Toronto 2011

TORONTO 2011

contacts

OFFICE IN TORONTO: EMILIE GEORGES office in Paris [email protected] 9 cité Paradis – 75010 Paris – France HYATT Regency Hotel Tel: +33 6 62 08 83 43 Tel: +33 1 53 34 90 20 Unifrance Booth Fax: +33 1 42 47 11 24 King Ballroom, TANJA MEISSNER [email protected] Mezzanine Level [email protected] [email protected] Tel: +33 6 22 92 48 31 international.memento-films.com Tel: +1 416 343 1234 NICK SHUMAKER [email protected] Tel: +1 646 648 0986 IN TORONTO / SPECIAL PRESENTATION / WORLD PREMIERE

ELLES A film by Malgoska Szumowska

Anne (Juliette Binoche), a well-off Paris-based mother of two and investigative journalist for ELLE, is writing an article about university stu- dent prostitution. Her meetings with two fiercely independent young women, Alicja (Joanna Kulig) and Char- lotte (Anais Demoustier), are profound and unsettling, moving her to question her most inti- mate convictions about money, family and sex.

By the director of 33 SCENES FROM LIFE (Special Jury Prize, Locarno 2008)

With Juliette Binoche, Anaïs Demoustier, Joanna Kulig Produced by Slot Machine, In coproduction with Zentropa Köln and Zentropa Poland FRANCE, POLAND, Germany / 2011 / 99 min

IN TORONTO / SPECIAL PRESENTATION / WORLD PREMIERE

THE WOMAN IN THE FIFTH A film by Pawel Pawlikowski

American writer Tom Ricks comes to Paris desperate to put his life together again and win back the love of his estranged wife and daughter. When things don’t go according to plan, he ends up in a shady hotel in the suburbs, having to work as a night guard to make ends meet. Then Margit, a beautiful, mysterious stranger walks into his life and things start looking up. Their passionate and intense relationship trig- gers a string of inexplicable events… as if an obscure power was taking control of his life.

By the director of LAST RESORT (BAFTA for Most Promising Newcomer), MY SUMMER OF LOVE (BAFTA for Outstanding British Film)

Based on the eponymous best-selling novel by Douglas Kennedy

With Ethan Hawke, Kristin Scott-Thomas, Joanna Kulig Produced by Haut et Court and Film4, In Association with UK Film Council, Coficup-Backup Films and Banque Postale Image 4 In Coproduction with The Bureau and SPI International Poland FRANCE, UK, POLAND / 2011 / 83 min IN TORONTO / VANGUARD / WORLD PREMIERE

HEADSHOT A film by Pen-ek Ratanaruang Present-day Thailand is rife with corruption. Tul, a straight-laced cop, is blackmailed by a powerful politician and framed from a crime he did not commit. Disillusioned and vengeful, he is soon recruited to become a hitman for a shadowy group aimed at eliminating those who are above the law. But one day, Tul is shot in the head during an assignment. He wakes up after a three-month coma to find that he sees everything upside down, literally. Unaware of whether the condition is medical or a result of karmic retribution, Tul begins to have second thoughts about his profession. But when he tries to quit, roles are reversed and the hunter becomes the hunted. Then he meets a girl that turns his world even more upside down. Can Tul find redemption from the violence that continues to haunt him? By the director of 6IXTYNIN9 (Berlin 2000), MON-RAK TRANSISTOR (Cannes 2001), LAST LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE (Venice 2003), INVISIBLE WAVES (Berlin 2006), PLOY (Cannes 2007), and NYMPH (Cannes 2009)

Adapted from the novel “Rain Falling Up The Sky” by award-winning writer Win Lyovarin.

With Nopachai Jayanama (Nymph), CRIS HORWAN (Bangkok Traffic Love Story) Produced by Local Color Films (Pawas Sawatchaiyamet, Raymond Phathanavirangoon). In coproduction with Memento Films International In association with Wild Side Films THAILAND, FRANCE / 2011 / 105 MIN

IN TORONTO/ DISCOVERY / NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE THE OTHER SIDE OF SLEEP A film by Rebecca Daly A sleepwalker. A body. A family. A small community. Arlene is like a ghost in her life. She lives in a small town in the midlands – surrounded by field after field, woodlands and laneways to disap- pear down and never come back… One morn- ing Arlene wakes in the woods beside the body of a young woman. Someone watches from the trees. The body is soon discovered and suspi- cion spreads through the community. Increasingly drawn to the girl’s family – her grieving sister and accused boyfriend, Arlene barricades herself in at night, afraid to sleep. Haunted by grief bur- With Antonia Campbell Hughes, Sam Keeley, Vicky Joyce ied and delayed, Arlene’s sleeping and waking Produced by Fastnet Films in co-production with KMH Film, Rinkel Film realities soon blur. And all this time someone is IRELAND, NETHERLAND, HUNGARY / 2011 / 88 MIN watching her.

