Admittedly, I have a bit of a blind spot for the cinematic landscape of my home country, but I am proud to say that day by day, that blind spot is dwindling. My taste for the domestic must be improving because in the past I might just glean over the Canadian titles announced for TIFF’s programme…this year however, there is a lot that gives me the tingles. Among them…

GOON – Starring Sean William Scott and Jay Baruchel about a bouncer who becomes a hockey enforcer
CAFE DE FLORE – A supernatural love story directed by C.R.A.Z.Y’s Jean-Marc Vallee
TAKE THIS WALTZ – Sarah Polley directs Seth Rogen and Michelle Williams
I’M YOURS – Described as “a sexy and irreverent two-hander”> What else does one need?
HARD CORE LOGO II – Fifteen years later, Bruce mcDonald goes back for more.
and
KEYHOLE – MY WINNIPEG’s Guy Maddin goes gangster.

The full programme of 2011 TIFF Canadian Features can be found below.

SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS

Starbuck
Ken Scott, Canada
Just when David Wosniak (Patrick Huard) decides to finally take control of his life, this eternal 42-year-old teenager discovers that he’s the biological father of 533 children. Suddenly, his life is much more complicated than he anticipated. Also starring Antoine Bertrand, Julie le Breton.

Afghan Luke
Mike Clattenburg, Canada
Disheartened when his story about Canadian snipers possibly mutilating corpses in Afghanistan is buried, Luke (Nick Stahl) quits his job but is even more determined to return to Afghanistan to get the real story. Starring Nicolas Wright, Stephen Lobo, Vik Sahay and Steve Cochrane.

Breakaway
Robert Lieberman, Canada World Premiere
Breakaway is a cross-cultural hockey drama set in the Indo-Canadian community in suburban Toronto, Canada. It‟s also a keenly observed cross-cultural drama with a hero caught between a family‟s traditional expectations and a dream to make it big in the national sport of an adopted country. Breakaway is a fun, action-filled sports comedy bringing a dash of Bollywood entertainment to Canada‟s favourite sport. Starring Vinay Virmani, Russell Peters, Anupam Kher, Gurpreet Singh Ghuggi, Sakina Jaffrey, Noureen Dewulf, Rob Lowe, Camilla Belle and Akshay Kumar.

Café de Flore
Jean-Marc Vallée
North American Premiere
Café de Flore is first and foremost an epic love story between a man and woman. And between a mother and her son. Two people from two different eras who live two extraordinary moments of passion that shake their lives. A mystical and supernatural odyssey on love, starring Vanessa Paradis.

Edwin Boyd
Nathan Morlando, Canada
World Premiere
Based on a true story, WWII vet and family-man-turned-bank-robber Eddie Boyd is torn between the need to provide for his family and an unfulfilled Hollywood dream. He starts robbing banks to satisfy both, but Eddie‟s dream for stardom leads him down a path of danger and tragedy. Starring Scott Speedman, Kevin Durand, Kelly Reilly, Joseph Cross, Brendan Fletcher, Charlotte Sullivan and Brian Cox.

Goon
Michael Dowse, Canada
World Premiere
Goon is the story of Doug Glatt, a down-on-his-luck bouncer, who‟s been touched by the fist of God. Upon discovering both his right hook and skates, he joins a hockey team destined for the cellar and inspires them into the playoffs. Starring Seann William Scott, Jay Baruchel, Liev Schreiber, Alison Pill, Marc Andre Grodin and Eugene Levy.

Keyhole
Guy Maddin, Canada
World Premiere
Keyhole is a rousing gangsters-meet-ghosts sonata in which dream and waking life are deliriously blended to arouse the eerie lusts and sadness that can slumber in an old home – in every home. Starring Jason Patric, Isabella Rossellini, Udo Kier, Louis Negin and Brooke Palsson.

Monsieur Lazhar
Philippe Falardeau, Canada
North American Premiere
Bachir Lazhar, an Algerian immigrant, is hired to replace an elementary school teacher who died tragically. While the class goes through a long healing process, nobody in the school is aware of Bachir’s painful former life. Starring Fellag, Sophie Nelisse, Emilien Neron, Danielle Proulx and Brigitte Poupart.

