Toronto 2009

TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2009 HIGHLIGHTS There was no missing the withered appearance of Toronto's biggest film event this year, an inevitability that had been consuming it like a malignant tumour due to sustained economic famine. The cardinal symptoms were there for all to see: screening cutbacks, less-than-full houses, and sluggish industry business. Nevertheless, TIFF's choice of Tel Aviv for its inaugural 'City to City' program precipitated a spectacular publicity coup for itself when both detractors and supporters battled defensively - to the point of making international headlines. No particular theme or region stood out in this year's relatively tame line-up, although several thrillers provided welcome escapism: Accident (Soi Cheang, Hong Kong 2009) On paper, Soi Cheang's Accident sounds intriguing: the unity between four assassins specializing in disguising murders as accidents takes a hit when their latest job misfires and their ringleader (Louis Koo, dressed to kill) suspects he..