This year, the Torino Film Festival celebrates its 27^th anniversary; this is also the first year it is directed by Gianni Amelio. The Festival remains true to its tradition of discovery and critical reflection of contemporary cinema, its languages and its authors.

On November 13^th, the opening of the 27^th TORINO FILM FESTIVAL will be celebrated at the prestigious Teatro Regio with the international preview of Nowhere Boy, the first feature film by the English director Sam Taylor Wood. The film focuses on John Lennon’s early years and is based on the book Imagine This: Growing Up With My Brother John Lennon, written by John’s stepsister, Julia Baird. 2010 marks the thirtieth anniversary of the death of the English musician.

One of the new features introduced by Festival director Gianni Amelio is a special recognition, the TORINO GRAND PRIX, to honor directors who, from the rise of the nouvelles vagues of the 1960s on, have helped renew the film language. During the final evening of the Festival, the award will be given to Emir Kusturica, for the inventive quality of his films and the absolute originality of his style.

As always, the program of the 2009 TORINO FILM FESTIVAL offers a rich selection of approximately 220 films, projected in the following sections:

TORINO 27 – FEATURE FILMS COMPETITION. The main competitive section of the Festival is reserved to directors making their first, second or third film and proposes fifteen newly produced films that have yet to screen in Italy.
A MOVABLE FEAST. This is a voyage that will accompany Festival-goers through the most interesting films of 2009, the rising trends and the most curious previews.
CONFIDENTIAL REPORT. This section takes stock of an emerging director or specific phenomenon in international cinema. This year, the protagonist is Nicolas Winding Refn, a young Danish director.
ITALIANA.DOC. A competition reserved to unscreened Italian feature-length documentaries, on film or in video.
SONS AND LOVERS. Six important Italian directors, representing different generations, trends, expressive lines and themes, are asked to choose a film from the past that was of fundamental importance in catalyzing their inspiration and their desire to become a filmmaker.
ITALIANA.CORTI. Short films have their own language, tempo and rhythm and this is why the TFF has decided to reserve a specific competitive space to them.
SPAZIO TORINO. This competition presents the best shorts that were made by filmmakers who were born in or reside in Piedmont, an area that has always been a ferment of film activity.
WAVES. This section is a crossroads of trial proofs, research trends, explorations of languages, formats and expressive methods.