Oh my God! This was everything! Anyone and everyone who loves FRIENDS™ needs to know about this wonderful limited-run activation taking place right now at Yorkdale Shopping Centre! From now through January 2, 2023 you can pop by and get immersed into the world of FRIENDS™!

We finally had a chance to go check it out and it posseses that same wonderful, fun energy the Series has. There are photo ops inspired by the Series’ set including Central Perk; Monica and Rachel’s Kitchen; Joey and Chandler‘s Living Room; the Fountain and Couch seen in the Opening Credits; a Stairwell with a Couch inspired by the iconic “Pivot!” episode. There’s even outfits and wigs from the Series, plus fun facts and more. Did I mention an awesome Gift Shop loaded with amazing merch?

Above this the event takes place in a wide-open space, encouraging safety protocols for the times we’re living in and we appreciate that.

Watch a Reel of our experience here:

And an Album of some of my favourite moments:

Learn more about the experienece here, including how to get tickets!

(Photo/video credit: Mr. Will Wong)

Such a pleasure getting the celebrate what’s poised to be a home run for Prime Video in their latest Series A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN! Based on the beloved 1992 Sports Dramedy of the same name, the Series gets eight episodes to delve deeper and more authentically into the stories of the women who comprise groundbreaking All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Team, the Rockford Peaches.

Taking place at Soho House, Toronto’s Kelly McCormack who stars as Jess McCready, spoke at a fireside chat about her experiences filming in isolation with her Castmates during the pandemic. Her character heads south, hailing from Moosejaw, Saskatchewan. And unlike the original Film, this Series co-created by starring Abbi Jacobson (Broad City), same-sex relationships and women of colour in the league are themes that properly are explored.

Some Snaps of McCormack and at the end of the Carousel, hear her speak about her role with TSN’s Kayla Grey:

Such a wonderful bash for a wonderful Series. There was even a Rockford Peach-inspired Cocktail!

Review here.

A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN is streaming now on Prime Video Canada!

(Photo/video credit: Prime Video/Mr. Will Wong)

BULLET TRAIN takes the top spot at the Box Office a second straight week with $12.6 million from 4,357 theatres for Sony Pictures, taking it to $53.6 million domestically. No new entries in the Top Five this weekend.

In second is DC LEAGUE OF SUPER-PETS with $8.6 million, a total run of $59 million for Warner Bros.

TOP GUN: MAVERICK still is hanging tough with $6.8 million in third, edging ever closer to the $700 million mark domestically for Paramount Pictures.

NOPE is in fourth with $6.2 million for Universal Pictures, a total run of $108 million to date.

THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER rounds-out this five with $5.7 million for Disney, a total $326 million in its domestic run.

Shant Joshi and Lindsay Blair Goeldner of Fae Pictures are beyond thrilled to announce that two shorts, Diaspora from Director Tyler Mckenzie Evans and Scaring Women at Night, from Director Karimah Zakia Issa, will have their world premieres at TIFF22 in the Short Cuts programme.

Diaspora
Writer/Director: Tyler Mckenzie Evans
Starring: Cara Ricketts, Rainbow Sun Francks
Synopsis: In a black suburb, a couple begins to notice that their neighbours are disappearing and white people are moving in. They soon discover something much more unpalatable.
Producers: Malachi Ellis, Lindsay Blair Goeldner
Executive Producers: Shant Joshi, Cara Ricketts

Scaring Women at Night
Director: Karimah Zakia Issa
Story by: Ace Clamber
Starring: Izaiah Dockery, Kavita Musty, Dashawn Blackwood
Synopsis: Two strangers are scared on a late walk home. As they try to escape one another, their worlds collide at an intersection forcing them to question who they’re afraid of and why.
Producers: Lindsay Blair Goeldner, Rosalind Goodwin
Executive Producer: Shant Joshi

From Diaspora Director, Tyler Mckenzie Evans: “Many low-income neighbourhoods in Toronto have slowly been changing – over-priced grocery stores, coffee shops and condos are popping up. People of colour that live in these areas eventually disappear along with the area they once knew. Melina, the protagonist, is our watcher; she notices little changes in her neighbourhood. As an audience member we start to question if what she’s noticing is really happening or if it’s just her own paranoia. Diaspora is dark and twisted in so many ways and I’m extremely excited to showcase this at TIFF to a city that’s been so close to my heart throughout my life.”

