TIFF has released its annual Top Ten lists of Canadian movies for 2013, highlighting the best this country has to offer in both the feature and short categories. Now in its 12th year, this year's top picks might lack some of the star power of recent lists - the presence of Denis Villeneuve notwithstanding - but there's no shortage of excellent work, which testifies to the strong state of Canadian filmmaking, and particularly the cinema of Quebec.
Although a number of these films played at TIFF this year, the Top Ten list is also a festival unto itself, which offers an opportunity to catch some of films one might have missed in September or that will ultimately prove difficult to find in theatrical release. Running for 10 days from January 3rd to 12th, Canada's Top Ten will feature screenings of the listed films as well as Q&A sessions with the filmmakers. Jake Gyllenhaal will be on hand to discuss his recent work with Villeneuve, and Jon Greyson will close out the festival in conversation with TIFF Artistic Director Cameron Bailey.
The top Canadian features of 2013
- Asphalt Watches - Shayne Ehman and Seth Scriver (Delusional Brothers)
- Enemy - Denis Villeneuve (Entertainment One Films)
- The F Word - Michael Dowse (Entertainment One Films)
- Gabrielle - Louise Archambault (Entertainment One Films)
- Rhymes for Young Ghouls - Jeff Barnaby (Entertainment One Films)
- Sarah préfère la course (Sarah Prefers to Run) - Chloé Robichaud (Les Films Seville)
- Tom à la ferme (Tom at the Farm) - Xavier Dolan (Entertainment One Films)
- Vic et Flo ont vu un ours (Vic + Flo Saw a Bear) - Denis Côté (Films We Like)
- Watermark - Jennifer Baichwal and Edward Burtynsky (Mongrel Media)
- When Jews Were Funny - Alan Zweig (KinoSmith)
The top Canadian shorts of 2013
- A Grand Canal - Johnny Ma (Maktub Films)
- Quelqu'un d'extraordinaire (An Extraordinary Person) - Monia Chokri (La Distributrice de films)
- The Chaperone 3D - Fraser Munden and Neil Rathbone
- The End of Pinky - Claire Blanchet (NFB)
- In guns we trust - Nicolas Lévesque (Travelling)
- Noah - Walter Woodman and Patrick Cederberg
- Nous avions - Stéphane Moukarzel (Travelling)
- Paradise Falls - Fantavious Fritz
- Subconscious Password - Chris Landreth (NFB)
- Yellowhead - Kevan Funk
Pricing as follows: standard screening ticket is $10 (feature film or shorts programme); purchase a six-pack for $50 and get six tickets for the price of five; tickets for In Conversation With Denis Villeneuve & Jake Gyllenhaal and In Conversation With John Greyson are $20 each; tickets to the Canada Cocktail Party are $15 for TIFF Members and $20 for public (19+. ID required).
Tickets and ticket packages for Canada's Top Ten Film Festival events at TIFF Bell Lightbox go on sale December 4 for TIFF Members and December 11 for the public. Purchase tickets online at tiff.net/topten, by phone from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET at 416.599.TIFF and 1.888.599.8433, or in person at the TIFF Bell Lightbox box office from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. ET.
Still from Enemy