The Toronto International Film Festival sent out an email this morning with 15 attachments, and although many of them represent lists of films on the 2008 lineup which have already been made public, it’s still a *bit* overwhelming to have it all land in an inbox at once. 312 films from 64 countries, including 249 features. Where to begin?

If you’d like to look at the full lineup, indieWIRE has that–and please, do look at it, and tell me what you think I should see/report back on. I’ve made some notes about films from this series of releases that I’m excited about––whether out of name brand obligation (the new Coen Brothers, for instance), word of mouth (such as a number of films I’ve missed at other festivals) or pure morbid curiosity (ie: the Paris Hilton documentary Paris, Not France), after the jump. All film descriptons courtesy of TIFF.

From the “Morbid Curiosity” File:

Paris, Not France (Adria Petty, USA) World Premiere. Polls show that in certain demographics, more people identify the name Paris with “Hilton” than with “France.” Gaining intimate accessto the glamorous and chaotic day-to-day life of one of the world’s biggest icons, director Adria Petty explores the businesswoman and the human being behind the public persona that is Paris Hilton. Modelled after the 1960s “it”-girl film Darling, and featuring additionalinterviews with Hilton’s family and friends, as well as media experts ranging from Donald Trump to tabloid columnist Richard Johnson,Paris, Not France attempts to explore the Paris phenomenon and how it defines this moment in culture

Pedro (Nicholas Oceano, USA( World Premiere. Diagnosed as HIV-positive at a young age, Pedro Zamora gained attention in 1994 as a cast member on “The Real World.” Followingthe true-life story of Zamora and his family, Pedro aims to honour their heritage, fight for equality, and love for life.

The Lucky Ones (Neil Burger, USA) World Premiere. Rachel McAdams, Tim Robbins and Michael Peña star as returning U.S. soldiers who find themselves on an epic road trip acrossAmerica. Their unplanned journey is hilarious and heartbreaking as they discover home is not quite what they remembered and theunlikely companionship they’ve found in one another might be what matters most of all. The Lucky Ones is directed by Neil Burger (The Illusionist) and is distributed in the U.S. by Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions and in Canada by Maple Pictures

From the “Oscar Bait/Star Vehicle” File:

Burn After Reading (Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, USA) North American Premiere. A stellar cast including George Clooney, Frances McDormand, John Malkovich, Tilda Swinton, Richard Jenkins and Brad Pitt stars in Burn After Reading, from writer/directors Joel and Ethan Coen. Worlds collide when a computer disc containing material for a CIA analyst’s memoirs accidentally falls into the hands of a fitness centre duo eager to exploit their find. Events spiral out of everyone’s andanyone’s control in a cascading series of darkly hilarious encounters.

New York, I Love You (USA, Work-in-Progress) Short films from twelve international filmmakers, including Allen Hughes, Shekhar Kapur, Joshua Marston, Mira Nair, Brett Ratner,Fatih Akin, Scarlett Johansson, Ivan Attal, Natalie Portman, Shunji Iwai, Jiang Wen, and Andrei Zvyagintsev are woven together inNew York, I Love You, an homage to The Big Apple. Revolving around the theme of encountering love within the different boroughs ofNew York City, New York, I Love You features performances from Orlando Bloom, Shia LaBeouf, Natalie Portman, Christina Ricci,Julie Christie, Robin Wright Penn, Hayden Christensen, Rachel Bilson, Andy Garcia, Ethan Hawke, Maggie Q, Chris Cooper, OliviaThirlby, Kevin Bacon, James Caan, Bradley Cooper, Drea de Matteo, John Hurt, Cloris Leachman, Carla Gugina, Goran Visnjic, UgorYucel, Carlos Acosta, Eva Amurri, Anton Yelchin, Justin Bartha, Irrfan Khan, Jacinda Barrett, and Taylor Geare

Adam Resurrected (Paul Schrader, Germany/Israel/USA) World Premiere. Director Paul Schrader’s newest film, Adam Resurrected, is based on the crowning achievement of one of Israel’s literary masters,Yoram Kaniuk. Adam Stein (Jeff Goldblum) is a charismatic patient at a mental institution for Holocaust survivors in Israel. Before thewar, Adam was a Jewish vaudeville performer in Germany, until he found himself in a concentration camp confronted byCommandant Klein (Willem Dafoe). He survives the camp by becoming the Commandant’s “dog”, entertaining him with his musicaland comedic talents. While at the institution years later, Adam must confront his past head-on for the sake of someone else’s salvation.

From the “I’ve Heard Good Things” File”

Three Wise Men (Mika Kaurismäki, Finland) World Premiere Acclaimed Finnish director Mika Kaurismäki (LA Without a Map, TIFF 1998) offers a raw and often hilarious drama about a trio of anti-heroes – an expectant father, a ladies’ man and a failed actor – who escape their family woes for a karaoke bar on Christmas Eve.

From the “Missed it at Sundance/Cannes/etc” File:

Sugar (Ryan Fleck & Anna Boden, USA) International Premiere. Dominican baseball player Miguel Santos struggles to make it big in order to escape poverty and create a better life for his family. Butafter making it to the U.S. minor leagues, he must pit his calling against his loneliness as a displaced immigrant in small-town Iowa.

The Rest of the Night (Francesco Munzi, Italy) North American Premiere. After being accused of stealing from a wealthy Italian couple, a young Romanian maid is forced to return to her ex-boyfriend, recently released from jail and living in squalour with his younger brother. Joined by a cocaine addict who is making inroads on a life of pettycrime, this desperate group of outcasts plots a brazen robbery of the Italian couple’s villa

Cloud 9 (Andreas Dresen, Germany) North American Premiere. From the director of Summer in Berlin (TIFF 2005) comes the story of Inge, a happily married woman in her 60s, who one day finds herself tumbling into the arms of another man. Rejuvenated by a passion she has not felt in years, Inge informs both her husband andher daughter of the affair, but does not know how to handle their appalled response to the shocking news