International Titles Set For Short Cuts Lineup At Toronto Film Fest
Yorgos Lanthimos who directed "Nimic," a short film which makes its North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (photo by Emma Stone)
Showcasing new works from Yorgos Lanthimos, Yona Rozenkier, Teemu Nikki, Qiu Yang, Niki Lindroth von Bahr, and Chintis Lundgren
  • TORONTO
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The Toronto International Film Festival® celebrates diversity with 35 international short films rounding out its Short Cuts lineup. These titles represent over 30 countries with over 20 different languages.

“We’re thrilled to be able to showcase amazing work from the huge and diverse array of filmmakers pushing short-form cinema in bold new directions,” said Short Cuts lead programmer Jason Anderson. “In addition to being able to introduce viewers to the most incredible new talents we’ve discovered from among the 4,500 submissions the program received this year, we are very excited to welcome back many seasoned directors and animators who clearly appreciate all the possibilities and freedoms they find when working in the short format.”

“The international titles in the Short Cuts program puts a spotlight on rich stories from Nepal, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Lebanon, and many other countries that often go without screen representation,” added Short Cuts programmer Robyn Citizen. 

Program highlights include the North American premiere of Nimic, a drama by Yorgos Lanthimos starring Matt Dillon as a professional cellist whose life takes a very strange turn. Two more films by celebrated directors — whose recent features have also played the Festival — are Yona Rozenkier’s Butterflies, a warm and moving snapshot of one family’s encounter with the natural world, and Teemu Nikki’s All Inclusive, the story of a bullied man who gets a mysterious chance to even the score.

Short Cuts also includes world premieres of much-anticipated new films by American actor and filmmaker Casey Wilson (Daddio, starring Michael McKean), award-winning Swedish animator Niki Lindroth von Bahr (Something to Remember), and Ethiopian director Hiwot Admasu Getaneh (A Fool God).

Films in the Short Cuts program are eligible for the IWC Short Cuts Award for Best Film. This year’s jury includes Léo Soesanto, a Paris-based programmer and film journalist; Chelsea McMullan, a Toronto-based filmmaker; and Andrea Roa, producer of It Comes at Night, Unexpected, and Tramps.

The 44th Toronto International Film Festival runs September 5–15, 2019.

The 35 newly announced international titles screening as part of Short Cuts include:

All Cats Are Grey in the Dark Lasse Linder | Switzerland
International Premiere

All Inclusive Teemu Nikki | Finland
North American Premiere

And then the Bear Agnès Patron | France
North American Premiere

Ani Josephine Stewart-Te Whiu | New Zealand
North American Premiere

Anna Dekel Berenson | Ukraine/Israel/United Kingdom
North American Premiere

Are You Hungry? Teemu Niukkanen | Finland
World Premiere

Austral Fever Thomas Woodroffe | Chile
North American Premiere

BARAKAT Manon Nammour | Lebanon
World Premiere

Bare Trees In The Mist Rajan Kathet | Nepal
World Premiere

Butterflies Yona Rozenkier | Israel/France
North American Premiere

Daddio Casey Wilson | USA
World Premiere

Darling Saim Sadiq | Pakistan/USA
North American Premiere

Daughter Daria Kashcheeva | Czech Republic
North American Premiere

Exam Sonia K. Hadad | Iran
World Premiere

Flesh Camila Kater | Brazil/Spain
North American Premiere

A Fool God Hiwot Admasu Getaneh | France
World Premiere

Hello Ahma Siyou Tan | Singapore/USA
World Premiere

Human Nature Sverre Fredriksen | Netherlands
World Premiere

Locals Only Brent Harris | South Africa
World Premiere

Lucia En El Limbo Valentina Maurel | Belgium/France/Costa Rica
North American Premiere

The Nap (La Siesta) Federico Luis Tachella | Argentina
North American Premiere

Nimic Yorgos Lanthimos | Germany/USA/United Kingdom
North American Premiere

The Raft Sylvain Cruiziat | Germany
World Premiere

Reminiscences of the Green Revolution Dean Colin Marcial | Philippines/USA
World Premiere

Route-3 Thanasis Neofotistos | Bosnia and Herzegovina/Greece
World Premiere

Sadla Zamo Mkhwanazi | South Africa
World Premiere

She Runs Qiu Yang | China/France
North American Premiere

Something to Remember (Något att minnas) Niki Lindroth von Bahr | Sweden
World Premiere

Thirsty Nicole Delaney | USA
World Premiere

Toomas Beneath the Valley of the Wild Wolves Chintis Lundgren | Croatia/Estonia/France
North American Premiere

The Trap (Fakh) Nada Riyadh | Egypt/Germany
North American Premiere

Watermelon Juice Irene Moray | Spain
North American Premiere

Who Talks Elin Övergaard | Sweden
North American Premiere

Why Slugs Have No Legs Aline Höchli | Switzerland
World Premiere

Yandere William Laboury | France
World Premiere

Previously announced Short Cuts films include Chloé Robichaud’s Delphine, Ariane Louis-Seize’s The Depths, Joseph Amenta’s Flood, Daniel Cockburn’s God’s Nightmares, Sandra Ignagni’s Highway to Heaven, Thea Hollatz’s Hot Flash, Sofia Banzhaf’s I Am in the World as Free and Slender as a Deer on a Plain, Alexandre Dostie’s I’ll End Up in Jail, Anna Maguire’s It’s Nothing, Emilie Mannering’s Jarvik, Renuka Jeyapalan’s Life Support, Karen Chapman’s Measure, Carol Nguyen’s No Crying At The Dinner Table, Christopher Auchter’s Now is the Time, Aaron Poole’s Oracle, Theodore Ushev’s The Physics of Sorrow, Brandon Cronenberg’s Please Speak Continuously And Describe Your Experiences As They Come To You, Pier-Philippe Chevigny’s Rebel (Recrue), Asia Youngman’s This Ink Runs Deep, and Karen Moore’s Volcano.

Below is a trailer for Lanthimos' short film Nimic which will make its North American debut at the Toronto International Film Fest.

Credits:

Client MINI Production A Rekorder/Superprime/Merman/Droga5 production Yorgos Lanthimos, director/writer; Efthymis Filippou, writer; David Kolbusz, based on his idea; Adam Saward, producer; Werner Klemm, Alexis Delanque, Jaco Wilkinson, Rebecca Skinner, Michelle Ross, Dan Dickenson, Siobhan Murphy, Chris Watling, Rebecca Lewis, exec producers; Diego Garcia, DP; Jennifer Johnson, costume designer; Daniela Schneider, production designer; Dixie Chassay, casting. Editorial Trim Dominic Leung, Yorgos Mavropsaridis, ACE, editors; Polly Kemp, producer. VFX Untold Stories Alex Gabucci, VFX supervisor; George Rockliffe, VFX artist; Anthony McCaffery, head of production; Ian Berry, exec producer. Postproduction Goldcrest Robert Pizzey, colorist. Audio Wave Johnnie Burn, sound designer/re-recording mixer; Simon Carroll, sound effects editor; Rebecca Boswell, producer. Music Agency Sixtyfour Music Joe Rice, music supervisor.

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