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8/19/2008| Toronto International Film Festival Announces Full Lineup Including 312 Films From 64 Countries And Events At Yonge-Dundas Square

Toronto - Organizers of the Toronto International Film Festival today announced final programming details, including the complete lineup of films and programmes, for its 33rd edition running September 4 through 13, 2008. As part of TIFF08, 312 films from 64 countries will screen, including 249 feature-length films, 76 per cent of which are world, international or North American premieres, and 61 of which are feature directorial debuts.

Today's announcements feature 11 Gala Presentations, including Caroline Link's A Year Ago in Winter; starring Karoline Herfurth, Josef Bierbichler, Corinna Harfouch, Hanns Zischler and Mišel Maticevic; Toa Fraser's Dean Spanley, starring Peter O'Toole, Jeremy Northam, Sam Neill and Bryan Brown; Jodie Markell's The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond, starring Bryce Dallas Howard, Chris Evans, Ellen Burstyn, Mamie Gummer, Ann-Margret and Will Patton; Neil Burger's The Lucky Ones, starring Rachel McAdams, Tim Robbins and Michael Peña; Rod Lurie's Nothing But the Truth, starring Kate Beckinsale, Vera Farmiga, Alan Alda, David Schwimmer, Noah Wyle and Angela Bassett; Gavin O'Connor's Pride and Glory, starring Edward Norton, Colin Farrell, Jon Voight, Noah Emmerich and Jennifer Ehle; Jerry Zaks's Who Do You Love, starring Alessandro Nivola; Anees Bazmee's Singh is Kinng, starring Akshay Kumar, and Ethan Coen and Joel Coen's Burn After Reading, starring George Clooney, Frances McDormand, John Malkovich, Tilda Swinton, Richard Jenkins, and Brad Pitt.

Three enlightening Mavericks presentations will feature appearances by filmmaker Kathryn Bigelow, historian and social activist Howard Zinn, actors Matt Damon and Josh Brolin, filmmaker/gallerist Arne Glimcher, painter Chuck Close, Academy Award™- nominated filmmaker Julian Schnabel, and more. Cineastes' favourite Dialogues: Talking with Pictures will feature filmmakers Terence Davies, Agnès Varda and Deepa Mehta, and International Herald Tribune film journalist Joan Dupont, showcasing films that have inspired them or have marked a significant period in their careers.

A homage to the Big Apple from twelve international filmmakers, New York, I Love You will screen as a work-in-progress as part of Special Presentations. Adam Resurrected by Paul Schrader and Nuit de chien by Werner Schroeter join Masters, while Lyne Charlebois's Borderline joins Canada First!. Three titles will screen as a part of Real to Reel, including Adria Petty's Paris Hilton documentary Paris, Not France, and 25 titles join Contemporary World Cinema, including Nigel Cole's $5 a Day, Anthony Fabian's Skin and Ella Lemhagen's Patrik, Age 1.5.

In addition to its signature programming and official selections, the Toronto International Film Festival is pleased to announce a series of free outdoor programming at Yonge-Dundas Square, the new street-level hub of Festival activity. Bringing the Festival experience outside the theatre, programming will include free public performances and presentations by some of the artists and entertainers featured in films at this year's Festival in Festival Showcase, highlights of which include concerts from Senegalese music sensation Youssou Ndour and from Delta blues singer-songwriter and guitarist Keb' Mo', a performance by the cast members of 'A Chorus Line,' an Invitational Slam Dunk Competition featuring an appearance by LeBron James, and a special martial arts demonstration. On Saturday, September 13, TIFF08 will come to a close with the first-ever Public Festival Wrap Party, also at Yonge- Dundas Square.

The Special Presentations programme is made possible through the generous sponsorship of American Movie Classics Company LLC.
Masters is made possible through the generous sponsorship of BMO Nesbitt Burns.
Canada First! is made possible through the generous sponsorship of CTV.
The Contemporary World Cinema programme is made possible through the generous sponsorship of Sun Life Financial.
Special thanks to our site supporter, the Ministry of Tourism.


Bell Lightbox
Currently under construction in downtown Toronto, Bell Lightbox is soon to be the world's leading destination for film lovers. This major new cultural institution on the Canadian and international landscape will be structured around five state-of-the-art cinemas celebrating film from around the world. Bell Lightbox programming will give context to films through innovative cross-media exhibitions, lectures, and film-related learning opportunities for all ages. Designed by innovative architecture firm KPMB, Bell Lightbox's fluid design encourages exploration, movement and play within its soaring atriums.

The campaign to build Bell Lightbox is generously supported by founding sponsor Bell. The Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario each have contributed $25 million to realize Bell Lightbox. A gift of more than $22 million has been confirmed from the Reitman family - acclaimed filmmaker Ivan Reitman and his sisters Agi Mandel and Susan Michaels - and The Daniels Corporation, who together form the King and John Festival Corporation. The project is also supported by RBC as Major Sponsor and Official Bank, Visa†, Copyright Collective of Canada, NBC Universal Canada, The Allan Slaight Family, The Brian Linehan Charitable Foundation, CIBC, and many other individuals and corporations. The Board of Directors, staff and many generous individuals have also contributed to the campaign. The total amount raised to date is $147 million, three quarters of the total campaign of $196 million. For more information on the Bell Lightbox campaign, visit belllightbox.ca

We are a charitable, not-for-profit, cultural organization whose mission is to transform the way people see the world through film. Our vision is to lead the world in creative and cultural discovery through the moving image.

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For information, contact the Communications Department at 416-934-3200 or email [email protected]


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