By Mr. Will Wong
It was an action-packed Day One at TIFF ’18! We had a blast doing the rounds including an appearance on Global News Toronto with Farah Nasser, plus a stop-off at NKPR‘s famed gifting lounge where Rolling Stone will be doing their portraits this year!
Check-out our segment!
It was an intense day but we were game snapping stars of the Opening Night Gala THE OUTLAW KING, a Netflix Film starring Chris P,ine and Aaron Taylor-Johnson! The stars did doubke-duty walking the carpets at Princess of Wales Theatre and Roy Thomson Hall, super-gracious!
The Midnight Madness Programme kicked-off woth Shane Black’s THE PREDATOR Reboot, drawing a starstudded bunch including Boyd Holbrook, Olivia Munn, Keegan-Michael Key, Jake Busey, Trevante Rhodes and more!
One of TIFF ’18‘s biggest breakout stats in John David Washington, son of Denzel who mesmerizes in MONSTERS AND MEN. You might recognize him from BALLERS.
Chloë Grace Moretz, Maika Monroe and Isabelle Huppert dazzled ay their Premiere of GRETA, making time for fun. Thanks to our Amanda Gilmore for the Snap!
Some Can-Con for you. Toronto’s Patrick J. Adams, formerly of SUITS, was spotted back in town for CLARA. Stephan James stars in IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK, the latest by Barry Jenkins who directed Best Picture, MOONLIGHT, at TIFF a couple years back!
(Photo credit: Amanda Gilmore/Mr. Will Wong)
By Siobhán Rich and Mr. Will Wong
Now in its 42th edition, the Toronto International Film Festival is set to go Thursday, September 7 – Sunday, September 17, 2017. Normally seen as a major precursor to Awards Season culminating in the Academy Awards, the Festival showcases several of the Films that will go on to prominence and glory in the coming months and also rare Films which may not ever be seen again outside the festival circuit. Cinema Lovers had plenty to rejoice today as the first batch of TIFF ’17 Films were announced this morning at TIFF Bell Lightbox! Several highly-buzzed Films and their stars will be gracing the Festival this year which takes over the City post-Labour Day.
International star of silver screen and television Priyanka Chopra has the honour of being this year’s TIFF Soiree Guest. The Gala is held on the Festival’s opening night. The Closing Night Gala has been unveiled as SHEIKH JACKSON starring Ahmad El-Fishawi and Ahmed Malek.
Cameron Bailey TIFF Artistic Director (sans pocket square) says, “You may have noticed we love movies in Toronto. And the world has noticed also.”. “If you’re somewhere in public and hear a titile you’re excited for, don’t squeal.”. And we certainly have much to squeal for this year!
TIFF ’17 will play host to several high-profile Films and many are talking about Angelina Jolie‘s two Films at the Festival. She serves as Director on FIRST THEY KILLED MY FATHER and Producer on THE BREADWINNER. Could we be seeing her this year?
Megastar George Clooney returns to TIFF with Crime Comedy SUBURBICON, this time as Director. The Film stars Matt Damon, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin and Julianne Moore.
Matt Damon stars also in Toronto-made DOWNSIZING from Alexander Payne (Sideways) which also appears at the Festival.
Margot Robbie and Allison Janney are getting tons of Oscar buzz for I, TONYA, a Biopic about disgraced Figure Skater Tonya Harding and the controversy surrounding her conspired attack against opponent Nancy Kerrigan.
SUBMERGENCE is a Thriller from Win Wenders, based on J.M. Ledgard‘s Novel of the same name and stars Academy Award-winner Alicia Vikander and James McAvoy.
Andy Serkis makes his directorial debut with romantic drama BREATHE starring Andrew Garfield and Claire Foy.
THE CURRENT WAR stars red-hot Tom Holland and fan favourite Benedict Cumberbatch, centering on Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse‘s competing to create a sustainable power system and marketing it to Americans.
Stars don’t come more accomplished than Glenn Close who costars with Christian Slater in THE WIFE about a woman who makes the difficult decision to leave her husband.
Elle Fanning and Maisie Williams star in the highly-anticipated biopic about the first lady of horror fiction MARY SHELLEY.
From the director of TIFF ’15’s Mustangs comes KINGS starring Halle Berry and Daniel Craig about a foster family in South Central in the aftermath of the Rodney King trial.
Fans of the incredible Annette Benning will be sure to line-up early to see her in FILM STARS DON’T DIE IN LIVERPOOL co-starring Jamie Bell about a young actor who falls for his leading lady.
Starring Guy Pearce and Paul Rudd THE CATCHER WAS A SPY marks the triumphant return of Director Ben Lewin to TIFF.
Directed by Indie darling Greta Gerwig and starring Saoirse Ronan, LADY BIRD will open the Special Presentations section.
VICTORIA AND ABDUL reunites Judi Dench with her TIFF ’13 selection Philomena Director Stephen Frears.
THE SQUARE is sure to be a big with fans of Elisabeth Moss and director Ruben Östlund as they visit the issue of more courage and egocentricity.
HOSTILES brings Black Mass Director Scott Cooper back to TIFF with powerhouse actors Christian Bale and Rosamund Pike.
DISOBEDIENCE Rachel Weisz produces and stars along with Torontonian Rachel McAdams in this story about a woman returning to her Orthodox Jewish home.
THE CHILDREN ACT from the pen of Atonement Scribe Ian McEwan and starring Emma Thompson and Stanley Tucci comes a Movie that feels very relatable with headlines in the UK right now.
MOM AND DAD (stars Nicolas Cage and Selma Blair) – a pair of siblings must survive the mass hysteria that ensues over 24 hours as their parents inexplicably attack them.
REVENGE (stars Matilda Anna Ingrid Lutz and Jevin Janssens)
GREAT CHOICE (stars Carrie Coon and Morgan Spector) – a woman gets stuck in a Red Lobster commercial.
LET THE CORPSES TAN (Elina Löwensohn and Stéphane Ferrara), an Adaptation of the 1971 Crime Thriller by Jean-Patrick Manchette and Jean-Pierre Bastid.
Untitled Kevin Hart/Bryan Cranston Project also stars Nicole Kidman and is rumoured to be a remake of the massive 2011 hit The Intouchables.
Emma Stone, who attended last year for La La Land en route to winning an Oscar, and Steve Carrell join forces in BATTLE OF THE SEXES, based on the true story of the famed 1973 tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs.
Some Trailers from this year’s Films:
BORG/MCENROE (stars Shia LaBoeuf and Sverrir Gudnason) – OPENING NIGHT GALA
BATTLE OF THE SEXES (stars Emma Stone and Steve Carell)
SUBURBICON (directed by George Clooney)
MOTHER! (stars Jennifer Lawrence and Javier Bardem)
BRAD’S STATUS (stars Ben Stiller and Austin Abrams)
THE BREADWINNER (produced by Angelina Jolie)
THE SHAPE OF WATER (stars Sally Hawkins and Michael Shannon)
BREATHE (stars Andrew Garfield and Claire Foy)
CALL ME BY YOUR NAME (stars Armie Hammer)
TIFF’s Documentary Programme also was highlighted today and some higher-profile titles include Opening Night Film GRACE JONES: BLOODLIGHT AND BAMI, BOOM FOR REAL: THE LATE TEENAGE YEARS OF JEAN-MICHEL BASQUIAT, ERIC CLAPTON: LIFE IN 12 BARS, THE FINAL YEAR (features Barack Obama and John Kerry), THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ANDRÉ (as in André Leon-Talley), JIM & ANDY: THE GREAT BEYOND (centes on Jim Carrey and Andy Kaufman), JANE (on conservationist Jane Goodall), SAMMY DAVIS JR. I’VE GOTTA BE ME and SUPER SIZE ME 2: HOLY CHICKEN!. The Programme’s Closing Night Film is MAKALA.
UPDATE 8/9/17:
Canadian titles have been announced for TIFF ’17 and they include: Alanis Obomsawin’s Our People Will Be Healed, Alan Zweig’s There is a House Here, Simon Lavoie’s The Little Girl Who Was Too Fond of Matches (La petite fille qui aimait trop les allumettes, Mina Shum’s Meditation Park; Robin Aubert’s Les Affamés, Ingrid Veninger’s Porcupine Lake; Pat Mills’ Don’t Talk to Irene; Oscar nominee Kim Nguyen’s Eye on Juliet; Adam MacDonald’s Pyewacket; Denis Côté’s Ta peau si lisse (A Skin So Soft); and Jennifer Baichwal and Nicholas de Pencier’s Long Time Running.
An announcement also was made on TIFF ’17‘s Rising Stars and they are: Daniel Doheny, Mary Galloway, Théodore Pellerin and Ellen Wong.
UPDATE 8/15/17:
Some additional Galas and Special Presentations for TIFF ’17 were announced today and there definitely are some great ones including Toronto-made directorial debut for Oscar-winning Screenwriter Aaron Sorkin, MOLLY’S GAME and KODACHROME from Director Mark Raso.
GALAS added include:
55 STEPS is a patients’ rights Drama starring Helena Bonham Carter and Hilary Swank.
CHAPPAQUIDDICK follows the derailment of Ted Kennedy’s political career after the death of political strategist Mary Jo Kopechne, starring Jason Clarke and Kate Mara.
THE LEISURE SEEKER follows a couple who go on an unforgettable journey in their RV of the same name as the Film’s title, starring Helen Mirren and Donald Sutherland.
