Canadian Films Announced

The festival announced a number of the Canadian films that will be screening at this year's festival. One of the films showing is Sarah Polley's (The Sweet Hereafter, My Life Without Me), feature directorial debut, Away From Her, which stars Julie Christie, Michael Murphy, Gordon Pinsent, Olympia Dukakis, Wendy Crewson, Alberta Watson, and more.

The movie is based on the short story "The Bear Came Over the Mountain", by Alice Munro, which dealswith a man (Pinset) who watches his Alzheimer's-afflicted wife (Christie) slowly forget him and turn to another resident in her nursing home. Movie City Indie has a synopsis of the film: http://www.mcnblogs.com/mcindie/archives/2006/02/everything_is_p_1.html. Sarah Polley was at last year's festival in Beowulf and Grendel.

Also showing is Allan King's documentary EMPz 4 LIFE, about 4 teenagers in the suburbs. King has previously been at the festival with powerful documentaries such as "Memory for Max, Claire, Ida and Company", and "Dying at Grace".

Andrew Currie's Fido, about a boy and his best friend, a zombie named Fido, is another premiere. It stars Carrie-Anne Moss (The Matrix), Billy Connolly (The Last Samurai, Mrs. Brown), and Henry Czerny (The Boys of St. Vincent, Mission Impossible).

Paul Fox's Everything's Gone Green, which was written by Douglas Coupland, stars Paulo Costanzo (Joey) as a man who, according to IMDB, enters into a money laundering scheme while working for a lottery magazine. Douglas Coupland was at last year's festival with his documentary of sorts, Souvenir of Canada. Interestingly, the film also stars two actors from the Canadian TV series Godiva's.

Guy Maddin returns to the festival with his silent film Brand Upon the Brain! Maddin has been at the festival previously with such films as My Dad is 100 Years Old, and The Saddest Music in the World, both with Isabella Rossellini.

For more information on the Canadian films showing at the festival this year, check out the Globe and Mail:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20060719.TIFF19/TPStory/TPEntertainment/Movies/
or the official TIFF press release:
http://www.e.bell.ca/filmfest/2006/media_centre/news_releaseItem.asp?id=202

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