TIFF DISCOVERY PROGRAMME UNVEILS LINEUP RICH WITH PROMISING DEBUTS FROM EXCITING NEW STORYTELLERS

Carmel Winters, Wanuri Kahiu, Lila Avilés, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Daniel Sawka, Benjamin Gilmour, and Imogen Thomas among programme’s list of rising talents

TORONTO — The Toronto International Film Festival® today revealed 46 breakout films from 50 international storytellers as part of its 2018 Discovery lineup, marking a record year for the programme. Hailing from 37 different countries, these promising new filmmakers present works that explore identity, complex portraits of women, and youth as they struggle to navigate a fragile world. Twenty-nine of the films will make their World Premieres at the Festival. The lineup stands out for the impressive number of Asian and Eastern European films — accounting for 26% of the Discovery programme — and the number of films directed by women.

“We are thrilled to present a lineup so rich in distinct new voices committed to great storytelling,” said Kerri Craddock, Director of Festival Programming. “Audiences will embark on journeys with the strong characters in these films that will be sure to engage them from cultural, political, and formal perspectives. With 48% of the titles directed by women, the Festival’s Discovery section hopefully signals that change is on the horizon in the international film industry.”

Opening this year’s Discovery programme will be Bai Xue’s The Crossing, a captivating Chinese film following the journey of an ordinary teenage girl who becomes entangled in illicit activities. “Bai Xue displays the rare talent of a young female filmmaker who has rewritten the coming-of-age genre, colouring it with thrilling action,” said Giovanna Fulvi, International Programmer at TIFF. “TIFF is proud to introduce to the world of movie making one of the strongest new voices from China.”

The programme’s highlights include: Adina Pintilie’s innovative Touch Me Not, winner of the Golden Bear and Best First Feature in Berlin; Syrian director Soudade Kaadan’s The Day I Lost My Shadow, a bewitching film on the Syrian conflict; Nino Zhvania’s Parade, the only Georgian feature in the selection; Lithuanian director Marija Kavtaradze’s touching Summer Survivors; Han Ka-ram’s charming Our Body; and renowned Nigerian actor Genevieve Nnaji’s exciting directorial debut, Lionheart.

This year’s lineup also stands out for the strong portrayals of sensitive and witty women within it. Among them are Arturo Infante’s sci-fi comedy The Extraordinary Journey of Celeste García, starring popular actor María Isabel Díaz; Mexican director Lila Avilés’ The Chambermaid; Arash Lahooti’s Orange Days; Nikos Labôt’sHer Job; and Woman at War by Icelandic director Benedikt Erlingsson, which has already earned critical praise.

Putting the struggles of young characters front and centre, the Discovery programme includes UK actor-director Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje’s Farming, which tells the story of a Nigerian immigrant facing a racist skinhead gang in 1980s England; Carmel Winters’ beautiful Float Like a Butterfly; Lukas Dhont’s Girl; Daniel Sawka’s Icebox; Rosanne Pel’s Light as Feathers; Darko Štante’s Consequences; Ash Mayfair’s The Third Wife; Imogen Thomas’ poetic Emu Runner; Ethiopian–Israeli filmmaker Aäläm-Wärqe Davidian’s Fig Tree; and Joël Karekezi’s The Mercy of the Jungle, showcasing the breakthrough performance of TIFF International Rising Star Stéphane Bak.

Risk-takers and daring artists also stand out in this year’s slate, as in Wanuri Kahiu’s Rafiki, an electric female LGBTQ+ love story set in Kenya, where homosexuality is illegal; Sameh Zoabi’s border-crossing dark comedyTel Aviv on Fire; Ognjen Glavoni?’s The Load; and Irish brothers Andy and Ryan Tohill’s suspenseful thriller The Dig. Bold Australian filmmaker Benjamin Gilmour will present the groundbreaking Jirga.

To close this bright selection, Palestinian director Bassam Jarbawi will introduce North American audiences to his exceptional first feature film, Screwdriver, a gripping drama that examines the psychological impact of the Palestinian–Israeli conflict. “Bassam Jarbawi’s remarkable feature debut is an important look at mental trauma in the context of the Occupation,” said International Programmer Kiva Reardon.

The 43rd Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 6 to 16, 2018.

