Toronto International Film Festival Unveils Canadian Features Slate

The Toronto International Film Festival ® unveiled today the 26 Canadian features within various programmes that are part of the Festival's 2019 lineup. The slate offers a wide range of perspectives and themes, from youth struggling with the pressures of adulthood to seniors fighting for their independence in virtually every region in the country. The Canadian selection includes seven first features, 13 works by returning TIFF alumni, and almost 50% films directed by women.

"We are deeply impressed by the high quality of the work done by Canadian directors this year - particularly from filmmakers who were making their first and second features," said Steve Gravestock, Senior Programmer, TIFF. "Within that group, there was an extremely strong contingent of female filmmakers working everywhere from Newfoundland to British Columbia and addressing a genuinely diverse Spectrum of subjects, from mother-daughter relationships to the refugee experience, female friendships to youth in crisis."

"As part of the new wave of programmers at TIFF, I'm thrilled to help usher in the next generation of prominent voices in Canadian cinema - particularly with films that speak to the larger global issues at hand," said TIFF programmer Ravi Srinivasan. "I am also proud to help introduce several new filmmakers to the main stage, knowing that their works will screen alongside those of Canadian legends like Alanis Obomsawin and Atom Egoyan. This is truly an exciting year for TIFF and Canadian cinema, and I'm grateful to be a part of it."

This year's Canadian features slate includes five titles by Indigenous filmmakers and film teams: Abenaki director Alanis Obomsawin's documentary Jordan River Anderson, The Messenger; Jeff Barnaby's chilling Blood Quantum; Myriam Verreault's Kuessipan , based on the novel by Naomi Fontaine about life among Innu in northeastern Quebec; Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers and Kathleen Hepburn's The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open, which follows two Indigenous women as they deal with domestic violence ; and Zacharias Kunuk's One Day in the Life of Noah Piugattuk, about an encounter on Baffin Island in 1961 when life on the land changed forever for Inuit.

TIFF debuts include Aisling Chin-Yee's family dramedy The Rest of Us ; Harry Cepka's Raf, starring Grace Glowicki as a woman in her twenties trying to find her way in modern Vancouver; Matthew Rankin's The TwentiethCentury, screening as part of the Midnight Madness programme; HeatherYoung's Murmur, about a middle-aged woman cut off from her loved ones by her struggle with alcoholism; and Nicole Dorsey's atmospheric psychological drama Black Conflux.

Returning filmmakers include Atom Egoyan, who presents an exploration of personal trauma with Guest of Honour; Sophie Deraspe, who examines the Canadian refugee/immigrant experience in Antigone; Joey Klein, whose Castle in the Ground explores the opioid crisis that continues to affect communities across North America; Albert Shin with psychological thriller Clifton Hill ; Calvin Thomas and Yonah Lewis with White Lie, a character-driven psychological drama; Louise Archambault with And the Birds Rained Down, adapted from the acclaimed novel by Jocelyne Saucier;Kire Paputts with The Last Porno Show, about identity, grief, and reconciliation; and AmyJoJohnson,whose dark comedy Tammy's Always Dying about addiction, recovery, and the female experience stars Felicity Huffman, Anastasia Phillips, and Clark Johnson.

Rounding out the Canadian features selection is a strong contingent of documentaries, from Alan Zeig's Coppers, a portrait of the personal joys and challenges that come with policing, to Yung Chang's This Is Not a Movie, about the unique and incendiary perspective of veteran journalist Robert Fisk. The slate also features performances from both established and rising stars, including Heather Graham, Alex Wolff, Imogen Poots, David Thewlis, Clive Owen, Nahéma Ricci, Ella Ballentine, Kacey Rohl, and legendary Canadian director David Cronenberg,who stars in Shin's Clifton Hill.

All 26 Canadian feature films at the Festival are eligible for the Canada Goose® Award for Best Canadian Feature Film. All seven Canadian feature directorial debuts are eligible for the City of Toronto Award for Best Canadian First Feature Film. This year's Canadian feature-film jury is composed of Alicia Elliott, Tuscarora writer an d 2018 recipient of the RBC Taylor Emerging Writer Award, Devyani Saltzman, Canadian writer and Director of Public Programming at the Art Gallery of Ontario and Magali Simard, Film Sector Development Officer, City of Toronto.

Previously announced Canadian titles include François Girard's The Song of Names, Semi Chellas's American Woman, Barry Avrich 's David Foster: Off the Record , and Daniel Roher's Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band.

The 44th Toronto International Film Festival runs September 5-15, 2019.

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