TIFF Cinematheque’s Best Of The Decade Poll Presents The Classics Of Today

Syndromes and a Century by critically acclaimed Thai artist and filmmaker Apichatpong Weerasethakul captures the top spot

Toronto – Beginning January 21, 2010, TIFF Cinematheque presents The Best of the Decade: An Alternative View, a curated series based on a poll conducted by TIFF Cinematheque’s Senior Programmer James Quandt. An esteemed panel of over sixty film curators, historians, archivists and programmers from festivals, cinematheques and similar organizations around the world participated and were asked to pick the films they thought were the most important of the past decade. The poll’s participants are connected by their leadership in the field of historical film curation, with most having published books, essays and polemics on cinema, bringing perspectives that distinguish this poll from other end-of-the-decade polls.

“Their perspective,” says Quandt, “should give us a longer view of the films made in this decade, the films that should stand the test of time and be acknowledged as historically influential works in the decades to come.” The poll includes works by venerable masters such as Abbas Kiarostami, Agnès Varda, Ingmar Bergman, Jean-Luc Godard and Pedro Almodóvar; directors who broke onto the international scene in the past 10 years, including Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Carlos Reygadas, Cristi Puiu, Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, Jia Zhang-ke and David Cronenberg; and indie renegades like Gus Van Sant, Pedro Costa and Lucrecia Martel. It also features many pleasant surprises, from the inclusion of a largely unknown film, Valeska Grisebach’s Longing (2006), which was highlighted during TIFF Cinematheque’s Berlin School series last Winter, to the strong showings for films that were not necessarily well received on their initial outings, such as Gus Van Sant’s Gerry (2003) and Claire Denis’s L’Intrus (2004).

Films were scored according to a point system designed to measure not only how many individual votes a film received, but also the intensity of support (i.e., an indication of frequency and strength of advocacy). The poll participants, half of them new to the task since the 1990s poll, include representatives from some of the most important film institutions from around the world including the Museum of Modern Art (New York); the British Film Institute (London); the UCLA Film & Television Archive (Los Angeles); Wexner Center for the Arts (Columbus); Filmoteca de la UNAM (Mexico City); George Eastman House (Rochester); Austrian Film Museum (Vienna); World Cinema Foundation (New York); Vancouver International Film Festival (Vancouver); Centre National de la Cinématographie (Paris); Canadian Film Institute (Ottawa); Las Palmas de Gran Canaria International Film Festival (Gran Canaria); Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (Berkeley); Swedish Film Institute (Stockholm); Berlin International Film Festival (Berlin); Haghefilm Foundation (Amsterdam); Tokyo FILMeX (Tokyo) and TIFF Cinematheque (Toronto). A complete list of contributors is available on request.

The countries most prominently represented in the poll include: France (21), USA (9), Germany (7), Taiwan (6), and Japan, China and Italy (4 each). Other countries represented include: Argentina; Austria; Belgium; China; Denmark; Hong Kong, China; Hungary; Iran; Japan; Mexico; Netherlands; Romania; Russia; South Korea; Spain; Sweden; Thailand; Turkey and the UK. Canada is well represented with three films: Guy Maddin’s The Heart of the World (2000) and My Winnipeg (2007), and Zacharias Kunuk’s Atanarjuat, The Fast Runner (2001). The Best of the Decade: An Alternative View proves that international art cinema is more alive than ever.

The series will run until February 23, featuring a curated selection of 38 films from the final poll, which contains 54 titles in total. It will spotlight the two most influential and revered filmmakers of the decade, Apichatpong Weerasethakul and Jia Zhang-ke, as both placed very high in number of films (three each) and position in the poll: Apichatpong’s Syndromes and a Century (2006) is ranked the top film of the decade while Jia Zhang-ke’s Platform (2000) is second on the list. Their twin triumphs illustrate not only the continued ascendancy of Asian cinema, but also a taste for the elliptical and allusive. TIFF Cinematheque previously featured both directors in a Film Now retrospective, and it is with immense pleasure that it brings back their most important films to celebrate them as leading filmmakers of the decade. The series will also feature the full-length version of Jia Zhang-ke’s Platform, which runs more than 30 minutes longer than all other prints, to be presented for the first time anywhere since its initial festival outings.

