THIERRY PIANTANIDA AND THIERRY RAGOBERT'S THE WHITE PLANET A GALA PRESENTATION

Toronto - THE WHITE PLANET, the astonishing documentary directed by Thierry Piantanida and Thierry Ragobert with the collaboration of Jean Lemire will receive its Toronto premiere as a Gala Presentation in the inaugural Sprockets' Family Zone programme at the 31st Toronto International Fi lm Festival. A spectacular exploration of the Arctic environment, THE WHITE PLANET captures the change from winter to spring at the North Pole and how the seasons affect the various unique animal species that live there. Suitable for children aged seven and older, the film is narrated by Sven Eriksson and is sure to fascinate every member of the family.

Exploring the inhospitable and often ferocious landscape of the Arctic North, THE WHITE PLANET focuses on the distinctive fauna that have managed to adapt to the extreme conditions of this complex ecosystem. Musk oxen braving a winter storm; a mother polar bear who must find food for her two cubs and teach them to survive on their own; an acrobatic wolf pursuing a lemming; hooded seals defending their territory; guillemots laying eggs on cliff precipices, some of which fall prey to a scavenging fox; a young caribou learning to walk just moments after its birth and a variety of different whale species making their way through the treacherous ice floes are all among the incredible animals featured.

A voyage of discovery, THE WHITE PLANET combines breathtaking cinematography with informative and engaging narration to transport audiences to the glittering ice, infinite tundra, imposing mountains and majestic glaciers of the Arctic. With great skill Piantanida and Ragobert record the trails and triumphs of the diverse species that inhabit this frozen world. The pair make it clear that this unique environment and all that live there should be revered and protected.

THE WHITE PLANET is directed by Thierry Ragobert and Thierry Piantanida with the collaboration of Jean Lemire. Written by Thierry Piantanida and Stéphane Millière, the film is produced by Stéphane Millière, Jean Labadie, Jean Lemire and executive produced by Jean-Pierre Saire. THE WHITE PLANET is Canada/France co production, a presentation of Glacialis Productions and Gedeon Programmes, and is distributed by Seville Pictures.

NEW SPROCKETS FAMILY ZONE PROGRAMME UNVEILED AT TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

Toronto - The Toronto International Film Festival proudly announces a new Sprockets Family Zone programme, presented by the Sprockets Toronto International Film Festival for Children. Showcasing the very best of contemporary international children's cinema, Sprockets Family Zone will delight families with its entertaining and engaging slate of films for fans of all ages. These films join THE WHITE PLANET, also part of the Sprockets Family Zone programme, which screens as a Gala Presentation. All non-English language Sprockets Family Zone films will be screened with subtitles. To purchase the new Gala Family Pass or Regular Family Pass call 416-968-FILM or click, bell.ca/filmfest.

"We are so incredibly excited to bring this selection of high quality family films in the spirit of Sprockets to the Toronto International Film Festival," said Jane Schoettle, Director of Sprockets. "These films will captivate, delight and inspire audience members of all ages, and for the first time adult Festivalgoers can bring along their young friends and family."

THE UGLY DUCKLING AND ME Michael Hegner, Karsten Kiilerich, Ireland/Denmark/France/Germany World Premiere
Animation, Ages 6 and up
Hans Christian Andersen's classic fairy tale about an ugly duckling who turns into a beautiful swan is reinvented in this innovative 3D animated comedy. Ratso, a success-starved rodent impresario is forced to hide in a duckling village and persuades the villagers that he is the father of a stray ugly duckling. Ratso and the ugly duckling set off on a perilous journey towards their big breakthrough, but dangerous foes, teenage problems and unexpected paternal feelings lie ahead.

U Serge Elissalde, Grégoire Solotareff, France International Premiere
Animation, Ages 4 and up
A delightful tale of friendship and courage told in breathtaking painted animation, U tells the story of Mona, a little princess who lives in a ruined castle by the sea. Mona's life is a difficult one, and she's harassed each day by a pair of mischievous rats who make her life miserable. Mona's life changes dramatically when one day an adorable little unicorn named U appears, and declares that she has been sent to bring happiness into Mona's life. The two become inseparable, and U introduces Mona to new friends, music and as promised, happiness. In time, U slowly becomes aware of a startling dilemma - what w ill happen to her if Mona finds true happiness without her?

THE HAIRY TOOTH FAIRY Juan Pablo Buscarini, Argentina/Spain International Premiere
Animation, Ages 7 and up
One fateful day, a vivacious little girl named Lucía, loses a tooth. Santiago, her unemployed father, and Pilar, her mother, reassure Lucía by telling her that the Hairy Tooth Fairy (a mouse named Perez) will come to her bedroom to collect her tooth, leaving some money in its place. But what would normally be a routine trip for the legendary rodent takes an unexpected turn for the worse when a pair of heartless and malicious scoundrels kidnaps Perez in order to take his fortune for themselves. Lucía, with the help of her cousin Ramiro, sets out to rescue Perez, thus beginning a memorable adventure.

ALEX RIDER: OPERATION STORMBREAKER Geoffrey Sax, United Kingdom North American Premiere
Live Action, Ages 11 and up
A slick and contemporary spy adventure from director Geoffrey Sax, ALEX RIDER: OPERATION STORMBREAKER tells the story of Alex Rider, a normal teenager who is reluctantly brought into the world of espionage and international intrigue. After his uncle dies in mysterious circumstances, Alex is recruited by Mr. Blunt to assist MI6 by going undercover to see what suspected crook Darius Sayle (Mickey Rourke) is up to. Soon Alex discovers that his uncle was a spy himself, and was murdered by Yassen Gregorovich, one of the world's most dangerous assassins. Armed with the latest high-tech gadgets, and determined to avenge his uncle's murder, Alex must face a ser ies of dangerous obstacles in a mission that will save the lives of millions. The film also stars Ewan McGregor, Bill Nighy, and Alicia Silverstone.

TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL PRESENTS MOZART'S VISIONARY CINEMA: NEW CROWNED HOPE

Toronto - The Toronto International Film Festival is pleased to present seven films commissioned for the New Crowned Hope festival. This festival, an initiative of the City of Vienna to celebrate the 250th anniversary of Mozart's birth, is curated by internationally renowned stage director Peter Sellars. Sellars focused on key ideas expressed in three of the major works that Mozart composed in the last year of his life: The Magic Flute, La clemenza de Tito and the Requiem. These works deal with subject matter that still resonates today: the role of women in society, magic and transformation, the notion of forgiveness and reconciliation, and recognition and remembrance of the dead. Sellars invited seven international film directors to reflect on these issues. The result is the seven films that will be presented in Toronto for the first time ever as a series. Bahman Ghobadi's HALF MOON (TURTLES CAN FLY) is a world premiere while all the other films are North American premieres. For more information call 416-968-FILM or click, bell.ca/filmfest.

"We are delighted to be presenting the New Crowned Hope films," said Piers Handling, Director and CEO of the Toronto International Film Festival Group. "Most of the filmmakers are well-known to festival audiences and they have all done a magnificent job responding to the stimulating challenge laid down by Peter Sellars: to make contemporary work that responds to the spirit of Mozart. These are not music films, or period pieces; they are works that speak eloquently to today's issues."

HALF MOON, Bahman Ghobadi, Iran/Iraq/Austria/France World Premiere

Emotionally evocative and politically relevant, HALF MOON tells the courageous story of Mamo, a renowned and admired Kurdish musician who travels to Iraqi Kurdistan along with ten of his sons in order to perform a concert. Their trip is only now possible because Saddam Hussein's reign has ended - such a concert would have been forbidden under his rule. Waiting seven months to obtain the proper authorization to undertake his journey, Mamo also intends to bring a female singer, Hesho. Though female singing is forbidden, Mamo is determined to continue the journey, even if doing so he is obliged to travel illegally.

SYNDROMES AND A CENTURY, Apichatpong Weerasethakul Thailand/Austria/France North American Premiere

Inspired by the lives of director Apichatpong Weerasethakul's parents before they became lovers, SYNDROMES AND A CENTURY focuses on the stories of a male and female doctor, set in two hospitals 40 years apart. Through a series of encounters with unique characters that reveal the inner thoughts of the protagonists, the film poetically explores both their memories and their current lives.

I DON'T WANT TO SLEEP ALONE, Tsai Ming-Liang, Taiwan/France/Austria North American Premiere

Set against the backdrop of a hot and humid Kuala Lumpur, a Chinese man named Hsiao-kang is rescued by a group of Bangladeshi workers after being attacked. Hsiao-kang is brought into a dark and seedy world where immigrant workers live in odious conditions, and the effect on him is profound. I DON'T WANT TO SLEEP ALONE explores themes of communication, desire, and love among individuals trapped between their ethnic identity and the multi-cultural societies to which they belong.

HAMACA PARAGUAYA, Paz Encina, France/Argentina/Netherlands/Paraguay/Austria/Spain/UK North American Premiere

Paz Encina's first feature, HAMACA PARAGUAYA, is in many ways a requiem for the nation of Paraguay and its people. Set in the early thirties, in rural Paraguay, an elderly peasant couple, Candida and Ramon, are waiting for their son who left his family to fight the Chaco War. Unseasonably hot, and waiting for rain and wind to give them comfort, the couple waits for better times to come. Each faces these waiting moments with different attitudes: Ramon waits with optimism, but Candida believes her son is already dead. Waiting for their son is perhaps all the couple has left to hang on to, but it is in those moments that their relationship to him and to each other can be honoured.

OPERA JAWA, Garin Nugroho, Indonesia/Austria North American Premiere

A vibrant celebration of creativity and of the diversity of voices and cultures in Indonesia, OPERA JAWA is a musical film adaptation from the puppet theatre story known as Ramayana, a classical epic hugely popular in countries influenced by Hinduism. OPERA JAWA boldly combines popular, classical and modern forms of art, drawn from the communities, mountains, beaches and palaces of central Java.

DARATT, Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, France/Belgium/Chad/Austria North American Premiere

Themes of forgiveness and reconciliation resonate powerfully in DARATT, Mahamat-Saleh Haroun's third feature. Dealing with the consequences and aftermath of civil war in Africa, the film sees a young man searching for the killer of his father, who was murdered months before he was born. The young man finds his target - now a respected 60-year old figure - at a small bakery that he owns. The two men begin to form a strange but powerful bond, and in that relationship they are forced to determine how life can continue after generations of violence and hatred.

MOEGKO AND THE STICKFIGHTER, Teboho Mahlatsi, South Africa/Austria North American Premiere

Kgotso, a recluse stickfighter is captivated by the spirit of a beautiful but enslaved woman, and is determined to confront the evil that has possessed her. Teboho Mahlatsi's short film presents itself as both a fable and an imaginative exploration of the living power of magic in African culture.