From Scaring Women at Night Director, Karimah Zakia Issa: “We’ve set up a world where everyone feels like they know what’s about to happen simply by aligning a couple social cues. Woman. Alone. Night. From there we shift into Ash’s perspective, having lived experiences on both ends, he’s our key to seeing this familiar scene differently and begin questioning our complacency. I’m proud to have made this film alongside talented trans folks and people from a plethora of social intersections and I’m thrilled to share our film with TIFF’s audience!”

The Toronto International Film Festival® Primetime programme is set to shine in 2022, with seven compelling and thought-provoking television series from around the world — including five World Premieres. In addition to series premieres, TIFF will present season premieres of established and beloved shows. Returning to the Glenn Gould Theatre, TIFF’s Industry Conference lineup will engage and inspire industry delegates from all over the world with a highly curated slate of sessions and inspiring speakers.

“TIFF recognizes serialized storytelling as one of the most groundbreaking creative mediums today,” said Anita Lee, Chief Programming Officer, TIFF. “Growing increasingly risk-taking, it continues to attract top writers and directors globally. TIFF Primetime spotlights the best of series — the most acclaimed and anticipated — and the discoveries that will soon be the most talked about.”

“This year’s lineup highlights the work of both established and emerging creators, with a balanced mix of new discoveries and fan favourites,” added Geoff Macnaughton, Senior Director of Industry and Primetime Programmer, TIFF. “There is something for everyone, and each series will be followed by an extended Q&A with the creative team.”

PRIMETIME PROGRAMME

TIFF’s 2022 Primetime programme features compelling television series from Canada and around the world.

1899 Baran bo Odar, Jantje Friese | Germany, USA – World Premiere
Dear Mama Allen Hughes | USA – World Premiere
The Handmaid’s Tale (Season 5) Bruce Miller, Elisabeth Moss | USA – World Premiere
High School Clea DuVall, Laura Kittrell | USA, Canada – World Premiere
The Kingdom Exodus Lars von Trier | Denmark – North American Premiere
LIDO TV Lido Pimienta, Sean O’Neill | Canada – World Premiere
Mystery Road: Origin Dylan River | Australia – International Premiere

TIFF INDUSTRY CONFERENCE

“In welcoming the global film and television industries back to Toronto for the first time in two years, we are thrilled to be hosting our curated five-day Conference in-person again. It’s a supercharged year with the opportunity to hear directly from those setting the bar in the new global industry today,” said Lee.

“Conversations between creators, champions, and moguls can collectively shape the business to achieve more inclusivity and sustainability in their areas of expertise,” said Macnaughton. “The makeup of the conversations will present development opportunities for all in attendance — from emerging creators to experienced professionals.”

VISIONARIES

Inspirational keynotes from distinguished industry leaders who are forging innovative new paths creatively and in business. The Hollywood Reporter is the Media Partner. Previously announced speakers include Efe Çakarel, founder and CEO of MUBI, as well as Hillary Rodham Clinton and Chelsea Clinton. Additions include:
Tyler Perry — Writer, director, producer, playwright, actor, and studio owner Tyler Perry discusses his latest film, A Jazzman’s Blues, and his wide-spanning career, which has set him apart as a creator who embodies the core attributes of a visionary in the entertainment industry today.

S.S. Rajamouli — TIFF welcomes S.S. Rajamouli, director of the recent global success RRR, to discuss Telugu cinema, the notion of art versus commerce, and his reputation of “pushing the limits of industrialized pop cinema,” as articulated by Roger Ebert.