THREE CHRISTS stars Richard Gere and Peter Dinklage, centering on a doctor treating three paranoid schizophrenic patients, each believing they are Jesus Christ.
SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS added include:
THE KILLING OF A SACRED DEER follows a teenager’s attempts to bring a brilliant surgeon into his dysfunctional family. It stars Nicole Kidman, Alicia Silverstone, Barry Keoghan and Colin Farrell.
KODACHROME (made in Toronto) is set in the final days of the photo development system of the same name. Stars Elizabeth Olsen, Ed Harris and Jason Sudeikis.
JOURNEY’S END stars Sam Claflin and Asa Butterfield, about a group of British officers in World War I, led a young officer who is mentally disintegrating.
I LOVE YOU, DADDY, Funnyman Louis C.K.’s first feature Film in over 16 years, also stars him as a Producer and Writer. Chloë Moretz also stars in the black and white Film.
THE FLORIDA PROJECT is about a six-year-old and her friends and their wonder-filled summer. It stars Willem Dafoe a Brooklynn Prince.
THE ESCAPE follows an ordinary woman who makes an extraordinary decision one day that changes her life. Stars Gemma Arterton and Dominic Cooper.
THE CURED is about a disease that turned people into zombies having been cured. The once-infected zombies then get rejected from society and their families. Stars Ellen Page and Sam Keeley.
LEAN ON PETE is about a boy who moves to Oregon to begin a new life and befriends a horse trainer and failing racehorse. Stars Steve Buscemi, Chloe Sevigny and Travis Fimmel.
LOVING PABLO has real-life couple Javier Bardem and Penélope Cruz playing Pablo Escobar and Virginia Vallejo.
MICHAEL JACKSON’S THRILLER 3D, preceded by MAKING OF MICHAEL JACKSON’S THRILLER.
MOLLY’S GAME (made in Toronto) is about an Olympic skier who ran the most exclusive high-stakes poker game, becoming an FBI target. Stars Jessica Chastain and Idris Elba.
MARK FELT – THE MAN WHO BROUGHT DOWN THE WHITE HOUSE is about the man who went by the name “Deep Throat” to help journalists uncover the Watergate Scandal. Stars Julian Morris, Liam Neeson and Diane Lane.
ON CHESIL BEACH centers on a young couple’s honeymoon, set in the ‘60s. Stars Saoirse Ronan and Billy Howle.
OUTSIDE IN has Laggies and Your Sister’s Sister Director Lynn Shelton returning to TIFF ’17 with her latest effort.
REDOUBTABLE centers on French Director Jean-Luc Godard’s romance with 17-year-old Anne Wiazemsky. From Oscar-winning Director Michel Hazanvicius.
UNICORN STORE has Oscar-winner Brie Larson making her directorial debut. She also stars in it and it is about a woman who receives a mysterious invitation which fulfills her childhood dreams.
WHO WE ARE NOW is about a woman sentenced to ten years in prison and she hires a young public defence lawyer to help her children. Stars Zachary Quinto and Emma Roberts.
What didn’t make the cut or yet get announced?
We heard a lot of great titles but not all the Movies on our Wish List were mentioned. The most anticipated and buzzed-about Movie this morning was the Denis Villeneuve-directed Blade Runner 2049. With a Canadian Director and Canadian Ryan Gosling as its star, Blade Runner 2049 seems like a strong guess for future TIFF ’17 announcements. Staying strong on the Can-Con front we were surprised not to hear Xavier Dolan’s The Death and Life of John F Donovan at today’s press conference. What is TIFF without a Movie starring Ethan Hawke? To check that TIFF Bingo box we’d like to suggest Paul Schrader’s First Reformed costarring Amanda Seyfried. Already in town for the Festival will be Julianne Moore who stars in Todd Haynes’ Wonderstruck, based on the book by Hugo scribe Brian Selznick. Wonder Wheel from Director Woody Allen starring Kate Winslet (who is in town for The Mountain Between Us) and Justin Timberlake.
Stay tuned. There definitely will be more…
For more, visit the Toronto International Film Festival website here.
(Photo credit: Paramount Pictures/Fox Searchlight/Elevation Pictures)
Review by Siobhán Rich for Mr. Will Wong
The best part of M. Night Shyamalan’s latest psychological thriller is James McAvoy. Playing the role of a man with living with Dissociative Identity Disorder, McAvoy is mesmerizing as he introduces the audience to seven of the 24 personalities hidden inside Kevin Crumb’s mind. From coldly calculating OCD-Dennis to innocent Hedwig, McAvoy plays each personality as its own distinct character rather than an offshoot or quirk of the greater whole. Written and directed by Shyamalan, Split marks the return of a master.
When Claire, Marcia and Casey (Haley Lu Richardson, Jessica Sula, and Anya Taylor-Joy respectively) are kidnapped after a birthday party they awake to find themselves imprisoned in a make-shift room with two beds and a rather nice looking ensuite bathroom. The three girls slowly meet the personalities hidden within their kidnapper and realize their time is limited unless they band together to escape. Introverted loner Casey agrees with the overall idea but believes that subtlety rather than brute force is the best plan.
In the meantime, Kevin’s psychiatrist, Dr. Karen Fletcher (Tony Award winner Betty Buckley), continues to visit with her client trying to discern why he seems so different from the person she is used to speaking with. She works with people suffering from DID and has a theory about how their personalities interact and “come into the light” to take over their host and protect them both physically and psychologically. Her concern for her patient, however, never fully develops past the idea that he may be the key to her future professional glory.
A lot pressure is placed on Richardson, Sula, and Taylor-Joy to sell their roles as the kidnap victims without sinking too deeply into B-Movie victim territory. Despite the rampant over-sexualization of these young women, they all tread carefully through the minefield of Shyamalan’s horror tropes.
Split works best when it is grounded in the realm of psychological thriller. Shyamalan’s instance at returning to the supernatural in the final section of the movie is when his script is at its weakest. Like 2016’s 10 Cloverfield Lane, Split attempts to question the terror of fictional monsters versus the monsters that exist in everyday life. The slow reveal of Casey’s backstory is more interesting than the idea of “the Beast” that may exist within Kevin.
As with all M. Night Shyamalan Movies, the less the audience knows going in the better as the element of surprise has always been the strongest weapon in his arsenal. Advisories to avoid trailers and reviews more spoilery than this deliberately vague one are to be taken seriously. Buy your ticket knowing that you might be witnessing one of the best performances of 2017 and that no one ever really knows what is going on inside another person’s mind.
Universal Pictures Canada release SPLIT on Friday, January 20, 2017.
It’s our favourite time of the year and the greatest Film Festival in the universe! Guests announcements for #TIFF16 were made earlier today and with several familiar returning faces, we are excited to see new emerging names in the City for the first time.
