Saturday 7 December 2013

Canada's Top Ten Announced!

CANADA'S TOP TEN 2014
"10 FILMS
10 DAYS
$10 A TICKET
1 PROUD NATION" 
-TIFF



As a supporter of Canadian film, I look forward to TIFF announcing its selection of films that will be screening at its Canada's Top Ten To make the list, "each film must have premiered at a major film festival or obtained a commercial theatrical release in Canada in 2013. The filmmaker must be a Canadian citizen or resident working on a Canadian production or co-production."  Canada's Top Ten runs January 3 to 12, 2014 at TIFF Bell Lightbox and besides films will include In Conversations with filmmakers Denis Villeneuve and Jake Gyllenhaal, and John Greyson and TIFF Artistic Director, Cameron Bailey.

Like every list out there, debates will break out on social media in regards to the merit of the 10 features and 10 shorts that have been chosen this year. Entertainment One Films should be proud to have five films in the mix, but I'm happiest about the mix of established (Denis Villeneuve) and new filmmakers (Jeff Barnaby) that they have chosen to support. The rest of the features list doesn't surprise me, and as someone who has had the difficult task of doing a Top Ten list, I know that not all good films can make the cut. I'm thrilled that I will get to see some of the features that I missed at TIFF 2013, especially Asphalt Watches, Gabrielle, and When Jews Were Funny

In terms of the shorts, I am stunned that shorts such as Cory Bowles' Anatomy of Assistance, Jasmin Mozaffari's Firecrackers, Bruce Alcock's Impromptu and Randall Okita's Portrait as a Random Act of Violence were not included in the Shorts Programme. I would have selected any of these films over the way-too-long, An Extraordinary Person and Paradise Falls! But hey, not my list, and I would sit through these again to see the brilliant Noah, the heart-warming, Nous avions, The Chaperone 3D and other the selections.

Asphalt Watches, Shayne Ehman and Seth Scriver (Delusional Brothers)
Enemy, Denis Villeneuve (Entertainment One Films)
The F Word, Michael Dowse (Entertainment One Films) 
Gabrielle, Louise Archambault (Entertainment One Films) 
Rhymes for Young Ghouls, Jeff Barnaby (Entertainment One Films) 
Sarah préfère la course (Sarah Prefers to Run), Chloé Robichaud (Les Films Seville) 
Tom à la ferme (Tom at the Farm), Xavier Dolan (Entertainment One Films) 
Vic et Flo ont vu un ours (Vic + Flo Saw a Bear), Denis Côté (Films We Like)
Watermark, Jennifer Baichwal and Edward Burtynsky (Mongrel Media)
When Jews Were Funny, Alan Zweig (KinoSmith)


A Grand Canal, Johnny Ma (Maktub Films)
Quelqu’un d’extraordinaire (An Extraordinary Person), Monia Chokri (La Distributrice de films) 
The Chaperone 3D, Fraser Munden and Neil Rathbone
The End of Pinky, Claire Blanchet (NFB)
In guns we trust, Nicolas Lévesque (Travelling) 
Noah, Walter Woodman and Patrick Cederberg
Nous avions, Stéphane Moukarzel (Travelling) 
Paradise Falls, Fantavious Fritz
Subconscious Password, Chris Landreth (NFB)
Yellowhead, Kevan Funk


For complete schedule, please visit: http://tiff.net/topten/films/2014/schedule#03/01/2014
416.599.TIFF (8433) 1.888.599.8433
Tickets: $10 each/ 6 Film Pack $50 

CCT quote/list courtesy of TIFF.

No comments:

1.         Photo courtesy of www.tiff.net A BUMP ALONG THE WAY (DISCOVERY) Synopsi s: With her charismatic smile and formida...