Nigerian metropolis Lagos is the focus of the eighth City To City showcase at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) as top brass anoint two international Rising Stars.

The Exception

TIFF’s latest line-up announcement also featured extra selections in Galas and Special Presentations, among them Walter Hill’s (Re)Assignment, Philippe Falardeau’s The Bleeder, David Leveaux’ The Exception (pictured), Ken Loach’s Palme d’Or winner I, Daniel Blake and Terry George’s drama The Promise.

A vibrant crop of Contemporary World Cinema entries includes Kleber Mendonça Filho’s Aquarius, Danis Tanović’s Death In Sarajevo, Marie Noëlle’s Marie Curie, The Courage Of Knowledge and Akin Omotoso’s Vaya.

Hirokazu Kore-eda brings After The Storm to the Masters showcase, alongside Marco Bellocchio’s Sweet Dreams, Pedro Almodóvar’s Julieta, Cristian Mungiu’s Graduation, Gianfranco Rosi’s Berlin Golden Bear winner Fire At Sea and Adoor Gopalakrishnan’s Once Again.

Rounding out the programming is the Wavelengths strand of film and video art curated to challenge popular notions and refresh the cinematic art.

The 41st Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 8-18.

WP = world premiere, IP = international premiere, NAP = North American premiere, CP = Canadian premiere, TP = Toronto premiere.

CITY TO CITY

“Hundreds of films are made every year in Lagos for a voracious audience around the world,” said TIFF artistic director Cameron Bailey. “Our City to City spotlight brings some of Nollywood’s most popular filmmakers together with new voices who are introducing an alternative, indie spirit to Nigerian cinema.”

  • 76 Izu Ojukwu WP
  • 93 Days Steve Gukas WP
  • The Arbitration Niyi Akinmolayan IP
  • Green White Green Abba Makama WP
  • Just Not Married Uduak-Obong Patrick IP
  • Okafor’s Law Omoni Oboli WP
  • Oko Ashewo (Taxi Driver) Daniel Emeke Oriahi NAP
  • The Wedding Party Kemi Adetiba WP opening night film

TIFF RISING STARS

“Over the past six years the Rising Stars talent accelerator has blossomed, and it’s timely for us to shine an even wider spotlight on acting talent by embracing international actors,” said director of industry Kathleen Drumm. “The Nigerian actors are a welcome addition and a natural evolution of what the programme aims to achieve.”

OC Ukeje
The Lagos-born actor, singer and performer won the 2006 Amstel Malta Box Office reality TV show for actors an went on to train at the New York Film Academy. Credits include Half Of A Yellow Sun, Two Brides And A Baby, Black November and TV series Gidi Up.

Somkele Iyamah-IdhalamA

Actor, model and fashion executive based in Lagos. A graduate of McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, she made her onscreen debut in the TV series The Island. Credits include 93 Days, The Arbitration and The Wedding Party and TV series Gidi Up.

IN CONVERSATION WITH…

In Conversation With… Genevieve Nnaji and Kunle Afolayan
The session will explore the careers of Nollywood leading lady Genevieve Nnaji and director Kunle Afolayan.

GALAS

  • Norman: The Moderate Rise And Tragic Fall Of A New York Fixer (USA-Israel) Joseph Cedar IP
  • The Promise (USA-Spain) Terry George WP

SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS

  • (Re)Assignment (Canada) Walter Hill WP
  • 150 Milligrams (La Fille de Brest) (France) Emmanuelle Bercot WP
  • The Bleeder (USA) Philippe Falardeau NAP
  • Brain On Fire (Ireland-Canada) Gerard Barrett WP
  • Burn Your Maps (USA-Mongolia) Jordan Roberts WP
  • Christine (USA) Antonio Campos CP
  • The Duelist (Russia) Alexey Mizgirev WP
  • The Exception (pictured, UK) David Leveaux WP
  • I, Daniel Blake (UK-France-Belgium) Ken Loach NAP
  • In Dubious Battle (USA) James Franco NAP
  • The Long Excuse (Nagai Iiwake) (Japan) Miwa Nishikawa WP
  • Rage (Japan) Sang-il Lee WP
  • Voyage Of Time: Life’s Journey (Germany) Terrence Malick NAP
  • Wakefield (USA) Robin Swicord IP.

CONTEMPORARY WORLD CINEMA

‘Contemporary World Cinema is the global heart of the Festival,” said Bailey. “We’re thrilled to be launching a lineup that includes the premieres of new films from Turkey’s Yeşim Ustaoğlu, Romania’s Adrian Sitaru, South Africa’s Akin Omotoso, and Germany’s Marie Noëlle.”

