Toronto International Film Festival announces 2015 Midnight Madness and Vanguard programmes

WALK ON THE WILD SIDE WITH MIDNIGHT MADNESS AT THE 2015 TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

Midnight Madness returns to the Toronto International Film Festival® to satiate late night audiences’ appetites for wild sensory stimulation. The programme will present the best in action, horror, shock and fantasy films from the rabble-rousers of cinema, opening with Jeremy Saulnier’s tense siege shocker Green Room.

“Midnight Madness winds up Festival audiences as the days are winding down and they are hungry for more,” says Colin Geddes, International Programmer for the Festival. “From adrenaline-filled action and untamed horror to twisted comedy and darkly blurred lines of reality, this year’s lineup welcomes back celebrated masters and fresh visionaries of renegade genre cinema.”

Among this year’s returning Midnight Madness directors are Joe Begos and Sean Byrne, who both debuted in the programme and are back with their much anticipated follow-up features, and Japanese bad boy auteur Takashi Miike with his high-octane Yakuza Apocalypse. Closing out the selection is the raucously reverent homage to classic slasher movies The Final Girls. Films screening as part of the Midnight Madness programme include:

Film Review: What We Do In The Shadows

Writer/Director: Taika Waititi & Jemaine Clement
Producer: Taika Waititi, Chelsea Winstanley, Emanuel Michael
Cast: Taika Waititi, Jemaine Clement, Rhys Darby, Jonathan Brugh, Cori Gonzalez-Macuer, Stu Rutherford
Mockumentary Comedy Horror film
1 hour, 25 minutes

What's it really like to be a vampire? This insanely funny mockumentary from New Zealand answers that question by hanging out with Viago, Vladislav, Deacon, and Petyr, four bloodsuckers who share a house in Wellington.

After sunset, they rise and three of them prowl the clubs for fresh blood. (The fourth one, Petyr, looks his age which is 8,000 years old so he stays locked inside his closet. The arrogant one, Deacon, has a human servant named Jackie to run errands for him, like wash his blood-soaked garments and invite unwitting old school classmates to the vampires' home for "dinner." The vampires accept another mortal as a friend, a quiet I.T. guy named Stu, who teaches them how to use modern technology. The vampires live in a sort of frat house and, apart from sucking blood out of people, are good lads.

Álex de la Iglesia: Dancing with the Devil – Jan. 30 to March 28 at TIFF Bell Lightbox

January 30 to March 28
TIFF Bell Lightbox

Like his cult-cinema contemporaries Peter Jackson and Sam Raimi, Spanish maverick Álex de la Iglesia began his career as an anarchic purveyor of high-grade schlock splashing his every fluid-drenched fever dream across the screen, before achieving international recognition as a bona fide festival-feted auteur. The endorsement and mentorship of Pedro Almodóvar helped in this regard, immediately placing the former comic-book artist on the critical radar and garnering Goya Awards (Spain’s Oscars) for even some of his earliest and strangest work. While his work has grown in scope and ambition, de la Iglesia has never surrendered or compromised his unique vision: his films are as strange and transgressive as ever, his sense of humour every bit as dark, biting and absurd. In this sense, de la Iglesia shares much with Canada’s own purveyor of the peculiar and the perverse David Cronenberg: both filmmakers have forced the film world to adapt to them rather than the other way around.

TIFF announces 2014 Vanguard selections

PETER STRICKLAND, TAKASHI MIIKE AND FABRICE DU WELZ LEAD VANGUARD PROGRAMME DESIGNED TO SEDUCE SOPHISTICATED THRILL SEEKERS

TORONTO — The Toronto International Film Festival® Vanguard programme seduces audiences with a sensory experience full of mystery and boundary-busting madness, with bold international films that walk the razor’s edge. International programmer Colin Geddes brings together the work of some of the most audacious auteurs in the world to present a cinematic adventure that takes audiences to the dark, dangerous places that both unnerve yet intrigue them.

“The Vanguard programme presents the intersection between genre and arthouse to showcase intrepid works that fearlessly defy convention,” said Geddes. “Daring audiences who have grown to love the extreme cinema of Midnight Madness will definitely be seduced by the subversive sophistication of Vanguard.”

