The whimsy nature of Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Be Kind Rewind) meets the adolescent exploration of the coming-of-age genre in Microbe & Gasoline. Following two young friends that build a house on wheels in order to take a road trip across France, Gondry surprisingly downplays the potentially fantastical elements of this premise. Sure, the filmmaker indulges in a backward dream sequence and a homemade house on wheels, but even the execution of those components is decidedly restrained in comparison to Gondry’s previous effort, his arts and craftsterpiece Mood Indigo. His latest film is an enchanting, youthful romp with a truly laissez-faire attitude towards growing up.

Daniel (Ange Dargent in his feature debut), nicknamed “Microbe” by his classmates for his diminutive size (though he points out he’s not the shortest kid in school), is a social outcast frustrated by being overlooked or mistaken for a girl. He avoids the other boys in school, preferring to sketch portraits of a girl he speaks to but won’t pursue. Daniel finds kinship with the arrival of Théo (Théophile Baquet), a new boy whose souped-up bicycle and engine-repair hobby earns him the name “Gasoline” (as well as snide comments about his diesel smell). When the pair grows tired of their school and their moms, Microbe & Gasoline hatch a plan to build a portable shelter to transport themselves around the countryside for the summer. Should it be a car? Should it have a shack? Why not both?

Microbe & Gasoline is less concerned with the consequences of the boys’ actions than it is with their routes to self-discovery. As the young teens leave behind their families, the film does as well. The policemen whom Daniel and Théo worry will disapprove of their unlicensed vehicle instead want a selfie with their jalopy RV. They undertake this journey with only minor complications. Rather than condescend to its protagonists, the story embodies the boys’ budding desire for independence and treats each moment with the level of significance it has to the film’s characters. Gondry demonstrates real affection for his naively inquisitive pair, and their funny, genuine but juvenile heart-to-hearts.

Despite its eccentricities, Microbe & Gasoline can’t help but feel overly familiar at times. Like too many of these unconfident adolescent stories, Daniel’s insecurities are largely alleviated by a slight makeover and a pep talk about a girl. His mopiness isn’t as engaging as Théo’s defiant goofiness. Among somewhat recent young male-skewing escapist semi-fantasy, 2013’s The Kings of Summer more effectively conveys the annoyance of being caught between childhood and maturity. What allows both of these movies to succeed is the specificity in the characterization of its leads. In Microbe & Gasoline, Daniel and Théo are distinct, charming young men that behave like actual teenagers.

Gondry’s work can feel devoid of cynicism. The only cynical characters in his latest movie are the stifling adults who aim to get in Daniel and Théo’s way. This might be too precious for some audiences, but their exuberant adventure is often fun enough to merit the idealism. The very French Microbe & Gasoline entertainingly captures the adolescent yearning for independence from an adult regimented world.

No filmmaker could pull off adapting Boris Vian’s “unfilmable” novel better than the inventive Michel Gondry. Before the opening titles finish Gondry demonstrates his trademark whimsy and wacky production style; a chef receives ingredients through a television set, sunlight creates guitar strings, an assembly line of people rapidly finishing sentences on typewriters passing by on conveyor belts, and a doorbell that turns into a spider-like creature. You’ll be in for a long film if the opening sequence doesn’t fascinate you. Mood Indigo is an ambitious visual feast with more flair than underlying substance, ultimately becoming overwhelming by the end.

Colin (Romain Duris) is a wealthy inventor who lives in an extravagant Parisian apartment with his chef/lawyer/mentor Nicolas (Omar Sy). He cheerfully shows off his latest invention called a pianocktail, a piano that translates musical notes into a different cocktail flavors. But Colin’s mood quickly changes upon realizing the one thing missing from his life is love. Suddenly he decides his solitude is absolutely dreadful and demands to fall in love. So he sets out to accomplish just that.

At a dinner party, Colin instantly falls in love with a “girl like a Duke Ellington tune” named Chloe, played by the dashing Audrey Tautou. After wooing her by dancing the biglemoi, a jazzy dance in which the dancer’s legs stretch to impossible proportions, Colin decides to take her hand in marriage. But shortly after they do, Chloe begins to have fainting spells caused by a flower growing inside her lungs.

