23 Canadian Feature Titles Added to TIFF'08 line up!

A wide array of Canadian films have been announced as a part of the TIFF'08 line up. Heavy hitters include Blindness (dir: Fernando Meirelles), Heaven and Earth (dir: Deepa Mehta), Fifty Dead Men Walking (Dir: Kari Skogland) and Pontypool (Dir: Bruce McDonald). The line up includes two English Canadian Premieres: Maman est chez le coiffeur (Dir: Léa Pool) and Un Été sans point ni coup sûr (Dir: Francis Leclerc).

I'm really looking forward to the documentary on the National Film Board of Canada and Canadian Film La Mémoire des anges (Dir: Luc Bourdon) as well as the Toronto focused multiple director film Toronto Stories (Dirs: Sook-Yin Lee, Sudz Sutherland, David Weaver, Aaron Woodley).

It's always exciting to see what the Canada First! programme brings, as it features filmmakers with their first festival appearance. This year is no exception starting off with a stop-motion animated feature Edison and Leo (Dir: Neil Burns). The programme also includes a selection of comedies with Control Alt Delete (Dir: Cameron Labine) and Cooper's Camera (Dir: Warren Sonada). The theme of love is explored in Only (Dirs: Ingrid Veninger and Simon Reynolds) and Nurse. Fighter. Boy (Dir: Charles Officer). For those looking for a more visceral experience we have the Real Time (Dir: Randall Cole) which plays out in real time and Down to the Dirt (Dir: Justin Simms).

See TIFF'08 press releases for more information on program specific line ups: Canada First!, Contemporary World Cinema, Gala & Special Presentations, Vanguard & Real to Reel

Canada First!

Before Tomorrow
Dirs: Marie-Hélène Cousineau and Madeline Ivalu
Canada

Control Alt Delete
Dir: Cameron Labine
Cast: Tyler Labine, Sonja Bennett
Canada

Cooper's Camera
Dir: Warren Sonada
Cast: Jason Jones, Samantha Bee, Peter Keleghan, Mike Beaver
Canada

Down to the Dirt
Dir: Justin Simms
Cast: Joel Thomas Hynes
Canada

Edison and Leo
Dir: Neil Burns
Cast: Powers Boothe, Carly Pope, Gregory Smith
Canada

Nurse. Fighter. Boy
Dir: Charles Officer
Cast: Karen LeBlanc, Daniel J. Gordon, Clark Johnson
Canada

Only
Dirs: Ingrid Veninger and Simon Reynolds
Cast: Jacob Switzer, Elena Hudgins Lyle
Canada

Real Time
Dir: Randall Cole
Cast: Randy Quaid, Jay Baruchel
Canada

When Life Was Good
Dir: Terry Miles
Cast: Kristine Cofsky
Canada

Contemporary World Cinema

Un Été sans point ni coup sûr
Dir: Francis Leclerc
Cast: Patrice Robitaille, Pier-Luc Funk, Jacinthe Laguë, Roy Dupuis
Canada

Lost Song
Dir: Rodrigue Jean
Cast: Suzie Leblanc, Patrick Goyette
Canada

Maman est chez le coiffeur
Dir: Léa Pool,
Cast: Marianne Fortier, Céline Bonnier
Canada

Mothers&Daughters
Dir: Carl Bessai
Cast: Tantoo Cardinal, Gabrielle Rose, Babz Chula
Canada

Toronto Stories
Dirs: Sook-Yin Lee, Sudz Sutherland, David Weaver, Aaron Woodley
Canada

Gala

Fifty Dead Men Walking
Dir: Kari Skogland
Cast: Jim Sturgess, Sir Ben Kingsley, Rose McGowan, Kevin Zegers
Canada/UK

One Week
Dir: Michael McGowan (Saint Ralph)
Cast: Joshua Jackson, Liane Balaban, Emm Gryner, Campbell Scott, Gord Downie
Canada

Real to Reel

Examined Life
Dir: Astra Taylor
Canada

La Mémoire des anges
Dir: Luc Bourdon
Canada
Documentary on the National Film Board of Canada and Canadian Film

Under Rich Earth
Dir: Malcolm Rogge
Canada

Special Presentations

Blindness
Dir: Fernando Meirelles
Cast: Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Alice Braga, Yusuke Iseya, Yoshino Kimura, Don McKellar, Maury Chaykin, Danny Glover, Gael García Bernal
Canada/Brazil/Japan

C'est pas moi, je le jure! / It's Not Me, I Swear!
Dir: Philippe Falardeau
Cast: Antoine L'Écuyer, Suzanne Clément, Daniel Brière, Catherine Faucher
Canada

Heaven on Earth
Dir: Deepa Mehta (Water)
Cast: Preity Zinta, Vansh Bhardwaj, Yanna McIntosh
Canada

Vanguard

Derrière moi
Dir: Rafaël Ouellet
Canada

Pontypool
Dir: Bruce McDonald
Cast: Stephen McHattie, Lisa Houle, Georgina Reilly
Canada

The Toronto International Film Festival 2008 runs from September 4-13/08 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.