DIALOGUES

Rich and lively discussions on craft among creators, including directors, writers, and showrunners. Variety is the Media Partner. Dialogues sessions are supported by Ontario Creates. Dialogues speakers will be announced soon on tiff.net/industry.

PERSPECTIVES

Timely and thought-provoking conversations with a wide range of expert panellists who will speak on various aspects of the current state and the future of the industry. In addition to the previously announced “The Future of Awards” panel, talks will include:

“The Future of Exhibition” focuses on studio relations, streaming wars, and box office outlook as theatres reopen at full capacity and the industry faces a “new normal.”

The “Narrative Sovereignty” panellists Nyla Innuksuk (director of Slash/Back), Darlene Naponse (director of Stellar), Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers (director and actor; Stellar, Night Raiders, Blood Quantum), and Sonya Ballantyne (filmmaker and genre enthusiast) will join moderator Bird Runningwater (producer) to explore how Indigenous-made genre films are contributing to the diversification of the sector, while also finding new global audiences for Indigenous stories.

CONNECTIONS

Providing emerging and mid-career filmmakers the opportunity to interact directly with industry leaders and acquire practical insight that will help fuel their projects and expand their understanding of the industry. TIFF Connections series is generously sponsored by Tecnológico de Monterrey. Sessions confirmed include:
“Academy 365” with Bill Kramer (CEO, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences) and newly named President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Janet Yang

“Pathways from Shorts to First Features”
“Breaking in and Moving Forward”

“The ReFrame ReSource” presented by ReFrame

“How To Access Telefilm Funding” presented by Telefilm

MICROSESSIONS

Curated partner discussions that showcase new technologies and new ways of doing business. Confirmed sessions to date include:

“Being Seen: Directives for Creating Authentic and Inclusive Content” presented by Telefilm Canada and the Black Screen Office

“Greening your Mind: The Role of Agencies in Creating a More Eco-Responsible Industry” presented by Telefilm Canada
“All Welcome: Increasing the Accessibility of Events in the Film Industry” presented by Telefilm Canada

“Powering Entertainment” presented by TikTok

“Let’s Talk Future of Cinema Technology” presented by Christie

“Underrepresented to Unstoppable: More Voices Need More Opportunities in Film” presented by UPS.

SPOTLIGHTS

Spotlighting global talent, incentives, co-production opportunities, and pitching sessions. Sessions will include:
“Do It the Spanish Way! Spain–Canada Coproduction Forum” presented by ICEX and ICAA“ Indigenous Filmmakers at TIFF” presented by the Indigenous Screen Office
“Renewal of the Canada–France Co-Production Treaty” presented by Telefilm Canada and The French Embassy in Canada

“The Big Pitch” presented by Caribbean Tales Media Group

“Cents and Sensibility: Making Meaningful Change in the World of Film Financing” presented by Breaking Through the Lens
Additional sessions to be announced via TIFF’s Press & Industry Twitter account over the coming weeks. Full session pitches will be available online. Documentary focused sessions will be announced at a later date.

(Photo credit: Hulu)

Who doesn’t want to get a chance to see Harry Styles live in Toronto? And also his new Movie DON’T WORRY DARLING! And also win a $100 Cineplex Gift Card! Here’s your chance!

All fans have to do to enter is visit the #DontWorryDarlingTO crew at Cineplex Scotiabank Theatre on Saturday, August 13, 2022 between noon and 11 p.m.

Fans that snap a selfie and share their photo on social media will be automatically entered into the contest for a chance to win. There will also be exclusive giveaways and free popcorn for the first 100 people in line, while supplies last!

