SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS
Roger Waters The Wall Sean Evans and Roger Waters, United Kingdom World Premiere
Filmed during Waters’ sold-out 2010–2013 “The Wall Live” tour, Roger Waters The Wall delivers an exhilaratingly visceral experience of rock ‘n’ roll showmanship and storytelling. And it does much more, illuminating the music’s themes of war and loss as it follows Waters on a personally revealing road trip.
The Sound and the Fury James Franco, USA North American Premiere
The Sound and the Fury captures the lives and passions of the Compsons, a once proud Southern family caught in a tragic spiral of loss and misfortune. Based on the novel by Nobel Prize-winner author William Faulkner and considered among the 20th century’s greatest works, The Sound and the Fury encapsulates the universal theme of the death of honour, social injustice and forbidden love.
Starring James Franco, Tim Blake Nelson and Joey King.
St. Vincent Theodore Melfi, USA World Premiere
Maggie, a single mother, moves into a new home in Brooklyn with her 12-year-old son, Oliver. Forced to work long hours, she has no choice but to leave Oliver in the care of their new neighbour, Vincent, a retired curmudgeon with a penchant for alcohol and gambling. An odd friendship soon blossoms between the improbable pair. Together with a pregnant stripper named Daka, Vincent brings Oliver along on all the stops that make up his daily routine — the race track, a strip club, and the local dive bar. Vincent helps Oliver grow to become a man, while Oliver begins to see in Vincent something that no one else is able to: a misunderstood man with a good heart.
Starring Bill Murray, Melissa McCarthy, Naomi Watts, Chris O’Dowd, Terrence Howard, and Jaeden Lieberher.
MASTERS
Foreign Body (Obce Cialo) Krzysztof Zanussi, Poland/Italy/Russia World Premiere
A dashing young Italian in Poland finds himself caught between two women — a novitiate nun and a ruthless corporate ladder-climber — in this lacerating vision of contemporary Poland from master filmmaker Krzysztof Zanussi. Starring Riccardo Leonelli, Agnieszka Grochowska, Agata Buzek and Weronika Rosati.
Murder in Pacot (Meurtre à Pacot) Raoul Peck, Haiti/France/Norway World Premiere
After the terrible January 2010 earthquake in Haiti, a privileged couple struggles to reinvent a life amid the rubbles of their villa in Port-au-Prince’s upscale neighborhood of Pacot. Destitute and in desperate need for money to repair their home, the couple decides to rent the remaining habitable part of the villa to Alex, a high-level foreign relief worker, who brings Jennifer, aka Andrémise, his Haitian girlfriend, a sassy and ambitious young woman. Co-written with acclaimed author Lyonel Trouillot, the powerful huis clos set in the earthquake’s urban and social ruins evokes a kind of “Haiti Year Zero”. Starring Alex Descas, Joy Olasunmibo Ogunmakin, Thibault Vinçon and Lovely Kermonde Fifi.
The Tale of The Princess Kaguya (Kaguya-hime no Monogatari) Isao Takahata, Japan North American Premiere
Found inside a shining stalk of bamboo, a tiny girl grows into an exquisite young lady, raised by an old bamboo cutter and his wife. From the countryside to the grand capital city, even unseen she enthralls all who encounter her, including five noble suitors. Ultimately she must face her fate, the punishment for her crime. Based on the classic Japanese folktale, The Tale of The Bamboo Cutter, The Tale of The Princess Kaguya is the newest film from Studio Ghibli and the strikingly beautiful culmination of decades of contemplation by its director, Studio Ghibli co-founder Isao Takahata. Starring Aki Asakura, Kengo Kora, Takeo Chii and Nobuko Miyamoto.
Winter Sleep (Kis uykusu) Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Turkey/France/Germany North American Premiere
Aydin, a former actor, runs a small hotel in Central Anatolia with his young wife Nihal, with whom he has a stormy relationship, and his sister Necla who is suffering from her recent divorce. In winter as the snow begins to fall, the hotel turns into a shelter but also an inescapable place that fuels their animosities.
TIFF DOCS
The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness (Yume to kyôki no ohkoku) Mami Sunada, Japan North American Premiere
Granted unfettered access to the notoriously insular Studio Ghibli, director Mami Sunada follows the three men who are the lifeblood of one of the world’s most celebrated animation studios — the eminent director Hayao Miyazaki, the producer Toshio Suzuki, and the elusive and influential “other director” Isao Takahata, as they rush to complete production of Miyazaki’s The Wind Rises and Takahata’s The Tale of The Princess Kaguya (Toronto International Film Festival 2014 official selection).
The Years of Fierro (Los años de Fierro) Santiago Esteinou, Mexico North American Premiere
The Years of Fierro tells the story of César Fierro, the oldest Mexican prisoner on death row in the United States. César has waited for an execution date for more than 30 years, always insisting that he is innocent. This documentary is a reflection on justice, imprisonment and brotherly love, through the eyes of César and his brother, Sergio. These two brothers hope to meet again, no matter the time or the distance.
VANGUARD
The Voices Marjane Satrapi, USA/Germany Canadian Premiere
This genre-bending tale centres around Jerry, a lovable but disturbed factory worker who yearns for attention from a woman in accounting. When their relationship takes a sudden, murderous turn, Jerry’s evil talking cat and benevolent talking dog lead him down a fantastical path where he ultimately finds salvation. Starring Ryan Reynolds, Gemma Arterton, Anna Kendrick and Jacki Weaver.
CONTEMPORARY WORLD CINEMA
Cut Bank Matt Shakman, USA International Premiere
Twenty-five-year-old Dwayne McLaren, a former athlete turned auto mechanic, dreams of getting out of tiny Cut Bank, Montana — the coldest town in America. But his effort to do so sets in motion a deadly series of events that change his life and the life of the town forever.
Tigers Danis Tanović, India/France/United Kingdom World Premiere
Devastated when he discovers the effects of the cheap, locally-made drugs he peddles for a Pakistani pharmaceuticals firm, a young salesman challenges the system and the powers that be, in this based-on-fact drama from Academy Award-winning director Danis Tanović (No Man’s Land).
The 2014 Toronto International Film Festival Official Film Schedule was released today and is available at TIFF Bell Lightbox or by visiting tiff.net/festival. Copies will also be distributed in the Toronto Star and Metro on Thursday, August 21. A section about the Festival will appear in the Toronto Star on Thursday, August 28, and will include the full film schedule.