It’s officially Awards Season! Nominees for the Golden Globes were just announced earlier today. The Awards voted upon by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, are to be televised Sunday, January 5, 2020 on NBC, celebrate the year’s best in Television and Cinema. Ricky Gervais returns as host.

In the Film categories, we see JOKER, THE IRISHMAN, MARRIAGE STORY and ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD… leading the way, while the Television categories we see THE MORNING SHOW, SUCCESSION, FLEABAG, THE CROWN and BIG LITTLE LIES on-top.

The Golden Globes are never without surprises. Many are shocked not to see IT’S A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD up for Best Motion Picture, same for FORD V FERRARI. TIFF ’19 People’s Choice Award winner   JOJO RABBIT only sees two nods and Director Taika Waiti isn’t among those included. While there was a bit of buzz for Greta Gerwig‘s Little Women, the Film only would see nominations for Score and Lead Actress, Saoirse Ronan.  While it garnered lots of critical acclaim, Drama WAVES failed to garner any attention by the HFPA.

Complete list of nominees below:

Best Motion Picture – Drama
The Irishman
Joker
The Two Popes
Marriage Story
1917

Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Knives Out
Dolemite Is My Name
Jojo Rabbit
Rocketman

Best Motion Picture – Foreign Language
The Farewell
Pain and Glory
Parasite
Portrait of a Lady on Fire
Les Misérables

Best Director – Motion Picture
Martin Scorsese, The Irishman
Quentin Tarantino, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Bong Joon-ho, Parasite
Sam Mendes, 1917
Todd Phillips, Joker

Best Screenplay – Motion Picture
Quentin Tarantino, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Noah Baumbach, Marriage Story
Anthony McCarten, The Two Popes
Bong Joon-ho and Han Jin-won, Parasite
Steven Zaillian, The Irishman

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama
Renée Zellweger, Judy
Charlize Theron, Bombshell
Saoirse Ronan, Little Women
Cynthia Erivo, Harriet
Scarlett Johansson, Marriage Story

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama
Christian Bale, Ford v Ferrari
Joaquin Phoenix, Joker
Antonio Banderas, Pain and Glory
Jonathan Pryce, The Two Popes
Adam Driver, Marriage Story

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
Awkwafina, The Farewell
Beanie Feldstein, Booksmart
Ana de Armas, Knives Out
Emma Thompson, Late Night
Cate Blanchett, Where’d You Go, Bernadette?

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
Leonardo DiCaprio, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Eddie Murphy, Dolemite Is My Name
Daniel Craig, Knives Out
Taron Egerton, Rocketman
Roman Griffin Davis, Jojo Rabbit

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture
Jennifer Lopez, Hustlers
Laura Dern, Marriage Story
Margot Robbie, Bombshell
Kathy Bates, Richard Jewell
Annette Bening, The Report

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture
Brad Pitt, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Al Pacino, The Irishman
Tom Hanks, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
Joe Pesci, The Irishman
Anthony Hopkins, The Two Popes

Best Motion Picture – Animated
Frozen 2
Toy Story 4
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World
Missing Link
The Lion King

Best Original Score – Motion Picture
Thomas Newman, 1917
Hildur Guonadottir, Joker
Randy Newman, Marriage Story
Alexandre Desplat, Little Women
Daniel Pemberton, Motherless Brooklyn

Best Original Song – Motion Picture
“(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again,” Rocketman
“Spirit,” The Lion King
“Into the Unknown,” Frozen 2
“Stand Up,” Harriet
“Beautiful Ghosts,” Cats

Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy
Barry
The Politician
Fleabag
The Kominsky Method
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

Best Television Series – Drama
The Crown
The Morning Show
Succession
Big Little Lies
Killing Eve

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama
Brian Cox, Succession
Tobias Menzies, The Crown
Billy Porter, Pose
Kit Harington, Game of Thrones
Rami Malek, Mr. Robot

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Drama
Jennifer Aniston, The Morning Show
Olivia Colman, The Crown
Jodie Comer, Killing Eve
Nicole Kidman, Big Little Lies
Reese Witherspoon, The Morning Show

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy
Rachel Brosnahan, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Kirsten Dunst, On Becoming a God in Central Florida
Christina Applegate, Dead to Me
Natasha Lyonne, Russian Doll
Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Fleabag

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy
Michael Douglas, The Kominsky Method
Bill Hader, Barry
Ben Platt, The Politician
Paul Rudd, Living With Yourself
Ramy Youssef, Ramy