The amount of creative visual flair found in Mood Indigo is second to none. Gondry creates a fantasy dream world where underground forests exist along with a pair of shoes that have a mind of their own and shadows that can chase after you. One of the most memorable scenes is when the couple happily float above Paris in a cloud ride operated by a large crane (a literal expression of the phrase ‘floating on a cloud’). Gondry also shows off his technical skills. In an impressive honeymoon sequence, he implements a split-screen to divide the same shot where it’s raining on one side and sunny on the other. The contrast between the weather signifies change as the second half of Mood Indigo gets a little dark. Well, dark for a Gondry film anyways. Gloom visually settles in when the color of everything fades to monochrome and walls literally shrink to close in on characters.

While it’s a pleasure to marvel at these visuals, they eventually grow tiresome by the end of the two-hour film (note: Gondry did re-edit the film for the US release which cuts out about 30 minutes). That’s because almost every scene has something animating, morphing, or twitching. It simply becomes overstimulating. Also, the stop-motion animation adds charm and visual flair but rarely offers meaningful substance to the scene.

The biggest issue with Mood Indigo is not being able to balance the wildly imaginative cinematography with meaningful storytelling. Sometimes the film is weird just to be weird—a feat that Gondry has mastered — resulting in more fluff than essential moments. It’s hard to put all the blame on Gondry (he did adapt the story from a highly experimental novel), but none of the emotional notes were felt between the two leads despite solid performances from both. Mood Indigo has breathtaking imagery and heaps of whimsical charm, but is often exhausting at the same time.

Renowned filmmaker Michel Gondry has an animated (I say that both figuratively and literally) conversation with the famous linguist, philosopher, and political activist Noam Chomsky. Is the Man Who Is Tall Happy? takes an unorthodox approach by presenting the documentary almost entirely through animations; utilizing Gondry’s artistic imagination and skills. Described in the documentary as “the most important thinker alive”, many would agree that Chomsky’s brainpower is the equivalent to the creative talent Gondry possess. Both of these people are the masters of their craft, so it becomes a magical work of art when these two titans sit down to collaborate.

The documentary wastes no time on introductions as Gondry jumps right on in with picking Noam Chomsky’s brain. Some of the topics of discussion are how infants learn language, growing up in an progressive schooling environment, the idea of inspiration, and many other complex theories of our world. Because Chomsky is a linguistic mastermind, much of the documentary explores the origins and interpretations of our language. Coincidentally (or perhaps not), this conversation about language is between two people who do not even speak the same native dialect, which makes for an intriguing dynamic to witness.

One of the many fascinating anecdotes from Chomsky is on the importance of questioning the obvious things in life. He explains for thousands of years people just accepted that a ball fell to the ground because that was its natural place. It was not until we began to question why objects move that way that we actually learned about concepts like gravity. A compelling argument is made that without questioning what you taught you end up just becoming a copy of someone else’s mind.

Listening to Chomsky speak is much like listening in on a college lecture; incredibly insightful but absolutely crammed with information. So it is a relief when Gondry provides quick asides once in a while to give the viewer a break from the onslaught of information. At one point he deliberately cuts from Chomsky’s tangent to provide a summarization of what Chomsky went on to say—claiming the reason for doing so was because he was not able to come up with creative animations for it—but I do not buy it. A more subtle break is given when Gondry is not able to pronounce a word in his question without the help of a translator (he is French after all), which is something that could have been edited out of the documentary but wisely leaves in and serves as a welcoming disruption.

In fact, one of the best sequences of the documentary is when it suddenly pauses to interrupt itself after Chomsky and Gondry do not see eye-to-eye on a topic. The filmmaker believes his heavy accent and misuse of words muddled the point he was trying to make. So through editing Gondry gives himself a second chance to make his point more clear than it was during the interview. This self-aware effect is both humbling when the filmmaker admits to feeling stupid for the confusion, and at the same time gives the documentary personal charm.

The visual animations are equally as impressive as the actual conversations. Not only do the animations provide visual stimulation and showoff Gondry’s wonderful imagination, but they serve a purpose to illustrate abstract concepts that are being discussed. Furthermore, they act as graphical subtitles for Gondry’s acknowledged heavy accent that is difficult to decipher.

If you ever need to be reminded of your intellectual inferiority, Is the Man Who Is Tall Happy? is the perfect watch. The result of the documentary is every bit as artfully creative and mind-bendingly perplexing as you would expect from the two involved. But despite all of that, Is the Man Who Is Tall Happy? is not perfect. Often times Chomsky will answer the question he wanted to be asked instead of the answering the question that was actually asked. And even though his thoughts are downright fascinating, he tends to get off-track, making topics more convoluted than they were to begin with. Gondry proves his interview skills are not on par with his artistic abilities when his questions fall flat or disregarded all together. This is a documentary that will exercise your mind as well as your patience, however, you will be rewarded with an unique experience of enlightenment.

