Canadian film festival season is officially in high gear from coast to coast. Montreal’s World Film Festival is already underway, while the Atlantic and Vancouver events are ramping up for their kickoffs Sept. 17 and 23, respectively. But it is the 29th Toronto International Film Festival (Sept. 9-18) that commands the most attention from the local film community and abroad.

Analysis of Canada’s Major Film Festivals, a recent study conducted by SECOR Consulting at the behest of Telefilm Canada and SODEC, gave positive marks to all these festivals save for the WFF, which it accused of not being relevant enough to the industry. The one strike against Toronto, according to the report, is that it attracts so many international films and celebrities that filmmakers working on a smaller scale can get lost in the shuffle.

While stars such as Sean Penn (The Assassination of Richard Nixon) and Dustin Hoffman (I Heart Huckabees) will be coming to town to hawk their latest Hollywood fare, domestic producers and distributors are going to have to work harder than ever to capture some of the limelight at TIFF 2004. No longer do they have the safe haven of the Perspective Canada program, which guaranteed attention at least from the local press. With the retirement of PC, veteran Canuck auteurs find themselves in the position of sinking or swimming along with the rest of the 328 films from 61 countries scattered among the fest’s various international programs.

The true story of TIFF 2004, in regards to the local film community, has yet to emerge. Last year saw fest organizers faced with the challenge of attracting as many big-name international guests as had come to be expected despite Toronto’s disastrous summer of SARS. TIFF 2002 opened with controversy – and the unenviable task of having to choose between fest darlings Atom Egoyan and David Cronenberg for the highly coveted opening-night gala slot, which ultimately went to Egoyan’s Ararat over Cronenberg’s Spider. The 2001 festivities ground to a halt due to the 9/11 attacks.

This year’s festival is open for one or more Canadian films to step up. TIFF 2003 featured opener The Barbarian Invasions and Seducing Dr. Lewis (La Grande seduction), both of which had already enjoyed blockbuster theatrical runs in Quebec and so were surefire crowd pleasers. Nothing this year is so assured.

The first candidate up to bat is the opening-night Being Julia, a US$18 million Canada/ U.K./Hungary copro comedy-drama from Toronto’s Serendipity Point Films. It may represent the model, for better or worse, of how Canadian producers can make films that will succeed in selling internationally. Starring foreign actors Annette Bening and Jeremy Irons, directed by Hungarian Istvan Szabo and set in London, there is very little Cancon about it.

Another internationally flavored Canadian copro getting the TIFF gala treatment is Frenchman Olivier Assayas’ Clean, which involves Toronto’s Rhombus Media and British and French investors. Starring Nick Nolte and Maggie Cheung, best actress winner at Cannes for her performance as a woman who gets out of prison in search of her son, Clean was at least partially shot in Hamilton, ON and also features actor Don McKellar.

The Canuck copro with the most star power is John Duigan’s Head in the Clouds, a drama set in France in the 1930s and 1940s starring Charlize Theron (who is expected to be in town) and Penelope Cruz. The film, which was shot in Montreal, sees Quebec’s Remstar Productions a 67% partner with the U.K.’s Dakota Films. Clouds will no doubt receive its share of attention in the wake of Theron’s Oscar win earlier this year for best actress for Monster. The film will be shown as a special presentation.

Among the more purely homegrown offerings at this year’s fest, McKellar’s sophomore feature directorial effort, Childstar, is likely the most anticipated. The comedy is about a problem child Hollywood actor who goes AWOL while on a Toronto shoot, and the frustrated local filmmaker-turned-driver who must find him. Despite being a 100% Canadian production from Rhombus, the specter of the U.S. is certainly felt here, not only in terms of theme but also with the presence of Hollywood indie queen Jennifer Jason Leigh as costar. The film is a special presentation.

While this year doesn’t see new works from the Canuck filmmaking elite who are well established on the international stage – Denys Arcand, Egoyan, Cronenberg and Deepa Mehta – it does have offerings from solid talents that are highly regarded at home.

Bruce McDonald, coming off an unsuccessful TIFF experience with Picture Claire in 2001, is back with The Love Crimes of Gillian Guess, a wacky take on a headline story about a woman sitting on a B.C. jury who conducted an affair with the accused. Just as that film is destined for TV play on CHUM, MOW king Jerry Ciccoritti is at TIFF with the low-budget Blood, a gritty teleplay for CBC. Renowned playwright and screenwriter Daniel MacIvor comes to T.O. with the small-town ensemble piece Wilby Wonderful, his helming follow-up to Past Perfect.

The best Canadian feature film, as voted by fest-goers, will receive the $30,000 Toronto-City Award.

For more information on film and event scheduling, check the TIFF website.

-www.e.bell.ca/filmfest