  • A Decent Woman (Los Decentes) (Austria-South Korea-Argentina) Lukas Valenta Rinner NAP
  • After Love (L’Économie Du Couple) (France-Belgium) Joachim Lafosse IP
  • The Animal’s Wife (La Mujer Del Animal) (Colombia) Víctor Gaviria IP
  • Apprentice (Singapore-Germany-France-Hong Kong-Qatar) Boo Junfeng NAP
  • Aquarius (Brazil-France) Kleber Mendonça Filho NAP
  • Ayiti Mon Amour (Haiti-USA) Guetty Felin IP
  • Brooks, Meadows And Lovely Faces (Al Ma’ Wal Khodra Wal Wajh Al Hassan) (Egypt) Yousry Nasrallah NAP
  • Clair Obscur (Tereddüt) (Turkey-Germany-Poland-France) Yeşim Ustaoğlu WP
  • Death In Sarajevo (Smrt U Sarajevu) (Bosnia and Herzegovina-France) Danis Tanović NAP
  • Ember (Kor) (Turkey-Germany) Zeki Demirkubuz IP
  • The Fixer (Fixeur) (Romania-France) Adrian Sitaru WP
  • Handsome Devil (Ireland) John Butler WP
  • Heaven Will Wait (Le Ciel Attendra) (France) Marie-Castille Mention-Schaar NAP
  • In Between (Bar Bahr) (Israel-France) Maysaloun Hamoud WP
  • Indivisible (Indivisibili) (Italy) Edoardo de Angelis IP
  • Marie Curie, The Courage Of Knowledge (Germany-France-Poland) Marie Noëlle WP
  • Mister Universo (Austria-Italy) Tizza Covi and Rainer Frimmel NAP
  • Past Life (Israel) Avi Nesher WP
  • The Patriarch (Mahana) (New Zealand Lee Tamahori NAP
  • Pyromaniac (Pyromanen) (Norway) Erik Skjoldbjærg IP
  • The Rehearsal (New Zealand) Alison Maclean NAP
  • The Road To Mandalay (Taiwan-Myanmar-France-Germany) Midi Z NAP
  • Santa & Andres (Santa y Andrés) (Cuba-Colombia-France) Carlos Lechuga WP
  • Tamara And The Ladybug (Tamara y La Catarina) (Mexico-Spain) Lucía Carreras WP
  • Tramps (USA) Adam Leon WP
  • Vaya (South Africa) Akin Omotoso WP
  • We Are Never Alone (Nikdy Nejsme Sami) (Czech Republic-France) Petr Vaclav NAP
  • The Wedding Ring (Zin’naariyâ!) (Niger-Burkina Faso-France) Rahmatou Keïta WP
  • White Sun (Seto Surya) (Nepal-USA-Qatar-Netherlands) Deepak Rauniyar NAP
  • The Women’s Balcony (Ismach Hatani) (Israel) Emil Ben Shimon WP
  • Zaćma: Blindness (Poland) Ryszard Bugajski WP
  • Zoology (Zoologiya) (Russia-France-Germany) Ivan I. Tverdovsky NAP.

MASTERS

  • After The Storm (Japan) Hirokazu Kore-eda NAP
  • Afterimage (Powidoki) (Poland) Andrzej Wajda WP
  • The Beautiful Days Of Aranjuez (Les Beaux Jours d’Aranjuez) (France-Germany) Wim Wenders NAP
  • Fire At Sea (Fuocoammare) (Italy-France) Gianfranco Rosi CP
  • Graduation (Bacalaureat) (Romania) Cristian Mungiu CP
  • Hissein Habré, A Chadian Tragedy (Hissein Habré, une tragédie tchadienne) (France-Chad) Mahamat-Saleh Haroun NAP
  • J: Beyond Flamenco (JOTA) (Spain) Carlos Saura WP
  • Julieta (Spain) Pedro Almodóvar NAP
  • Land Of The Gods (Dev Bhoomi) (India-Serbia) Goran Paskaljević WP
  • Ma’ Rosa (Philippines) Brillante Ma Mendoza NAP
  • The Net (Geumul) (South Korea) Kim Ki-duk NAP
  • Never Ever (À Jamais) (France-Portugal) Benoît Jacquot NAP
  • Once Again (Pinneyum) (India) Adoor Gopalakrishnan IP
  • Personal Shopper (France) Olivier Assayas NAP
  • A Quiet Passion (UK-Belgium) Terence Davies NAP
  • Safari (Austria) Ulrich Seidl NAP
  • Sieranevada (Romania) Cristi Puiu NAP
  • Sweet Dreams (Fai Bei Sogni) (Italy) Marco Bellocchio NAP
  • The Unknown Girl (La Fille Inconnue) (Belgium-France) Luc Dardenne and Jean-Pierre Dardenne NAP
  • Yourself And Yours (Dangsinjasingwa Dangsinui Geot) (South Korea) Hong Sang-soo WP.