Watch the Is the Man Who Is Tall Happy? trailer:

High schoolers are at the most vulnerable and volatile stage in life, teetering on the precipice of adulthood. Full of insecurity, they cling to each other to form cliques in fear that they might be judged by others. They make fun so as not to get made fun of. But these groups are quick to sever allegiances once they begin to judge each other. It’s a chaotic game of ranks and hierarchy that results in broken friendships, devastating break-ups, playful flirtation, and constant self-discovery. Cram all of that crazy drama and hormones into a crowded city bus in the Bronx, and you’ve got The We and the I. Is it the glorious high-concept experimental film it should be? At times, yes, it is. But on the whole, the film is as wandering and confused as its teenage subjects. However, also like its subjects, it knows how to have a great time and talks that shit with the best of ‘em.

For The We and the I, director Michel Gondry (Be Kind Rewind, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) cast a group of teenagers from the Bronx, all first time actors. He collaborated with them over two years and created a story in which they all essentially play themselves and bring their real-life experiences into the film. As the fictional BX66 bus rolls through the city on the last day of high school, the hierarchy of the wise-cracking little devils shifts and evolves as passengers come and go, fight and make up, tease and taunt. As the daylight burns away, so do the students’ facades; the dynamics of the bus become quieter, more somber, and more intimate, revealing their true character.

The story is told as a series of moments, some hilarious, some melodramatic, and some poignant. The problem is, though the scenes work wonderfully on their own, they don’t quite gel as a whole. While the chaotic atmosphere Gondry creates is appreciated, incessant tonal shifts in the story become a little jarring. There are several subplots going on simultaneously with different kids on the bus, and he bounces around between them wildly. He challenged himself with a difficult juggling act, and while it’s far from a disaster, it sure ain’t smooth sailing.

The good news is that the scenes work well in the moment. There’s a kinetic energy to the filmmaking, and a lot of that is due to the cast. The inexperience of the actors helps add to the rawness and realism of the scenes. It’s fun to watch these kids shoot the shit with each other, and that’s a hard thing to pull off in movies, even with experienced actors. When the three boys who play tyrants at the back of the bus terrorize the smaller, geekier kids, it feels organic and unscripted. In the film’s most dramatic and intense scene, a gay couple discusses the damaging turn their relationship has taken as of late. The emotion feels real here, and it should; the boys were romantically linked behind the scenes, so the pain they feel on camera is very real.

While The We and the I is visually more grounded in reality than most of Gondry’s famous works, it’s still incredibly colorful and striking. Virtually the entirety of the film takes place inside the bus, with the illusion of real time. He finds a way to make the cramped environment always look interesting, sometimes even finding inventive ways to inject his signature whimsical flourishes. The soundtrack is a bangin’ throwback to the 80’s, with hip-hop tracks that recall a time when the genre was all about bright colors, ridiculous outfits, and having a good time.

The We and the I is part experiment, part hang-out movie, and part coming of age story. Visually, Gondry is as wildly successful as ever, and the actors put on great performances across the board. There are moments of greatness throughout, but the erratic storytelling makes for a bumpy ride (no pun intended.) What’s missing here is a more clearly defined narrative or thematic through-line. Even with its issues, The We and the I is a funny and entertaining film with a loudmouthed, youthful spirit.

The lineup at this year’s SF IndieFest was unbelievably strong; I anticipated that there would be at least a few certified duds, but that wasn’t the case. Though I didn’t love every film, each had its unique voice, ambition, and spirit. From the lowest-budget short to the most polished full-length feature, they all offered a brand new experience. This made making my list of ten favorite films very difficult. I connected with many, many films at the festival, but these ten are the ones that I felt compelled to champion the most.

Top 10 Films from SF IndieFest

#1 Simon Killer

The thing about Simon Killer is, it’s a difficult movie to digest, but in the best way possible. The teeth-grinding level of discomfort Antonio Campos and Brady Corbet are able to achieve in Simon Killer resonated with me more than anything else at the festival. Corbet finds a way to make Simon both magnetic and repulsive, and Campos captures Paris at its most deeply colorful and richly textured. Pound for pound, my favorite movie of the festival.

