TIFF: Juan Antonio Bayona's THE ORPHANAGE (EL ORFANATO)
FOR TRAILER & JPEGS, SEE THE BOTTOM OF THIS ARTICLE
According to this press release from the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), Juan Antonio Bayona's The Orphanage (El orfanato) is set to be screened at this year's festival as part of its Vanguard programme, in what is to be the North American première of the movie.
The Orphanage had its world première at the 46th International Critics' Week (46e Semaine Internationale de la Critique -- "SIC" for short) in Cannes on May 20th. Warner Bros. Entertainment España S.L. is scheduled to release it theatrically in Spain on October 11th. Wild Bunch (Exception Wild Bunch S.A.) is the international sales agent for it. U.S. distribution rights for it have been acquired by Picturehouse Inc..
The screenplay for The Orphanage was written by Sergio G. Sánchez. The movie stars (listed order corresponds to order on cast page of official website) Belén Rueda as Laura, Geraldine Chaplin as Aurora, Fernando Cayo as Carlos, Mabel Rivera as Pilar, Montserrat Carulla as Benigna, Andrés Gertrúdix as Enrique, Edgar Vivar as Balabán, and Roger Príncep as Simón.
Here's a synopsis for The Orphanage from the production: "Laura spent the happiest years of her childhood growing up in an orphanage by the seaside, cared for by the staff and fellow orphans whom she loved as brothers and sisters. Now, thirty years later, she returns with her husband Carlos and Simon, their 7-year-old son, with a dream of restoring and reopening the long-abandoned orphanage as a home for disabled children. The new home and mysterious surroundings awaken Simon's imagination, and the boy starts to spin a web of fantastic tales and not-so-innocent games... a troubling web that begins to disturb Laura, drawing her into the child's strange universe which resonates with echoes of long-forgotten, deeply unsettling memories of her own childhood. As the opening day draws near, tension builds within the family. Carlos remains sceptical, believing that Simon is making everything up in a desperate bid for attention. But Laura slowly becomes convinced that something long-hidden and terrible is lurking in the old house, something waiting to emerge and inflict appalling damage on her family."
For more information on The Orphanage, see ScreenAnarchy's fifth, fourth, third, second, and first articles on it.
Those who are interested in The Orphanage may also wish to read the ScreenAnarchy articles on Paco Cabezas' Spanish-Argentine-Swedish horror The Appeared (Aparecidos).
The Orphanage large teaser trailer (downloadable 12 MB MOV file)
The Orphanage medium teaser trailer (downloadable 10 MB MOV file)
The Orphanage small teaser trailer (downloadable 9.2 MB MOV file)
The Orphanage image gallery (16 JPEGs in a 14.3 MB ZIP file)
The Orphanage official website
GOMORRAHY.com: The Orphanage (w/ teaser trailer, stills, etc.)
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The Appeared teaser trailer (downloadable 1.3 MB MOV file)
GOMORRAHY.com: The Appeared (w/ teaser trailer, stills, etc.)
