According to TIFF's visual programming director Yoshihiko Yatabe, the semiofficial theme for this year's festival is "People on the Edge." They may be pursued, stuck in a rut, in dire trouble or just plain confused, but their stories are some of the most compelling at this years festival. These films are coming out of countries that aren't known for their thriving film industries — places such as Colombia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria and the Philippines. The global economy has spawned some interesting byproducts and these examples of budding film scenes in countries famed for unrest and repression are among the festival's happy surprises.
1. Los Hongos
Directed by Colombia's Oscar Ruiz Navia, this offers a window on an area of Colombia's urban youth culture that has not been infiltrated by drugs and violence, as two boys — a skateboarder and graffiti artist — decide to take part in a guerrilla-painting event. The whole film is tinged with a warm American-indie kind of feeling, the type of vibe that calls for a cup of artisanal coffee.