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If you're into film studies by region, then Tiff's City to City series might be a worthy sidebar initiative. It began last year with the country of Israel, which proved to be a basterdized first choice -- as the selection was deemed a political one by the media and certain filmmakers from the other side of the "fence". This year patrons can visit Istanbul, Turkey through cinema -- ten feature-length films and seven short films and despite him not having made anything recently, they had no choice but to include a film from Nuri Bilge Ceylan. Here's the selections: 10 to 11 Pelin Esmer, Turkey/France/Germany North American Premiere An elderly man clashes with his neighbours as they try to remove him – and his elaborate collections of ephemera -- from his apartment. 40 Emre Sahin, Turkey International Premiere Capturing the dazzling intensity of Istanbul's 12 million souls, Sahin's groundbreaking feature crisscrosses the lives of a petty crook,...

I'll let the official announcement speak for itself on this one ...

YAŞASIN! Istanbul Spotlighted In Festival's City To City Programme

Toronto - In a highly anticipated announcement, Cameron Bailey, Co-Director of the Toronto International Film Festival, confirmed today that the city of Istanbul, Turkey, will be highlighted in the 2010 Festival's City to City programme. This is the sophomore year for the City to City series, which explores the evolving urban experience by immersing audiences in the most interesting films from and about a selected city.

"This has been a hard secret to keep! When we began discussions about a short list of possible cities back in January, Istanbul quickly emerged as a leading candidate," said Cameron Bailey. "Most people know Istanbul as a dynamic city with a rich history, but its film scene is less well-known. Over the past five years, filmmakers from this vibrant metropolis have been winning awards at Cannes and Berlin.