Filmmakers, creators and Artists are expected to attend the Toronto International Film Festival:
Shirley Abraham, Gabriel Abrantes, Rebecca Addelman, Maren Ade, Kemi Adetiba, Hamid Ahmadi, Niyi Akinmolayan, Mounia Akl, Mahmoud al Massad, Francisca Alegría, Izer Aliu, Raja Amari, Ana Lily Amirpour, Juan Andrés Arango, Benedict Andrews, Raúl Arévalo, Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsson, Andrea Arnold, Amma Asante, Olivier Assayas, Claude Barras, Gerard Barrett, J.A. Bayona, Ruth Beckermann, Otto Bell, Emil Ben Shimon, Houda Benyamina, Emmanuelle Bercot, Peter Berg, Brigitte Berman, Vincent Biron, Rod Blackhurst, Emily Kai Bock, Bertrand Bonello, Boo Junfeng, Elena Brodach, Charlie Brooker, Ryszard Bugajski, Nanette Burstein, John Butler, Terril Calder, Antonio Campos, Nick Cannon, Lucía Carreras, Joseph Cedar, Damien Chazelle, Jay Cheel, Jim Chuchu, Noel Clarke, Joe Cobden, Barney Cokeliss, Kasper Collin, Eleanor Coppola, Daouda Coulibaly, Tizza Covi, María José Cuevas, Andreas Dalsgaard, Axel Danielson, Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne, Buddhadeb Dasgupta, Julie Dash, Kief Davidson, Terence Davies, Hubert Davis, Garth Davis, Mijke de Jong, Manuela de Laborde, Nicholas de Pencier, Bavo Defurne, Guillermo del Toro, Emilie Deleuze, Samuel M. Delgado, Zeki Demirkubuz, Jonathan Demme, Mathieu Denis, Arnaud des Pallières, Mamadou Dia, Lav Diaz, Hope Dickson Leach, Katherine Dieckmann, Xavier Dolan, Alexandre Dostie, Sotiris Dounoukos, Julia Ducournau, Michael Dudok de Wit, Martin Edralin, Tony Elliott, Anne Émond, Petra Epperlein, Amat Escalante, Kevin Jerome Everson, Sofia Exarchou, Philippe Falardeau, Asghar Farhadi, Guetty Felin, Feng Xiaogang, Ryan Ferko, Bayu Prihantoro Filemon, Lee Filipovski, Lorcan Finnegan, Ann Marie Fleming, Tom Ford, Marc Forster, Mirrah Foulkes, James Franco, Thierry Frémaux, Kelly Fremon Craig, Kevan Funk, Antoine Fuqua, Sidney J. Furie, Cyprien Gaillard, Vincent Gallagher, Vikram Gandhi, Iván D. Gaona, Víctor Gaviria, Chris Gehman, Janie Geiser, Matteo Gentiloni, Terry George, Hugh Gibson, Alan Gilsenan, Tess Girard, Helena Girón, Philip Gnadt, Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Douglas Gordon, Lutz Gregor, Christopher Guest, Steve Gukas, Tony Guma, Fernando Guzzoni, Nick Hamm, Maysaloun Hamoud, Mia Hansen-Løve, Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, Owen Harris, Erin Heidenreich, Rasmus Heisterberg, Werner Herzog, Walter Hill, Peter Huang, Bronwen Hughes, Štepán Hulík, Eimi Imanishi, Mick Jackson, Benoît Jacquot, Steve James, Jim Jarmusch, François Jaros, Barry Jenkins, Garth Jennings, Matt Johnson, Susan Johnson, Fariborz Kamkari, Björn Kämmerer, Jamie Kastner, Rahmatou Keïta, Amanda Kernell, James N. Kienitz Wilkins, Kim Sung-soo, Kim Jee woon, Michael Koch, Jan Koester, Nina Könnemann, Martin Koolhoven, Hirokazu Kore-eda, Baltasar Kormákur, Kristina Kumric, Zacharias Kunuk, Juho Kuosmanen, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Richard Ladkani, Joachim Lafosse, Patrice Laliberté, Rachel Lambert, Pablo Larraín, Pier-Luc Latulippe, Simon Lavoie, Oliver Laxe, Carlos Lechuga, Lee Chung-hyun, Sang-il Lee, Alex Lehmann, Adam Leon, Fernando León de Aranoa, Laida Lertxundi, David Leveaux, Sharon Lockhart, Kenneth Lonergan, Greg Loser, Ariane Louis-Seize, Alice Lowe, Sergei Loznitsa, Johnny Ma, Alison Maclean, Amit Madheshiya, Sheetal Magan, Anna Maguire, Abba Makama, Eden Mallina Awashish, Vitaly Mansky, Mbithi Masya, Leo Matsuda, Maxwell McCabe-Lokos, Jay McCarrol, Colm McCarthy, Bruce McDonald, Brian McGinn, Molly McGlynn, Ewan McGregor, Katherin McInnis, Ashley McKenzie, Greg McLean, Juan Carlos Medina, Stella Meghie, Deepa Mehta, Richie Mehta,Dilip Mehta, Kleber Mendonça Filho, Brillante Ma Mendoza, Marie-Castille Mention-Schaar, Sophie Michael, Eva Michon, Milos Mitrovic, Alexey Mizgirev, Caroline Monnet, Peter Monsaert, Martín Morgenfeld, Nathan Morlando, Errol Morris, April Mullen, Cristian Mungiu, Mira Nair, Joyce A. Nashawati, Avi Nesher, Kim Nguyen, Jeff Nichols, Elizabeth Nichols, Miwa Nishikawa, Tomonari Nishikawa, Marie Noëlle, George Nolfi, Khyentse Norbu, Ryan Noth, Johannes Nyholm, Omoni Oboli, Alanis Obomsawin, Izu Ojukwu, William Oldroyd, Akin Omotoso, Clive Oppenheimer, Daniel Emeke Oriahi, André Øvredal, François Ozon, Thanos Papastergiou, Park Chan-wook, Nate Parker, Goran Paskaljevic, Uduak-Obong Patrick, Fred Peabody, Raoul Peck, Yanillys Perez, Osgood Perkins, Ralitza Petrova, Madi Piller, Matías Piñeiro, Alex Pitstra, Josh Polon, Julia Pott, Katell Quillévéré, Mateusz Rakowicz, Khushboo Ranka, Raphaël, Deepak Rauniyar, Charlotte Regan, Kelly Reichardt, Rob Reiner, Camilo Restrepo, Raymund Ribay Gutierrez, Jordan Roberts, Wayne Roberts, Chloé Robichaud, João Pedro Rodrigues, John Rose, Gianfranco Rosi, Alonso Ruizpalacios, Damon Russell, Mahmoud Sabbagh, Dain Iskandar Said, Claudia Sainte-Luce, Carlos Saura, Angela Schanelec, John Scheinfeld, Lone Scherfig, Paul Schrader, Süheyla Schwenk, Ivan Sen, Ena Sendijarevic, Konkona Sensharma, Albert Serra, Dash Shaw, Jim Sheridan, Vinay Shukla, George Sikharulidze, Justin Simms, Or Sinai, Michelle Sinclair, Adrian Sitaru, Erik Skjoldbjærg, Sarah Adina Smith, Brett Smith, Adam Smith, Gastón Solnicki, Joshua Gen Solondz, Jill Soloway, Morgan Spurlock, Kimo Stamboel, Kelton Stepanowich, Fisher Stevens, Oliver Stone, Stephan Streker, Amanda Strong, Anocha Suwichakornpong, Robin Swicord, Lee Tamahori, Alisi Telengut, Timo Tjahjanto, Thyrone Tommy, Timothy Barron Tracey, Pete Travis, Jonathan Tremblay, Fien Troch, Michael Tucker, Onur Tukel, Marie-Hélène Turcotte, Ivan I. Tverdovsky, Matt Tyrnauer, Dawid Ullgren, Natar Ungalaaq, Theodore Ushev, Yesim Ustaoglu, Petr Vaclav, Lukas Valenta Rinner, Maximilien Van Aertryck, Nicole van Kilsdonk, Agnès Varda, Alberto Vázquez, Fabian Velasco, Paul Verhoeven, Nicholas Verso, Nacho Vigalondo, Selma Vilhunen, Thomas Vinterberg, Žiga Virc, Orlando von Einsiedel, Aisling Walsh, Haya Waseem, Ben Wheatley, Mark Williams, Eduardo Williams, Tin Win Naing, Adam Wingard, Wong Chun, Walter Woodman, Joe Wright, Mickey Yamine, Mohanad Yaqubi, Ben Younger, Midi Z, Ivan Zachariáš, Elite Zexer, Zhang Yang, Maya Zinshtein, Sanja Zivkovic, Rebecca Zlotowski, and Obaidah Zytoon.
Actors:
Hiam Abbass, Christopher Abbott, Olusola Abiodun Sobowale, Terri Abney, Jared Abrahamson, Amy Adams, Ilias Addab, Casey Affleck, Kunle Afolayan, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Ijeoma Agu, Riz Ahmed, Aisholpan, Bimbo Akintola, Fatima Al Banawi, James Alexander, Niamh Algar, Mahershala Ali, Almagul, Nai An, Penelope Ann Miller, Dean Armstrong, Gemma Arterton, Lior Ashkenazi, Charlotte Aubin, Judith Audu, Bob Balaban, Christian Bale, Nathalie Baye, Vanessa Bayer, Kristoffer Bech, Paul Beer, Laurent Bélanger, Maria Bello, Jim Belushi, Zachary Bennett, Haley Bennett, Shaun Benson, Vansh Bhardwaj, Alexandra Billings, Janki Bisht, Matt Bomer, Mark Boone Jr., Douglas Booth, Sônia Braga, James Browne, Kristian Bruun, Joe Dion Buffalo, Gerard Butler, Sara Canning, Cecilia Cantú, Babou Ceesay, Caylin Cervetti, Kyle Chandler, Wes Chatham, Mandy May Cheetham, Gang Chen, Blossom Chukwujekwu, Alli Chung, Enzo Cilenti, Sam Claflin, Raymond Coalson, Joakim Cohen, Bern Cohen, Jennifer Connelly, Olivia Cooke, Sharlto Copley, Ben Cotton, Jai Courtney, Emily Coutts, Bryan Cranston, Ángeles Cruz, Valorie Curry, Da Peng, Bryce Dallas Howard, Matt Damon, Mackenzie Davis, Dayahang Rai, Rossy de Palma, Dane DeHaan, Joseph DeLorey, Lily-Rose Depp, Rosemarie DeWitt, Ifeanyi Dike, Coleman Domingo, Rita Dominic, Vincent D’Onofrio, Tshering Dorji, Anne Dorval, Iretiola Doyle, Adam Driver, Kate Drummond, Jay Duffy, Moe Dunford, Mark Duplass, Jay Duplass, Trine Dyrholm, Scott Eastwood, Aaron Eckhart, Joel Edgerton, Taron Egerton, Bassey-Inyang Ekpenyong Edet, Nora El Koussour, Jenna Elfman, Aunjanue Ellis, Mireille Enos,
