Gaspar Noé pushes the boundaries of arthouse cinema in the sexually explicit Love, which has its North American premiere in the Vanguard program. He's not alone in experimenting in 3D. Other TIFF arthouse alums have dealt in stereographic films that explore how 3D can be used as a new medium.
Werner Herzog's Cave of Forgotten Dreams made a splash in 2010 when it premiered at TIFF. It was the first 3D film to screen at the TIFF Bell Lightbox. When Herzog first visited the Chauvet Cave, located in southern France, he immediately knew the documentary must be shot in 3D. After the film was completed he stated he had no plans to shoot in 3D again.
The next year Wim Wenders brought his own 3D documentary to TIFF, Pina, about the contemporary dance choreographer Pina Bausch. The documentary features interviews with the dancers of Tanztheater Wuppertal about Pina Bausch, as well as beautifully shot performances of some of her most famous pieces.
Last year the master of French arthouse cinema Jean-Luc Goddard had his experimental narrative essay film Goodbye to Language screen at TIFF. Together with his cinematographer Fabrice Aragano, Goddard experimented with what it means to shoot stereographically and played with the distance between the two cameras to produce harsher or softer images, as well as separating the shot whereby the left eye views one portion of a scene while the right eye views another.
This year's festival features Wim Wenders' 3D follow up to Pina with the narrative film Every Thing Will Be Fine. Taking place in Oka, Quebec, Wim Wenders directs James Franco, Charlotte Gainsbourg and Rachel McAdams in a film about how a single tragic event links the lives of Tomas (James Franco) and Kate (Charlotte Gainsbourg) over the course of 12 years. During the Q&A of the film's Toronto premiere, Wim Wenders said that on the last day of shooting Pina, when he was conducting close-up shots of the dancers' faces, he knew that 3D was the perfect tool for exploring narrative stories. The film's cinematographer Benoît Debie was also the cinematographer on Gaspar Noé's Love.
Further information about LOVE can be found on the Festival's website.
LOVE screening times:
Tue, Sept 15, 8:45 PM RYERSON
Thurs, Sept 17, 6:00 PM TIFF BELL LIGHTBOX
