Boys in the Trees.
TIFF's Discovery program is where first and second time feature directors from around the world can strut their stuff.
“Toronto audiences first found Christopher Nolan, Lynne Ramsay and Steve McQueen in our Discovery section,” said the Artistic Director of TIFF, Cameron Bailey. “We can't wait to introduce a new generation of vibrant, original voices in cinema.”
This year the Discovery line-up includes two Aussie titles: Joe Cinque’s Consolation, directed by Sotiris Dounoukos, and Boys in the Trees, directed by Nicholas Verso.
Joe Cinque’s Consolation, which Titan View will release in cinemas across Australia on October 13, comes to TIFF after premiering at this month's Melbourne International Film Festival.
Based on Helen Garner's book about the headline-grabbing 1997 murder case, the drama chronicles how the romantic relationship between two Australian law students turns deadly.
The film's selection marks Dounoukos’ return to the festival. In 2014, he was awarded TIFF’s Best International Short Film Award for his film A Single Body.
Verso's Boys in the Trees will hit TIFF after premiering in Venice. The film tells the story of two teens, Corey and Jonah, who begrudgingly find themselves walking home together on Halloween 1997 and embark on a surreal journey through their memories.
The feature is writer/director Verso’s first. The filmmaker previously made short film The Last Time I Saw Richard (winner of the 2014 AACTA Award for Best Short Film).
Boys in the Trees stars Toby Wallace, Gulliver McGrath, Mitzi Ruhlmann and Justin Holborrow and is slated for a national cinema release on October 20.
“As a huge fan of Joni Mitchell and Alanis Morissette, it's so exciting to be finally screening in their homeland of Canada," Verso said. "I can't wait to be a part of such a prestigious festival.”
Producer John Molloy said: “We are over the moon to be presented at TIFF. This will be the perfect North American Premiere for the film. To be invited to such an iconic festival means the world to us as filmmakers”.
The film is a Mushroom Pictures production, executive produced by Mushroom Group Chairman Michael Gudinksi and backed by Screen Australia and the SAFC.
TIFF's VR sidebar, POP VR, also includes a local project – one of five in the lineup.
“We continue to celebrate the evolution and progression of moving image works at the Festival with POP VR,” said Bailey. “We are thrilled to share this curated virtual reality experience with our audiences and explore together where the future of storytelling will take us.”
Jafri, directed by Michael Beets, is a VR documentary about an African-Australian man who can be found standing in the middle of Melbourne’s busiest intersection every Friday afternoon.
The work "explores the man behind the signs as he guides us through his daily life and the intimate moments that have shaped his views on society and himself."