Organized in part to launch the 20th anniversary celebrations of TIFF Cinematheque (née Cinematheque Ontario), The Best of the Decade: An Alternative View includes many films that have screened previously at TIFF Cinematheque. The final results of the poll are attached, followed by a list of the films to be screened in TIFF Cinematheque’s series.

TIFF Cinematheque’s 20th anniversary:
TIFF Cinematheque (née Cinematheque Ontario) became part of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in 1990, when the organization assumed the operation of the Ontario Film Institute, which had been founded by Gerald Pratley in 1969. Next year will represent a milestone year for TIFF Cinematheque, as 2010 marks its 20th anniversary of presenting the best of classic and contemporary world cinema year-round through carefully curated programming, lectures, filmmaker monographs and international touring exhibitions. In its twenty-year history, TIFF Cinematheque has risen to be one of the preeminent programming institutions of its kind. Film professionals in the international arena recognize its programming as among the best in the world, highlighting its inspired approach, the quality of presentation and the serious consideration it gives all genres and periods of cinema.

TIFF Cinematheque presents an ambitious selection of more than 300 films annually, including acclaimed directors’ retrospectives, national and regional cinema spotlights, thematic programmes, experimental and avant-garde cinema, exclusive limited runs and classic and contemporary Canadian and international cinema, including many new and rare archival prints. For more information, visit tiff.net/cinematheque.

TIFF Cinematheque screenings are held at the Art Gallery of Ontario’s Jackman Hall, 317 Dundas Street West, Toronto (McCaul Street entrance), unless otherwise noted. Passports for members and non-members for The Best of the Decade: An Alternative View go on sale beginning November 24, 2009. Customers can choose any 10 films from the series to make up their personal passport, for a cost of $91.26 (Members may purchase the same Passport for $53.10). Films playing at TIFF Cinematheque that have not been rated by the Ontario Film Review Board are restricted to individuals 18 years of age or older; check the TIFF Cinematheque website for updates on film ratings. Visit our Box Office at 2 Carlton Street (on the West Mezzanine, Monday to Friday, 10am to 7pm ) or call 416-968- FILM or toll-free 1-877-968-FILM for tickets and more information.

TIFF Cinematheque thanks its supporters Bell, RBC, the Ontario Media Development Corporation, the Canada Council for the Arts, the City of Toronto and the Ontario Arts Council.

About TIFF Bell Lightbox: Currently under construction, TIFF Bell Lightbox, a breathtaking five-storey complex located in downtown Toronto, will provide a permanent home for film lovers to celebrate cinema from around the world and will propel TIFF forward as an international leader in film culture. Designed by innovative architecture firm KPMB, TIFF Bell Lightbox’s fluid structure encourages exploration, movement and play. The campaign to build TIFF Bell Lightbox is generously supported by founding sponsor Bell, the Government of Canada and the Province of Ontario, the King and John Festival Corporation – consisting of the Reitman family and the Daniels Corporation – RBC as major sponsor and official bank, Visa†, the Copyright Collective of Canada, NBC Universal Canada, the Allan Slaight Family, the Brian Linehan Charitable Foundation and CIBC. The Board of Directors, staff and many generous individuals and corporations have also contributed to the campaign. For more information on the TIFF Bell Lightbox campaign, visit belllightbox.ca.

About TIFF: TIFF is a 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. TIFF generates an annual economic impact of $135 million CAD and currently employs more than 100 full-time staff and 500 part-time and seasonal staff, and counts upon the largesse of over 2,000 volunteers year round.