IN TORONTO / CONTEMPORARY WORLD CINEMA A SEPARATION A film by Asghar Farhadi When his wife leaves him, Nader hires a young woman to take care of his suffering father. But he doesn’t know his new maid is not only preg- nant, but also working without her unstable husband’s permission. Soon, Nader finds himself entangled in a web of lies, manipulation and public confrontations.

With Leila Hatami, Peyman Moadi, Shahab Hosseini, Sareh Bayat, Sarina Farhadi IRAN / 2011 / 123 MIN COMPLETED THE GIANTS A film by Bouli Lanners

It’s summertime. Zak and Seth find themselves dead broke and ditched by their absentee mother in the family’s cottage. Just like every holiday, they’ve resigned themselves to another shitty summer. But things change this year, when they meet Danny, a local teenager. Together, with their future at their fingertips, they begin the great and perilous journey of their lives.

“A joyous heartwarmer with an endearing Mark Twain meets Ken Loach vibe.” Screen “The teenage cast members could hardly be better in Bouli Lanners’ coming of age tale.” The Hollywood Reporter

By the director of ELDORADO (Cannes Directors’ Fortnight 2008)

With Zacharie Chasseriaud, Martin Nissen, Paul Bartel | Produced by Versus Productions in co-production with Haut et Court, Samsa Film | BELGIUM, FRANCE, LUXEMBOURG / 2011 / 85 MIN

COMPLETED HANEZU A film by Naomi Kawase

The Asuka region in Nara is the birthplace of Japan. Here, in ancient times, there were those who fulfilled their lives in the midst of waiting. Modern people, appar- ently having lost this sense of waiting, seem unable to feel grateful for the present, and cling to the “Kawase’s delicate mise- illusion that all things will move en-scene never fails to constantly forward according to fascinate.” Screen one’s own plan. In ancient times, there were three “Beautifully made. small mountains that people A passionate reverence believed were inhabited by gods. for nature, combined with They were Mt. Unebi, Mt. Mimi- a delicately romantic and nashi, and Mt. Kagu, and they even subtly erotic love still stand. In that time, a powerful story.” The Guardian official used the mountains as a metaphor for a struggle inside his own heart. The mountains were an By the director of SUZAKU expression of human karma. (Golden Camera, Cannes Time has passed into the present. 1997), SHARA (Cannes 2003) Takumi and Kayoko, inheriting the and THE MOURNING FOREST unfulfilled hopes of their grandpar- (Grand Prix, Cannes 2007) ents, live out their lives. Their tale continues a story of the ages, rep- resenting the uncountable souls that have accumulated in this land.

With Tohta Komizu, Hako Oshima, Tetsuya Akikawa | Produced by Kumie Inc. in co-production with Kashihara-Takaichi Regional Administrative Association | JAPAN / 2011 / 91 MIN COMPLETED

Special Presentation at San Sebastian IFF THE MONK on Sept 17th A film by Dominik Moll

The rise and fall of a Capuchin Monk in 17th century Madrid. Abandoned as a baby on the steps of a monastery and raised in strict “An impressive turn by Capuchin fashion, Ambrosio has Vincent Cassel” Screen become the most famous preacher in the country. While large crowds “Handsomely mounted. from all over the country come to [Moll’s] direction and Cassel’s hear his mesmerizing sermons, interpretation of Ambrosio’s he’s also bitterly envied for his descent into evil are success by certain fellow monks. admirably restrained” Convinced of his virtue and righ- The Hollywood Reporter teousness, Brother Ambrosio thinks he is immune to tempta- tion... Until obscure events start Adapted from Matthew terrorizing the monastery. Could G. Lewis’ sulphurous they be connected to the unex- masterpiece of Gothic literature pected arrival of Valerio, an appren- tice monk who has the miraculous By the director of HARRY, HE’S HERE TO HELP (CANNES gift to relieve Ambrosio’s splitting 2000), LEMMING (Cannes 2005) headaches and hides his disfig- ured face under a wax mask?

