiere

He Named Me Malala
Davis Guggenheim, USA (TIFF Docs) International Premiere

The Idol (Ya Tayr El Tayer)
Hany Abu-Assad, United Kingdom/Palestine/Qatar/ United Arab Emirates (Special Presentations) World Premiere

Ixcanul
Jayro Bustamante, Guatemala/France (Discovery) Canadian Premiere

Keeper
Guillaume Senez, Belgium/Switzerland/France (Discovery) North American Premiere

My Name is Emily
Simon Fitzmaurice, Ireland (Discovery) North American Premiere

Sleeping Giant
Andrew Cividino, Canada (Discovery) North American Premiere

The 40th Toronto International Film Festival runs September 10 to 20, 2015.

Purchase Festival ticket packages until August 26 while quantities last. Individual tickets are on sale from Sunday, September 6 toSunday, September 20. Purchase packages and tickets online 24 hours a day at tiff.net/festival, by phone at 416.599.TIFF or 1.888.599.8433. Festival Box Office, located at 225 King Street West, opens on August 25. TIFF prefers Visa.

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About TIFF
TIFF is a charitable cultural organization whose mission is to transform the way people see the world, through film. An international leader in film culture, TIFF projects include the annual Toronto International Film Festival in September; TIFF Bell Lightbox, which features five cinemas, major exhibitions, and learning and entertainment facilities; and innovative national distribution program Film Circuit. The organization generates an annual economic impact of $189 million CAD. TIFF Bell Lightbox is generously supported by
contributors including Founding Sponsor Bell, the Province of Ontario, the Government of Canada, the City of Toronto, the Reitman family (Ivan Reitman, Agi Mandel and Susan Michaels), The Daniels Corporation and RBC. For more information, visit tiff.net.

The Toronto International Film Festival is generously supported by Lead Sponsor Bell, Major Sponsors RBC, L'Oréal Paris and Visa, and Major Supporters the Government of Ontario, Telefilm Canada and the City of Toronto.