While the Toronto International Film Festival provides an exciting opportunity to view films from all around the world, one of my favourite aspects of this festival is the wealth of Canadian film that never fails to make an appearance. Featuring talented Canadian actors and directors, as well as unmistakable landscapes and communities, many of the films selected for TIFF 2014 once again pay homage to our incredible country. Are you interested in a Canadian film at this year’s Festival? Read on to discover those for which The Arts Guild is most excited!
Hector and the Search for Happiness
Hector and the Search for Happiness (2013), from British director Peter Chelsom, boasts duel credits from Canada and Germany, an interesting combination. The always-amusing comedian Simon Pegg stars as an unhappy psychiatrist who sets out on an epic (mis)adventure with the hopes of discovering what it is that makes people truly happy. Pegg is well known for his wryly comedic turns, but this film promises to reveal a more complex side of the actor as he attempts to answer an age old question asked by us all. Rosamund Pike and Christopher Plummer also star.
Heartbeat
Beloved TIFF veteran and home-grown director/screenwriter Andrea Dorfman (Love That Boy, 2003) returns to the festival with Heartbeat (2014), a music-filled dramedy that is sure to interest Canadian fans as well as those travelling from afar. Singer-songwriter Tanya Davis, who is a newcomer to the big screen, plays a young lady from Halifax who finds meaning in life by embracing her musical roots. A film both shot and set on recognizably Canadian soil is rare, and Nova Scotia native Dorfman is sure to capture the essence of the Maritimes like no other.
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Maps to the Stars
Legendary Canadian filmmaker David Cronenberg presents what promises to be a fierce satire of Hollywood culture with his latest film Maps to the Stars (2013). Havana (Julianne Moore) is a middle-aged actress who finds solace discussing her problems with celebrity therapist Dr. Stafford Weiss (John Cusack). Of course, the doctor has problems of his own, as do the host of eccentric supporting characters. This star-studded film also boasts a script from novelist Bruce Wagner, and the dynamic combination of acerbic writer and critically acclaimed director is sure to create a fascinating film that takes a peek at a world we may prefer had been left a mystery.
Mommy
When a Canadian film wins the Special Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, TIFF programmers and audiences alike sit up and take notice. Twenty-five-year-old Québécois filmmaker Xavier Dolan’s film Mommy (2014) won just that honour, and has been receiving a lot of attention not only due to the youth of its already prolific director but also because of its technique. Following the lives of troubled teenager Steve (Antoine-Olivier Pilon) and his struggling mother Diane (Anne Dorval), this film employs the daring strategy of shooting in a 1:1 screen ratio, resulting in a piece that is sure to be as unique visually as it will be emotionally.