Julie Estelle, Adesua Etomi, Adèle Exarchopoulos, Veronica Ezell, Hisham Fageeh, Fan Bingbing, Dakota Fanning, Golshifteh Farahani, Vera Farmiga, Michael Fassbender, Petr Fedorov, Colm Feore, Veronica Ferres, R.J. Fetherstonhaugh, Daniel Allen Frazier Jr., Nicholas Galitzine, Gael García Bernal, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Jennifer Garner, Richard Gere, Okeke Gideon Echezonachi, Grace Glowicki, Luis Gnecco, Mara Goldbloom, Tito Alexander Gómez, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ryan Gosling, Lou Gossett Jr., Chris Greene, Jayden Greig, Luke Grimes, Hannah Gross, Guo Tao, Jackie Earle Haley, Rebecca Hall, Jamie Hallahan, Armie Hammer, Han Ji min, Sarra Hannachi, Woody Harrelson, Naomie Harris, Anne Hathaway, Ethan Hawke, Sally Hawkins, Maxwell Haynes, Anne Heche, Lucas Hedges, Dwight Henry, Callie Hernandez, Alex Hibbert, Odai Hijazi, Gaby Hoffmann, André Holland, Kate Hudson, Jennifer Hudson, Emma Hunter, Holly Hunter, Isabelle Huppert, Somkele Idhalama, Oscar Isaac, Chelsea Islan, Tudor Aaron Istodor, Somkele Iyamah-Idhalama, Lily James, Jimmy Jean-Louis, Blake Jenner, Suman Jha, Scarlett Johansson, Karan Johar, Felicity Jones, Rashida Jones, Ju Ji-hoon, Ashley Judd, Jung Woo-sung, Tori Kelly, Ellie Kendrick, Marwan Kenzari, Riley Keough, Nicole Kidman, Nina Kiri, Hailey Kittle, Shannon Kook, Lawrence Krauss, Nick Kroll, Kwak Do-won, Shia LaBeouf, Amy Landecker, Sasha Lane, Diane Lane, Brie Larson, Guillaume Laurin, Mark Lavery, Charlotte Le Bon, Jean-Simon Leduc, Byung-Hun Lee, Sidney Leeder, Alexis Lefebvre, John Legend, David Lennon, Melissa Leo, Justin LeRoy, Shane Leydon, Sadon Lhamo, Boguslaw Linda, McCaul Lombardi, Alison Louder, Chris Lowell, Jane Lynch, Lewis MacDougall, Mylène Mackay, Bhreagh MacNeil, Spencer MacPherson, Asha Magrati, Rami Malek, John Malkovich, Maria Mamona, Darren Mann, Rooney Mara, Lyndsey Marshal,Tatiana Maslany, Vikrant Massey, Kari Matchett, Jason Maza, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Matthew McConaughey, James Allen McCune, Ufuoma Stacey McDermott, Paul McGillion, Don McKellar, Alan McKenna, Colm Meaney, Jonas Mekas, Ben Mendelsohn, Aoi Miyazaki, Richard Mofe Damijo, Chidi Mokeme, Janelle Monáe, Ritchie Montgomery, Chloë Grace Moretz, William Moseley, Elisabeth Moss, Kathleen Munroe, Madina Nalwanga, Aja Naomi King, Ruth Negga, Sophie Nélisse, Tim Blake Nelson, Sylvia Ngozi Ezeokafor, Bill Nighy, Cynthia Nixon, Genevieve Nnaji, Ramsey Nouah, Nurgaiv, Lupita Nyong’o, Sandra Oh, Thomas Olajide, Perrie Olthuis, Ahna O’Reilly, Fionn O’Shea, David Oyelowo, Dev Patel, Kimberly Patterson, Sarah Paulson, Bill Paxton, Jim Piddock, Andrew Pimento, Christopher Plummer, Natalia Polo, Iggy Pop, Natalie Portman, Parker Posey, Bel Powley, Chris Pratt, Florence Pugh, Ella Purnell, Zachary Quinto, Tahar Rahim, Vanessa Redgrave, Jeremy Renner, Jack Reynor, Trevante Rhodes, Haley Lu Richardson, Sam Riley, Nadeem Rimawi, Jason Ritter, Dylan Roberts, Wes Robinson, Michelle Rodriguez, Gina Rodriguez, Gabrielle Rose, Kate Ross, Constance Rousseau, Julia Roy, Kurt Max Runte, Kurt Russell, Katey Sagal, Samer Salem, Emmanuel Salinger, Ashton Sanders, Jagjeet Sandhu, Angela Sarafyan, Peter Sarsgaard, Ben Schnetzer, Liev Schreiber, Andrew Scott, Esther Scott, Martin Sensmeier, Léa Seydoux, Michael Shannon, Pablo Sigal, Madeleine Sims-Fewer, Linnea Skog, Michael Smiley, Roger Guenveur Smith, Timothy Spall, Lene Cecilia Sparrok, Mary Steenburgen, Hailee Steinfeld, Isaiah Stone, Emma Stone, Julia Sarah Stone, Yvonne Strahovski, Michael Stuhlbarg , Jason Sudeikis, Sunny Pang, Mihály Szabados, Hayden Szeto, Jeffrey Tambor, Noah Taylor, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Anya Taylor-Joy, Miles Teller, Devon Terrell, Ahmad Thaher, Charlize Theron, Justin Timberlake, Phoebe Tonkin, Ian Tracey, Jacob Tremblay, Gabrielle Tremblay, Kreesha Turner, Callum Turner, Adriana Ugarte, Masai Ujiri, OC Ukeje, Gaspard Ulliel, Gabrielle Union, Iko Uwais, Marni Van Dyk, Grace Van Patten, Emily VanCamp, Sara Vertongen, Arnaud Viard, Visra Vichit-Vadakan, Mark Wahlberg, Clive Walton, Yusra Warsama, Denzel Washington, Ken Watanabe, Suki Waterhouse, Naomi Watts, Sigourney Weaver, Rachel Weisz, Banky Wellington, David Wenham, Marilla Wex, Josh Wiggins, Tom Wilkinson, Wim Willaert, Michelle Williams, Annie Williams, Rod Wilson, Reese Witherspoon, Shailene Woodley, Susan Yeagley, Ivan Zacharias, and Zhang Ziyi.
#TIFF16 runs Thursday, September 8 through Sunday, September 18, 2016.
Happy stargazing!!
It’s 21 days till TIFFmas and part of the fun is that lead-up to the world’s greatest Film Festival! Announcements were made in July at TIFF Bell Lightbox for some of the Films premiering at TIFF ’16 this September, including Galas and Special Presentations. Week by week, more Films were unveiled including Canadian titles Documentaries, Midnight Madness, Vanguard and City to City Programme Films were announced!
Highlighting the Festival this year are marquee titles and Awards Season contenders like the much-delayed SNOWDEN from Oliver Stone, DEEPWATER HORIZON from Peter Berg, PATERSON from Jim Jarsmuch, NOCTURNAL ANIMALS from Fashion Icon and Filmmaker Tom Ford, Venice Opening Night Film LA LA LAND by Damien Chazzelle who brought us 2014’s stellar WHIPLASH, QUEEN OF KATWE gives us a rare Disney selection from Mira Nair, LBJ from Rob Reiner, ARRIVAL from Canadian darling Denis Villeneuve, BIRTH OF A NATION by Actor/Director Nate Parker, PERSONAL SHOPPER from Festival darling Olivier Assayas, AMERICAN HONEY comes with much fanfare from Andrea Arnold, and highly-buzzed LOVED from Jeff Nichols.
Veering to the dark, Films like disaster flick COLOSSAL starring Anne Hathaway, dystopian cannibal Fairy Tale THE BAD BATCH, Adam Wingard‘s BLAIR WITCH and FREE FIRE starring Brie Larson, will premiere as part of the Vanguard and Midnight Madness Programmes!
Although not confirmed yet if he’ll be coming, many eyes will be on Documentary THE TURNING POINT which has Leonardo DiCaprio interviewing various subjects, shedding light how society can save endangered species, ecosystems and native communities. AMANDA KNOX also will draw plenty of attention, giving us never-before-seen footage and accounts with those close to her much-publicized story.
Opening the Festival this year is Antoine Fuqua‘s THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN and closing it will be coming-of-age Dramedy EDGE OF SEVENTEEN by Kelly Fremon Craig. Lucky number 7 is rather prevalent at #TIFF41!
Canadian titles announced include IT’S ONLY THE END OF THE WORLD from auteur Xavier Dolan, BELOW HER MOUTH from April Mullen, MEAN DREAMS from Nathan Morlando, TWO LOVERS AND A BEAR from Kim Nguyen, WEIRDOS from Bruce McDonald and Animated Feature WINDOW HORSES from Ann Marie Fleming. As part of the Masters Program, Deepa Mehta‘s ANATOMY OF VIOLENCE also will get a World Premiere.
Jim Jarsmuch, Isabelle Huppert, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon and David Oyelowo will be front and center at the Festival this year, each with two Films apiece. Michael Fassbender will be kicking the Festival off appearing at the annual TIFF Soirée at Lightbox. He stars in TRESPASS AGAINST US which will get its World Premiere at TIFF ’16.
Lagos, Nigeria has been announced as the City of focus at the Festival’s City to City Programme, showcasing Filmmakers living in that City.
Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monáe and Pharrell Williams will appear at a special presentation of Theodore Melfi’s HIDDEN FIGURES LIVE which will for the first-time give TIFF members a chance to see footage from the upcoming Feature, followed by a live performance.
For the second time, TIFF presents its PRIMETIME Programme, focusing on Television. Episodes of series TRANSPARENT, BLACK MIRROR, WASTELAND and TUKO MACHO will be screening this year.