Best Television Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Loudest Voice
Chernobyl
Unbelievable
Fosse/Verdon
Catch-22

Best Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Sam Rockwell, Fosse/Verdon
Russell Crowe, The Loudest Voice
Jared Harris, Chernobyl
Christopher Abbott, Catch-22
Sacha Baron Cohen, The Spy

Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Helen Mirren, Catherine the Great
Michelle Williams, Fosse/Verdon
Merritt Weaver, Unbelievable
Kaitlyn Dever, Unbelievable
Joey King, The Act

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Toni Colette, Unbelievable
Meryl Streep, Big Little Lies
Helena Bonham Carter, The Crown
Patricia Arquette, The Act
Emily Watson, Chernobyl

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Alan Arkin, The Kominsky Method
Kieran Culkin, Succession
Henry Winkler, Barry
Andrew Scott, Fleabag
Stellan Skarsgard, Chernobyl

MIDWAY takes the top of the Box Office this weekend in a shocker with $19.2 million from 3,242 theatres for Elevation Pictures/Lionsgate Films. The Roland Emmerich film centering around its namesake battle, gets 40% on the Tomatometer and an A CinemaScore.

In second is Stephen King’s DOCTOR SLEEP with $17.2 million from 3,855 theatres for Warner Bros. The Shining‘s Sequel gets 75% on the Tomatometer and a B+ CinemaScore.

LAST CHRISTMAS starring Emilia Clarke, debuts in third with $14.5 million for Universal Pictures. The Holiday Rom-Com gets 49% on the Tomatometer and a B- CinemaScore.

TERMINATOR: DARK FATE lands in third this weekend with $13.4 million for Paramount Pictures, bringing its two week run to $37.6 million domestically.

In fifth is JOKER with $8.5 million, taking its run to $304 million for Warner Bros.

PLAYING WITH FIRE opens in sixth with $8 million for Paramount Pictures from 3,125 theatres. It gets 25% on the Tomatometer and B+ CinemaScore.

Rounding things out is ZOMBIELAND: DOUBLE TAP with $4.5 million for Sony Pictures.

TERMINATOR: DARK FATE takes the top spot at the Box Office in its debut this weekend with $27.1 million from 4,086 theatres for Paramount Pictures. It gets 69% on the Tomatometer and a B+ CinemaScore.

MALEFICENT: MISTRESS OF EVIL lands a distant second with $11.2 million from 3,280 theatres of Disney,  a three week total of $82.5 million in North America.

In third is JOKER with $11.2 million for Warner Bros., a five week total of $296.8 million domestically.

HARRIET debuts in fourth for Focus Features/Universal Pictures with $8 million from 2,059 theatres. The TIFF ’19 selection gets a 73% on the Tomatometer and an excellent A+ CinemaScore from Audiences.

ARCTIC DOGS opens in seventh with $5 million from 2,844 theatres for Entertainment Studios. It gets a B- CinemaScore.

THE LIGHTHOUSE in eighth in its second week out with $4.4 million from 978 theatres for A24 Films/VVS Films. 

BLACK AND BLUE rounds it all out wth $3.4 million for Sony Pictures in its second week.

JOKER returns to the top spot once again at the Box Office this weekend with $17.7 million from 3,936 theatres for Warner Bros. This brings its four week tally to $276.3 million.

In second spot his last week’s queen, MALEFICENT: MISTRESS OF EVIL with $15.9 million, a total of $62.8 million over two weeks for Disney in North America.

Third goes to ZOMBIELAND: DOUBLE TAP with $12.2 million for Sony Pictures, a two week total of $47.6 million.

THE ADDAMS FAMILY gets fourth with $10 million for Universal Pictures, a total $71 million in its third week out.

COUNTDOWN debuts in fifth for STX Entertainment/Elevation Pictures with $8 million from 2,675 theatres. The Thriller gets 23% on the Tomatometer and C+ CinemaScore.

BLACK AND BLUE opens in sixth with $6 million for Sony Pictures. The Cop Action-Drama gets 46% on the Tomatometer.

At the bottom of the Top Ten is THE LIGHTHOUSE with $2 million for A24/VVS Films, playing at just 586 theatres. The Robert Eggers film starring Robert Pattinson, gets 91% on the Tomatometer.

While it doesn’t quite match the feat of its Predecessor, MALEFICENT: MISTRESS OF EVIL opens on-top for Disney in its bow with $37 million from 3,790 theatres. It gets 41% on the Tomatometer and an A CinemaScore. The previous installment in 2014 opened with $69.4 million.

