The absence of large-scale Hollywood releases this weekend — with the exception of the Ben Stiller comedy The Heartbreak Kid from Paramount Pictures — is leaving the field open for smaller, artier films from directors including Wes Anderson and Ang Lee.

Odeon Films is opening the World War II-era Shanghai espionage thriller Lust, Caution, Lee’s follow-up to Brokeback Mountain, on two screens in Toronto Friday, both at the Varsity. The film, which recently garnered the Golden Lion award at the Venice Film Festival, expands next week to Vancouver and Montreal.

Three estranged brothers played by Jason Schwartzman, Adrien Brody and Owen Wilson set off on a train journey through India in Anderson’s adventure comedy The Darjeeling Limited, opening on one screen at Toronto’s arty Cumberland theater via Fox Searchlight Pictures. Anderson is best known for offbeat titles including The Royal Tenenbaums and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou.

The corporate thriller Michael Clayton, starring George Clooney, opens exclusively on a handful of screens in Toronto and one screen in Vancouver on Friday. Warner Bros. will expand the film, which had its lauded Canadian premiere at TIFF last month, on Oct. 12.

Meanwhile, Christal Films is opening the romantic comedy Hors de prix from France’s Pierre Salvadori (Après vous) on 21 screens in Quebec on Friday, in cities including Montreal, Quebec City, Sherbrooke, Hull, Chicoutimi and Trois-Rivières. A spokesperson says the film will not expand.

Among other new U.S. titles in theaters this weekend are the dance drama Feel the Noise from Columbia Pictures, the actioner The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising from 20th Century Fox, and the documentary No End in Sight from Magnolia Pictures.

Coming up, Equinoxe Films will release Allan Moyle’s black comedy Weirdsville, from Toronto prodco Darius Films, in cities including Vancouver, Toronto, Calgary and Halifax next week.