With Vincent Cassel, Deborah François, Sergi Lopez, Geraldine Chaplin Produced by Diaphana Films, Morena Films | FRANCE, SPAIN / 2011 / 101 min

IN PRODUCTION FOXFIRE A film by Laurent Cantet

Upstate New York, 1953, a working class neighborhood in a small town. In this violent post-war cul- ture controlled by men, a group of headstrong teenage girls unite into a sisterhood of blood: they form the Foxfire gang, a secret female- only society, recognized by the flame tattooed on the back of its members’ shoulders. “Foxfire” for pretty foxes, but also “Foxfire” for fire and destruction. Legs, Maddy, Lana, Rita and Goldie cannot accept any longer to be humiliated and discriminated against for being poor, and being girls. Headed by the feisty Legs, the girls set on a trip for revenge, and try to pursue their impossible dream: living according to their own rules and laws, no matter what. But there’s a prize to pay...

By the director of THE CLASs (Golden Palm, Cannes 2008) Adapted from the eponymous Bestseller by Joyce Carol Oates (Blonde, Them)

Produced by Haut et Court, Film Farm | FRANCE, CANADA | BUDGET: 12 MILLION USD | LANGUAGE: ENGLISH | DELIVERY: SPRING 2012 IN PRODUCTION LORE A film by Cate Shortland Spring 1945. As the German front collapses, the Allied forces take control over Hitler’s country. With her Nazi parents imprisoned, 14-year-old Lore is left alone in charge of her four young siblings. The only place they can go is their grandmother’s house, 900km away up north. Embarking on a journey across the devastated country, the children struggle to survive, slowly realizing the reality and consequences of their parents’ actions. When Thomas, a young Jewish refugee, offers his help, Lore has to learn to trust a person whom she had always been told was the enemy.

By the director of SOMERSAULT (Cannes 2004) BASED ON THE BOOKER NOMINEE NOVEL THE DARK ROOM BY RACHEL SEIFFERT Produced by Rohfilm, Porchlight Films, Edge City Films GERMANY, AUSTRALIA, UK / DELIVERY: SPRING 2012

In Post-production L’ENFANT D’EN HAUT A film by Ursula Meier

A luxury ski resort in Switzerland. 12-year-old Simon lives in the industrial valley below, with his job- less sister. Every day, he takes the ski-lift to the opulent ski world above, stealing equipment from the rich tourists to resell to the local kids back down. As he partners with a crooked British seasonal worker, Simon loses his boundaries, which affects the relationship with his sister. Confronted with a truth they had both been escaping, Simon seeks refuge up above.

By the director of HOME (2008 Cannes Critic’s Week)

With Lea Seydoux, Kacey Mottet Klein, Martin Compston Produced by Archipel 35, Vega Film | FRANCE, SWITZERLAND / DELIVERY: SPRING 2012

IN POST-PRODUCTION FOR ELLEN A film by So-Yong Kim

When an aspiring young rock star, Joby Taylor, finally agrees to sign divorce papers with his estranged wife, he discovers that he is about to forfeit all custody of his six-year-old daughter, Ellen. Never having been in Ellen’s life before, Joby suddenly realizes that he’s not ready to lose that part of himself. But, perhaps it’s too late for reconciliation.

By the director of TREELESS MOUNTAIN (Berlin 2009, Netpac Award Pusan 2008), IN BETWEEN DAYS (FIPRESCI Berlin Forum 2006, Special Jury Prize Sundance 2006)

With Paul Dano, Jena Malone, Jon Heder Produced by DeerJen Films, SoandBrad | USA / DELIVERY: WINTER 2011

IN POST-PRODUCTION BAD SEEDS A film by Safy Nebbou

Quiet 16-year-old Louis, the high school headmaster’s son, has never been in trouble. His best friend, 18-year-old Greg, however, is his polar opposite: provocative, angry, violent, he has been kicked out of school for physically threatening young English teacher Camille. When Greg asks Louis to help him take revenge on Camille, Louis accepts, fascinated. Together, they kidnap the young woman and lock her in an old remote shack. But Greg’s plans with Camille are more sinister than Louis could ever have foreseen, forcing him to confront his own dark side...

By the director of DUMAS (Berlin 2010), MARK OF AN ANGEL (Toronto 2008), THE GIRAFFE’S NECK (Toronto 2004).

With Emile Berling, Charles Berling, Kevin Azaïs, Sarah Stern Produced by Diaphana Films, In coproduction with Artemis Productions and Samsa Films FRANCE, BELGIUM, LUXEMBOURG / DELIVERY: SPRING 2012