Canadian Open Vault Presents 32 Short Films About Glenn Gould

Toronto - The 33rd Toronto International Film Festival presents François Girard's 1993 feature film 32 Short Films About Glenn Gould as this year's Canadian Open Vault, on the heels of a year-round celebration of Gould’s life and work and the 15th anniversary of the film. The cast includes Colm Feore, Don McKellar, Gerry Quigley, David Hughes, Bruno Monsaingeon, Yehudi Menuhin, Peter Millard, Carlo Rota, Katya Ladan and Gale Garnett. Ticket Packages now on sale. Purchase online at tiff08.ca, by phone at 416-968- FILM or 1-877-968-FILM or in person at the Festival Box Office at Manulife Centre, 55 Bloor Street West (main floor, north entrance). Box Office hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday to Saturday. The 33rd Toronto International Film Festival runs September 4 to 13, 2008.

François Girard's breakthrough film is a compelling and striking exploration of the idiosyncratic world of Gould’s ideas and music, from his thoughts on technology and northern climates to his fondness for prescription drugs. Sumptuously photographed and designed as 32 separate visual and sound fragments, it uses drama, documentary, animation and performance art to provide insight into the life and work of the enigmatic Canadian genius. Special thanks to Rhombus Media and Library and Archives Canada.

Colm Feore’s performance as Gould is genuinely astounding and intimate, immersing viewers fully into the musician’s universe. Written by Don McKellar and Girard with a rare combination of playfulness and conceptual rigour, 32 Short Films About Glenn Gould remains one of the most successful Canadian films of all time and boasts an enormous cult following.

Born in Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, Quebec, Girard has directed numerous international experimental shorts, music videos, video installations and feature films. He has directed such operas as Stravinsky’s Symphony of Psalms and Wagner’s Siegfried and such plays as Franz Kafka’s The Trial and Alessandro Baricco’s Novecento. His three internationally acclaimed features, 32 Short Films About Glenn Gould (1993), The Red Violin (1998) and Silk (2007) each screened at the Festival and garnered numerous awards.

Canadian Open Vault screens classic Canadian films in the Festival. Past Canadian Open Vault films include Francis Mankiewicz’s Les Bons Débarras, Peter Pearson's Paperback Hero, Michel Brault's Entre la mer et l'eau douce, Peter Carter's The Rowdyman, Ted Kotcheff's The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, Gilles Carle's La Vraie Nature de Bernadette, Philip Borsos's The Grey Fox, Don Shebib's Goin’ Down the Road, René Delacroix and Gratien Gélinas's Tit-Coq and Claude Jutra's Mon Oncle Antoine.

The Canadian Open Vault is supported by the Canada Council for the Arts.

Bell Lightbox
Construction of Bell Lightbox, soon to be one of the world’s leading innovative cultural institutions – a truly global “home for film” – began on February 1, 2007. A five-storey podium building located on Reitman Square in the heart of Toronto’s downtown entertainment district, Bell Lightbox is designed by world-renowned Toronto-based architectural firm KPMB. The building includes five cinemas, two galleries, three learning studios, and an enhanced film reference library and archive. Visit belllightbox.ca for more information.

The campaign to build Bell Lightbox is generously supported by founding sponsor Bell. The Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario each have contributed $25 million to realize Bell Lightbox. A gift of more than $22 million has been confirmed from the Reitman family – acclaimed filmmaker Ivan Reitman and his sisters Agi Mandel and Susan Michaels – and The Daniels Corporation, who together form the King and John Festival Corporation. The project is also supported by RBC as Major Sponsor and Official Bank, Visa†, Copyright Collective of Canada, NBC Universal Canada, The Allan Slaight Family, The Brian Linehan Charitable Foundation, CIBC, and many other individuals and corporations. The Board of Directors, staff and many generous individuals have also contributed to the campaign. The total amount raised to date is $147 million, three quarters of the total campaign of $196 million.

We are a charitable, not-for-profit, cultural organization whose mission is to transform the way people see the world through film. Its vision is to lead the world in creative and cultural discovery through the moving image.

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For information contact the Communications Department at 416-934-3200 or email proffice@tiffg.ca