
Program: Special Presentation
Distributor: Oscilloscope Laboratories
Directed by: Matteo Garrone
Written by: Maurizio Braucci, Ugo Chiti, Massimo Gaudioso, Matteo Garrone
Starring: Aniello Arena , Loredana Simioli, Nando Paone, Nello Iorio, Nunzia Schiano
Synopsis: Matteo Garrone follows his 2008 Mafia epic Gomorrah with this scathing satire of Italy's post-Berlusconian obsession with celebrity, in which a charismatic Neapolitan family man overhauls his entire life under the deluded belief that he is destined for reality-TV stardom.
Why it's noteworthy: This one's tricky because the only people really singing its praises out of Cannes were the Jury, which awarded it with its equivalent of a silver medal. But whether you fall in line with them or the less-than-enthusiastic critics, no one who has seen Gomorrah can deny Garrone's talent. And for those who haven't seen it yet, what are you waiting for?

Program: TIFF Docs
Distributor: N/A
Directed by: Markus Imhoof
Written by: Markus Imhoof
Synopsis: With dazzling nature photography, Academy Award®–nominated director Markus Imhoof (The Boat is Full) takes a global examination of endangered honeybees — spanning California, Switzerland, China and Australia — more ambitious than any previous work on the topic.
Why it's noteworthy: I'm a real sucker for any sort of environmental activist doc, so a film that will hopefully educate the public about the surprisingly scary and woefully underreported honeybee crisis is as close to a must-watch as this festival has to offer.

Program: TIFF Docs
Distributor: N/A
Directed by: Joshua Oppenheimer, Anonymous, Christine Cynn
Written by: Joshua Oppenheimer
Synopsis: In this chilling and inventive documentary, executive produced by Errol Morris, the unrepentant former members of Indonesian death squads are challenged to re-enact some of their many murders in the style of the American movies they love.
Why it's noteworthy: Though I wasn't too keen on Clio Barnard's The Arbor, arguably last year's most experimental documentary, I get the sense this film—produced by Errol Morris...never a bad thing—will succeed in telling a true story in a wholly original way. Either that or it will be an epic disaster.

Program: Special Presentation
Distributor: Entertainment One Films
Directed by: Yaron Zilberman
Written by: Seth Grossman, Yaron Zilberman
Starring: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Mark Ivanir, Imogen Poots, Christopher Walken, Catherine Keener
Synopsis: A powerhouse cast — Christopher Walken, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Catherine Keener and Mark Ivanir — brings vivid life to Yaron Zilberman's engrossing drama about an illustrious string quartet, whose quarter-century anniversary precipitates a tempestuous (and potentially explosive) release of repressed feelings, long-held resentments and painful betrayals.
Why it's noteworthy: If this one had a bigger studio behind it, I have no doubt it'd be in the thick of the Oscar conversation, especially in the acting categories. Just look at that cast! Sounds like a real showcase for some brilliant performers.

Program: Gala
Distributor: The Weinstein Company
Directed by: David O. Russell
Written by: David O. Russell
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Bradley Cooper, Julia Stiles, Jacki Weaver
Synopsis: Bradley Cooper, Robert De Niro, Julia Stiles and Jennifer Lawrence star in this acerbic comedy-drama from David O. Russell (Three Kings, The Fighter), about a former high-school teacher who returns to his family home after four years in a mental institution and begins to slowly rebuild his life.
Why it's noteworthy: Silver Linings Playbook is David O. Russell's follow-up to the critically acclaimed, award-winning The Fighter. Though that film underwhelmed me some, Russell's films are always worth a watch, and Jennifer Lawrence, I suspect, will be right in the thick of the it this awards season.

Program: Special Presentation
Distributor: Focus Features
Directed by: Joe Wright
Written by: Tom Stoppard
Starring: Keira Knightley, Jude Law, Aaron Taylor-Johnson
Synopsis: Keira Knightley re-teams with director Joe Wright (Atonement) for this visionary adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's classic novel about a society woman torn between loyalty to her husband and the desires of her heart.
Why it's noteworthy: Joe Wright and Keira Knightley. Honestly, hat's all I needed to hear. Aaron Johnson, frankly, knocks it down a few pegs for me, but perhaps he'll surprise. Looks sumptuous and like a big-time Oscar player.

Program: TIFF Docs
Distributor: N/A
Directed by: Dror Moreh
Synopsis: In an unprecedented and candid series of interviews, six former heads of the Shin Bet — Israel's intelligence and security agency — speak about their role in Israel's decades-long counterterrorism campaign, discussing their controversial methods and whether the ends ultimately justify the means.
Why it's noteworthy: Yet another Middle East-themed film. This one will probably be a controversy magnet, which intrigues me all the more. Hard to imagine it won't offer some thoughts on the material covered in Steven Spielberg's Munich, my favorite film of 2005.

Program: Special Presentation
Distributor: Fox Searchlight Pictures
Directed by: Ben Lewin
Written by: Ben Lewin
Starring: John Hawkes, Helen Hunt, William H. Macy
Synopsis: Academy Award® nominee John Hawkes (Winter's Bone) stars in this funny and touching comedy-drama about a childhood polio survivor — now in his thirties and permanently confined to an iron lung — who hires a professional sex surrogate (Academy Award® winner Helen Hunt) to help him lose his virginity.
Why it's noteworthy: John Hawkes for Best Actor is as close to a lock as we have for next year's Oscars. The Sessions (formerly "The Surrogate" and "Six Sessions") took Sundance by storm, and now that it's a Fox Searchlight property, there should be no doubt as to its commercial viability and awards potential.

Program: Special Presentation
Distributor: Summit Entertainment
Directed by: J.A. Bayona
Written by: Sergio G. Sánchez
Starring: Naomi Watts, Tom Holland, Samuel Joslin, Oaklee Pendergast, Ewan McGregor
Synopsis: Juan Antonio Bayona (The Orphanage) recreates the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami in terrifyingly vivid detail in this grueling survival story about a married couple (Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor) searching for their missing children in the aftermath of the disaster.
Why it's noteworthy: I never caught up with The Orphanage, but the film certainly has a fan base. Bayona's follow-up sounds decidedly bigger and more prestigious, but it's hard to tell at this point if it's an awards film. Summit will certainly try its hardest. I'm excited regardless.

Program: Special Presentation
Distributor: EPIX
Directed by: Ben Timlett, Bill Jones, Jeff Simpson
Written by: Ben Timlett, Bill Jones, Jeff Simpson
Starring: Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Jones, Michael Palin, Terry Gilliam, Carol Cleveland, Philip Bulcock
Synopsis: John Cleese, Michael Palin, Terry Jones and Terry Gilliam pay tribute to their late Monty Python colleague Graham Chapman in this hilarious, 3-D animated adaptation of Chapman's brazenly fictionalized life story.
Why it's noteworthy: Do yourself a favor and head over to this film's page on the TIFF site. Scroll through the photos and tell me it's not noteworthy. I dare you.
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