2018 TIFF World Cinema and Wavelength Programs feature Ali Abbasi, Cristina Gallego, Ciro Guerra, Apichatpong Weerasethakul and more

The Toronto International Film Festival announced today the 48 titles from international filmmakers that comprise this year’s Contemporary World Cinema roster. This year’s programme features luminous films from 30 countries — with a strong presence from Latin America and Eastern Europe — telling stories of identity, depicting family dynamics, and making bold political statements. The Contemporary World Cinema programme is generously sponsored by Sun Life Financial.

“Each film in Contemporary World Cinema offers a snapshot of the world and shows the importance of compelling global filmmaking,” said Kerri Craddock, Director of Festival Programming at TIFF. “Together, the films expose truth, open borders, and captivate audiences with their deep and empowering stories.”

Several of the the impressive 27 World Premieres in the programme are from TIFF veterans, including Belmonte from Uruguay’s Federico Veiroj, The Other Story from Israel’s Avi Nesher, Stupid Young Heart from Finnish Academy Award nominee Selma Vilhunen, Quién te Cantará from Spain’s Carlos Vermut, and Look at Me from Tunisia’s Nejib Belkadhi.

The program also highlights film selections that have already captivated audiences worldwide this year, including Romanian Foreign Language Film Oscar entry “I Do Not Care If We Go Down In History As Barbarians” by Radu Jude, Birds of Passage by directing duo Cristina Gallego and Ciro Guerra, and Cannes Un Certain Regard winner Border by Ali Abbasi.

Films screening as part of the Contemporary World Cinema program include:

The Accused ( Acusada) Gonzalo Tobal | Argentina
North American Premiere

Angel ( Un Ange) Koen Mortier | Belgium/Netherlands/Senegal
International Premiere

Asako I & II ( Netemo Sametemo) Ryusuke Hamaguchi | Japan/France
North American Premiere

Before the Frost ( Før Frosten) Michael Noer | Denmark
World Premiere

Belmonte Federico Veiroj | Uruguay/Spain/Mexico
World Premiere

Birds of Passage ( Pájaros de verano) Cristina Gallego, Ciro Guerra | Colombia/Denmark/Mexico/France
Canadian Premiere

Black 47 Lance Daly | Ireland/Luxembourg
North American Premiere

The Black Book Valeria Sarmiento | Portugal/France
World Premiere

Border ( Gräns) Ali Abbasi | Sweden/Denmark
North American Premiere

Bulbul Can Sing Rima Das | India
World Premiere

Core of the World Natalia Meshchaninova | Russia/Lithuania
International Premiere

The Dive ( Hatzlila) Yona Rozenkier | Israel
North American Premiere

Donbass Sergei Loznitsa | Germany/Ukraine/France/Netherlands/Romania
North American Premiere

El Ángel Luis Ortega | Argentina/Spain
North American Premiere

EXT. Night ( Leil Khargi ) Ahmad Abdalla | Egypt/United Arab Emirates
World Premiere

The Factory ( Завод (Zavod)) Yury Bykov | Russia/France/Armenia
World Premiere

Florianópolis Dream ( Sueño Florianópolis) Ana Katz | Argentina/Brazil/France
North American Premiere

“I Do Not Care If We Go Down In History As Barbarians” ( Îmi este indiferent dacă în istorie vom intra ca barbari)
Radu Jude | Romania/Czech Republic/France/Bulgaria/Germany
North American Premiere

Jinpa ( Zhuang Si Le Yi Zhi Yang ) Pema Tseden | China
North American Premiere

Let Me Fall ( Lof mer ad falla) Baldvin Z | Iceland/Finland/Germany
International Premiere

Look at Me Nejib Belkadhi | Qatar/France/Tunisia
World Premiere

Minuscule – Mandibles From Far Away ( Minuscule – Les Mandibules du Bout du Monde) Thomas Szabo, Hélène Giraud | France
World Premiere

The Most Beautiful Couple ( Das schönste Paar) Sven Taddicken | Germany/France
World Premiere

Museum ( Museo) Alonso Ruizpalacios | Mexico
North American Premiere

One Last Deal ( Tuntematon mestari) Klaus Härö | Finland
World Premiere

The Other Story ( Sipur Acher) Avi Nesher | Israel
World Premiere

Quién te Cantará Carlos Vermut | Spain/France
World Premiere

The Realm ( El Reino) Rodrigo Sorogoyen | Spain/France
World Premiere

Redemption ( Geula) Boaz Yehonatan Yacov, Joseph Madmony | Israel
North American Premiere

Retrospekt Esther Rots | Netherlands/Belgium
World Premiere

Roads in February ( Les routes en février) Katherine Jerkovic | Canada/Uruguay
World Premiere

Rosie Paddy Breathnach | Ireland
World Premiere

Sew the Winter to my Skin Jahmil X.T. Qubeka | South Africa/Germany
World Premiere

Sibel Çagla Zencirci, Guillaume Giovanetti | France/Germany/Luxembourg/Turkey
North American Premiere

Stupid Young Heart ( Hölmö nuori sydän) Selma Vilhunen | Finland/Netherlands/Sweden
World Premiere

Styx Wolfgang Fischer | Germany/Austria
North American Premiere

The Sweet Requiem ( Kyoyang Ngarmo) Ritu Sarin, Tenzing Sonam | India/USA
World Premiere

That Time of Year ( Den Tid På Året) Paprika Steen | Denmark
World Premiere

Ulysses & Mona Sébastien Betbeder | France
World Premiere

The Vice of Hope ( Il Vizio Della Speranza) Edoardo de Angelis | Italy
World Premiere

Winter Flies ( Všechno bude) Olmo Omerzu | Czech Republic/Slovenia/Poland/Slovakia
International Premiere

Working Woman ( Isha Ovedet) Michal Aviad | Israel
International Premiere

Previously announced Canadian titles in the Contemporary World Cinema program include Darlene Naponse’s Falls Around Her, Bruce Sweeney’s Kingsway, Renée Beaulieu’s Les Salopes or the Naturally Wanton Pleasure of Skin, Thom Fitzgerald’s Splinters, Sébastien Pilote’s The Fireflies Are Gone, and Maxime Giroux’s The Great Darkened Days.

NEXT PAGE…the TIFF Wavelength Programs