Guilty Men by Iván D. Gaona
The Toronto Film Festival announced today the lineup for its forward-focused Discovery section for the 41st edition of the festival, which includes a handful of Latin American titles from Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, and Mexico.
The Empty Box / La caja vacía, Claudia Sainte-Luce's follow up to her acclaimed debut feature The Amazing Catfish is having its world premiere at the Canadian festival. The film tells the story of Jazmín (played by the director herself), a young woman living in Mexico City who is nonplussed when she receives a call informing her that her father, Toussaint, an illegal Haitian immigrant, is ill. She hasn't seen him in years, and does not know why they are calling her. When she finally gets to the hospital and discovers that her father is suffering from vascular dementia, she finds herself faced with the task of caring for a man who is more a stranger than a father to her.
Also having its' world premiere is the Dominican documentary film Jeffrey by director Yanillys Perez, about 12-year-old Jeffrey, who has the responsibilities of an adult. He works as a windshield washer on the busy streets of Santo Domingo to help his mom make ends meet at home. But the boy has big plans. He dreams of becoming a reggaeton singer, and, in collaboration with his older brother Jeyson, he composes and records songs about his neighborhood, his way of life, and his dreams for the future.
The Colombian film Guilty Men / Pariente by Iván D. Gaona, having its North American premiere at Toronto, follows a town leader in rural Colombia who plays a risky game with the local right-wing paramilitaries with a cache of cash at stake, in this gripping crime story about ordinary people caught in a situation that rapidly slips out of their control.
Rounding up the selection is the international premiere of Jesús by Chilean filmmaker Fernando Guzzoni, which follows Jesús, 18, who lives in Santiago, alone with his father Héctor in a flat where the TV covers up their inability to communicate. The rest of the time, he dances in a K-pop band, hangs out with friends and does drugs, watches trashy clips and has sex in public places, looking for a thrill. One night, he finds it with his friends, being involved in an irreversible misadventure. If this event will make Jesús and Héctor closer than ever, it will also tear them apart forever.
The 41st edition of the Toronto Film Festival will take place September 8-18 in Canada.