Remember to keep it tuned in to Way Too Indie in April for our full review of Simon Killer and our interview with director Antonio Campos.

#2 Be Good

Though not as flashy as Simon Killer, Todd Looby’s Be Good also finds its protagonist going through alarming mental transformations that surprise even him. Be Good will break your heart stealthily, little by little. Joe Swanberg’s All the Light in the Sky does the same and shares the same naturalistic tone, but when it comes to picking my personal favorites of the festival, Be Good just hits closer to home. Every moment in this movie feels earned, and Looby’s characters are handled with care. It’s the type of movie that just might teach you something about yourself by the time the credits roll.

#3 I Declare War

There were more than a few movies at this year’s festival that evoked feelings of nostalgia, but I Declare War recalls an era of movies (The Goonies, Stand by Me) that I just happened to grow up with. The kids playing their supposedly innocent ‘game’ quickly realize that their heated prepubescent emotions are too powerful to contain. The child actors’ performances are beyond impressive, and the film’s intensity and stakes are consistently high throughout the running time.

#4 The Legend of Kaspar Hauser

‘Strange’ does not begin to describe this movie. To attempt to describe what ‘happens’ in The Legend of Kaspar Hauser would be to betray it. It’s a visually and sonically stimulating film that rubs you in a way that no other film can. It will make you laugh, squirm, headbang, ponder, gag, yadda yadda yadda. You just…you just need to watch it. It’s absolutely nuts… in a good way.

#5 Antiviral

Brandon Cronenberg’s Antiviral serves as a showcase for its gifted lead actor, Caleb Landry Jones, much like two other films at the festival, Simon Killer and The Story of Luke. What sets Jones’ performance apart from the other two is his spine-chilling physical transformation. Cronenberg’s imaginative and haunting imagery are as arresting as his fathers’, but Jones makes use of every bit of his body to burn the images of his painful deterioration into our minds.

#6 All the Light in the Sky

Films are best when they act as a mirror, illuminating our darkest fears and forcing us to confront them. As Jane Adams, as Marie, fights internally to find her place in this gigantic world, we realize that she’s fighting something we all must all face sooner or later. Nobody has captured the 21st century adult on film quite like Joe Swanberg, and he delivers another stunning time-capsule work of art with All the Light in the Sky.

#7 The Story of Luke

Of all the characters I’ve encountered in the many films at SF Indiefest, The Story of Luke is the one I hold nearest to my heart. The attachment you feel for Luke and his quest for love is inescapable, mostly due to Lou Taylor Pucci’s spot-on performance. The powerful message of acceptance and love The Story of Luke delivers is one that fit the spirit of SF Indiefest and the great city of San Francisco like a glove.

#8 The We and the I

Leading up to the opening night screening of Michel Gondry’s The We and the I, the thing I was most looking forward to was just how innovative Gondry would get with his camera in the super-enclosed space that is a city bus. Just how many interesting camera angles could he find? The answer? It doesn’t matter. Gondry does use his camera in interesting ways, but what makes this film special are the ever-changing dynamics of the loud-mouthed, quick-witted, unfiltered characters that occupy the bus.

#9 The Ghastly Love of Johnny X

Watching this film in 35mm at The Roxie was one of the cornerstones of my incredible SF Indiefest experience. Having the director, Paul Bunnell, and the cast there, the energetic crowd, the buttery popcorn, the technical difficulties; these things all added up to an unforgettable night at the movies, which is what SF Indiefest is all about.

#10 Funeral Kings

The ultra-vulgar kids in Funeral Kings remind me of myself as an awkward teenager. I chuckled at how much of myself I saw in these characters in their pursuit of attention, validation, and sex. To see them chase after girls and sneak around their parents’ houses in the middle of the night was like a blast from the past. Like I Declare War, Funeral Kings features some incredible performances by young actors. The attitude these kids exude is authentic, and nothing about their performances feels forced.

As a native of the San Francisco Bay Area and a humble film lover, I am almost ashamed to say that this year’s SF Indiefest, which is celebrating its 15 year anniversary, is my first. After researching the history of the festival and sampling some of the films on deck, my expectations for the two-week-long indie-film celebration were sky high. The lineup of films for this year’s festival made me incredibly excited, and the off-the-wall parties SF Indiefest is known for had me anxious to dive in to the festivities. After the opening night screening of Michel Gondry’s fantastic The We and the I and the super-fun “Quinceanera” after party, I’m happy to say that my first SF Indiefest experience has gotten off to a wonderful start.

