There is no denying it — Oscar season is upon us. Over the next few months we will see the release of many of the hopefuls for gold on that fateful night in late February. Many of these Oscar-chasers will also debut at this year’s Toronto Film Festival. And even though we aren’t going to be in Toronto, that doesn’t mean we won’t be keeping an eye on the films that are playing there. One particular film that has caught my eye is Kathyrin Bigelow’s The Hurt Locker. Inspired by true events and recently declassified information, The Hurt Locker follows an elite Army Explosive Ordinance Disposal team in present-day Baghdad that fights an onslaught of bombs and snipers. It stars Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Guy Pearce, Ralph Fiennes and David Morse.

To give you an idea of the buzz that this film is already getting, here’s a snippet from a review by The Star’s Patrick Howell: “If you can sit through The Hurt Locker without your heart nearly pounding through your chest, you must be made of granite.”

The film, which is Bigelow’s first feature since 2002′s K-19: The Widowmaker, will make its debut on September 8th in Toronto. And in anticipation of its release, we’ve received a few images from the film, which can be seen in the gallery below, followed by the film’s teaser poster.