TIFF announces 2014 Midnight Madness lineup

MIDNIGHT MADNESS PACKS A POWERFUL PUNCH OF THE WILD, WACKY AND WEIRD AT THE 2014 TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

TORONTO — The Toronto International Film Festival®’s Midnight Madness programme brings thrills, chills and all sorts of kills to Festival audiences once again. Get your passports stamped and experience an international cinematic rollercoaster which includes: a Yakuza street gang hip-hop musical epic; spine-chilling Spanish zombies with insatiable appetites; a Finnish boy hunter rescuing the President of the United States from terrorists; and Flemish cub scouts trapped in the woods with sinister companions.

“Midnight Madness has been entertaining connoisseurs of the exquisitely explicit for over 25 years, and is now an essential destination for cinematic masters of outrageous expression,” says Colin Geddes, International Programmer for the Festival. “After the sun sets on the Festival days, fearless audiences will converge at the Ryerson Theatre to be served a visual feast of the bizarre, the horrifying and the wonderfully wacky.”

2013 Toronto After Dark Film Festival, Oct 17-25

The eighth annual Toronto After Dark Film Festival for horror, Asian, sci-fi and other genre films gets underway tonight with a screening of Jim Mickle's We Are What We Are. This movie is based on the original Mexican film Somos lo que hay (We Are What We Are) and is a critically-acclaimed arthouse horror film. This year, all of the screenings will take place at the Scotiabank Theatre at 259 Richmond Street West.

Each night, Toronto After Dark presents two features, at 7pm and 9:30pm, with additional screenings at 4:25 on Saturday and Sunday. Each feature film is preceded by a Canadian short film. The Pub After Dark social gatherings take place at 117 John Street.

Toronto International Film Festival announces 2013 Midnight Madness lineup

FESTIVAL SALUTES 25 CHILLING YEARS OF MIDNIGHT MADNESS: ROCKING, SHOCKING AND SAVAGING THE SENSES

TORONTO — The Toronto International Film Festival® celebrates 25 years of Midnight Madness with a murderers’ row of wild cinematic thrills. Programmed by Colin Geddes, the international lineup aims right for the jugular with everything froman extraterrestrial gore-thriller and sinister sex-comedy, to an Asian exotic horror film and a visually-stunning reinvention of the Italian cannibal genre.

“Since its 1988 launch, the Midnight Madness programme emerged as a touchstone of cinematic shock, satiating the adventurous palate of bloodthirsty cinephiles from all over the world,” said Geddes, International Programmer for the Festival. “When the witching hour strikes and the human brain starts slipping into dream mode, the Ryerson Theatre will once again serve up a feast of phantasmagorical characters and jaw-dropping scenes, playing host to bizarre biological monstrosities, ruthless dominatrix gangs, paranormal mirrors, and the hijinks of supernatural cheerleaders.”

Fantasia International Film Festival 2013, July 18-Aug 7

The 17th edition of the Fantasia Festival International de Films kicks off tonight in Montreal with a screening of Takashi Miike's Wara no Tate (Shield of Straw) at the Cinéma Impérial. The film which played at Cannes in Competition is about a police unit that has to bring a young girl's murder suspect to Tokyo after the girl's wealthy grandfather offers a billion yen for the head of the suspect.

The second opening night film is The Conjuring by James Wan. The horror film stars Vera Farmiga, Joey King and Patrick Wilson, and is supposedly based on a true story of a couple who are asked to investigate the paranormal events at a farmhouse in Harrisville.

In addition to 120 feature films, Fantasia also presents (in collaboration with Société des arts technologiques, Le Quartier des spectacles and 24Heures) the free screening series Fantasia Under the Stars on July 10-11 and 13-14. The free outdoor screenings take place at the Place the la Paix, on Boul. Saint-Laurent near the Monument-National and the S.A.T. (1201, Saint-Laurent). In case of rain, the screenings will be cancelled. From 7-9pm, there will be DJs and guest chefs, followed by the screening at 9pm.

Call for submissions: Toronto After Dark Film Festival

The Toronto After Dark Film Festival is now accepting submissions for its 8th annual festival this fall of 2013.

Toronto After Dark Film Festival is one of the world’s leading showcases of new horror, sci-fi, action and cult films. Now in its 8th year, the critically acclaimed annual event, screens thrilling new feature films and shorts from around the world, and a number of Toronto After Dark titles can also be found amongst the Official Selections of the Sundance, South By South-West (SXSW), Tribeca, and Cannes film festivals.

On a local level, the festival has grown to become a signature event in Canada’s largest city, enjoying an annual attendance of over 10,000 enthusiastic film fans and 100-plus members of press and industry. In a poll of local filmgoers, Toronto After Dark was also voted Runner-Up for Best Film Festival in the City.

