The 2017 Toronto International Film Festival is shaping up to be another great festival. Even with scaling back, the programmers at TIFF continue to select great films. Many of the documentaries announced today have a recurring theme of resistance. In a statement, TIFF Docs Programmer Thom Powers said, “We pay witness to rebels challenging the status quo in art, politics, sexuality, religion, fashion, sports and entertainment. They speak powerfully to our times as audiences seek inspirations for battling powerful and corrupt systems.” Documentaries include Morgan Spurlock’s Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken! and Brett Morgen’s documentary about Jane Goodall.
On the other hand, new programmer Peter Kuplowsky is looking to put his own stamp on TIFF’s Midnight Madness programme. This year, the opening night film for Midnight Madness will be Joseph Kahn’s Bodied and Sôichi Umezawa’s Vampire Clay will close out the programme.
TIFF Docs
Azmaish: A Journey through the Subcontinent Sabiha Sumar, Pakistan
BOOM FOR REAL The Late Teenage Years of Jean-Michel Basquiat Sara Driver, USA
The China Hustle Jed Rothstein, USA
Cocaine Prison Violeta Ayala, Australia/Bolivia/France/USA
Eric Clapton: Life in 12 Bars Lili Fini Zanuck, United Kingdom
Ex Libris – The New York Public Library Frederick Wiseman, USA
The Final Year Greg Barker, USA
The Gospel According to André Kate Novack, USA
Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami Sophie Fiennes, United Kingdom/Ireland (OPENING FILM)
JIM & ANDY: the Great Beyond – the story of Jim Carrey & Andy Kaufman featuring a very special, contractually obligated mention of Tony Clifton Chris Smith, USA/Canada
Jane Brett Morgen, USA
The Judge Erika Cohn, Palestine/USA
The Legend of the Ugly King Hüseyin Tabak, Germany/Austria
Lots of Kids, a Monkey and a Castle Gustavo Salmerón, Spain
Love Means Zero Jason Kohn, USA
Makala Emmanuel Gras, France (CLOSING FILM)
OF SHEEP AND MEN Karim Sayad, Switzerland/Qatar
One of Us Heidi Ewing, Rachel Grady, USA
The Other Side of Everything Mila Turajlić, Serbia/France/Qatar
Sammy Davis, Jr.: I’ve Gotta Be Me Sam Pollard, USA
Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood Matt Tyrnauer, USA
Silas Anjali Nayar and Hawa Essuman, Canada/South Africa/Kenya
Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken! Morgan Spurlock, USA
Midnight Madness
Bodied Joseph Kahn, USA (OPENING FILM)
Brawl in Cell Block 99 S. Craig Zahler, USA
The Crescent Seth A. Smith, Canada
The Disaster Artist James Franco, USA
Downrange Ryuhei Kitamura, USA
Great Choice Robin Comisar, USA
Let the Corpses Tan Hélène Cattet, Bruno Forzani, Belgium/France
Mom and Dad Brian Taylor, USA
Revenge Coralie Fargeat, France
The Ritual David Bruckner, UK
Vampire Clay Sôichi Umezawa, Japan (CLOSING FILM)