More about DON’T WORRY DARLING:

Alice (Pugh) and Jack (Styles) are lucky to be living in the idealized community of Victory, the experimental company town housing the men who work for the top-secret Victory Project and their families. The 1950’s societal optimism espoused by their CEO, Frank (Pine)—equal parts corporate visionary and motivational life coach—anchors every aspect of daily life in the tight-knit desert utopia. While the husbands spend every day inside the Victory Project Headquarters, working on the “development of progressive materials,” their wives—including Frank’s elegant partner, Shelley (Chan)—get to spend their time enjoying the beauty, luxury and debauchery of their community. Life is perfect, with every resident’s needs met by the company. All they ask in return is discretion and unquestioning commitment to the Victory cause. But when cracks in their idyllic life begin to appear, exposing flashes of something much more sinister lurking beneath the attractive façade, Alice can’t help questioning exactly what they’re doing in Victory, and why. Just how much is Alice willing to lose to expose what’s really going on in this paradise?

An audacious, twisted and visually stunning psychological thriller, “Don’t Worry Darling” is a powerhouse feature from director Olivia Wilde that boasts intoxicating performances from Florence Pugh and Harry Styles, surrounded by the impressive and pitch-perfect cast. The film also stars Nick Kroll (“How It Ends”), Sydney Chandler (“Pistol”), Kate Berlant (“Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood”), Asif Ali (“WandaVision”), Douglas Smith (“Big Little Lies”), Timothy Simons (“Veep”) and Ari’el Stachel (upcoming “Respect the Jux”). Wilde directs from a screenplay penned by her “Booksmart” writer Katie Silberman, based on a story by Carey Van Dyke & Shane Van Dyke (“Chernobyl Diaries”) and Silberman.

The film is produced by Wilde, Silberman, Miri Yoon and Roy Lee, with Richard Brener, Celia Khong, Alex G. Scott, Catherine Hardwicke, Carey Van Dyke and Shane Van Dyke executive producing. Wilde is joined behind the camera by two-time Oscar-nominated director of photography Matthew Libatique (“A Star Is Born,” “Black Swan”), production designer Katie Byron (“Booksmart”), editor Affonso Gonçalves (“The Lost Daughter”), Oscar-nominated composer John Powell (“Jason Bourne”), music supervisor Randall Poster (“No Time to Die”) and costume designer Arianne Phillips (“Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood”).

A New Line Cinema presentation, “Don’t Worry Darling” will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures and is set to open in theatres in North America on September 23, 2022 and internationally beginning 21 September 2022.

Kaitlyn Dever stars in ROSALINE, streaming this Fall on Disney+’s Star banner.

Synopsis:

“Rosaline” is a fresh and comedic twist on Shakespeare’s classic love story “Romeo & Juliet,” told from the perspective of Juliet’s cousin Rosaline (Dever), who also happens to be Romeo’s recent love interest. Heartbroken when Romeo (Kyle Allen) meets Juliet (Isabela Merced) and begins to pursue her, Rosaline schemes to foil the famous romance and win back her guy. Directed by Karen Maine (“Yes, God, Yes”), the film also stars Sean Teale (“Skins”), with Minnie Driver (“Speechless”) and Bradley Whitford (“The Handmaid’s Tale”). The screenplay is by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber (“500 Days of Summer”), based on the novel “When You Were Mine” by Rebecca Serle. The producers are Shawn Levy, Dan Cohen and Dan Levine, with Kaitlyn Dever, Scott Neustadter, Michael H. Weber and Emily Morris serving as executive producers.

Some new Stills:

ROSALINE streams October 14, 2022 on Disney+ under its Star banner.

(Photo credit: Disney)

As part of TIFF’s Canadian programming announcements, the National Film Board of Canada is bringing us four titles at the Festival this year!