The Moth Diaries
Mary Harron, Canada/Ireland
North American Premiere
Rebecca, haunted by her father’s suicide, begins her junior year at an elite all-girls‟ boarding school, hoping for a fresh start. Her friendship with sunny Lucy is shattered by the arrival of Ernessa, a mysterious girl. As Ernessa consumes more of Lucy’s attention, the latter‟s body grows pale, thin and weak. Starring Lily Cole, Sarah Gadon, Sarah Bolger, Judy Parfitt and Scott Speedman.

CONTEMPORARY WORLD CINEMA

388 Arletta Avenue
Randall Cole, Canada
Seen entirely from the point of view of hand-held and surveillance cameras, 388 Arletta Avenue tells the story of a couple, Nick Stahl and Mia Kirshner, who do not realize they are being watched. The watching becomes a subtle manipulation which ultimately escalates into a deadly cat-and-mouse game.

Billy Bishop Goes to War
Barbara Willis-Sweete, Canada
World Premiere
In Billy Bishop Goes to War acting legend Eric Peterson and award-winning writer/composer John Gray reprise their iconic two-man play that has captivated audiences for three decades. Through raucous stories, haunting memories, and vibrant song, an aged Bishop (Peterson) recounts the triumphs and horrors of „the war to end all wars.‟

I’m Yours
Leonard Farlinger, Canada
World Premiere
I’m Yours, a sexy and irreverent two-hander, sees disillusioned Wall Street broker, Robert, kidnapped and blackmailed into taking a road trip with hot and free-spirited Daphne. A thought-provoking romantic comedy about two lost souls who learn what love ultimately means as the world around them comes undone. Starring Rossif Sutherland, Karine Vanasse.
Sisters&Brothers Carl Bessai, Canada World Premiere A comedic exploration of the lives of four intersecting sister and brother relationships. A hard-done-by “entrepreneur” corrals a young girl and her sister into a trip to Los Angeles to chase the acting dream. A schizophrenic man and his pro-bono lawyer who lives in the woods cause problems with his sister. Starring Dustin Milligan, Amanda Crew, Cory Monteith, Gabrielle Miller and Kacey Rohl.

MASTERS

Hard Core Logo II
Bruce McDonald, Canada
Fifteen years have passed since Bruce McDonald completed his infamous documentary that chronicled the demise of the punk rock outfit Hard Core Logo and captured lead singer Joe Dick‟s on-camera suicide. Reluctantly, Bruce finds himself following the band Die Mannequin to a recording studio in a remote town after hearing that band leader Care Failure has claimed to be channelling the spirit of Joe Dick. As increasingly bizarre events unfold, Bruce tries desperately to connect with Care in the hopes of saving the young rock star from the same tragic fate as Joe. Starring Bruce McDonald, Care Failure, Julian Richings and Paul Shull.

REAL TO REEL

Pink Ribbons,
Inc Léa Pool, Canada
Every year, hundreds of thousands of people walk, run and shop for “the cure.” Millions of dollars are raised in the name of breast cancer, but where does all the money go, and what is actually achieved? Award-winning Quebec filmmaker Léa Pool directs Pink Ribbons, Inc. which examines what many have called the „dream case‟ of cause-related marketing. Inspired by Dr. Samantha King’s book “Pink Ribbons Inc.: Breast Cancer and the Politics of Philanthropy,” the film juxtaposes footage from some of the biggest fundraising walks and runs in North America with uncompromising interviews.

Surviving Progress
Mathieu Roy and Harold Crooks, Canada
World Premiere
Ronald Wright‟s bestseller A Short History Of Progress inspired this cinematic requiem to progress-as-usual. Throughout human history, what seemed like progress often backfired. Some of the world’s foremost thinkers, activists, financiers and scientists challenge us to overcome „progress traps,‟ which destroyed past civilizations and lie treacherously embedded in our own.

VANGUARD

Doppelgänger
Paul Dylan Akio Smith and Kris Elgstrand, Canada
World Premiere
Following a near-death experience, Karl comes to believe that Paul is his doppelgänger. When Karl finally reveals himself to Paul, a unique and troubled relationship begins to form, a relationship that is severely tested when Karl grants Paul the privilege of reading his 20,000 page manuscript, A Book About How Much I Hate Myself. When Karl‟s book is published 17 months later in a vastly edited version credited to two other authors/doppelgängers, Karl and Paul hit the road to confront the plagiarists but end up confronting themselves instead. Starring Tygh Runyan, Brad Dryborough, Ben Cotton and Matty Finochio.