2019 TIFF MASTERS LINEUP ANNOUNCED

TORONTO — The Toronto International Film Festival® has revealed the 11 films that will comprise the 2019 Masters programme, with Brad Deane assuming the role of Lead Programmer. Deane continues in his role as Director of TIFF Cinematheque and as a member of the Festival’s Platform Selection Committee.

Featuring films set in Asia, Europe, North America, and Central America, the Masters lineup has titles that run the gamut, from dramatic true stories to dark comedies, from a black-and-white narrative to a documentary film, with a healthy dose of introspection and socio-political commentary throughout. The slate will bring two World Premieres to Toronto.

“One of the most exciting things about leading the vision for this programme so far has been the opportunity to explore what defines a Master and the role that these directors play in pushing the future of cinema forward,” said Deane. “I made it a priority to bring filmmakers into the fold that haven’t previously screened in this programme so their films can play alongside some of the more established names. By looking at the films in the programme, it’s apparent that mastering the form is only the jumping-off point for unique and powerful storytelling, and I am looking forward to the discussions that will emerge among Toronto audiences about what makes a master.”

In Devil Between the Legs, Arturo Ripstein directs a script written by his wife, Paz Alicia Garciadiego, about a warring old couple and their maid, who eventually takes matters into her own hands. Swedish filmmaker Roy Andersson will come back to the Festival with A bout Endlessness,a series of vignettes documenting our lack of awareness.

American-Canadian Abenaki filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin will premiere her latest documentary, Jordan River Anderson, The Messenger, about the long struggle of Indigenous activists to ensure equitable access to government-funded services for First Nations children. British legend Ken Loach’s Sorry We Missed You presents a bittersweet tale of the gig economy in modern-day England.

Marco Bellocchio’s The Traitor is a biographical drama about Tommaso Buscetta, a mafia informant whose testimony led to the largest prosecution of the Sicilian Mafia in Italian history. To the Ends of the Earth, the latest from Japanese director Kiyoshi Kurosawa, tells the story of an introverted travel-show host on assignment in Uzbekistan.