Premiering in TIFF Docs

The Colour of Ink by Brian D. Johnson (105 min)

Produced by Brian D. Johnson for Sphinx Productions; Sherien Barsoum, Lea Marin and Kate Vollum for the NFB

• Working with ingredients foraged in the wild—weeds, berries, bark, flowers, rocks, rust—Toronto inkmaker Jason Logan makes ink from just about anything. Jason sends custom-made inks to an eclectic range of artists around the world, from a New Yorker cartoonist to a Japanese calligrapher.
• As the inks take on a life of their own, his playful alchemy paints a story of colour that reconnects us to the earth and returns us to a childlike sense of wonder.
• Brian D. Johnson is a Canadian writer, filmmaker and cultural commentator. He is best known for his three decades as film critic and senior arts writer at Maclean’s magazine, where he remains a Contributing Editor. In 2015 he produced and directed Al Purdy Was Here, a documentary feature about the legendary Canadian poet, which premiered at TIFF and was runner-up for the TIFF Grolsch People’s Choice Documentary Award.

Ever Deadly by Tanya Tagaq and Chelsea McMullan (90 min)

Produced by Lea Marin, Anita Lee and Kate Vollum for the Ontario Studio in Toronto.

Ever Deadly explores Tagaq’s transformation of sound with an eye to colonial fallout, natural freedom and Canadian history. We witness Tagaq’s intimate relationship with the Nuna—the Land—a living, breathing organism present in all forms of her improvised performances. 

This feature doc weaves concert footage with stunning sequences filmed on location in Nunavut, seamlessly bridging landscapes, stories and songs with pain, anger and triumph—all through the expressions of one of the most innovative musical performers of our time.

Tanya Tagaq is an improvisational singer, avant-garde composer and author from Cambridge Bay (Iqaluktuuttiaq), who now divides her time between Nunavut and Toronto. A member of the Order of Canada, a Polaris Music Prize and JUNO Award winner and recipient of multiple honorary doctorates, Tagaq is an original disruptor, a world-changing figure at the forefront of seismic social, political and environmental change.

Toronto filmmaker Chelsea McMullan creates documentary, experimental narrative, and hybrid films that explore the work of leading international artists. McMullan’s first documentary feature, My Prairie Home, about pioneering transgender musician Rae Spoon, screened at Sundance 2014 and was named Best Canadian Documentary at the Vancouver Film Critics Association Awards.

To Kill a Tiger by Nisha Pahuja (125 min)

Produced by Cornelia Principe and Nisha Pahuja for Notice Pictures; David Oppenheim for the NFB

In a small Indian village, Ranjit wakes up to find that his 13-year-old daughter has not returned from a family wedding. A few hours later, she’s found stumbling home. After being dragged into the woods, she was raped by three men. Ranjit goes to the police, and the men are arrested. But Ranjit’s relief is short-lived, as the villagers and their leaders launch a sustained campaign to force the family to drop the charges.

With tremendous access, the film follows Ranjit’s uphill battle to find justice for his child, charting the emotional journey of an ordinary man facing extraordinary circumstances. A father whose love for his daughter forces a social reckoning that will reverberate for years to come.

Nisha Pahuja is an Emmy-nominated filmmaker based in Toronto and Bombay. Her credits include Diamond Road (2007 Gemini Award for Best Documentary Series), the NFB production Bollywood Bound (2001 Gemini nominee) and the award-winning The World Before Her (2012; Best Documentary, Tribeca Film Festival; Best Canadian Documentary, Hot Docs; TIFF’s Canada’s Top Ten; Sundance Film Forward Program; Best Documentary nominee, CSAs; Emmy nominee).

Premiering in Short Cuts

The Flying Sailor by Wendy Tilby and Amanda Forbis (7 min 45 s)

Produced by David Christensen for the North West Studio in Edmonton

Two ships collide in a harbour, an explosion shatters a city, and a sailor is blasted skyward. With ears ringing, blood pulsing and guts heaving, he soars high above the mayhem and towards the great unknown.

Inspired by an incredible true story of a man who was blown two kilometres through the air by the Halifax Explosion, the animated short The Flying Sailor is at once a bold blend of comedy, suspense and philosophy and an exhilarating contemplation of the wonder and fragility of existence.