As I walked in to the charming Brava Theater, I immediately felt the strong sense of acceptance and community that San Francisco is known for. People ducking into the theater out of the cold rain were greeted with friendly handshakes, big hugs, kisses, laughter, and smiles that kept everybody warm. Everybody I spoke to was openly excited about Gondry’s film and the festival in general. As we took our seats, Sf Indiefest founder Jeff Ross took the stage to welcome us and thank the community for embracing the festival for 15 years. I was happy to be there to support what is a very special event.

The We and the I

After Mr. Ross’ introduction, we were plopped on a city bus in the Bronx with rowdy high-schoolers on their last day of school in Michel Gondry’s The We and the I. The film takes place inside the bus as we observe the teenagers’ relationships evolve as they roll through the city. It’s fascinating to watch the dynamics shift as passengers come and go, argue and reconcile. Gondry has fun with his camera in the tight space, and he finds a way to inject his signature whimsical flourishes while keeping the film grounded in reality. One of the best “hang-out” films I’ve seen in years. (Full review to follow)

After the film, we moved from the theater into the lobby where we celebrated the festival’s Quinceanera. Everybody shared more hugging and smiles, drank beer, ate cake, and had an all-around great time. Next up, we were drawn back into the theater by the driving, gritty music of Oakland’s Ghost Town Gospel who were joined by Boyd Tinsley of Dave Matthews Band.

My first San Francisco Indiefest experience could not have gotten off to a better start, and we’ll have more coverage of the festival in the coming days.

I will begin by saying, this is a must see film; an absolute must see film. If you’re confused by my recommendation on your first viewing of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, then watch it again, but this time – really see it. Follow every line, and understand every visual, take it all in and let the film run away with your mind. Eternal Sunshine is without a doubt an extremely polished film that delivers on all fronts; it ticks all the boxes.

The storyline is complex and totally far fetched, but is utterly unique and something very beautiful. Joel Parish (Jim Carrey) is an ordinary guy with an ordinary existence. When we’re first introduced to his character he starts the day off with the aim of going to work, but whilst waiting for the train, something out of the ordinary happens to Joel; he runs across the platform and jumps on a train to Montauk – a completely spontaneous act. Whilst Joel walks across Montauk beach he sees a girl with an orange sweatshirt on, also walking along the sand. Clementine Kruczynski (Kate Winslet) introduces herself on the train and that is where their story begins or so you would believe.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is anything but ordinary. The film takes you down so many different visual paths that you find it difficult to place each scene. You find yourself understanding Joel’s anger towards what has happened in his life but you also feel the pain of his past when he’s confronted by his memories. Early on Joel decides to undergo a ‘new-age’ therapy that will eliminate all the memories that cause him pain and betrayal he felt during his relationship with Clementine; we find out soon enough that he regrets this decision.

Clementine is a character that can be defined by her own words “Too many guys think I’m a concept, or I complete them, or I’m gonna make them alive. But I’m just a fucked-up girl who’s lookin’ for my own peace of mind; don’t assign me yours.” This speech she gives to Joel is one of the most realistic and direct definition of what women like Clementine are portrayed as through film. She doesn’t pretend to be another ‘Ruby Sparks’ or ‘Allison’ (from Yes Man! also starring Jim Carrey) – she isn’t the girl that breathes life back into the empty chests of men without colour or direction to the world they live in. Clementine is simply a girl who makes mistakes and is looking for some direction of her own.

Opposites surely do attract in Eternal Sunshine. Joel is “boring” and Clementine, “impulsive” – quite a clash in terms of the chemistry within a relationship. Due to their conflicting personalities, harsh realisations are made apparent and the couple are left to deal with the emotions that are brought to the surface. During the course of the film we get to see both sides of their relationship through various memories Joel is reliving. Through this we get to see the good, the bad and the downright ugly; yet when their relationship is good, it’s beautiful. A memorable scene that demonstrates this is when Clementine describes a deep rooted childhood memory to Joel, from where she first decided she was ugly; Joel begins kissing her and tells her she’s pretty over and over again until they fade into a new memory. With fantastic use of cinematography, the director (Michel Gondry) and the DOP (Ellen Kuras) produced phenomenal shots and scenes (including the one just described) by using light, colour and intense intimacy between the subjects, they bought to life the powerful emotion of each memory. This is outstanding filmmaking.

