Just got the TIFF email. Despite being in the last box to be processed, we got 4 first choices and 1 second choice. Incroyable! That means we’re seeing:

• Into the Abyss, the new Werner Herzog documentary
• The Hunter, with Willem Dafoe and Sam Neill
• Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory, the documentary about the West Memphis 3 that was shot before their sudden release. While a new ending has been shot, it won’t be available until after the festival. Still, it will be cool to be one of only three audiences to ever see this version.
• The Loneliest Planet, which…I kind of don’t know what to expect here, but it was directed by Julia Loktev, who directed Day Night Day Night, one of our all-time TIFF sleeper favourites
• Rampart, a big draw with a huge cast, but we’ll see it on the last day of the fest which means all the hubbub will have died away. Violet & Daisy!

[UPDATE: we decided to trade in the Rampart tickets for a Violet & Daisy screening after all. We rated it higher, it shows earlier in the festival and there’s a chance the director will still be around to talk about the film. So, in the end, despite being in the last box processed we got all five of our #1 picks.]

Pretty excited (and relieved!) right now.