Film festivals launch some fascinating new films

(NC) Autumn is film festival season and this year's crop of productions has something for everyone.

• If you're looking for a thriller, check out Enemy. Directed by Denis Villeneuve, the film stars Jake Gyllenhaal as a man who spots his exact double in a movie and sets out to find him, turning both of their lives upside down in the process.

• The F Word, a romantic comedy from director Michael Dowse (FUBAR), explores a young man (Daniel Radcliffe, in his first romantic lead) struggling to accept that he has been “friend-zoned” by the girl of his dreams (Zoe Kazan).

• In The Art of the Steal, directed by Jonathan Sobol, Kurt Russell plays a motorcycle daredevil and art thief ready to pull off one last job with his brother (Matt Dillon), but things go awry as the old team gets together to steal a priceless historical book.

• Fans of a darker comedy shouldn't miss The Husband, the gut-wrenching story of a man juggling a miserable ad-agency job, an infant son, and a wife in jail (following her affair with a teenager). 

• Watermark, a visually stunning documentary co-directed by photographer Edward Burtynsky and filmmaker Jennifer Baichwal, explores the ways that humanity uses (and abuses) one of our most vital resources, water.

More than just great entertainment, these films were each made here in Ontario with support from the Ontario Media Development (OMDC) Film Fund, which provides funding for Ontario producers for feature films.

“OMDC drives investment and job creation by working with talented local producers and attracting international productions,” says Karen Thorne-Stone, CEO of the organization. “Our multi-billion dollar creative economy is putting us on the map and showing audiences all around the world what Ontario has to offer.”

Film and television are big business in our province, contributing $1.3 billion to the provincial GDP and employing 29,000 people last year. 

“Production has doubled since 2008 and keeps growing thanks to Ontario's prime locations, skilled crews, modern studios, visual FX services, competitive financial incentives and a world-class Film Commission,” Thorne-Stone points out. 

More made-in-Ontario films to add to your viewing list can be found at omdc.on.ca, on twitter @OMDCtweets, or at Facebook.com/OMDCOnline.

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