Cairo Time And The Boy In The Striped Pajamas Winners Of The Fifth Annual Film Circuit People’s Choice Awards
Toronto – Film Circuit, TIFF’s immensely successful outreach programme, today announced Ruba Nadda’s Cairo Time and Mark Herman’s The Boy in the Striped Pajamas as winners of the 2009 Film Circuit People’s Choice Awards. As selected by Film Circuit audiences across the country, Cairo Time (2009, Canada/Ireland) wins for best Canadian film, while The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (2008, UK/USA) receives the best international film accolade.
The winners of the annual Film Circuit People’s Choice Awards are decided by audiences across the country who vote on the division’s website, filmcircuit.ca, for their favourite film shown at a Film Circuit screening. Film Circuit operates through domestic grassroots networks and strong community partnerships bringing Canadian and international independent films and artists to 195 groups in 163 under-served communities across Canada. Recently Film Circuit celebrated its 15th anniversary with TIFF.
“This year’s award-winners reflect today’s viewers’ desire to be swept away by strong story-telling in films,” said Karen Black, TIFF’s Director of Canadian Initiatives. “We are thrilled that Film Circuit continues to be the programme that audiences across Canada turn to when they want to engage with contemporary films that provide stellar acting and seamless filmmaking talent. The coming year will continue to offer audiences quality films, both homegrown and from abroad, which will captivate their attention and connect with their emotions.”
Ruba Nadda, director and screenwriter of Cairo Time, commented on her received accolade, “I am deeply moved by this award. To me, it’s the most coveted one. You put everything you have into a movie - heart, love, everything - and when an audience turns around and really connects with what you've done really, it’s the best feeling in the world. I thank my Canadian audiences from the bottom of my heart. And I hope to continue making them proud. Thank you Film Circuit for all your support!”
Cairo Time received its world premiere at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival®, claimed the City of Toronto and Astral Media's The Movie Network Award for Best Canadian Feature Film, and was announced as of one of Canada’s Top Ten feature films of 2009.
In Cairo Time, Juliette (Patricia Clarkson), a magazine editor, arrives in Cairo to meet her husband Mark (Tom McCamus), a UN official in Gaza. When Mark is unavoidably delayed, he sends his friend and former security officer Tareq (Alexander Siddig) to show her around the city. As she gets used to the customs and rhythm of life in Cairo, Juliette finds herself falling not only for the city’s charms, but for Tareq as well.
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is set in Germany in the 1940s and concerns eight-year-old Bruno (Asa Butterfield), who is forced to move outside of his hometown of Berlin due to his father’s promotion within the Nazi ranks. Once there, he becomes bored and restless, and through his exploration of the family’s property, he meets another boy his own age on the other side of a barbed-wire fence. The two boys develop a friendship, but Bruno remains unaware of his new friend’s dire situation until it is too late.
For more information, visit filmcircuit.ca
Film Circuit is generously supported by Bell, Telefilm Canada, the Ontario Media Development Corporation, Cineplex Entertainment LP, the McLean Foundation and the Walter & Duncan Gordon Foundation.
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.
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.
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