Here are some highlights from the first batch of TIFF ’16 Films announced:
“Arrival,” Denis Villeneuve, USA, Canadian Premiere
“Deepwater Horizon,” Peter Berg, USA, World Premiere
“The Headhunter’s Calling,” Mark Williams, Canada, World Premiere
“The Journey is the Destination,” Bronwen Hughes, United Kingdom/South Africa, World Premiere
“JT + The Tennessee Kids,” Jonathan Demme, USA, World Premiere
“LBJ,” Rob Reiner, USA, World Premiere
“Lion,” Garth Davis, Australia, World Premiere
“Loving,” Jeff Nichols, USA, North American Premiere
“A Monster Calls,” J.A. Bayona, USA/Spain, World Premiere
“Planetarium,” Rebecca Zlotowski, France/Belgium, North American Premiere
“Queen of Katwe,” Mira Nair, South Africa/Uganda, World Premiere
“The Rolling Stones Olé Olé Olé! : A Trip Across Latin America,” Paul Dugdale, United Kingdom, World Premiere
“The Secret Scripture,” Jim Sheridan, Ireland, World Premiere
“Snowden,” Oliver Stone, Germany/USA, World Premiere
“Strange Weather,” Katherine Dieckmann, USA, World Premiere
“Their Finest,” Lone Scherfig, United Kingdom, World Premiere
“A United Kingdom,” Amma Asante, United Kingdom, World Premiere
“The Age of Shadows” (Miljeong), Kim Jee woon, South Korea, North American Premiere
“All I See Is You,” Marc Forster, Thailand, World Premiere
“American Honey,” Andrea Arnold, USA, North American Premiere
“American Pastoral,” Ewan McGregor, USA, World Premiere
“Asura: The City of Madness,” Kim Sung-soo, South Korea, World Premiere
“Barakah Meets Barakah” (Barakah yoqabil Barakah), Mahmoud Sabbagh, Saudi Arabia, North American Premiere
“Barry,” Vikram Gandhi, USA, World Premiere
“Birth of the Dragon,” George Nolfi, USA/China/Canada, World Premiere
“The Birth of a Nation,” Nate Parker, USA, International Premiere
“Bleed for This,” Ben Younger, USA, Canadian Premiere
“Blue Jay,” Alex Lehmann USA, World Premiere
“Brimstone,” Martin Koolhoven, Netherlands/Germany/France/Belgium/Sweden/United Kingdom, North American Premiere
“Brotherhood,” Noel Clarke, United Kingdom, International Premiere
“Carrie Pilby,” Susan Johnson, USA, World Premiere
“Catfight,” Onur Tukel, USA, World Premiere
“City of Tiny Lights,” Pete Travis, United Kingdom, World Premiere
“The Commune” (Kollektivet), Thomas Vinterberg, Denmark/Sweden/Netherlands, North American Premiere
“Daguerrotype” (Le Secret de la chambre noire), Kiyoshi Kurosawa, France/Japan/Belgium, World Premiere
“A Death in the Gunj,” Konkona Sensharma, India, World Premiere
“Denial,” Mick Jackson, USA/United Kingdom, World Premiere
“Elle,” Paul Verhoeven, France, North American Premiere
“Foreign Body” (Jassad Gharib, Corps Etranger), Raja Amari, Tunisia/France, World Premiere
“Frantz,” François Ozon, France/Germany, Canadian Premiere
“The Handmaiden” (Agassi), Park Chan-wook, South Korea, North American Premiere
“Harmonium” (Fuchi ni tatsu), Kôji Fukada, Japan/France, North American Premiere
“I Am Not Madame Bovary,” Feng Xiaogang, China, World Premiere
“The Journey,” Nick Hamm, United Kingdom, North American Premiere
“King of the Dancehall,” Nick Cannon, USA/Jamaica, World Premiere
“La La Land,” Damien Chazelle, USA, Canadian Premiere
“The Limehouse Golem,” Juan Carlos Medina, United Kingdom, World Premiere
“Manchester by the Sea,” Kenneth Lonergan, USA, Canadian Premiere
“Mascots,” Christopher Guest, USA, World Premiere
“Maudie,” Aisling Walsh, Canada/Ireland, Canadian Premiere
“Neruda,” Pablo Larraín, Chile/Argentina/Spain/France, Canadian Premiere
“Nocturnal Animals,” Tom Ford, USA/United Kingdom, North American Premiere
“The Oath,” Baltasar Kormákur, Iceland, World Premiere
“Orphan” (Orpheline), Arnaud des Pallières, France, World Premiere
“Paris Can Wait,” Eleanor Coppola, USA, World Premiere
“Paterson,” Jim Jarmusch, USA, North American Premiere
“The Salesman,” Asghar Farhadi, North American Premiere
“Salt and Fire,” Werner Herzog, Germany/USA/France/Mexico, North American Premiere
“Sing,” Garth Jennings, USA/France, World Premiere
“Souvenir,” Bavo Defurne, Belgium/Luxembourg/France, North American Premiere
“Things to Come” (L’Avenir), Mia Hansen-Løve, France/Germany, Canadian Premiere
“Toni Erdmann,” Maren Ade, Germany, Canadian Premiere
“Trespass Against Us,” Adam Smith, United Kingdom, World Premiere
“Una,” Benedict Andrews, United Kingdom, Canadian Premiere
“Unless,” Alan Gilsenan, Canada/Ireland, World Premiere
“The Wasted Times” (Luo Man Di Ke Xiao Wang Shi) Cheng Er, China, World Premiere
Second batch of announcements:
“A Cool Sound from Hell,” Sidney J. Furie, Canada
“nirvanna the band the show,” Matt Johnson, Canada, World Premiere
“Nelly,” Anne Émond, Canada, World Premiere
“X Quinientos Juan Andrés Arango,” Canada/Colombia/Mexico, World Premiere
“Boundaries,” Chloé Robichaud, Canada, World Premiere
“Werewolf,” Ashley McKenzie, Canada, World Premiere
“Prank,” Vincent Biron, Canada, World Premiere
“Old Stone,” Johnny Ma, Canada/China, World Premiere
“Jean of the Joneses,” Stella Meghie, Canada, Canadian Premiere
“Hello Destroyer,” Kevan Funk, Canada, World Premiere
“ARQ,” Tony Elliott, USA/Canada, World Premiere
“The Stairs,” Hugh Gibson, Canada, World Premiere
“The Skyjacker’s Tale,” Jamie Kastner, Canada, World Premiere
“The River of My Dreams,” Brigitte Berman, Canada, World Premiere
“Mostly Sunny,” Dilip Mehta, Canada, World Premiere
“Giants of Africa,” Hubert Davis, Canada, World Premiere
“Black Code,” Nicholas de Pencier, Canada, World Premiere
“All Governments Lie: Truth, Deception, and The Spirit of I.F. Stone,” Fred Peabody, Canada, World Premiere
“We Can’t Make the Same Mistake Twice,” Alanis Obomsawin, Canada, World Premiere
“Anatomy of Violence,” Deepa Mehta, Canada/India, World Premiere
“Window Horses (The Poetic Persian Epiphany of Rosie Ming),” Ann Marie Fleming, Canada, North American Premiere
“Weirdos,” Bruce McDonald, Canada, World Premiere
“Two Lovers and a Bear Kim,” Nguyen, Canada, North American Premiere
“Mean Dreams,” Nathan Morlando, Canada, North American Premiere
“It’s Only the End of the World,” Xavier Dolan, Canada/France, North American Premiere
“Below Her Mouth,” April Mullen, Canada, World Premiere
Third batch of Films including Documentary, Midnight Madness and Vanguard Programmes:
“The 6th Beatle,” Tony Guma and John Rose, USA/United Kingdom/Germany, World Premiere
“ABACUS: Small Enough to Jail,” Steve James, USA World Premiere
“Amanda Knox,” Brian McGinn and Rod Blackhurst, USA/Denmark, World Premiere
“An Insignificant Man,” Khushboo Ranka and Vinay Shukla, India, World Premiere
“The B-Side: Elsa Dorfman’s Portrait Photography,” Errol Morris, USA, International Premiere
“Beauties of the Night María,” José Cuevas, Mexico, Canadian Premiere
“Bezness as Usual,” Alex Pitstra, Netherlands, North American Premiere
“Chasing Trane: The John Coltrane Documentary,” John Scheinfeld, USA. International Premiere
“The Cinema Travellers,” Shirley Abraham and Amit Madheshiya, India, North American Premiere
“Citizen Jane: Battle for the City,” Matt Tyrnauer, USA, World Premiere
“Forever Pure,” Maya Zinshtein, Israel/United Kingdom/Ireland/Norway, International Premiere
“Gaza Surf Club,” Philip Gnadt and Mickey Yamine, Germany, World Premiere
“Gimme Danger,” Jim Jarmusch, USA, North American Premiere
“Girl Unbound,” Erin Heidenreich, Pakistan/Canada/Hong Kong/South Korea, World Premiere
“I Am Not Your Negro,” Raoul Peck, USA/France/Belgium/Switzerland, World Premiere
“India in a Day,” Richie Mehta, India/United Kingdom, International Premiere
“In Exile Tin Win Naing,” Germany/Myanmar, World Premiere
“Into the Inferno,” Werner Herzog and Clive Oppenheimer, United Kingdom/Austria, International Premiere
“The Ivory Game Kief,” Davidson and Richard Ladkani, Austria/USA, International Premiere
“Karl Marx City,” Petra Epperlein and Michael Tucker, USA/Germany, World Premiere
“Mali Blues,” Lutz Gregor, Germany North, American
“Politics, Instructions Manual (Política, manual de instrucciones),” Fernando León de Aranoa, Spain, International Premiere
