The 2012 edition of Canada’s Top Ten rounds up the usual suspects – David Cronenberg, Xavier Dolan, Deepa Mehta, Peter Mettler, Sarah Polley – and throws in a couple of curve balls.
Cronenberg’s Cosmopolis, Dolan’s Laurence Anyways, Mehta’s Midnight’s Children, Mettler’s The End Of Time and Polley’s Stories We Tell all make it onto the Toronto International Film Festival’s annual celebration of homegrown cinema, as announced earlier this week.
Michael Dowse’s Goon, Michael McGowan’s Still, Sean Garrity’s My Awkward Sexual Adventure, Nisha Pahuja’s documentary The World Before Her and Kim Nguyen’s Rebelle – which is Canada’s submission for consideration for the best foreign language Oscar – make up the rest of the list.
Goon’s inclusion is the biggest surprise, since its premiere at TIFF 2011 should have put it into consideration for last year’s Top Ten. (Not that I have a problem with its being there.)
Neither Antiviral nor Blackbird, which shared the best first feature prize at TIFF 2012, make the list Jennifer Baichwal’s politically charged documentary Payback is also unacknowledged.
Notably missing are Bestiare and All That You Possess Quebec filmmakers Denis Côté and Bernard Émond have been regulars on the Top Ten, and their absence is even more striking given how little representation Quebec receives this year. On the other hand, three documentaries make the cut, as opposed to last year’s grand total of zero.
All the features and shorts in the 2012 Top Ten will be screened at the Lightbox in the new year, along with a Mavericks session with Sarah Polley. Tickets are now available for TIFF members to purchase, and will go on general sale December 12.
Canada’s Top Ten features for 2012 (in alphabetical order)
- Cosmopolis (David Cronenberg)
- The End of Time (Peter Mettler)
- Goon (Michael Dowse)
- Laurence Anyways (Xavier Dolan)
- Midnight’s Children (Deepa Mehta)
- My Awkward Sexual Adventure (Sean Garrity)
- Rebelle (Kim Nguyen)
- Still (Michael McGowan)
- Stories We Tell (Sarah Polley)
- The World Before Her (Nisha Pahuja)
Canada’s Top Ten shorts for 2012 (also in alphabetical order)
- Bydlo (Patrick Bouchard)
- Crackin’ Down Hard (Mike Clattenburg)
- Herd Leader (Chloé Robichaud)
- Kaspar (Diane Obomsawin)
- Keep A Modest Head (Deco Dawson)
- Lingo (Bahar Noorizadeh)
- Malody (Phillip Barker)
- Old Growth (Tess Girard)
- Reflexions (Martin Thibaudeau)
- Wintergreen (Joëlle Desjardins Paquette)
