TORONTO — The Toronto International Film Festival® announced today the 29 Canadian short films that will light up the screens this September. The 2017 lineup includes the directorial efforts of multiple TIFF alumni, accomplished actors, filmmakers with recent projects at multiple major Festivals and discoveries by TIFF programmers that together round out a powerful and eclectic mix. In addition to a wide range of genres, the Festival’s Canadian shorts selection also encompasses a variety of perspectives, including 11 titles directed by women and three films by Indigenous filmmakers. Highlights include: Michelle Latimer’s Nuuca, executive produced by Oscar winner Laura Poitras, and the latest by Latimer, who was part of Sundance’s The New Climate program earlier this year; Sol Friedman’s An Imagined Conversation: Kanye West & Stephen Hawking, a hilarious black-and-white animation right out of a parallel universe; Caroline Monnet’s Creatura Dada, which stars Alanis Obomsawin and is Monnet’s first project since becoming the first Canadian filmmaker to be selected for the prestigious Cannes Cinéfondation Residence program; and Naledi Jackson’s The Drop In, at Toronto-set sci-fi immigration thriller that takes place entirely in a hair salon.
The Festival’s Canadian short film slate also includes: Molly Parker’s Bird, the compelling directorial debut of the B.C. actor known for her roles in Deadwood, House of Cards and other TV hits; TIFF Rising Star alumnus Connor Jessup’s Lira’s Forest, the actor-turneddirector’s second short at the Festival; Matthew Rankin’s Cannes selection The Tesla World Light (Tesla : Lumière Mondiale), a luminescent black-and-white animation and live-action mix centred around the famous inventor; and Gabriel Savignac’s Stay, I Don’t Want to Be Alone (Reste, je ne veux pas être toute seule), a touching, beautifully crafted portrait of a pastry factory worker with an intellectual disability at a difficult moment in her life.
All 24 Canadian Short Cuts titles are eligible for the IWC Short Cuts Award for Best Canadian Short Film. All films in the Short Cuts programme are eligible for the IWC Short Cuts Award for Best Film. This year's jury includes Marit van den Elshout, Head of CineMart at the International Film Festival Rotterdam; award-winning filmmaker Johnny Ma (Old Stone); and Cannes 2017 Art Cinema Award winner Chloé Zhao (The Rider). The 42nd Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 7 to 17, 2017.
SHORT CUTS
The Argument (with annotations) Daniel Cockburn, Canada/UK World Premiere
Bickford Park Linsey Stewart, Dane Clark, Canada World Premiere
Bird Molly Parker, Canada World Premiere
Charles Dominic Etienne Simard, Canada/France World Premiere
Creatura Dada Caroline Monnet, Canada Toronto Premiere
Crème de menthe Philippe David Gagné, Jean-Marc E. Roy, Canada North American Premiere
The Crying Conch (Le cri du lambi) Vincent Toi, Canada North American Premiere
The Drop In Naledi Jackson, Canada World Premiere
For Nonna Anna Luis De Filippis, Canada World Premiere
Grandmother (ʔEtsu) Trevor Mack, Canada World Premiere
homer_b Milos Mitrovic, Conor Sweeney, Canada World Premiere
An Imagined Conversation: Kanye West & Stephen Hawking Sol Friedman, Canada World Premiere
Latched Justin Harding, Rob Brunner, Canada World Premiere
Lira's Forest Connor Jessup, Canada World Premiere
Midnight Confession Maxwell McCabe-Lokos, Canada/USA World Premiere
Milk Heather Young, Canada World Premiere
Nuuca Michelle Latimer, Canada World Premiere
Pre-Drink Marc-Antoine Lemire, Canada World Premiere
Rupture Yassmina Karajah, Jordan/Canada World Premiere
Shadow Nettes Phillip Barker, Canada World Premiere
Stay, I Don't Want to Be Alone (Reste, je ne veux pas être toute seule) Gabriel Savignac, Canada World Premiere
The Tesla World Light (Tesla : Lumière Mondiale) Matthew Rankin, Canada North American Premiere
Threads Torill Kove, Canada/Norway North American Premiere
We Forgot to Break Up Chandler Levack, Canada World Premiere