Focus Features and Universal Pictures Canada will release BLACK BAG In Theatres Nationwide on Friday, March 14, 2025.

Directed by: Steven Soderbergh
Written by: David Koepp
Producers: Casey Silver, Greg Jacobs
Cast: Cate Blanchett, Michael Fassbender, Marisa Abela, Tom Burke, Naomie Harris, Regé-Jean Page, and Pierce Brosnan
Synopsis: From Director Steven Soderbergh, BLACK BAG is a gripping spy drama about legendary intelligence agents George Woodhouse and his beloved wife Kathryn. When she is suspected of betraying the nation, George faces the ultimate test – loyalty to his marriage or his country.

New Poster below:

In all a very fulfilling and successful TIFF ’24 for us! This will be the final daily of the Fest for us and we hope you had fun! Some sightings from Day Nine:

•Lucy Liu
•Steven Soderbergh
•Callina Liang
•Chris Sullivan

(Photo/video credit: Mr. Will Wong)

By Nicholas Porteous

We open on a particularly bland overhead shot as a car pulls into a driveway. It’s a reserved choice to serve as the opening for Steven Soderbergh‘s latest–but wait. The camera twists and turns and hovers down the stairs, revealing an empty house and an anxious realtor (Julia Fox–be warned: this is her only scene). There’s clearly something more to this strange, drifting perspective. Indeed, there’s a Presence in this house. A ghost. And for whatever reason, among the family of new occupants in this otherwise lovely abode, their young daughter Blue (captivating newcomer Callina Liang) shares some kind of connection with the spirit.

What follows is entirely from the ghost’s perspective, and it turns out to be a fantastic parameter for Soderbergh to play within. How does a non-speaking entity reveal its motivations? What kind of phantom are we dealing with here? And how will a family contend with the unknown force? You won’t hear another word about the plot from me, but if you’re looking for a good little ghost story, you’ve come to the right place. Presence is another small-scale, experimental gem from Soderbergh that moves at a clip and kept me intrigued–both as a narrative and as a technical act of storytelling–for its lean, 85-minute runtime.

David Koepp‘s Screenplay is occasionally guilty of tripping over the line into schlock and cheese, which plays at odds with Soderbergh’s relatively naturalistic approach. But all in all, Presence is a brilliant blend of family dramedy and supernatural suspense, anchored by a strong ensemble–featuring Lucy Liu and Chris Sullivan as spiritually discordant parents–that imbues the camera with a perfectly calibrated sense of fear and wonder. Presence could be considered a minor work from a master Filmmaker, but its slender format and otherworldly themes have staying power. Don’t let this one pass you by.

Presence screens at TIFF ’24:

Friday, September 13 at 6:15 PM at The Princess of Wales Theatre

Saturday, September 14 at 7:45 PM at Scotiabank Theatre

Today we get a new Tease for Steven Soderbergh’s PRESENCE, which premiered at Sundance earlier this year. Cast includes Julia Fox and Lucy Liu!

(Photo/video credit: Elevation Pictures)

Focus Features will release Steven Soderbergh’s upcoming spy drama BLACK BAG in theaters on March 14, 2025. Focus will release the film in the US with Universal Pictures International handling international distribution.

From Academy Award® winning director Steven Soderbergh, BLACK BAG is a high-stakes mystery starring Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender alongside Regé-Jean Page, Marisa Abela, Naomie Harris, Tom Burke and Pierce Brosnan.
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Writer: David Koepp
Producers: Casey Silver and Greg Jacobs

Focus Features upcoming slate includes PIECE BY PIECE, an animated biopic from Morgan Neville about the life of multifaceted global superstar Pharrell Williams told through the lens of LEGO bricks, Robert Eggers’ reimagining of NOSFERATU, Edward Berger’s thriller CONCLAVE, Sundance-Award winner DÌDI (弟弟) from Sean Wang, Steven Soderbergh’s upcoming crime-thriller BLACK BAG starring Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender, Yorgos Lanthimos’s next film BUGONIA starring Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons, and the highly anticipated third installment of the DOWNTON ABBEY franchise, among others.

By Amanda Gilmore

It’s been 35 years since Director Steven Soderbergh has had a Feature film at Sundance. All those years ago he brought Sex, Lies and Videotape which won the Audience Award: Dramatic in 1989. He’s been back since with his TV Show The Girlfriend Experience in 2009. 

However, his big return follows a family that moves into a suburban home. Shortly after moving in, their daughter Chloe (Callina Liang), still grieving the sudden death of her best friend, senses a supernatural spirit within.

Soderbergh always finds new ways to use the camera. He was the first established Director to shoot films with an iPhone. Additionally, he always finds new ways to bring audiences into a story. He’s back at it again with Presence. This time around he’s used the camera to tell this story through an entirely new —and inventive— perspective. His camera is the ghost’s perspective. Thus, putting a whole new spin on the Haunted House genre.

Screenwriter David Koepp’s Script mixes multiple genres. It begins as a Domestic Drama. We see this family in all its dysfunction. It’s most fascinating seeing the mother (a fantastic Lucy Liu) who favours her son over her daughter. As the story progresses, it leans more into the ghost and Haunted House subgenres. It succeeds at every turn because of Soderbergh’s choice of perspective.

Presence screens at Sundance ’24:

Jan 19 at 9:45 PM at Library Centre Theatre

Jan 20 at 9:00 AM at Egyptian Theatre

Jan 21 at 9:00 PM at Rose Wagner Centre

Jan 23 at 8:00 PM at Eccles Theatre

Jan 27 at 2:30 PM at Redstone Cinemas – 1

Jan 28 at 11:00 AM at Magaplex Theatres at The Gateway – Theatre 1/2/3

While TIFF ’21 wraps this coming Sunday, today will be our final day our and about. And what an awesome way to cap things off! We saw the amazing Steven Soderbergh arrive at Princess of Wales Theatre. While it remained a mystery what Film exactly he’d be screening at the Festival, we can confirm that the Film that screened tonight was called MR. KNEFF, a Silent Film with only music and background noises. The Film is subtitled and 15 years ago he had a second go at it, though the Film still is incomplete. The Film originally was titled KAFKA starring Jeremy Irons, though all dialogue has been removed and some hues were adjusted. The Film was made originally about 30 years ago.

