#toronto-international-film-festival

#toronto-international-film-festival

If you weren't lucky enough to attend this year's Cannes or Sundance Film Festivals, the first day of TIFF is for you. The festival often features the best films from those earlier fests, so I broke the seal bright and early and braved the rain for Mary Bronstein's stressful but rewarding If I Had Legs I'd Kick You. The film got some of the best reviews at Sundance in January.

"We're thrilled about the upcoming release of Christy, a moving portrait of resilience and defiance from visionary filmmaker David Michôd," said Benjamin Kramer, Black Bear president of US distribution. "Led by Sydney Sweeney's masterful transformation into the iconic Christy, capturing a young woman's fierce determination to define her own destiny, the film is elevated by Michôd's elegant direction and enriched by an electric supporting turn from Ben Foster. Both tender and unflinching, Christy is a celebration of persistence, humor, and humanity in the face of unexpected turns."

The country would do well to brace itself for impact. Saipan, a film that nobody asked for and that everybody will have an opinion about, premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on Thursday night. We had our reservations, and you'll have yours. But with a clever team behind the camera - and an accomplished duo at its centre - we are pleased to report that Glenn Leyburn and Lisa Barros D'Sa's film is, quite frankly, an unexpected treat.