This said, I must also give credit to Carrey and Winslet for their performances as both were out of their comfort zones. Carrey, more known for his humour and comedic roles and Winslet for her super serious Britishness – both delivered fresh and very realistic portrayals of what two people in a dysfunctional relationship are like and how they survive through the love and understanding they share for one and other. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is a breath of fresh air when it comes to on screen romance and I rate it highly among the films I adore.

The Toronto International Film Festival has announced more titles today in six of their programmes. After last week’s announcement of Galas and Special Presentations, TIFF has revealed the line-ups for TIFF Docs, City to City, Midnight Madness, TIFF Kids, TIFF Cinematheque, and Vanguard today.

The Midnight Madness programme is dedicated to showing off some of the world’s wildest new films. This year’s selections include opening film Dredd 3D starring Karl Urban, Seven Psychopaths starring Colin Farrell and The ABCs of Death, the anthology horror film with 26 directors each making a short about a letter of the alphabet. This is also the first year Midnight Madness will have at least one of their films in 3D.

The City to City program was created in 2009 to profile cities around the world with new, exciting filmmakers. This year’s selection is Mumbai which joins the list of other cities chosen for the program including Tel Aviv, Istanbul and Buenos Aires.

TIFF Docs, formerly caled Real to Reel, focuses on documentaries from around the world. Plenty of major documentaries have premiered at TIFF including last year’s Best Documentary winner Undefeated. This year some of the documentaries playing include new works by Ken Burns and Alex Gibney. The festival also revealed documentaries that will be playing in their Wavelengths and Masters programmes.

The Vanguard programme focuses on new, original, provocative and boundary-pushing films. Some titles included in the Vanguard line-up this year include the remake of Nicolas Winding Refn`s Pusher and Sightseers, director Ben Wheatley`s (Kill List, Down Terrace) new film.

TIFF Kids is dedicated to programming children`s films at the festival. Two of the more high-profile titles playing this year are Finding Nemo 3D and Hotel Transylvania.

TIFF Cinematheque is a new programme this year that shows classic films restores. Titles this year include Alfred Hitchcock`s Dial M for Murder and a new 4K restoration of Roman Polanski`s Tess.

The list of all the titles announced today are below. Way Too Indie will be covering the Toronto International Film Festival this year which runs from September 6 – 16th. To find out more information about the festival go to www.tiff.net/thefestival

Midnight Madness:
Dredd 3D – (Pete Travis) (Opening Film)
Seven Psychopaths – (Martin McDonagh)
No One Lives – (Ryuhei Kitamura)
Hellbenders 3D – (JT Petty)
The Lords of Salem – (Rob Zombie)
Aftershock – (Nicolas Lopez)
The Bay – (Barry Levinson)
Come Out and Play – (Makinov)
The ABCs of Death – (Various)
John Dies at the End – (Don Coscarelli)

City to City:
The Bright Day – (Mohit Takalkar)
Gangs of Wasseypur – Part One – (Anurag Kashyap)
Gangs of Wasseypur – Part Two – (Anurag Kashyap)
Ishaqzaade – (Habib Faisal)
Miss Lovely – (Ashim Ahluwalia)
Mumbai’s King – (Manjeet Singh)
Peddlers – (Vasan Bala)
Shahid – (Hansal Mehta)
Shanghai – (Dibakar Banerjee)
Ship of Theseus – (Anand Gandhi)

TIFF Documentaries:
9.79* – (Daniel Gordon)
Artifact – (Bartholomew Cubbins)
A World Not Ours – (Mahdi Fleifel)
The Act of Killing – (Joshua Oppenheimer)
As if We Were Catching a Cobra – (Hala Alabdalla)
Camp 14 — Total Control Zone – (Marc Wiese)
The Central Park Five – (Ken Burns, David McMahon and Sarah Burns)
Far Out Isn’t Far Enough: The Tomi Ungerer Story – (Brad Bernstein)
Fidaï – (Damien Ounouri)
First Comes Love – (Nina Davenport)
The Gatekeepers – (Dror Moreh)
The Girl from the South – (José Luis García)
How to Make Money Selling Drugs – (Matthew Cooke)
Iceberg Slim: Portrait of a Pimp – (Jorge Hinojosa)
London – The Modern Babylon – (Julien Temple)
Lunarcy! – (Simon Ennis)
Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God – (Alex Gibney)
Men At Lunch – (Seán Ó Cualáin)
More Than Honey – (Markus Imhoof)
No Place on Earth – (Janet Tobias)
Reincarnated – (Andrew Capper)
Roman Polanski: Odd Man Out – (Marina Zenovich)
The Secret Disco Revolution – (Jamie Kastner)
Shepard & Dark – (Treva Wurmfeld)
Show Stopper: The Theatrical Life of Garth Drabinsky – (Barry Avrich)
State 194 – (Dan Setton)
Storm Surfers 3D – (Christopher Nelius and Justin McMillan)
The Walls of Dakar – (Abdoul Aziz Cissé)

