Northern Lights Shine Bright On First-Time Filmmakers In #TIFF11 's Canada First!

News is coming fast and furious from the TIFF Festival press office.
Next up the announcement of the features as part of its Canada First programme.

Oh Look! A Press Release:

Northern Lights Shine Bright On First-Time Filmmakers In Canada First!

Toronto â€" The Toronto International Film Festival® demonstrates its commitment to Canadian film with the announcement of seven features as part of its Canada First! programme celebrating new and provocative Canadian auteurs. Comprised of three world premieres, the 2011 roster offers audiences a compelling journey through secrets, self-discovery, loss and new beginnings, and opens in the Québec Eastern Townships with Guy Édoin's Wetlands and a haunting family dynamic.

Canada First!  Opening Night

Wetlands (Marécages) Guy Édoin, QC

North American Premiere

On a dairy farm in the Eastern Townships, in the middle of a drought, an accident will disrupt the life of the Santerre family. Forced to band together like never before, they will have to learn to forgive. Starring Pascale Bussières, Luc Picard, François Papineau and Gabriel Maillé.

Amy George Yonah Lewis, Calvin Thomas, ON

Canadian Premiere

Thirteen-year-old Jesse wants to be an artist, but believes that his mundane middle class Toronto life has left him unprepared. After reading a book on what it takes to be a “true artist,” he sets out looking for risk, ecstasy, wildness and women.

Leave It On The Floor Sheldon Larry, ON

Canadian Premiere

This indie-narrative musical is set in the drag-ball community memorialized in the documentary Paris Is Burning. With 11 original songs by Beyoncé’s musical director Kim Burse and choreography by Beyoncé choreographer and ‘Mr. Single Ladies’ Frank Gatson Jr., the film tells the story of a young African American thrown out by his narcissistic mother for being gay. He stumbles upon a competitive drag ball organized by runaways and throwaways where he ultimately finds a new home and family.

Nuit #1 Anne Émond, QC

World Premiere

Clara and Nikolaï meet at a rave. They return to Nicolaï’s apartment and make love. Afterwards, instead of parting, the two lovers divulge their deepest secrets to one another. Nicolaï is a beautiful loser. At the age of 31, he leads a simple and frugal life. He envisions big projects and has large ideas but, inevitably and despite himself, loses sight of them before they are realized. Clara, like Nikolaï, seems not to be made for this world. By day, she works as a Grade 3 school teacher; by night, she is a compulsive party-girl, sleeping with men, women or both at once. Starring Catherine De Léan and Dimitri Storoge.

The Odds Simon Davidson, BC

World Premiere

In The Odds, a murder mystery set in the world of illegal teenage gambling, 17-year-old Desson Orr must find his best friend’s killer before the game is exposed.

The Patron Saints Brian M. Cassidy, Melanie Shatzky, QC

World Premiere

The Patron Saints is a disquieting and hyper-realistic glimpse into life at a nursing home. Bound by the candid confessions of a recently disabled resident, the film weaves haunting images, scenes and stories from within the institution walls. Sidestepping conventional documentary methods for a heightened cinematic approach to storytelling, the film employs lyrical realism and black humour in its charged portrait of fading bodies and minds.

Romeo Eleven (Roméo Onze) Ivan Grbovic, QC

North American Premiere

Romeo Eleven is the intimate portrait of a shy young man looking for love in all the wrong places. A path of lies slowly catches up to him before leading the audience to a surprising and moving conclusion.

Tickets to screenings for this programme will be available for individual purchase as well as through the Canadian Pack, a ticket package selected by TIFF programmers that offers film lovers exposure to Canadian talent with a selection of five new Canadian films for $80 ($68 for students and seniors). Purchase Festival ticket packages online 24 hours a day at tiff.net/festival, by phone Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET at 416-599-TIFF or 1-888-599-8433, and in person at the TIFF Bell Lightbox Box Office at 350 King St. West from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. ET. Methods of payment include cash, debit or Visa†.

The 36th Toronto International Film Festival runs September 8 to 18, 2011

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