The Toronto International Film Festival unveiled its Short Cuts showcase counting 42 live action narrative, documentary, and animated shorts from global filmmakers repping 23 countries.
That’s comprised of 21 World Premieres, 13 North American Premieres, and five International Premieres presented in 19 different languages.
More than half of this year’s selections are directed or co-directed by female and female-identifying filmmakers. TIFF alumni directors with new films at Short Cuts include Yann Demange (White Boy Rick), Jasmin Mozaffari, Miryam Charles, Farnoosh Samadi, Halima Ouardiri, Renee Zhan, Andrea Nirmala Widjajanto, and the team of Ivete Lucas and Patrick Bresnan. Among the directors with short films at the Festival for the first time are Malia Ann and Canadian actor Mackenzie Davis (Terminator: Dark Fate, Blade Runner 2049). Among the notable performers in this year’s slate of new shorts are Riz Ahmed in Dammi and Kaniehtiio Horn in Redlights.
Animated films in Short Cuts include the North American Premieres of 27, recipient of the Short Film Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, and Electra, director Daria Kashcheeva’s follow-up to Daughter, an Academy Award nominee for Best Animated Short and a Short Cuts selection in 2019. Three animated shorts at this year’s Festival are This is TMI by India’s Subarna Dash and Vidushi Gupta, Mboa Matanda by Cameroon’s Jules Kalla Eyango, and Aphasia by Canada’s Marielle Dalpé.
Along with remarkable new works by international filmmakers, Short Cuts includes 19 selections by Canadian filmmakers, including World Premieres of films by Marni Van Dyk (This is Not About Swimming), Eva Thomas (Redlights), Karsten Wall (Modern Goose), and Ivan D. Ossa (Express).
“We are thrilled to be able to present such a diverse array of incredible new works by emergent and established film talents from all over the world,” said Short Cuts lead programmer Jason Anderson. “We were knocked out by the level of craft and ingenuity in these films, as well as the boldness displayed by so many filmmakers as they explore subjects and themes that couldn’t be timelier or more personal. That’s especially true of the films we’re grateful to present that are by female and female-identifying filmmakers, which comprise nearly 60 percent of this year’s selection.”
Short Cuts has premiered the works of such breakout talents as Charlotte Wells (Aftersun), Saim Sadiq (Joyland), and Luis De Filippis (Something You Said Last Night). The section’ alums with first features at this year’s Festival include Fawzia Mirza (The Queen of My Dreams) and Nora El Hourch (Sisterhood).
SHORT CUTS PROGRAMME 1DAMMI Yann Mounir Demange | FranceNorth American Premiere
La Perra Carla Melo Gampert | Colombia/FranceNorth American Premiere
Been There Corina Schwingruber Ilić | SwitzerlandInternational Premiere
Primetime Mother Sonny Calvento | Philippines/SingaporeWorld Premiere
Meteor Atefeh Khademolreza | CanadaWorld Premiere
Nun or Never! Heta Jäälinoja | FinlandNorth American Premiere
Gaby’s Hills Zoé Pelchat | CanadaNorth American Premiere
Fár Gunnur Martinsdóttir Schlüter | IcelandNorth American Premiere
The Skates Halima Ouardiri | CanadaWorld Premiere
Bloom Kasey Lum | CanadaWorld Premiere
Nada de todo esto Francisco Cantón, Patricio Martínez | Argentina/Spain/USANorth American Premiere
1001 Nights Rea Rajčić | CroatiaWorld Premiere
Redlights Eva Thomas | CanadaWorld Premiere
Electra Daria Kashcheeva | Czech Republic/France/SlovakiaNorth American Premiere
SHORT CUTS PROGRAMME 3
This is TMI Subarna Dash, Vidushi Gupta | IndiaInternational Premiere
Titanic, Suitable Version for Iranian Families Farnoosh Samadi | Iran/FranceWorld Premiere
All the Days of May Miryam Charles | CanadaCanadian Premiere
Bird Ana Cristina Barragán | Ecuador/SpainWorld Premiere
Aftercare Anubha Momin | CanadaWorld Premiere
Shé (Snake) Renee Zhan | United KingdomWorld Premiere
Human Resources Trinidad Plass Caussade, Titouan Tillier, Isaac Wenzek | FranceCanadian Premiere
Making Babies Eric K. Boulianne | CanadaNorth American Premiere
SHORT CUTS PROGRAMME 4Alberto and the Beast John Paul Lopez-Ali | USAWorld Premiere
Mboa Matanda Jules Kalla Eyango | CameroonWorld Premiere
Mothers and Monsters Edith Jorisch | CanadaWorld Premiere
Express Ivan D. Ossa | CanadaWorld Premiere
Baigal Nuur – Lake Baikal Alisi Telengut | Germany/CanadaNorth American Premiere
The Passing Ivete Lucas, Patrick Xavier Bresnan | USANorth American Premiere
SHORT CUTS PROGRAMME 5WOACA Mackenzie Davis | United KingdomWorld Premiere
A Bird Called Memory Leonardo Martinelli | Brazil/United KingdomNorth American Premiere
Sawo Matang Andrea Nirmala Widjajanto | Canada/Indonesia/USAWorld Premiere
Aphasia Marielle Dalpé | CanadaWorld Premiere
Ever Since, I Have Been Flying Aylin Gökmen | SwitzerlandInternational Premier
I Used to Live There Ryan McKenna | CanadaNorth American Premiere
This is Not About Swimming Marni Van Dyk | CanadaWorld Premiere
SHORT CUTS PROGRAMME 627 Flóra Anna Buda | France/HungaryNorth American Premiere
Xie Xie, Ollie James Michael Chiang | CanadaWorld Premiere
The Heart Malia Ann | USAInternational Premiere
6 Minutes Per Kilometer Catherine Boivin | CanadaToronto Premiere
Modern Goose Karsten Wall | CanadaWorld Premiere
Sheephead Spencer Creigh | USAInternational Premiere
Motherland Jasmin Mozaffari | CanadaWorld Premiere
