CANADA 4-13 September 2008 Epic Canadian WWI movie opens 33rd Toronto International Film Festival 

Paul Gross' First World War epic "Passchendaele" will open Canada's top cinema event, the Toronto International Film Festival. Ranking as one of the most expensive Canadian films ever made, it's the story of the brutal third battle of Ypres in World War I. The festival traditionally opens with a Canadian film. The films from some 55 countries include many first seen at Cannes, Berlin and other international festivals. Hollywood typically uses the festival to create "Oscar buzz," ahead of the Academy Awards in the following year, for its new films.

Gross, a Canadian actor and filmmaker best known for his role in the television series "Due South", wrote, directed, and stars in "Passchendaele."

The organizers announced in June that the Cannes Palme D'Or winner "Entre les murs," Laurent Cantet's look at a high school in a tough Paris neighbourhood. Movie, will have its North American premiere at the Toronto event. Spike Lee's latest movie, "Miracle at St. Anna," and the film adaptation of J.M. Coetzee's novel "Disgrace," starring John Malkovich, will have their world premiere at the event.

"Good," starring Viggo Mortensen; "Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist"; Italian political drama "Il Divo, which won the Jury Prize at Cannes;" and Iraq war drama "The Hurt Locker," starring Ralph Fiennes, are also on the North American or world premiere offerings.

Between 300-400 films are screened at approximately 23 screens in downtown Toronto venues. Annual attendance at TIFF exceeds 300,000 from public and industry audiences, with some 1000 international media..

Founded in 1976, the TIFF is now among the top film festivals in the world. American film critic Roger Ebert, quoted by Canada's National Post in 1999, described it as "the premiere film festival in North America, from which the Oscars race begins." Jul/08

RELATED READING:

Toronto Film Festival 2008
http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rls=GGLL,GGLL:2008-08,GGLL:en&q=Toronto+Film+Festival+2008

Toronto Festival adds high profile films (Calgary Herald 3 Jul 2008)
http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/entertainment/story.html?id=481e8f75-7a1c-4bff-948b-13b6fe3bce9c 

Toronto Film Festival follows Cannes lead (Hollywood Reporter 26 Jun 2008)
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/awards_festivals/news/e3i21c2a612a4549e5bfc2e2752b088eb98

Keira Kneightly! Ricky Jervais! Gerard Butler! Toronto International Film Festival rolls out a ton more movies (National Post 10 July 2008)
http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/theampersand/archive/2008/07/10/keira-knightley-ricky-gervais-gerard-butler-toronto-international-film-festival-rolls-out-a-ton-more-movies.aspx