Probably the next best thing to having your film screen at TIFF is having it selected as one of its "Top Ten," a list that was established in 2001 to "honour excellence in short and feature length contemporary Canadian cinema." Curious to hear who made the cut this year, I put on some lip-gloss for the official announcement in the swanky "Malaparte" lounge at the Bell Lightbox last night. Hosts Don McKellar and Sarah Gadon brought some levity to the announcement with McKellar noting that lists were reductive and then going on to list a number or reasons why this is the case. Sounds like a comment board around here. Ahem, now onto the films.

The top Canadian features of 2012 in alphabetical order are (cyber drum roll please):

Cosmopolis - David Cronenberg
The End of Time - Peter Mettler
Goon - Michael Dowse
Laurence Anyways - Xavier Dolan
Midnight's Children - Deepa Mehta
My Awkward Sexual Adventure - Sean Garrity
Rebelle - Kim Nguyen (also Canada's official Academy Awards entry for Best Foreign Film)
Still - Michael McGowan
Stories We Tell - Sarah Polley
The World Before Her - Nisha Pahuja

The top Canadian short films of 2012 in alphabetical order are:

Bydlo - Patrick Bouchard
Chef de meute (Herd Leader) - Chloé Robichaud
Crackin' Down Hard - Mike Clattenburg
Kaspar - Diane Obomsawin
Lingo - Bahar Noorizadeh
Malody - Phillip Barker
Ne crâne pas sois modeste (Keep a Modest Head) - Deco Dawson
Old Growth - Tess Girard
Paparmane (Wintergreen) - Joëlle Desjardins Paquette
Reflexions - Martin Thibaudeau

While it's no shock to see Canadian darlings Mehta, Cronenberg and Polley on the list, there were two pleasant surprises in My Awkward Sexual Adventure and The World Before Her. The first is a shocking and somewhat explicit comedy and the second a sometimes difficult documentary about the lives of women in India. Also pretty cool to see Trailer Park Boys' Mike Clattenburg on the short film list. Kudos to the panel for their selection of these two films.

Public screenings of the Top Ten programming run from Jan 4-13 with special guests in attendance and considering it's TIFF — you never know who might show up! Purchase tickets online at tiff.net/topten by phone Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET at 416.599.TIFF and 1.888.599.8433, or visit the box office in person from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. ET at TIFF Bell Lightbox.

Pricing as follows: standard ticket is $12 (feature film or shorts programme); the Take Five package: any five feature films for $48 (redeemed in person or by phone only; one ticket per screening); the Two Pack: both shorts programmes for $18; Mavericks with Sarah Polley is $18.75. Doors open 30 minutes prior to the screening. Member pricing available.
TIFF members can purchase tickets now and general public sales begin on December 12.

Writing by Priya Rao

Still from Cosmopolis