As we get closer and closer to TIFF 2012, the hard part begins. Thousands of cinephiles out there are looking at hundreds of listings, and trying to whittle it down to just a few dozen. How does one pare down the options? By programme? By star? By country?

One approach that has worked for me in the past is to go by director – especially a director who has brought greatness to past festivals. For me, one such director is Spaniard Juan Antonio Bayona who freaked me out good and proper with EL ORFANATO in 2007. This year he has returned to TIFF with a human drama that seems intense, and might well make my final schedule.