The Circuit

Toronto has picked 19 more feature films from 18 countries to fill out its Discovery lineup, including  Derick  and Steve Martini's "Lymelife" (pictured) starring Alec Bladwin, Rory Culkin, Kieran Culkin, Cynthia Nixon, Jill Hennessy, and Emma Roberts.

"Discovery is the place at TIFF to find this year's most exciting debuts in cinema," says Co-Director Cameron Bailey. "This is your one-stop shop for new filmmaking talent."
 
Discovery titles are eligible for the Diesel Discovery Award, chosen by the Festival press corps which consists of over 1000 accredited media from around the world. 

From the Toronto press release:
 
$9.99 
Tatia Rosenthal, Israel/Australia                                                                                                                                       
World Premiere
Unemployed and still living at home at 28 years old, Dave Peck discovers a booklet claiming to answer the meaning of life for the low price of only $9.99.
 
Gigantic 
Matt Aselton, USA                                                                                                                                                         
World Premiere 
Smart and well-educated, Brian (Paul Dano) feels adrift in his life and his job at an upscale mattress store. The one thing he knows is that he wants to adopt a Chinese baby, and is on a wait list to do so. When he meets Happy (Zooey Deschanel), an odd and feisty rich girl sent to pick up a mattress for her father (John Goodman), he falls head over heels.
 
Lovely, Still 
Nik Fackler, USA                                                                                                                                                  
World Premiere
With the approach of Christmas causing him to feel lonely in life and love, Robert Malone (Martin Landau) returns home from his job at a grocery store to find a stranger (Ellen Burstyn) in his house.
 
Lymelife 
Derick and Steve Martini USA                                                                                                                                                       
World Premiere
From the filmmaking team behind Smiling Fish and Goat on Fire (TIFF 1999) comes an examination of first love, family dynamics and the American Dream in late 1970s Long Island, as seen through the innocent eyes of a 15-year-old.
 
Rain 
Maria Govan, Bahamas                                                                                                                                                       
World Premiere
In hopes of reconciling with the mother who abandoned her, Rain leaves her simple, sheltered life on rural Ragged Island for the big city of Nassau. But her dream of a loving reunion is quickly shattered when she meets Glory, a scarred, angry woman who bears no resemblance to the mother she had hoped for.
 
The Stoning of Soraya M. 
Cyrus Nowrasteh, USA                                                                                                                                
World Premiere
In a remote Iranian village, a woman stands falsely accused of adultery - a moral crime for which the punishment is death by stoning.
 
What Doesn't Kill You 
Brian Goodman, USA                                                                                                                        
World Premiere
Childhood friends Paulie (Ethan Hawke) and Brian (Mark Ruffalo) grew up looking out for each other in their Irish-Catholic neighbourhood in South Boston. Trapped in a cycle of gangs, gangsters and shady crime, they are constantly dodging local turf wars and the watchful eye of an encroaching police detective (Donnie Wahlberg).
 
Cold Lunch 
Eva Sørhaug, Norway                                                                                                                                               
International Premiere
The paths of five people intersect in the Oslo district of Majorstua.
 
Vacation 
Hajime Kadoi, Japan                                                                                                                                       
International Premiere
A middle-aged prison guard, Hirai follows an alienated work routine of strict rules and arduous duties, attending to death row's model inmate, Kaneda.
 
Apron Strings 
Sima Urale, New Zealand                                                                                                                             
North American Premiere
Food and love are intertwined in this tale of two mothers who must find the courage to confront the secrets and misunderstandings of the past, in order to set their sons free.
 
Better Things 
Duane Hopkins, United Kingdom                                                                                                 
North American Premiere
Deeply inflected by the UK's visual arts scene, Duane Hopkins's feature debut focuses on three groups of characters: Gail, who must overcome agoraphobia and an addiction to romance novels; Rob, coming to terms with the loss of his girlfriend; and the Gladwins, who, following years of unspoken truths that have built a barrier between them, are going through a shift in their 60-year relationship.
 
Daytime Drinking 
Young-seok Noh, South Korea                                                                                                                  
North American Premiere
In a drunken attempt to mend his broken heart, Hyuk-jin and his friends decide to take a trip to the small town of Jeongseon in the Gangwon province.
 
Hooked 
Adrian Sitaru, Romania/France                                                                                                                
North American Premiere
A Sunday picnic seemed like the best way for Mihai and Sweetie to spend some quality time together and take their relationship to a new level. But a series of odd and unexpected events quickly turn this idyllic weekend getaway into the strangest day of their lives.
 
Kabuli Kid 
Barmak Akram, France/Afghanistan                                                                                                   
North American Premiere
Kabul taxi driver Khaled picks up a woman and, after settling on a price, takes her to her destination. The woman gets out and a new passenger climbs in, only to find a baby in the backseat.
 
Parc 
Arnaud des Pallières, France                                                                                                                    
North American Premiere
Georges Nail (Sergi López) lives in a new suburb. He's married, loves his wife, son and dog. Paul Hammer (Jean-Marc Barr) is good-looking, rich and intelligent, but torn between his severe judgment of the world and his desire to be part of it. When their paths cross, Nail sees an opportunity for new friendship.
 
Snow 
Aida Begic, Bosnia and Herzegovina/Germany/France/Iran                                                                  
North American Premiere
Eastern Bosnia, 1997. Headed by the young and stubborn Alma, the residents of the war-ravaged and isolated village of Slavno face a dilemma. Should they accept an offer from two visiting businessmen willing to pay them to pick up and leave their homes for good, or do they stay, following their hearts but risking life-threatening poverty? Winner of the 2008 Cannes Critics' Week Grand Prize.
 
Tale 52 
Alexis Alexiou, Greece                                                                                                                                 
North American Premiere
After Iasonas and Penelope meet at a dinner party, the flirtatiousness between them quickly blossoms into a relationship. But awaking one morning to find that Penelope has mysteriously disappeared, Iasonas is unable to reconstruct what happened. The disappearance of his new girlfriend drives the rather shy Iasonas to despair, prompting confusing delusions on top of his already fragile mental state.
 
Winds of September 
Tom Shu-Yu Lin, Taiwan                                                                                                  
North American Premiere
Yen, Tang and their gang of baseball-loving friends are in their last year of high school when a scandal involving their beloved sport takes the nation by storm.
 
Zift 
Javor Gardev, Bulgaria                                                                                                                                       
North American Premiere
The Moth is freed on parole after spending time in prison on wrongful conviction of murder. Jailed shortly before the Bulgarian communist coup of 1944, he now finds himself in a new and alien world - the totalitarian Sofia of the 60s.