Wavelengths:
Bestiaire – (Denis Côté)

Masters:
The End of Time – (Peter Mettler)

TIFF Kids:
Ernest & Célestine – (Benjamin Renner, Vincent Patar, Stéphane Aubier)
Finding Nemo 3D – (Andrew Stanton, Lee Unkrich)
Hotel Transylvania – (Genndy Tartakovsky)
Igor & the Cranes’ Journey – (Evgeny Ruman)

TIFF Cinematheque:
The Bitter Ash – (Larry Kentz)
The Cloud Capped Star – (Ritwik Ghatak)
Dial M for Murder – (Alfred Hitchcock)
Loin du Viêtnam – (Joris Ivens, William Klein, Claude Lelouch, Agnès Varda, Jean-Luc Godard, Chris Marker, Alain Resnais)
Stromboli – (Roberto Rossellini)
Tess – (Roman Polanski)

TIFF Vanguard:
90 Minutes – (Eva Sørhaug)
Beijing Flickers – (Zhang Yuan)
Berberian Sound Studio – (Peter Strickland)
Blondie – (Jesper Ganslandt)
Here Comes the Devil – (Adrian Garcia Bogliano)
iLL Manors – (Ben Drew)
Motorway – (Soi Cheang)
Painless – (Juan Carlos Medina)
Peaches Does Herself – (Peaches)
Pusher – (Luis Prieto)
Room 237 – (Rodney Ascher)
Sightseers – (Ben Wheatley)
Thale – (Aleksander Nordaas)
The We and the I – (Michel Gondry)

David Lynch fans rejoice, soon there will be nearly an hour of deleted scenes from Blue Velvet. Deleted scenes from the cult classic 1986 noir Blue Velvet were found on the blu-ray edition of the film but have recently made their way to YouTube. [Dangerous Minds]

Penelope Cruz has been confirmed for upcoming Ridley Scott and Pedro Almodovar films. Her extensive previous work with director Pedro Almodovar makes the news less surprising but still welcoming. The name of the film will be called Standby Lovers. She will join the cast of Ridley Scott’s The Counselor which is comprised of huge names including Michael Fassbender, Brad Pitt, Cameron Diaz, and Javier Bardem. [The Playlist]

Images from Michel Gondry’s upcoming French production Mood Indigo surfaced this week. Audrey Tatou (Amelie) will be the lead in the adaptation of Boris Vian’s 1947 novel Froth On The Daydream. The stills definitely appear to have Gondry’s creative touch to them. [Twitch]

Philip Seymour Hoffman goes agentless after leaving Paradigm after 18 years with the agency. Aside from appearing Paul Thomas Anderson’s The Master he just finished a role which director Mike Nichols has said may be the most taxing stage role on an actor. [Deadline]

Rumors have been circling that Emma Watson and Ray Winstone could star in Darren Aronofsky’s Biblical epic Noah. According to Deadline Ray Winstone may get a villain role in the film to go opposite of Russell Crowe. Emma Watson is apparently in talks to play Ila, a young woman who befriends Noah’s son, Shem. [Deadline]

The special animated companion to Moonrise Kingdom is now available to watch online for free. This Wes Anderson animated short does not contain any spoilers to Moonrise Kingdom therefore do not be hesitant to watch it if you have not seen the film yet. [EW]

The female cast from Your Sisters Sister sat down for an interview with Coming Soon to talk about the process of developing characters and how much of the film was improvised. One of the most amazing facts is that the entire crew for the film was only 16 people (and the film was shot in just 12 days). The whole interview is worth reading and if you haven’t read our review of Your Sisters Sister check it out now. [Coming Soon]