Soderbergh arrived together with Cameron and his wife Carolynne at the screening, and they waited as he signed an endless line of autographs, doing Selfies as well. He finally arrived at our side joking that we were waiting on the wrong side of the barricade. A true Class Act. And an epic way to cap-off a great Festival! So many of our faves were made under his meticulous vision and crafty storytelling: Ocean’s Eleven, Traffic, Erin Brokovitch, Behind the Candelabra, Magic Mike (lol!)….

Earlier, Lily-Rose Depp arrived at Princess of Wales Theatre for her second Film at the Festival, WOLF in which she co-stars alongside rising star George MacKay. The Film is about a boy who believes he’s a wolf and is set in a clinic which treats the condition. Depp arrived in Toronto fresh-off the Met Gala which took place earlier this week in New York City. Once again, she wore pink Chanel as she did to her Premiere last night at Roy Thomson Hall for SILENT NIGHT. Director/Writer Nathalie Biancheri also was in attendance.

Do not forget to check-out the TIFF TRIBUTE GALA AWARDS, airing Saturday, September 18, 2021 at 7PM ET on CTV and the CTV App!

… and that’s a wrap! We appreciate so much your following our adventures and Reviews this TIFF once again. While we’re a bit exhausted, next week we’ll be counting down the days to TIFF ’22!

Tomorrow we’ll be sharing our Highlights, Best-Ofs and Predictions for the People’s Choice Award!

(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)

Review by Amanda Gilmore for Mr. Will Wong

When Ellen (Meryl Streep) loses her husband she embarks on an investigation into corrupt insurance companies who are dodging her claims.

Director Steven Soderbergh and Screenwriter Scott Z. Burns tackle the secret world of financial corruption that was exposed in the Panama Papers, yet in a playful way. With the use of multiple characters and storylines, which are all intrinsically-connected, they take the audience on a journey on how to get rich through legal but immoral ways. They have an all-star Cast, consisting of Streep, Gary Oldman and Antonio Banderas, who knock it out-of-the-park, especially when they break the fourth wall . The most impressive part of The Laundromat is how it takes a complicated tale of corruption, making it simple to understand.

The Laundromat screens at TIFF on Mon, Sep 9 at Princess of Wales Theatre at 6 PM, Tue, Sep 10 at Elgin Theatre at 2:15 PM, Fri, Sep 13 at Elgin Theatre at 5 PM, and Sat, Sep 14 at TIFF Bell Lightbox at 3:15 PM.

At long last the TIFF ’13 Guest List has been announced and among the Marquee names we can expect to see in Toronto in two weeks are phenomenal!  Although speak of Brad Pitt and George Clooney making appearances here didn’t amount to much more than rumour, this year the Female Contingent shines brightest with several of Hollywood’s A-List set to present their latest Oscar Vehicles here.

Among the Celebrities expected this year are:

Emilia Clarke, Nicole Kidman, Meryl Streep, Tom Felton, Chris Hemsworth, Benedict Cumberbatch, Scarlett Johansson, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jennifer Aniston, Matthew McConaughey, Daniel Radcliffe, Paul Dano, Zoe Kazan, Sarah Gadon,  Julia Roberts, Reese Witherspoon, James Franco, Marion Cotillard, Mike Myers, Emma Thompson, Kristen Wiig, Keira Knightley, Saoirse Ronan, Amy Poehler, Keanu Reeves, Kate Winslet, Adam Driver, Jesse Eisenberg, Mia Wasikowska, Owen Wilson, Ralph Fiennes, Hailee Steinfeld, Jake Gyllenhaal, JudeLaw, Jessica Chastain, Jai Courtney, Mila Kunis, Pierce Brosnan, Sandra Bullock, Jason Bateman, Zac Efron, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Colin Firth, Idris Elba, Ed Harris, Michael C. Hall, Annette Benning, James McAvoy, Liam Neeson, Steven Soderbergh, Ben Foster, Anton Yelchin, Maria Bello, Jennifer Garner, Nicolas Cage, Daniel Brühl, Tom Hiddleston, Jack Huston, Hugh Jackman, Jessica Lange, Melissa Leo, Adam Levine, Catherine O’Hara, Kurt Russell, Elizabeth Olsen, Tom Berenger, Tom Wilkinson, Julia Louis Dreyfuss, Clive Owen, Zach Galifianakis, Emily Watson, John Hawkes, Alan Rickman, Toni Collette, Josh Brolin, Alice Cooper, Tiger Chen, Rebecca Hall, Will Forte, Kevin Zegers, Taylor Kitsch, Juliette Binoche, Mark Ruffalo, Tim Robbins, Thandie Newton,  Terrence Howard, James Hetfield, Thomas Haden Church, Tim Robbins,  Glenn Close, Dakota Fanning, Philip Glass and several more!

Keep checking back here as the Toronto International Film Festival makes additions as we get closer to Thursday, September 5, 2013 when TIFF ’13 kicks-off!  The Festival runs till Sunday, September 15, 2013.

The official Schedule has been announced and you can now start planning your Festival right here. Download the Official Schedule right here!

Single Tickets go on sale on Sunday, September 1, 2013 on TIFF‘s Website here.

Things are about to get real exciting around here!  Happy TIFF, indeed!

(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)