“Rodnye (Close Relations),” Vitaly Mansky, Latvia/Germany/Estonia/Ukraine, North American Premiere
“The Turning Point,” USA, World Premiere
“The War Show Andreas Dalsgaard and Obaidah Zytoon,” Denmark/Finland/Syria, North American Premiere
“Water and Sugar: Carlo Di Palma, the Colours of Life,” Fariborz Kamkari, Italy, International Premiere
“The Autopsy of Jane Doe,” André Øvredal, USA World Premiere
“Blair Witch,” Adam Wingard, USA, World Premiere
“Dog Eat Dog,” Paul Schrader, USA, North American Premiere
“Free Fire,” Ben Wheatley, United Kingdom, World Premiere
“The Girl With All the Gifts,” Colm McCarthy, United Kingdom, North American Premiere
“Headshot,” Kimo Stamboel and Timo Tjahjanto, Indonesia, World Premiere
“Rats Morgan,” Morgan Spurlock, USA, World Premiere
“Raw (Grave),” Julia Ducournau, France/Belgium, International Premiere
“Sadako vs. Kayako,” Kōji Shiraishi, Japan, International
“The Bad Batch Ana Lily Amirpour,” USA, North American Premiere
“Blind Sun Joyce,” A. Nashawati, France/Greece, North American Premiere
“Buster’s Mal Heart,” Sarah Adina Smith, USA, World Premiere
“Colossal,” Nacho Vigalondo, Canada, World Premiere
“Godspeed,” Chung Mong-Hong, Taiwan, World Premiere
“I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House,” Osgood Perkins, Canada/USA, World Premiere
“Interchange,” Dain Iskandar Said, Malaysia/Indonesia, North American Premiere
“Message from the King,” Fabrice Du Welz, United Kingdom/France/Belgium, World Premiere
“My Entire High School Sinking Into the Sea,” Dash Shaw, USA, World Premiere
“Prevenge,” Alice Lowe, United Kingdom, North American Premiere
“The Untamed (La región salvaje),” Amat Escalante, Mexico/Denmark/France/Germany/Norway/Switzerland, North American Premiere
“WITHOUT NAME,” Lorcan Finnegan, Ireland, World Premiere
Fourth wave of Films announced including respectively Galas, Special Presentations, Masters, City to City and Contemporary World Cinema Programmes:
“Norman: The Moderate Rise and Tragic Fall of a New York Fixer,” Joseph Cedar, USA/Israel, International Premiere
“The Promise,” Terry George, USA/Spain, World Premiere
“(Re)Assignment,” Walter Hill, Canada, World Premiere
“150 Milligrams (La Fille de Brest),” Emmanuelle Bercot, France, World Premiere
“The Bleeder,” Philippe Falardeau, USA, North American Premiere
“Brain on Fire,” Gerard Barrett, Ireland/Canada, World Premiere
“Burn Your Maps,” Jordan Roberts, USA/Mongolia, World Premiere
“Christine,” Antonio Campos, USA, Canadian Premiere
“The Duelist,” Alexey Mizgirev, Russia, World Premiere
“The Exception,” David Leveaux, United Kingdom, World Premiere
“I, Daniel,” Blake Ken Loach, United Kingdom/France/Belgium, North American Premiere
“In Dubious Battle,” James Franco, USA, North American Premiere
“The Long Excuse (Nagai Iiwake),” Miwa Nishikawa, Japan, World Premiere
“Rage,” Sang-il Lee, Japan, World Premiere
“Voyage of Time: Life’s Journey,” Terrence Malick, Germany, North American Premiere
“Wakefield,” Robin Swicord, USA, International Premiere
“After the Storm,” Hirokazu Kore-eda, Japan North, American Premiere
“Afterimage (Powidoki),” Andrzej Wajda, Poland, World Premiere
“The Bait (Tope),” Buddhadeb Dasgupta, India, World Premiere
“The Beautiful Days of Aranjuez (Les Beaux Jours d’Aranjuez),” Wim Wenders, France/Germany, North American Premiere
“Certain Women,” Kelly Reichardt, USA, Canadian Premiere
“Fire at Sea (Fuocoammare),” Gianfranco Rosi, Italy/France, Canadian Premiere
“Graduation (Bacalaureat),” Cristian Mungiu, Romania, Canadian Premiere
“Hissein Habré, A Chadian Tragedy,” Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, France/Chad, North American Premiere
“J: Beyond Flamenco (JOTA),” Carlos Saura, Spain, World Premiere
“Julieta,” Pedro Almodóvar, Spain, North American Premiere
“Land of the Gods (Dev Bhoomi),” Goran Paskaljević, India/Serbia, World Premiere
“Ma’ Rosa Brillante,” Ma Mendoza, Philippines, North American Premiere
“The Net (Geumul),” Kim Ki-duk, South Korea, North American Premiere
“Never Ever (À jamais),” Benoît Jacquot, France/Portugal, North American Premiere
“Once Again (Pinneyum),” Adoor Gopalakrishnan, India, International Premiere
“Personal Shopper,” Olivier Assayas, France, North American Premiere
“A Quiet Passion,” Terence Davies, United Kingdom/Belgium, North American Premiere
“Safari,” Ulrich Seidl, Austria, American Premiere
“Sieranevada,” Cristi Puiu, Romania, North American Premiere
“Sweet Dreams (Fai bei sogni),” Marco Bellocchio, Italy, North American Premiere
“The Unknown Girl (La Fille inconnue),” Luc Dardenne and Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Belgium/France, North American Premiere
“Yourself and Yours (Dangsinjasingwa dangsinui geot),” Hong Sang-soo, South Korea, World Premiere
“76,” Izu Ojukwu, Nigeria, World Premiere
“93 Days,” Steve Gukas, Nigeria, World Premiere
“The Arbitration,” Niyi Akinmolayan, Nigeria, International Premiere
“Green White Green,” Abba Makama, Nigeria, World Premiere
“Just Not Married,” Uduak-Obong Patrick, Nigeria, International Premiere
“Okafor’s Law,” Omoni Oboli, Nigeria, World Premiere
“Oko Ashewo (Taxi Driver),” Daniel Emeke Oriahi, Nigeria, North American Premiere
“The Wedding Party,” Kemi Adetiba, Nigeria, World Premiere
“A Decent Woman (Los Decentes),” Lukas Valenta Rinner, Austria/South Korea/Argentina, North American Premiere
“After Love (L’économie du couple),” Joachim Lafosse, France/Belgium, North American Premiere
“The Animal’s Wife (La Mujer del Animal),” Víctor Gaviria, Colombia, International Premiere
“Apprentice,” Boo Junfeng, Singapore/Germany/France/Hong Kong/Qatar, North American Premiere
“Aquarius,” Kleber Mendonça Filho, Brazil/France, North American Premiere
“Ayiti Mon Amour,” Guetty Felin, Haiti/USA, International Premiere
“Brooks, Meadows and Lovely Faces (Al Ma’ wal Khodra wal Wajh al Hassan),” Yousry Nasrallah, Egypt, North American Premiere
“Clair Obscur (Tereddüt),” Yeşim Ustaoğlu, Turkey/Germany/Poland/France, World Premiere
“Death in Sarajevo (Smrt u Sarajevu),” Danis Tanović, Bosnia and Herzegovina/France, North American Premiere
“Ember (Kor),” Zeki Demirkubuz, Turkey/Germany, International Premiere
“The Fixer (Fixeur),” Adrian Sitaru, Romania/France, World Premiere
“Handsome Devil,” John Butler, Ireland, World Premiere
“Heaven Will Wait (Le ciel attendra),” Marie-Castille Mention-Schaar, France, North American Premiere
“In Between (Bar Bahr),” Maysaloun Hamoud, Israel/France, World Premiere
“Indivisible (Indivisibili),” Edoardo de Angelis, Italy, International Premiere
“Marie Curie, The Courage of Knowledge,” Marie Noëlle, Germany/France/Poland, World Premiere
“Mister Universo,” Tizza Covi and Rainer Frimmel, Austria/Italy, North American Premiere
“Past Life,” Avi Nesher, Israel, World Premiere
“The Patriarch (Mahana),” Lee Tamahori, New Zealand, North American Premiere
“Pyromaniac (Pyromanen),” Erik Skjoldbjærg, Norway, International Premiere
“The Rehearsal,” Alison Maclean, New Zealand, North American Premiere
“The Road to Mandalay,” Midi Z, Taiwan/Myanmar/France/Germany, North American Premiere
“Santa & Andres (Santa y Andrés),” Carlos Lechuga, Cuba/Colombia/France, World Premiere
“Soul on a String,” Zhang Yang, China, International Premiere
“Tamara and the Ladybug (Tamara y la Catarina),” Lucía Carreras, Mexico/Spain, World Premiere
“Tramps,” Adam Leon, USA, World Premiere
“Vaya,” Akin Omotoso, South Africa, World Premiere
“We Are Never Alone (Nikdy nejsme sami),” Petr Vaclav, Czech Republic/France, North American Premiere
“The Wedding Ring (Zin’naariyâ!),” Rahmatou Keïta, Niger/Burkina Faso/France, World Premiere
“The Women’s Balcony (Ismach Hatani),” Emil Ben Shimon, Israel, World Premiere
“Zaćma: Blindness Ryszard Bugajski,” Poland, World Premiere
“Zoology (Zoologiya),” Ivan I. Tverdovsky, Russia/France/Germany, North American Premiere
Individual Tickets for TIFF ’16 go on-sale on Sunday, September 4, 2016 at 9:00 AM here. Bookmark that link!
