"These films are our programmers’ personal favourites from other major international film festivals," said Noah Cowan, Co-Director of the Festival. "This is a wonderful opportunity for audiences to see these films for the first time in Canada, and in many instances, North America. The 20 titles out of the approximately 250 total features we’ll be programming are the cream of the festival circuit, and are among the highlights of the international cinema scene."

Masters presents North American premieres of new films from the world’s most significant filmmakers, which this year includes two award-winners from the Festival de Cannes. Winner of the Palme d’Or, L’ENFANT (Belgium/France) is directed by brothers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne (ROSETTA), and tells the story of a troubled young man who must learn to become a father to his newborn child. Michael Haneke’s CACHÉ (HIDDEN) (France/Austria/Germany/ Italy) tells the story of a man who receives videos from an anonymous source chronicling candid moments of his family’s home life.

In THE SUN (Russia/Italy/France/Switzerland), Alexander Sokurov examines events leading to the surrender of Japan during World War II and Emperor Hirohito’s renunciation of his divine status. In THREE TIMES (Taiwan), Hou Hsiao Hsien weaves together three different stories through three different time periods, exploring the nature of love and memory. MANDERLAY (Denmark/Sweden/ France/UK/Germany/Netherlands), the second film in writer-director Lars von Trier’s USA trilogy, tells the story of the Manderlay plantation and is set against the backdrop of race relations in 1930s America. Wim Wenders (PARIS, TEXAS) reunites with writer-actor Sam Shepard (PARIS, TEXAS) for DON’T COME KNOCKING (Germany/USA/ France/UK), a film about a movie star who escapes the set of his most recent Western in an attempt to reconnect with his past.

Three North American premieres were announced today in Visions, which spotlights works that enter new cinematic territory, use unconventional approaches to storytelling, and employ new technologies in distinctive ways. THE WAYWARD CLOUD (China/Taiwan/France), the latest from Tsai Ming-Liang (WHAT TIME IS IT THERE?), tells the story of a lonely young woman who returns to Taipei from France during an extreme water shortage. BE WITH ME (Singapore), from Eric Khoo (12 STOREYS), explores themes of hope and destiny through three different stories involving characters bound by their desire for love. Vimukthi Jayasundara’s THE FORSAKEN LAND (Sri Lanka/France) transports the viewer to a desolate setting where everything exists in a suspended state during a long drawn-out conflict.

Contemporary World Cinema features nine titles to date, including seven North American premieres. BATTLE IN HEAVEN (France/Belgium/Mexico), by Carlos Reygadas, tells the story of a man who struggles to come to terms with a guilty conscience after the death of a kidnapped child. Hany Abu-Assad’s PARADISE NOW (The Netherlands/Germany/France) revolves around two friends reunited to carry out a suicide bombing in Tel Aviv. IRON ISLAND (Iran), the second feature from Mohammad Rasoulof (THE TWILIGHT), tells the story of a benevolent captain presiding over the many homeless families who live on a sinking oil tanker in the Persian Gulf. Cristi Puiu’s THE DEATH OF MR. LAZARESCU (Romania) chronicles a night in the life of a lonely, dying man who seeks solace from the ambulance nurse who remains by his side. Laïla Marrakchi’s feature debut, MAROCK (France), is the tale of a beautiful young girl who fights religious and social convention in Casablanca. SHANGHAI DREAMS (China), by Wang Xiaoshuai (BEIJING BICYCLE), is a coming-of-age story about a young girl whose family was forced to relocate to Guiyang during Mao’s Cultural Revolution and whose father wants to move back to Shanghai in the 1980s. Mark Dornford-May’s CARMEN IN KHAYELITSHA (South Africa), based on the Bizet opera Carmen, is sung and spoken in Xhosa, one of South Africa’s eleven official languages.

DEAR WENDY (Denmark/Germany/France/UK), directed by Thomas Vinterberg (THE CELEBRATION) and written by Lars von Trier, explores guns and violence in American youth culture. GILANEH (Iran), co-directed by Iran’s leading female director, Rakhshan Bani-Etemad, and her long-time collaborator, Mohsen Abdolvahab, explores the suffering of an Iranian woman whose only son returns from war a helpless invalid. Both films are Canadian premieres.

Special Presentations includes two Canadian premieres to date. THUMBSUCKER (USA), the feature debut of graphic artist and music-video director Mike Mills, jocularly tells the story of a high-school teen hooked on thumbsucking who turns to medication in order to defeat his addiction. THE SQUID AND THE WHALE (USA) is the latest from writer-director Noah Baumbach (KICKING AND SCREAMING). The dramatic comedy chronicles the effects of a deteriorating marriage on the sons of a middle-aged academic and a burgeoning writer.

Special Presentations are made possible through the generous support of Cineplex Galaxy. Contemporary World Cinema is made possible through the generous support of Sun Life Financial.