The Flying Sailor is making its North American premiere at TIFF following its world premiere at the 2022 Annecy International Animation Film Festival in France, which took place June 13 to 18.

Calgary-based animators Wendy Tilby and Amanda Forbis met at the Emily Carr College of Art and Design in Vancouver, where they studied film, video and animation. Each went on to create their own works with the NFB (Wendy Tilby’s Strings and Jan Padgett’s The Reluctant Deckhand, animated by Amanda Forbis) before co-directing When the Day Breaks, which received an Oscar nomination and more than 30 international awards, including the Palme d’Or at Cannes. In 2012, their animated short film Wild Life received an Academy Award nomination, among other honours.

Apple TV+ have announced today that Emmy Award winner Jon Hamm joins the third season of THE MORNING SHOW as ‘Paul Marks,’ a corporate titan who sets his sights on UBA, pulling Cory, Alex and Bradley into his powerful orbit. Filming begins shortly.

You can’t say there weren’t clues either! See this tease.

“The Morning Show” is an Emmy, SAG and Critics Choice Award-winning series starring and executive produced by Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston, executive produced by Mimi Leder, and executive produced by Michael Ellenberg, and produced by the studio Media Res, Hello Sunshine and Echo Films. The broadly acclaimed second season recently received Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, Reese Witherspoon; Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, Billy Crudup, who also won the award for season one; and, Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series, Marcia Gay Harden.

Season three of the “The Morning Show” will be showrun and executive produced by Charlotte Stoudt (“Fosse/Verdon,” “Homeland,” “House of Cards”), who has a multi-year overall deal with Apple TV+ for scripted television series. The series is executive produced by Michael Ellenberg through Media Res, along with Aniston and Kristin Hahn through Echo Films; Witherspoon and Lauren Neustadter through Hello Sunshine. Leder serves as executive producer and director.
Picking up after the explosive events of season one, season two found “The Morning Show” team emerging from the wreckage of Alex (Aniston) and Bradley’s (Witherspoon) actions, to a new UBA and a world in flux, where identity is everything and the chasm between who we present as and who we really are comes into play. Along with Aniston and Witherspoon, the star-studded cast for season two was led by Billy Crudup, Mark Duplass, Nestor Carbonell, Karen Pittman, Bel Powley, Desean Terry, Janina Gavankar, Tom Irwin and Marcia Gay Harden. New additions for season two included Greta Lee, Ruairi O’Connor, Hasan Minhaj, Holland Taylor, Tara Karsian, Valeria Golino and Julianna Margulies.

Apple Original Films has landed the new untitled two-part documentary film from A24 and Tremolo Productions featuring legendary writer, producer, director, actor and comedian Steve Martin (“Roxanne,” “Parenthood,” “Only Murders in the Building”), exploring his iconic life and career. The films are directed and produced by Academy Award winner Morgan Neville (“20 Feet from Stardom,” “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”). The co-production hails from A24 whose projects also include Critics’ Choice Documentary Award-winning documentary “Val” on iconic actor Val Kilmer, and Tremolo Productions, with projects including the Academy Award winning documentary “20 Feet from Stardom,” featuring the stories of backup singers to the biggest bands in music.

A24 will executive produce alongside Caitrin Rogers (“20 Feet from Stardom”) from Tremolo Productions.
This two-part documentary will be joining Apple’s acclaimed and award-winning documentary slate including docuseries and documentaries featuring the real-life stories of beloved stars including the four-part Earvin “Magic” Johnson docuseries “They Call Me Magic”; the Emmy Award nominated documentary “Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry”; the Critics’ Choice Documentary Award nominated film “The Velvet Underground”; the upcoming documentary honoring iconic Academy Award winning actor, filmmaker and actor Sidney Poitier, “Sidney”; and the recently announced untitled feature film about the life of beloved actor and advocate Michael J. Fox.