New flicks from Polley, McGowan, Dolan and Cronenberg's son among TIFF slate

TORONTO - New projects from Sarah Polley, Xavier Dolan, Michael McGowan and Brandon Cronenberg are among the Canuck offerings at next month's Toronto International Film Festival.

Programmers say the Canadian slate will be anchored by Polley's documentary "Stories We Tell," McGowan's East Coast tale "Still," Dolan's gender-bending "Laurence Anyways" and Cronenberg's sci-fi "Antiviral."

That's in addition to previously announced titles from acclaimed homegrown directors Deepa Mehta and Ruba Nadda and Hollywood heavyweights Ben Affleck, Robert Redford, Dustin Hoffman, Terrence Malick and Joss Whedon.

Senior programmer Steve Gravestock touted a diverse list ranging from perverse farce to thrilling dramas.

Rookie directors include David Cronenberg's son Brandon, while Jason Buxton debuts with his cyber-bullying feature "Blackbird," and Kate Melville turns the lens on a floundering high school senior in "Picture Day."

The Toronto International Film Festival runs Sept. 6 to 16.

The Canadian feature slate includes several titles that have already won accolades on the festival circuit.

Kim Nguyen's child soldier drama "Rebelle" ("War Witch") won best film and its 15-year-old star earned best actress at the Tribeca Film Festival and a special mention from the Berlin International Film Festival.

Rafael Ouellet's "Camion" earned the best director award and the Ecumenical prize at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival and "Laurence Anyways" actress Suzanne Clement won the best actress prize in the Cannes Film Festival's sidebar competition, Un Certain Regard.

Established directors also pop up in TIFF's Short Cuts Canada program, which includes 44 shorts picked from nearly 700 entries.

Charles Officer's eight-minute film "100 Musicians," centres on lovers who quarrel over what they hear on the radio while "Trailer Park Boys" creator Mike Clattenburg examines "primal urges and the power of suggestion" in the 10-minute "Crackin' Down Hard."

Meanwhile, four emerging actors will benefit from the festival's second annual "rising stars" program: Charlie Carrick ("Flashpoint," "V," "The Borgias"), Connor Jessup ("Falling Skies," "Blackbird"), Tatiana Maslany ("Grown Up Movie Star," "The Vow," "Picture Day") and Charlotte Sullivan ("The Kennedys," "Rookie Blue").

The performers will get "intensive professional development" with international casting directors, filmmakers and producers throughout the festival.

News from © The Canadian Press, 2012