Call for submissions: Mascara & Popcorn Film Festival

The Mascara & Popcorn Film Festival is now accepting submissions to their 2013 festival.

Mascara & Popcorn is a film festival that delves into the horror genre for the most part, as well as the experimental, the weird and the wonderful. Mascara and Popcorn also showcases projects that go beyond film: theatre, music, fundraisers and live performances within the underground arena, helping entrepreneurs and artists connect and kick start opportunities for themselves. The festival strives to support independent film, promote all types of thought-provoking dark art and human passions to the extreme: horror, experimental, post-apocalyptic, film noir, horror-comedy, gore, dark fiction, dark fantasy, dark animation, dark science-fiction and most dramas. Any film of the imagination that steps out of the ordinary. Intense, disturbing, provocative, unclassifiable material. Low budget works with high production value.

Call for submissions: Mascara and Popcorn Film Festival

MASCARA AND POPCORN'S 2013 INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM COMPETITION

MASCARA AND POPCORN is a film festival that delves into the horror genre for the most part, as well as the experimental, the weird and the wonderful. Mascara and Popcorn also showcases projects that go beyond film: theatre, music, fundraisers and live performances within the underground arena, helping entrepreneurs and artists connect and kick start opportunities for themselves. Any film of the imagination that steps out of the ordinary. Intense, disturbing, provocative, unclassifiable material. Low budget works with high production value. The festival features a competition and offers additional promotional opportunities within the global festival market.

Saturn Awards 2013 – nominations

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is the leading film with nominations for the prestigious Saturn Awards presented by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. Peter Jackson’s return to J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle Earth received 9 nominations. Other films receiving major nominations include Ang Lee’s Life of Pi (8 nominations), and the 23nd entry in the James Bond franchise, Skyfall (7 nominations).

Comic book icons-turned-cinematic spectacles, Marvel’s The Avengers and Christopher Nolan’s triumphant conclusion to his Batman trilogy, The Dark Knight Rises, followed closely behind with 6 nominations each, along with the epic musical based on Victor Hugo’s classic Les Misérables. Warner Bros. received a leading total of 23 nominations, while Sony Pictures and Universal Pictures each received 14 nominations for their ambitious slate of films released last year.

Blood in the Snow Canadian Film Festival – Nov 30-Dec 2

The first ever edition of The Blood in the Snow Canadian Film Festival begins tonight. The opening screening is the world premiere of Sick by Ryan M. Andrews. This will be followed by Beyond the Black Rainbow by Panos Cosmatos. Both features are preceded by a short film, The Post-Lifers and Roachfar respectively.

The Blood in the Snow Canadian Film Festival weekend-long festival celebrating the best in contemporary Canadian horror filmmaking running. It runs until Sunday, December 2 at the Projection Booth East, 1035 Gerrard Steet East. The closing film will be Chris Alexander​'s Blood for Irina.

2012 Toronto After Dark Film Festival, Oct 18-26

The 7th annual Toronto After Dark Film Festival begins tonight with the Sundance Irish Monster comedy Grabbers, followed by the Canadian premiere of the Horror Film American Mary.

The festival continues with nine nights of horror, sci-fi, action and cult movies including [Rec] 3 Genesis, Cockneys vs. Zombies, Doomsday Book, Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning, and Wrong. Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning starring Jean-Claude Van Damme was almost selected for this year's Midnight Madness at TIFF by programmer Colin Geddes.

The Festival comes to a close with the Toronto premieres of A Fantastic Fear of Everything starring Simon Pegg, and the Spanish film Game of Werewolves.

Toronto After Dark Film Festival announces 2012 programming

The Toronto After Dark Film Festival released the second of two programming announcements today. Together with their announcement of August 30, they have revealed their entire program for their 7th annual festival which will take place October 18 to 26.


TORONTO AFTER DARK 2012 - FINAL FILMS ANNOUNCED!

September 28, 2012: Toronto After Dark Film Festival is thrilled to officially unveil its final wave of eleven exciting film announcements for 2012! Included in the lineup are some of the most eagerly anticipated new genre films from the international film festival circuit. In total 20 new horror, sci-fi, action and cult feature films and 29 short films will screen either their Canadian or Toronto Theatrical Premieres exclusively at the festival’s 7th Annual Edition this October 18-26, 2012 at the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema. Fans can now conveniently preview trailers to all 20 feature films at the 2012 Festival Youtube Playlist.

