Boil Alert is a hybrid, border-crossing documentary featuring activist Layla Staats as our guide to the struggle of First Nations reserves to receive a basic human right — drinkable water.
TIFF 2023 Spotlight: BOIL ALERT
Boil Alert is a hybrid, border-crossing documentary featuring activist Layla Staats as our guide to the struggle of First Nations reserves to receive a basic human right — drinkable water.
In Tautuktavuk (What We See), the lines between narrative and non-fiction connect to bring us the story of Uyarak and her eldest sister Saqpinak. The sisters begin a difficult healing journey that reminds them of the importance of community, culture, and family.
Returning with this second instalment of my personal picks of films to see at this year’s TIFF.
This time, I give you a list of five excellent Canadian short films screening as part of various Short Cuts Programmes.
It is that time again… The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) returns with a full slate of programming from September 7–17, 2023. The festival will feature 10 days of films and other fun events, including Festival Street. You can find out more about some of the updates here.
As I have done in the past, I am sharing some of my personal picks of films to see at this year’s TIFF. This first installment highlights two Canadian documentaries and three fiction films from various parts of the world. I highly recommend all of them.
The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) was a total success this year. I was able to attend several in-person press and public screenings. It was honestly one of my best even if it left me a little knackered at the end of it.
After 10 days, I my tally adds up to 27 films. Not bad for my first full festival back in person, right?
Earlier this week, I attended the Toronto International Film Festival® (TIFF) 2022’s announcement of its official screening venues across the city. This year’s venues will include TIFF Bell Lightbox, Roy Thomson Hall, the Visa Screening Room at the Princess of Wales Theatre, Scotiabank Theatre Toronto, and the Royal Alexandra Theatre.
TIFF aims to kick off September 8, 2022 for 11 days of international and Canadian cinema, press and industry screenings, special events, and red carpets featuring some of the biggest names in film.
The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) opted for a hybrid model this year offering many in-person screenings with the option of digital screenings as well.
As accredited media and a cinephile, I was happy to return to the theatre to watch variou cinematic films at the TIFF Bell Lightbox, Roy Thomson Hall, and the Princess of Wales Theatre (Visa Screening Room). It almost felt like the ‘before times’. I also liked having the option of staying home to watch films in a more relaxed manner.
My TIFF coverage was somewhat more focused this year to include the following categories, themes and types of films: Documentary; Emerging Filmmakers; Black, Indigenous and people of colour stories on screen; Women in Film; and Horror. Below I give you my Top 5 films and the full list of films I was able to screen at TIFF this year.
Written & directed by Justin Lerner (Girlfriend), CADEJO BLANCO is the story of Sarita (Karen Martínez), a working-class girl from Guatemala City, who travels to the seaside town of Puerto Barrios to infiltrate a group of young gang members. She risks her life to find out what happened to her missing sister, Bea (Pamela Martínez). In the process, Sarita becomes involved with her sister’s dangerous ex, Andrés (Rudy Rodríguez) and slowly gets closer to the truth about what happened to her.
Saudi poetess Hissa Hilal made headlines around the world as the first woman to reach the finals of the Arab world’s biggest televised poetry competition, Million’s Poet. The Poetess is the story of a woman risking her personal safety and seizing an opportunity, live on TV in front of 75 million viewers, to use her wit and lyricism to critique patriarchal society and religious extremism.
The 15th annual Human Rights Watch Film Festival, co-presented by TIFF and Human Rights Watch, features a diverse lineup celebrating the power individuals can hold in complex social and political situations. This year’s Opening Night film is On My Way Out: The Secret Life of Nani and Popi. The film offers an intimate look at the story of Roman and Ruth Blank. A couple whose experience casts a light on the power and complexity of love, marriage, and deeply held family secrets.
