The inaugural Toronto International Short Film Festival, will be held tonight and tomorrow (November 6 – 7) at the Carlton Cinema Theatre. Toronto Shorts Fest provides a showcase for the best short-form cinema and its creators in the world.
Given that Toronto has lost one of the major festivals dedicated to showcasing the best short films and its filmmakers from around the world, this festival arrives at a good time in Toronto. The idea behind Toronto Shorts Fest is to give recognition to these filmmakers and their work.
The festival will present six programs, screening three on each day.
Some films I would like to see and recommend include:
Night Shift (Program 1, Wed. Nov 6, 5:30pm)
Drama / New Zealand
Director: Zia Mandviwalla
Amidst the arrivals and departures, an airport cleaner faces the longest journey.
The Wheatfield (Program 2, Wed. Nov 6, 7:45pm)
Animation / USA
Directors: Alexander Smith, Adrian Smith
The tale of the Battle of Gettysburg told through the eyes of an aged Union Soldier named James Jackson Purman as he vividly recalls his fateful encounters with friends and foe.
The Wheatfield (2013) Trailer from Alexander Smith on Vimeo.
The Ties Between Us (Program 3, Wed. Nov 6, 10pm)
Drama / Canada
Director: Christer Harris
Two friends must work through guilt as they face a night of tragedy together after their friend dies trying to protect them.
The Ties Between Us – Teaser from Christer Harris on Vimeo.
The Morning After (Program 4, Thurs. Nov 7, 5:30pm)
Romance / Canada
Director: David Renaud
Mae is surprised to wake up in her best friend Lisa’s guest room, naked in bed with sexy stranger. She is eager to put the night behind her, but can this perceptive and playful mystery man convince Mae that sometimes you have to wake up to find the man of your dreams?
Sirocco (Program 5, Thurs. Nov 7, 7:45pm)
Drama / Finland
Director: Mikko Kuparinen
A lonely woman finds an abandoned baby by her apartment house’s garbage bin and decides to take the baby home with her.
Day_6011 (Program 6, Thurs. Nov 7, 10pm)
Animation / Belgium
Director: Raf Wathion
After an elite robotic soldier has been alone on guard for more than 6,000 days, he encounters his first contact.
DAY_6011 Trailer from Zonderling on Vimeo.
Toronto Shorts Fest offers films from a wide spectrum. All six programs showcase animations, documentaries, comedies, narrative, genre, and graduation short films. Tickets for each screening program are $13.50; they can be purchased online or at the box office up until 15 minutes after the scheduled starting time of each program. For a full list of films, screening times, and programs, go to tisff.net.