2012 Mascara & Popcorn Film Festival, Aug 16-19

The 3rd edition of the Mascara & Popcorn Film Festival starts tomorrow night. The festival spotlights genre and independent films but also includes music, fashion, visual arts and more.

"Mascara & Popcorn is a cultural event dedicated to promoting independent film and multi-disciplinarian art thus allowing film makers and artists to exhibit their craft in an atmosphere that's appropriate and thought-provoking. Our goal is to expose our film makers to producers, our partners and organizations. Short film and features, panels, cocktails, thematic events, emerging artists, networking events and unique opportunities to participate in workshops, attend interactive lectures, and listen to colleagues share their knowledge."

X-Men Master: Gordon Smith exhibition announced

Free exhibition celebrates Canadian special effects master Gordon Smith with a behind the scenes look at his groundbreaking work on X-Men and X2.

Toronto – While over 80,000 comic and sci-fi fans prepare to gather in Toronto this summer for Fan Expo Canada, TIFF today announced the latest free exhibition opening this month at TIFF Bell Lightbox. Launching on August 17, 2012 and running through March 2013, X-Men Master: Gordon Smith explores and celebrates Ontario native Gordon Smith’s 30-year career in special effects and makeup design, focusing on his exceptional work for the major box office hits X-Men and its sequel X2. Curated by Sylvia Frank, Director of the Film Reference Library and Special Collections at TIFF Bell Lightbox, X-Men Master: Gordon Smith showcases some of Smith’s most important contributions to the industry — including his innovative use of silicone prosthetics which gave audiences spectacular film interpretations of the original Marvel comic characters such as the blade-knuckled Wolverine, the feral strongman Sabretooth, the long-tailed Nightcrawler, and most memorably, the blue-skinned, distinctly underdressed shapeshifter Mystique.

Eli Roth presents Umberto Lenzi's Cannibal Ferox

Writer-director Eli Roth is in Toronto and on Monday, July 31, he appears at TIFF Bell Lightbox to present a screening of Umberto Lenzi's cult horror film Cannibal Ferox (also known as Make Them Die Slowly).

Eli Roth was the writer and director of Cabin Fever, Hostel and Hostel: Part II. He also acted in those films as well as others such as Inglourious Basterds and Piranha 3-D. Roth has been in Toronto shooting the the werewolf series Hemlock Grove for Netflix.

Roth says, "I love the Italian cannibal sub-genre from the late seventies and early eighties. The two undisputed maestros of the genre, Ruggero Deodato and Umberto Lenzi, battled back and forth to reign supreme as the Cannibal King. I've shown Deodato's Cannibal Holocaust lots of love in the past (Deodato even did a cameo as a cannibal in Hostel: Part II), but I also want to show my appreciation for the great Lenzi and see how grisly and visceral his work looks projected in 35mm. I've never seen this film projected, so for me it will be like seeing it for the first time as it was meant to be seen, in a theatre with an audience full of horror fans, in all its uncut Italian glory."

2012 Saturn Awards – winners

The 38th annual Saturn Awards were originally scheduled to be held on June 20, but they took place last night in Burbank. The event was hosted by Jeffrey Ross who received an Appreciation Award for his work.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Super 8 led with three awards each. Rise of the Planet of the Apes beat out Super 8 to win the Best Science Fiction Film and also won for Supporting Actor (Andy Serkis) and Special Effects. J.J. Abrams won Best Director for Super 8, as well as Best Music and Best Performance by a Younger Actor which somewhat surprisingly went to Joel Courtney over Elle Fanning.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 by David Yates was named Best Fantasy Film. That was its only award, however, even though it had led the nominations with ten along with Martin Scorsese's Hugo. The only win for Hugo was for Production Design, though director Martin Scorsese had previously been announced as the recipient of the George Pal Memorial Award.

2012 Fantasia International Film Festival, July 19-Aug 9

The 16th Annual Fantasia International Film Festival begins tonight with a screening of Takashi Miike's For Love's Sake (opening short is Bydlo). Also screening tonight will be Pascal Laugier's The Tall Man (opens with Cure), Pen-Ek Ratanaruang's Headshot and Peter Chan's Dragon.

The opening party takes place at Club 1234 at 1234 Rue de la Montagne. There will be music provided by Sibian & Faun (live) and DJ Mini. Doors open at 9pm and admission is free for everyone.

Other film highlights during the festival include Juan of the Dead, Toad Road, The Sorcerer and the White Snake, Nameless Gangster, Beast, The Sword Identity, and Black’s Game.