TIFF ’16 takes over the City Thursday, September 8, 2016 through Sunday, September 18, 2016.
We’ll see you there!
(Photo credit: Fox Searchlight, Focus Features, Elevation Pictures, eOne Films)
Taking place between Thursday, May 26 and June 5, 2016, the 26th edition of INSIDE OUT Toronto LGBT Film Festival kicked off tonight at the TIFF Bell Lightbox. Brought to us in part by RBC and CTV, the Festival shines a light on Feature and Short Films with issues impacting the LGBT community.
Toronto Mayor John Tory came out to express his full support at the party and gala!
The #Toronto Mayor @JohnTory visited us tonight at @InsideOutTO ! #InsideOut #InsideOut16 #LGBT #FilmFest pic.twitter.com/0m9gXOUi70
— TouchwoodPR (@TouchwoodPR) May 27, 2016
Films from both emerging and established heroes locally and internationally are front and center at this year’s Festival, with highlights including opening night gala OTHER PEOPLE, THE INTERVENTION, STRIKE A POSE featuring Madonna‘s backup dancers, LITTLE MEN, DEPARTURE, CLOSET MONSTER, ALMOST ADULTS, ESTEROS and more.
We had the pleasure of attending one of the year’s best bashes at TIFF Lightbox Malaparte with amazing tunes spun by DJs Nino Brown, Sammy Royale of Yes Yes Y’all and Business Woman’s Special Infamy.
Some sights from the Bash:
A complete list of Guests attending this year’s INSIDE OUT Festival.
GUESTS IN ATTENDANCE – FEATURES:
• ALMOST ADULTS: Sarah Rotella (director), Elise Bauman (actor), Winny Clark (actor), Justin Friesan (actor), Mark Matechuk (actor), Pujaa Pandey (actor), Adrianna DiLonardo (writer) Rebecca Swift (producer)
• AND STILL WE RISE: Nancy Nicol (co-director), Sizwe Alexandre Inkingi (community member)
• CLOSET MONSTER: Stephen Dunn (director/writer), Kevin Krikst (producer)
• ESTEROS: Papu Curotto (director)
• FIRST GIRL I LOVED: Dylan Gelula (actor), Kerem Sanga (writer/director)
• FRONT COVER: Raymond Yeung (director), Stan Guingon (co-producer)
• HEARTLAND: Maura Anderson (director), Velinda Godfrey (writer/producer)
• HURRICANE BIANCA: Ray Haylock as Bianca Del Rio (actor), Matt Kugelman (director), Ash Christian (producer)
• I LOVE YOU BOTH: Kristin Archibald (actor/writer), Lucas Neff (actor)
• KIKI: Gia Love (subject), Christopher Waldorf (subject)
• LAST MEN STANDING: Tim Hussin (co-director,) Erin Brethauer (co-director)
• LIEBMANN: Jules Herrmann (director/producer)
• LITTLE MEN: Ira Sachs (director)
• MAJOR!: Major Griffin-Gracy (subject), Annalise Ophelian (director/producer)
• MEMORIES OF A PENITENT HEART: Cecilia Aldarondo (director)
• MILES: Nathan Adolff (director/co-writer), Ash Christian (producer)
• NORTH MOUNTAIN: Bretten Hannam (director)
• OUT RUN: S. Leo Chiang (co-director/co-producer), Johnny Symons (co-director/co-producer)
• PARIS 05:59: THEO & HUGO: Olivier Ducastel (co-director), Geoffrey Couët (actor)
• RE:ORIENTATIONS: Richard Fung (director)
• SAME DIFFERENCE: Kyle Wentzel (co-director)
• SPA NIGHT: Andrew Ahn (writer/director)
• SUICIDE KALE: Brittani Nichols (producer/writer)
• THE SAME DIFFERENCE: Nneka Onuorah (director)
• THE SLIPPERS: Morgan White (director/producer)
• TWO SOFT THINGS, TWO HARD THINGS: Mark Woods (co-director/producer), Michael Yerxa (co-director/producer)
• WHERE ARE YOU GOING, HABIBI?: Susanna Duellmann (producer)
GUESTS IN ATTENDANCE – SHORTS:
• AIDOS: Robert Gray (director)
• AN EVENING: Søren Green (director)
• AT HOME: Dinaly Tran (director)
• BEATERS: Ian McAndrew (director)
• BENJAMIN: Sherren Lee (director)
• BETWEEN YOU AND ME: Chase Joynt (director)
• BOOTWMN: Sam McWilliams (co-director/producer), Paige Gratland (co-director/producer),
• BREAKING FAST: Mike Mosallam (director/writer), Sarah Bazzi (producer)
• BUDDY: Niels Bourgonje (director)
• CECIL & CARL: Andrew Peek (producer)
• CLOSING: Chase Casanova (director), Tracy Brown (executive producer)
• CRAZY HOUSE: Aaron Mirkin (director)
• DINNER WITH JEFFREY: Sam Greisman (director/writer)
• ECSTASY: Kyle Reaume (director)
• FAMOUS DIAMONDS: Daniel McIntyre (director),
• FIRST NIGHT OUT: Julianne Saltalamacchia (actor), Will Mayo (director)
• GAYSIANS: Vicky Du (co-director),
• GUIDANCE: Josh Wolff (director/writer), Bryn Packard (actor)
• HAZE: James Resendes (writer/director)
• HELLO TITTY: Skyler Braeden Fox (co-director)
• JACKIE: James Fanizza (director)
• JIMMY DOES DATING: Sunny Drake (actor, writer)
• JOHNNY: Micah Stuart (director), Brandon Crowder (actor/writer)
• LAST VESTIGES: Seth Poulin (director)
• LEFT HOOK: Sue Johnson (producer)
• MAPOU: Giovana Olmos (director)
• OCCUPY ME: Adam Fitzgerald (director)
• OLD DOGS, NEW TRICKS: Michael Agnew (director)
• PAINT IT WHITE: Bessie Cheng (director)
• PYOTR495: Blake Mawson (director/writer)
• RIBBONS: Brandon Cordeiro (director)
• SCENES FROM ANOTHER MARRIAGE: Erik Anderson (director)
• SHEBANG: Jon Simon (director), Brenna Coates (actor)
• SPUNKLE: Lisa Donato (director)
• STAKE: Alyssa Pankiw (director/writer)
• SUMMER HAZE: Alex Peace (writer/producer)
• THE FIRST SESSION: Fawzia Mirza (actor/producer)
• THE FUTURE PERFECT: Nick Citton (director)
• ULTRA BLEU: Nick Neon (director/writer)
• UNTITLED (ELEVEN YEARS): Scott Miller Berry (director)
• WEDLOCKED: Puppett (director/editor)
(Photo credit: Touchwood PR/Mr. Will Wong)
Although the rain repeatedly held us back, we gained a bit of star-spotting momentum midday. Here’s some snaps from the rain-filled first Saturday of the Festival! Brrr.
Matt Damon. Lightning strikes twice and despite hearing rumours he was flying back to Europe to film the latest Bourne installment, we can confirm we saw him right before our eyes again heading to the Entertainment Weekly party!
More Matt.
Joel Edgerton. The shaved-headed Australian Actor/Filmmaker is at TIFF ’15 with Black Mass, also starring Johnny Depp.
#JoelEdgerton at the #EntertainmentWeekly #TIFF15 Party. #TIFF40 #TIFF #TorontoFilmFestival A photo posted by Mr. Will Wong (@mrwillwong) on
Jean-Marc Vallée. We love Dallas Buyers Club and it was a great pleasure meeting finally the Canadian Filmmaker who created that masterpiece. He was represented by Opening Night Gala Demolition, starring Jake Gyllenhaal.
Dominic Sherwood, Katherine McNamara + Alberto Rosende. The three stars of upcoming Toronto-filmed TV Series Shadowhunters were out partying together at the Entertainment Weekly party earlier.
#DominicSherwood, #KatherineMcNamara + #AlbertoRosende of #Shadowhunters at the #EntertainmentWeekly #TIFF15 Party. #TIFF40 #TIFF #TorontoFilmFestival A photo posted by Mr. Will Wong (@mrwillwong) on
This adorable kid will steal your hearts in Thriller, Room. Jacob Tremblay, everybody!
Geoffrey Rush, screen legend, here this year with The Daughter.
#GeoffreyRush at the #EntertainmentWeekly #TIFF15 Party. #TIFF40 #TIFF #TorontoFilmFestival A photo posted by Mr. Will Wong (@mrwillwong) on
Emily Blunt. She’s done few photos with Fans oddly this year. Not sure why? She looks amazing and was out alone earlier at the Entertainment Weekly party.
Jeff Daniels, quietly making an exit from the Entertainment Weekly party. He is here for The Martian.
#JeffDaniels at the #EntertainmentWeekly #TIFF15 Party. #TIFF40 #TIFF #TorontoFilmFestival A photo posted by Mr. Will Wong (@mrwillwong) on
We love emerging talent and this young actress Danika Yarosh got lots of exposure on hit series Shameless. She is here filming Heroes Reborn, which premiered at TIFF‘s new TV Programme.
Former TIFF Rising Star Mackenzie Davis is set for the big time and she stars in The Martian.
