"For the first time in the history of TIFF's competitions, it's very difficult for me to imagine what the public will love most. Maybe because all the characters in the movies are extremely likeable, even when they are committing reprobable actions" says Mihai Chirilov, Artistic Director of the Festival.
TIFF's competition is traditionally dedicated for a director’s first or second feature film only, and this year's 12 films are coming from Island, Norway, USA, Germany, Denmark, Holland, Israel, Austria, Russia and Chile and Japan.
The audience should not miss End of Night, directed by Daisuke Miyazaki, a strange cocktail of Ozu, Takeshi Kitano and Tarantino, about a serial killer whose life is going to change after he encounters the girl he failed to kill 10 years ago, Chapiteau Snow, directed by Serghei Loban, probably the most sophisticated, ambitious and surrealist-absurd film from the selection, awarded Special Jury Prize at 2011 Moscow International Film Festival or The Loneliest Planet (d. Julia Loktev) casting Gael Garcia Bernal in a thriller set in the Caucasus Mountains of Georgia, selected in film festivals at Locarno 2011, Toronto, New York or Las Palmas, where it was awarded the main prize.
Winner of the this year's Directing Award at Sundance Film Festival Madds Matthiesen's Teddy Bear¸ will bring us the story of 38 year-old Dennis, a shy bodybuilder who still lives at home with his overbearing mother. Another much awaited title is Joachim Trier's Oslo, August 31st, screened in the Un Certain Regard section of Cannes Film Festival.
"You will find in the Official Competition memorable characters: the heroines of Lena (Christophe Van Rompaey) and Clip ( Maja Milos) and heroes from Oslo, August 31st (Joachim Trier) and The Exchange ( Eran Kolirin). You will find humor (Either Way Hafsteinn Gunnar Sugurdson) emotion (Teddy Bear, Madds Matthiesen) tragedy ( Kuma, Umut Dag) and an insurmountable guilt ( The Loneliest Planet - Julia Loktev and Marecages- Guy Edoin). What you will not find is a Romanian title, but Thursday Till Sunday (Dominga Sotomayor Castillo) will fill this empty place" explains Mihai Chirilov.
The 4 confirmed names of the Jury for the 2012 edition of TIFF Official Competition are: Director Samuel Maoz, awarded Golden Lion at Venice Film Festival for Lebanon (2009), Kjartan Sveinsson, member of Island’s post-rock band Sigur Ros and composer of the film score for Volcano (film awarded Best Direction at TIFF 2011), Mark Adams, film critic at prestigious Screen International and actress Ana Ularu, awarded Swiss Critics Boccalino Award at Locarno International Film Festival, Best Actress award at Thessaloniki Film Festival, and Gopos Award for Best Actress in a Leading role for Outbound (directed by Bogdan George Apetri).
Line-up TIFF Official Competition
Lena, d. Christophe Van Rompaey (Holland-Belgium)
Either Way, d. Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurdson (Island)
Chapiteau Show, r. Serghei Loban (Russia)
Clip, r. Maja Milos (Serbia)
Oslo, August 31st, d. Joachim Trier (Norway)
The Loneliest Planet, d. Julia Loktev (USA - Germany)
The Exchange, d. Eran Kolirin (Israel - Germany)
Teddy Bear, d. Mads Matthiesen (Denmark)
Kuma, d. Umut Dag (Austria)
Marecages, d. Guy Edoin (Canada)
End of the Night, d. Daisuke Miyazaki (Japan)
Thursday Till Sunday, d. Dominga Sotomayor (Chile - Holland)