Previously announced Canadian titles in the Masters programme include Deepa Mehta’s Anatomy Of Violence and Alanis Obomsawin’s We Can’t Make the Same Mistake Twice.

WAVELENGTHS

SHORT FILM PROGRAMMES

Wavelengths 1: The Fire Within

  • Silueta Sangrienta (USA) Ana Mendieta
  • Há Terra! (France-Brazil) Ana Vaz
  • Venus Delta (Austria) Antoinette Zwirchmayr
  • 025 Sunset Red (USA-Spain) Laida Lertxundi
  • Untitled, 1925 (Canada) Madi Piller
  • Children Of Lir (USA) Katherin McInnis
  • Burning Mountains That Spew Flame (Spain) Helena Girón and Samuel M. Delgado
  • Anima, Silueta De Cohetes (Firework Piece) (Mexico) Ana Mendieta

Wavelengths 2: Incantati

  • Incantati (France) Danièle Huillet and Jean-Marie Straub
  • Cilaos (France) Camilo Restrepo

  • An Aviation Field (Portugal-USA-Brazil) Joana Pimenta
  • Strange Vision Of Seeing Things (Canada-Serbia) Ryan Ferko,
  • Ears, Nose And Throat (USA) Kevin Jerome Everson
  • Ten Mornings Ten Evenings And One Horizon (Japan) Tomonari Nishikawa
  • Luna e Santur (Japan) Joshua Gen Solondz

Wavelengths 3: Post-performance

  • Untitled (Austria) Björn Kämmerer
  • What’s New (Germany) Nina Könnemann
  • Foyer (France-Tunisia) Ismaïl Bahri
  • 350 MYA (Morocco-Canada) Terra Long
  • I’ll Remember You As You Were, Not As What You’ll Become(USA) Sky Hopinka
  • Dark Adaptation (Canada) Chris Gehman
  • The Watershow Extravaganza (UK) Sophie Michael
  • Wavelengths 4: Indefinite
  • Flowers Of The Sky (USA) Janie Geiser

  • Ayhan And Me (Netherlands) belit sağ

  • AS WITHOUT SO WITHIN (Mexico-USA-UK) Manuela de Laborde
  • Indefinite Pitch (USA) James N. Kienitz Wilkins, USA.

FEATURES

  • Austerlitz (Germany) Sergei Loznitsa NAP
  • By the Time it Gets Dark (Dao Khanong) (Thailand-Netherlands-France-Qatar) Anocha Suwichakornpong NAP
  • The Death of Louis XIV (La Mort De Louis XIV) Albert Serra, France/Portugal/Spain NAP
  • The Dreamed Ones (Die Geträumten) (Canada) Ruth Beckermann CP
  • The Dreamed Path (Der Traumhafte Weg) (Germany) Angela Schanelec NAP
  • General Report II. The New Abduction Of Europe (Informe General II. El Nuevo Rapto De Europa) (Spain) Pere Portabella NAP
  • Hermia & Helena (USA-Argentina) Matías Piñeiro NAP
  • The Human Surge (El Auge Del Humano) (Argentina-Brazil-Portugal) Eduardo Williams NAP
  • I Had Nowhere to Go (Germany) Douglas Gordon NAP
  • Kékszakállú (Argentina) Gastón Solnicki NAP
  • Mimosas (Spain-Morocco-France-Qatar) Oliver Laxe NAP
  • The Ornithologist (O Ornitólogo) (Portugal-France-Brazil) João Pedro Rodrigues NAP
  • Ta’ang (Hong Kong-France) Wang Bing NAP
  • The Woman Who Left (Ang Babaeng Humayo) (Philippines) Lav Diaz NAP.

FREE INSTALLATIONS AND SPECIAL SCREENINGS

  • Ana Mendieta: Siluetas Ana Mendieta IP
  • Nightlife Cyprien Gaillard NAP
  • Rudzienko Sharon Lockhart IP
  • Singularity Albert Serra NAP.