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TIFF 2017 Announces More Galas and Special Presentations, Brie Larson’s “Unicorn Store” to Premiere

Brie Larson on the set of “Unicorn Store,” which will make its world premiere at TIFF 2017: Larson’s Instagram account

The Toronto International Film Festival unveiled yet another round of films and projects set to screen at its 2017 edition next month. With these new numbers, there is now a total of 20 Galas and 64 Special Presentations. Six of the 20 Galas are directed or co-directed by women, or 30 percent. The number is smaller for Special Presentations: Women helmed 13 of the 64 films, approximately 20 percent.

Among the most high-profile of the female-helmed special presentations is Brie Larson’s feature directorial debut, “Unicorn Store.” Written by Samantha McIntyre (“Married,” “People of Earth”), “Unicorn Store” stars Larson as a young woman who is invited to the store of her childhood dreams.

Of the six new galas TIFF announced today, only one is helmed by a woman: Tali Shalom-Ezer’s “My Days of Mercy.” The first film since Shalom-Ezer’s 2014 feature debut, “My Days of Mercy” stars Ellen Page (“Freeheld”) as Lucy, the daughter of a man on death row. She falls in love with Kate Mara’s (“House of Cards”) Mercy, whose family is on the other side of Lucy’s political cause.

Another notable TIFF addition is a screening of the Agnès Varda-co-directed “Faces Places” (“Visages Villages”) at the fest’s Masters Program. The Cannes l’Oeil d’Or-winning doc follows Varda and her fellow director, JR, as they make their way through rural France, photographing and interviewing the people they encounter.

All of the new projects for TIFF’s Primetime television lineup feature a female director or female showrunner. Michelle MacLaren helmed an episode of “The Deuce,” HBO’s upcoming series about the burgeoning porn industry, while Mini Kerti directed an ep of “Under Pressure,” which follows the day-to-day events of an under-equipped, understaffed hospital in Rio de Janeiro. Jantje Friese and Amy Seimetz are the respective co-showrunners of “Dark,” Netflix’s first German-language series, and Starz’s sex work drama “The Girlfriend Experience.”

TIFF will be held September 7–17, 2017. Check out the recently added women-directed and co-directed Galas, Special Presentations, and program screenings below. Lists adapted from TIFF.

Galas

“My Days of Mercy”
Tali Shalom-Ezer, USA
World Premiere

Special Presentations

“Number One” (“Numéro Une”)
Tonie Marshall, France
World Premiere

“Outside In”
Lynn Shelton, USA
World Premiere

“Radiance” (“Hikari”)
Naomi Kawase, Japan/France
North American Premiere

“Unicorn Store”
Brie Larson, USA
World Premiere

Wavelengths Features

“Caniba”
Véréna Paravel, Lucien Castaing-Taylor, France
North American Premiere

“Le fort des fous”
Narimane Mari, France/Algeria/Switzerland/Germany/Greece/Qatar
North American Premiere

TIFF Masters Program

“Faces Places” (“Visages Villages”)
Agnès Varda, JR, France
Canadian Premiere

“Our People Will Be Healed”
Alanis Obomsawin, Canada
World Premiere
*Previously announced with the Canadian feature lineup

“Zama”
Lucrecia Martel, Argentina/Brazil/Spain/France/Netherlands/Mexico/Portugal/USA
North American Premiere

Primetime Lineup

“Dark”
Germany, 2 episodes
Showrunners: Jantje Friese, Baran bo Odar
Director: Baran bo Odar
World Premiere

“The Deuce”
USA, 2 episodes
Showrunners: David Simon, George Pelecanos
Directors: Michelle MacLaren, Ernest Dickerson
Episode 1, Canadian Premiere
Episode 2, World Premiere

“The Girlfriend Experience”
Season 2, USA, 4 episodes
Showrunners and directors: Amy Seimetz, Lodge Kerrigan World Premiere

“Under Pressure”
Brazil, 2 episodes
Showrunners: Andrucha Waddington, Jorge Furtado
Directors: Andrucha Waddington, Mini Kerti
International Premiere

Contemporary World Cinema

“Alanis”
Anahí Berneri, Argentina
World Premiere

“Angels Wear White” (“Jia Nian Hua”)
Vivian Qu, China/France
North American Premiere

“Beyond Words”
Urszula Antoniak, Netherlands/Poland
World Premiere

“Good Favour”
Rebecca Daly, Ireland/Belgium/Denmark/Netherlands
World Premiere

“Looking for Oum Kulthum”
Shirin Neshat, Germany/Austria/Italy/Lebanon/Qatar
North American Premiere

“Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts” (“Marlina si Pembunuh dalam Empat Babak”)
Mouly Surya, Indonesia/France/Malaysia/Thailand
North American Premiere

“Miami”
Zaida Bergroth, Finland
International Premiere

“On Body and Soul”
Ildikó Enyedi, Hungary
North American Premiere

“Wajib”
Annemarie Jacir, Palestine/France/Germany/Colombia/Norway/Qatar/United Arab Emirates
North American Premiere

“Western”
Valeska Grisebach, Germany/Bulgaria/Austria
North American Premiere

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