#TIFF17: TITLES UNVEILED FOR 2017 TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

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)

MOLLY’S GAME (stars Jessica Chastain and Idris Elba)

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)

 

DARKEST HOUR (stars Gary Oldman and Lily James)
PROFESSOR MARSTON & THE WONDER WOMEN (stars Luke Evans and Rebecca Hall)

 

KILLING OF A SACRED DEER (stars Nicole Kidman and Colin Farell)


THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI (stars Frances McDormand and Woody Harrelson)STRONGER (stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Tatiana Maslany)
FIRST THEY KILLED MY FATHER (directed by Angelina Jolie)
LONG TIME RUNNING (The Tragically Hip Documentary)THE MOUNTAIN BETWEEN US (stars Idris Elba and Kate Winslet)THE RITUAL (stars Rafe Spall and Arsher Ali)
THE DISASTER ARTIST (stars Seth Rogen, James and Dave Franco)THE CRESCENT (stars Danika Vandersteen and Woodrow Graves)
DOWNRANGE (stars Kelly Connaire and Stephanie Pearson)
UPDATE 8/1/17:
Announcements were made for the Midnight Madness Programme including Opening Night Film, BODIED by Director Joseph Kahn. The Horror stars Anthony Michael Hall and Debra Wilson. BRAWN IN CELL BLOCK 99 (stars Vince Vaughn and Don Johnson). The Programme’s Closing Night Film is VAMPIRE CLAY from Sôichi Umezawa.

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)