CITY OF WIND
dir. Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir | Mongolia/France
Venice Orizzonti & TIFF Centerpiece – World Premiere at Venice
A spiritual shaman is the most respected person in the community, the one who everyone depends on when in need of moral and spiritual guidance. What happens when that Shaman is a 17-year-old high school student who must balance his profound Spiritual responsibilities while also juggling another life – that of a high school student – working hard to success in the cold, callous society of modern Mongolia. Introducing Ze, 17-year-old wunderkind Mongolian Shaman…
Writer/Director: Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir
Producers: Katia Khazak, Charlotte Vincent
Cast: Tergel Bold-Erdene, Nomin-Erdene Ariunbyamba, Tsend-Ayush Nyamsuren, Ganzorig Tsetsgee, Bulgan Chuluunbat
RT: 103 min
ESTONIA
dirs. Måns Månsson, Juuso Syrjä | Finland, Sweden, Estonia
TIFF Primetime – World Premiere
September 27, 1994, the cruise ferry MS Estonia departed Tallinn with nearly 1000 people on board. Suddenly and unexpectedly a major storm hits leading the shit ino uncontrolled tilting. Within one hour, the MS Estonia sank in the Finnish waters of the Baltic Sea, claiming more than 850 lives and becoming the deadliest maritime disaster in European history. A joint investigation between Estonia, Finland, and Sweden was convened to bring the causes of the tragic event to light.
The powerful series shines a light on the life-shattering accident and the international investigation that followed, delivering intriguing insights about the conflicts, lies, and conspiracy theories that came to light once the confidentiality agreement signed by all investigators and authorities ended in 2019.
The 8-part series is created by Miikko Oikkonen (Bordertown, Helsinki Syndrome) and helmed by award-winning Swedish director Måns Månsson (Snabba Cash, Chernobyl) and Juuso Syrjä (Bordertown).
Directors: Måns Månsson, Juuso Syrjä
Showrunner: Miikko Oikkonen
Writers: Miikko Oikkonen, Olli Suitiala, Tuomas Hakola
Cinematography: JP Passi
Producers: Matti Halonen, Johannes Lassila
Cast: Pelle Heikkilä, Doris Tislar, Katia Winter, Jussi Nikkilä, Peter Andersson, Arndt Schwering-Sohnrey.
HOLIDAY
dir. Edoardo Gabbriellini | Italy, TIFF Centerpiece – World Premiere
During the height of the summer vacation on the Italian Riviera, a small tourist hotel plays host to not only enthusiastic vacationers but also to 20-year-old Veronica, who has recently been released from prison. After being accused of murdering her mother and her mother’s married lover, Veronica must endure the judgments of both the National and Local Press, as well as those of everyone she encounters in this small tourist town. Although she has been acquitted, her openly turbulent relationship with her youth-obsessed mother convinces very few of her innocence. The only two people in Veronica’s life who believe her are her loving father and her best friend, Giada. Or do they?
Director: Edoardo Gabbriellini
Screenplay: Carlo Salsa, Edoardo Gabbriellini
Producers: Olivia Musini, Lorenzo Mieli, Luca Guadagnino
Cast: Margherita Corradi, Georgia Frank, Alessando Tedeschi, Alice Arcuri, Alessia Giuliani
RT: 102 min
I TOLD YOU SO
dir. Ginevra Elkann | Italy, TIFF Platform – World Premiere
Starring: Marisa Borini, Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, Valeria Golino, Danny Huston, Sofia Panizzi, Alba Rohrwacher, Greta Scacchi and Riccardo Scamarcio.
Ginevra Elkann’s I Told You So is a star-studded romp through Rome amid an unprecedented heat wave that increasingly melts — and melds — the lives of a group of individuals, each on the brink of insanity.
Director: Ginevra Elkann
Screenplay: Elkann, Chiara Barzini and Ilaria Bernardini
Producer: Lorenzo Mieli
Cast: Marisa Borini, Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, Valeria Golino, Danny Huston, Sofia Panizzi, Alba Rohrwacher, Greta Scacchi, and Riccardo Scamarcio
RT: 102 min
SOLITUDE
dir. Ninna Pálmadóttir | Iceland/Slovakia/France
TIFF Discovery – World Premiere
A cross-generational friendship provides some solace to two lonely misfits in Icelandic filmmaker Ninna Pálmadóttir’s endearing and richly nuanced first feature.
As the sole resident of a weather-beaten farm in rural Iceland, the taciturn man at the centre of Ninna Pálmadóttir’s first feature certainly seems like he could use a friend. But, as becomes clear in the gruff exchange in one of Solitude’s early scenes, Gunnar (Þröstur Leó Gunnarsson) may have been alone for too long to necessarily understand the delicacies of social interaction. He’s equally flummoxed by the news that his land has been expropriated by the government, requiring him to leave the only home he’s known.
After relocating to the city, Gunnar tentatively begins a new life in a new apartment. But his isolation seems nearly as acute — or at least it does until his initially ill-tempered dealings with his neighbour, Ari (Hermann Samúelsson) evolve into a friendship. The fact that the middle-aged Gunnar’s new pal is all of 10 years old means their connection is bound to elicit apprehension and suspicion.
Yet what makes Pálmadóttir’s film so special and moving is how powerfully it conveys the value of this bond. Working from a screenplay by filmmaker Rúnar Rúnarsson — whose features Volcano (11) and Sparrow (15) both played the Festival — Pálmadóttir imbues her film with the same warmth, nuance, and sensitivity that distinguished her short films.
In a manner that feels endearingly modest yet quietly profound, Solitude celebrates the comfort and solace that an unexpected connection can provide, especially for two lonely misfits who could do with a little (or a lot) more kindness in their lives.
Director: Ninna Pálmadóttir
Screenplay: Rúnar Rúnarsson (VOLCANO – 2011, SPARROWS – 2015, and ECHO – 2019)
Cinematography: Dusan Husár
Producers: Hlín Jóhannesdóttir, Lilja Ósk Snorradóttir
Cast: Thröstur Leó Gunnarsson, Hermann Samúelsson, Anna Gunndís Gudmundsdóttir, Hjörtur Jóhann Jónsson