Canadian actress #MackenzieDavis at the #EntertainmentWeekly #TIFF15 Party. #TIFF40 #TIFF #TorontoFilmFestival #TheMartian A photo posted by Mr. Will Wong (@mrwillwong) on
Bryan Cranston. The Trumbo star will wow you bigtime with his performance in that TIFF ’15 selection.
Our George Kozera attended the Premiere of He Named Me Malala by Davis Guggenheim at Ryerson Theatre and the response was unanimously positive for the Documentary. A Skype session with young activist Malala Yousafzai herself was held in the Q&A.
#DavisGuggenheim’s #HeNamedMeMalala gets fantastic reaction at Ryerson Theatre tonight. #TIFF15 #TIFF #TorontoFilmFestival #TIFF40 (photo via George Kozera). A photo posted by Mr. Will Wong (@mrwillwong) on
Because Jessica.
Eddie Redmayne at TIFF ’15 for The Danish Girl. Johnny Depp showed-up to his Premiere in support of partner Amber Heard who has a supporting role in the Film!
#EddieRedmayne at #TIFF15 for #TheDanishGirl. #TIFF #TIFF40 #TorontoFilmFestival
A photo posted by Mr. Will Wong (@mrwillwong) on
Toronto’s Emmanuelle Chriqui at TIFF ’15 for The Steps.
Luke Evans at TIFF ’15 for High-Rise.
#LukeEvans at #TIFF15 for #HighRiseMovie. #TIFF40 #TIFF #TorontoFilmFestival
A photo posted by Mr. Will Wong (@mrwillwong) on
Sarah Gadon at the In-Style Magazine party, TIFF ’15.
Patrick Stewart, who stars in Green Room at TIFF ’15, blowing Fans a kiss.
#PatrickStewart blowing a kiss. #GreenRoomMovie #TIFF15 #TIFF #Tiff40 #TorontoFilmFestival
A photo posted by Mr. Will Wong (@mrwillwong) on
Harry Potter star Clémence Poésy at TIFF ’15 for The Ones Below.
Potential James Bond, Idris Elba at TIFF ’15 for Beasts of No Nation.
#IdrisElba at #TIFF15 for #BeastsofNoNation. #TIFF #Tiff40 #TorontoFilmFestival #Netflix
A photo posted by Mr. Will Wong (@mrwillwong) on
Ben Foster at TIFF ’15 for The Program, a Film about the Lance Armstrong scandal.
Michael Shannon at TIFF ’15 for Freeheld.
#MichaelShannon at #TIFF15 for #FreeheldMovie. #TIFF40 #TIFF #TorontoFilmFestival
A photo posted by Mr. Will Wong (@mrwillwong) on
Susan Sarandon at TIFF ’15 for About Ray.
(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)
Review by David Baldwin for Mr. Will Wong
Garden State will always be special to me. Zach Braff’s directorial debut was released in and around the start of my first romantic relationship, and I ended up seeing the Film on one of our first dates. It was quite the amazing first-time project. And while it has not held up entirely well, it is the rare Film that has an infectious, sweet and genuine energy to it. So while I was not on board with Braff’s Kickstarter Campaign, I remained enthusiastic about his second Project as a Writer/Director/Actor – Wish I Was Here.
Aidan (Braff) is going through a mid-life crisis. He keeps going to auditions, but has not landed an acting gig in some time. His wife Sarah (Kate Hudson) is supporting his dream of becoming an Actor, while working a dead-end job and sustaining their small Family. To make matters worse, Aidan’s Father Gabe (Mandy Patinkin) is dying of Cancer, and has just used up all of the money putting Aidan and Sarah’s Kids through school.
Where Garden State was about a struggling actor and his crisis of identity, Wish I Was Here is about a struggling Actor, his crisis of Faith and Family, and his search for meaning in his life. These are heady subjects and Braff seems eager to examine them – except the Film feels entirely disjointed and totally uncertain of itself from the very beginning. The Soundtrack is still on-point and it looks significantly more polished than its predecessor. But it also feels like a few too many ideas smashed together, never able to find its focus. The Film often goes off on bizarre tangents and introduces unresolved Subplots at every turn. Any defining Character Trait or motivation is mentioned in passing, but never really explored beyond a potential nod later in the Story. And even then, the payoff is non-existent.
And I rarely ever criticize profanity in a Film (I do adore the Maestro Quentin Tarantino after all), but the number of times “fuck” was used seemed almost unnatural and downright distracting.
While the Film has its problems, some of the acting is quite remarkable. Josh Gad is wonderful as Aidan’s estranged brother Noah. He is the funniest character in the Film, but he also delivers a wallop in the film’s most emotional moments. He seems to have perfected his role as a Supporting Character in his past few Films; I can only hope he will become more of a lead soon enough. Just as great is the young Joey King, fresh off her supporting role in FX’s Fargo Mini-Series. While Braff himself seems to have trouble really honing-in on the Film’s themes, she exhibits them near brilliantly. She gets a bit undercut in some instances, but when the Film wisely chooses to focus on her, she casts a long shadow over everyone else. And though his acting becomes heavy-handed, Patinkin is great as Aidan’s dying, regretful Father. I’ve never been a big fan of his work, but this is one of his better performances in quite some time.
Be sure to watch for small performances from The Big Bang Theory’s Jim Parsons, Scrubs Alum Donald Faison and Braff’s Friend and permanent co-star Michael Weston, who plays Hudson’s rather “memorable” co-worker Jerry. Also of note – the Film features the final performance for James Avery of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air fame. It’s a real shame it wasn’t a more substantial Role.
Wish I Was Here was a Passion Project for Braff and his Brother/Co-writer Adam. It took ten years for Braff to follow-up Garden State, and he did it on his own terms. Despite some flaws, it packs some seriously wonderful performances. Braff is a truly gifted Filmmaker – let’s hope we don’t have to wait until 2024 for his next project.
eOne Films release WISH I WAS HERE on Friday, July 18, 2014.
Few Films truly take you away to another World and make you fall so much in love that you are sad to leave by the end of it all. Such is the magic that is Oz The Great and Powerful, Director Sam Raimi‘s sorta Prequel to The Wizard of Oz. Expectations are high for the $200-million Production and the question on everyone’s mind is, just how good it really is, with the bar raised so impossibly high in its association with such a widely-revered legacy.
We are introduced here to an on-the-run Oscar Diggs (James Franco), a Kansas Circus Magician of questionable morals, who while in the heat of pursuit, manages to escape from an infuriated Pursuer on a balloon, swept away to the Land of Oz. Upon arrival, he learns that he just may be the great Wizard destined to save its People from destruction. Unconvinced that he is the great Wizard of Oz, he becomes entangled in a deeply-seeded feud between three Witches: Theodora (Mila Kunis), Evanora (Rachel Weisz) and Glinda (Michelle Williams). Offered riches by Evanora, Oscar is assigned the task of finding and destroying despised Glinda‘s Wand before realizing that his quest for fortune and fame might be coming at the expense of standing for the greater evil. Matters are complicated further as Theodora develops affections for Oscar, before realizing that his heart belongs to the good-hearted Glinda. What amounts is a war of catastrophic proportions, putting at risk the lives of the innocent. Oscar must think quickly, overcoming his own self-doubts and pulling together every ounce of his magical craftiness to help save the people of the Land of Oz from the tyranny of Theodora and Evanora.
Words cannot describe the breathtaking beauty we witness here – a gorgeous land of sprouting Ruby-petaled Flowers, Rainbows, endless Poppies and Castles. Seeing Oz The Great and Powerful in anything but 3D would be a sin. The Visuals complement and paint a colourful backdrop, never detracting from the compelling Story to be told. We are transported to a world where Animation and Live Action collide seamlessly in harmony.
Williams illuminates, an immaculate vision of beauty – her performance feeling authentic and faithful to the legacy. Kunis shows her true range, transitioning from sweet to deliciously nasty – particularly effective at the latter, while Weisz gets to have a bit of fun at last after a long string of heavier roles. Zach Braff and Child Actor Joey King, lend their talents mostly in voice form but are remarkably good in their supporting roles as Finley the Flying Monkey and China Girl respectively. Alas, it is Franco who carries much of the weight here in a role unlike anything we’ve seen him in, and he succeeds largely in making us root for him in his growth as both Hero and a Man. The struggles are great and the battles are epic, all worthwhile for the sake of Good.
It is rare that a Film is so compelling that it leaves you as visually and spiritually spellbound as Oz The Great and Powerful. Indeed, the Film is worthy of a place alongside the greatness that is The Wizard of Oz and for a new generation, it most certainly is destined to be a Classic. Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Canada releases on March 8, 2013.
Since I heard about it being in development, I’ve been super-excited for Oz The Great and Powerful. Starring James Franco, Michelle Williams, Rachel Weisz and Mila Kunis, the Fantasy directed by Sam Raimi follows the Story of Oscar (Franco) who transforms himself from a small-time Circus Magician into the greatest Wizard of all. He doesn’t get there however without convincing three Witches first, Theodora (Mila Kunis), Evanora (Rachel Weisz) and Glinda (Michelle Williams), who just aren’t buying his greatness.
Opening March 8, 2013 via Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, a Sneak Peak of Oz The Great and Powerful will be presented during this Sunday’s Super Bowl, but you can see it first here!
Watch the Teaser below:
(Photo/video credit: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Canada)
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