Films screening as part of the Discovery programme include:

aKasha hajooj kuka | Sudan/South Africa/Qatar/Germany North American Premiere

ANIARA Pella Kågerman, Hugo Lilja | Sweden World Premiere

Blind Spot (Blindsone) Tuva Novotny | Norway International Premiere

The Chambermaid (La Camarista) Lila Avilés | Mexico World Premiere

Complicity (Kazenoki Wa Koto No Youni) Kei Chikaura | Japan/China World Premiere

Consequences (Posledice) Darko Štante | Slovenia/Austria World Premiere

*Discovery Opening Film*
The Crossing (Guo Chun Tian) Bai Xue | China World Premiere

The Day I Lost My Shadow (Yom Adaatou Zouli) Soudade Kaadan | Syria/France/Qatar/Lebanon North American Premiere

The Dig Andy Tohill, Ryan Tohill | United Kingdom North American Premiere

An Elephant Sitting Still (Da Xiang Xi Di Er Zuo) Hu Bo | China Canadian Premiere

Emu Runner Imogen Thomas | Australia World Premiere

ENDZEIT – EVER AFTER (ENDZEIT) Carolina Hellsgård | Germany World Premiere

The Extraordinary Journey of Celeste García (El Viaje Extraordinario de Celeste García) Arturo Infante | Cuba/Germany
World Premiere

Farming Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje | United Kingdom World Premiere

Fig Tree Aäläm-Wärqe Davidian | Israel/Germany/France/Ethiopia World Premiere

Float Like a Butterfly Carmel Winters | Ireland World Premiere

Girl Lukas Dhont | Belgium Canadian Premiere

Gwen William McGregor | United Kingdom World Premiere

Helmet Heads (Cascos Indomables) Neto Villalobos | Costa Rica/Chile World Premiere

Her Job Nikos Labôt | Greece/France/Serbia World Premiere

Icebox Daniel Sawka | USA World Premiere

Jirga Benjamin Gilmour | Australia North American Premiere

Light as Feathers Rosanne Pel | Netherlands World Premiere

Lionheart Genevieve Nnaji | Nigeria World Premiere

The Load (Teret) Ognjen Glavonic | Serbia/France/Croatia/Iran/Qatar North American Premiere

Manta Ray (Kraben Rahu) Phuttiphong Aroonpheng | Thailand/France/China North American Premiere

The Mercy of the Jungle Joël Karekezi | Belgium/France/Germany North American Premiere

Orange Days (Rooz-haye Narenji) Arash Lahooti | Iran World Premiere

Our Body (A-wol Ba-di) Han Ka-ram | South Korea World Premiere

Parade (Aglumi) Nino Zhvania | Georgia/Russia World Premiere

Phoenix (Føniks) Camilla Strøm Henriksen | Norway/Sweden World Premiere

Rafiki Wanuri Kahiu | Kenya/South Africa/France/Lebanon/Norway/Netherlands/Germany/USA North American Premiere

Saf Ali Vatansever | Turkey/Germany/Romania World Premiere

*Discovery Closing Film*
Screwdriver (Mafak) Bassam Jarbawi | Palestine/USA/Qatar North American Premiere

Summer Survivors Marija Kavtaradze | Lithuania World Premiere

Tel Aviv on Fire Sameh Zoabi | Luxembourg/France/Israel/Belgium North American Premiere

The Third Wife Ash Mayfair | Vietnam World Premiere

Tito and the Birds (Tito e os Pássaros) Gustavo Steinberg, Gabriel Bitar, André Catoto | Brazil North American Premiere

Too Late to Die Young (Tarde para morir joven) Dominga Sotomayor | Chile/Brazil/Argentina/Netherlands/Qatar
North American Premiere

Touch Me Not Adina Pintilie | Romania/Germany/Czech Republic/Bulgaria/France North American Premiere

Twin Flower (Fiore Gemello) Laura Luchetti | Italy World Premiere

Woman at War (Kona fer í stríð) Benedikt Erlingsson | Iceland/France/Ukraine North American Premiere

Previously announced Canadian titles in the Discovery programme include Akash Sherman’s Clara, Gwaai Edenshaw and Helen Haig-Brown’s Edge of the Knife, Jasmin Mozaffari’s Firecrackers, and Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein’s Freaks.

TIFF DOCS

Reason (Vivek) Anand Patwardhan | India World Premiere

For film synopses, cast lists, images, and more information see tiff.net/discovery