In second after two weeks on-top, is JOKER with $28.3 million from 4,090 theatres for Warner Bros., a total $346 million grossed thus far in North America.

In third is ZOMBIELAND: DOUBLE TAP with $26.5 million for Sony Pictures from 3,468 theatres. This bests its 2009 Predecessor which opened with $24 million. It gets 68% on the Tomatometer and a B+ CinemaScore.

HUSTLERS is in right with $2 million from 1,575 theatres for STX Entertainment/Elevation Pictures, taking it just past the $100 million-mark donestically in six weeks.

IT: CHAPTER TWO rounds-out this Top Ten with $1.4 million from 1,528 theatres, a seven week run of $209.5 million. It just edges-out critical darling PARASITE, which from just 30 theatres, takes $1.38 million for Neon/MK2.

JOKER is still laughing, taking top spot at the Box Office with $45.8 million from 4,374 theatres in its second week. Its run takes it to $137 million in North America for Warner Bros.

In second is THE ADDAMS FAMILY, debuting with $30 million from 4,007 theatres for Universal Pictures. It gets 42% on the Tomatometer and a B+ CinemaScore.

GEMINI MAN opens in third with $20 million from 3,642 theatres for Paramount Pictures. It gets 26% on Rotten Tomatoes and a better B+ CinemaScore from Audiences.

ABONIMABLE lands in fourth with $7.7 million, a total $49.5 million over three weeks for Universal Pictures.

JEXI debuts with $3.5 million from 2,332 theatres for CBS Films/eOne Films. It gets 15% on the Tomatometer and a B- CinemaScore.

AD ASTRA rounds-out the Top Ten with $2 million for 20th Century Fox/Disney.

It’s officially been a week since TIFF ’19 began and we honestly don’t know where the time went! It all felt like one long day with power naps. We’re doing just fine, although we worry with the switch from hot to umm… freezing, we are a prime candidate for a cold!

Some names still in town we spotted. Hover cursor right to navigate albums.

Zazie Beetz (Lucy in the Sky, Joker + Seberg)

George McKay (True History of the Kelly Gang)

WESTERN STARS – Premiere

(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)

Review by David Baldwin for Mr. Will Wong

Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) makes his living as a party clown. He lives with his mother, has serious mental health issues and dreams of being a Comedian. But a set of circumstances will set him down a different path – one that involves becoming Gotham City’s greatest villain, The Joker.

With Joker, Co-Writer/Director Todd Phillips (of The Hangover and Old School) set-out to create a dark, gritty, intense and disturbing take on the legendary character. And for the most part, he succeeds. Phillips draws on Martin Scorsese classics like Taxi Driver and The King of Comedy to visualize Gotham City and its inhabitants, building an urban dystopia so vivid you can smell the grime and filth. And instead of making just another Comic Book movie, he turns the genre and formula on its head and gives us a passionate, unapologetic and viciously violent character study. He leans too hard into Batman lore and relies a bit too much on slow motion, but this is easily his most ambitious project to date.

And at the centre of it all is a blisteringly brilliant performance from Phoenix. His physical and mental transformation into The Joker is eye-opening, and the little nuances he brings to the character are simply terrific. He is featured in practically every scene, and the way he commands that camera is a masterclass all in its own. Some have already started calling this take sympathetic, but make no mistake: this Joker is just as much of a depraved, homicidal maniac as you remember and any sympathy you may gleam at the beginning will be completely gone by the end. He is still The Joker after all.

JOKER screens during TIFF at the following times:

Monday September 9, 9:00pm @ Roy Thomson Hall
Tuesday September 10, 2:30pm @ Princess of Wales
Friday September 13, 9:45pm @ Scotiabank Theatre

We’re at the halfway point almost of TIFF ’19 and we are looking forward to enjoying some films soon! Before all that though, there are plenty of stars to spot around the City and today was EPIC!

See our sightings below. Hover cursor right to navigate albums.

THE LAUNDROMAT – Premiere

GUNS AKIMBO – Press Stop

HONEY BOY – Press Stop

BAD EDUCATION – Press Stop

WASP NETWORK – Press Stop

UNCUT GEMS – Press Stop

JUDY – Press Stop

HUMAN CAPITAL – Press Stop

JOKER – Premiere

(Photo credit : Mr. Will Wong)

By Amanda Gilmore, David Baldwin and Mr. Will Wong

Running Thursday, September 5 through Sunday, September 15, 2019, the Toronto International Film Festival soon is before us. The first wave of announcements were made today out of Festival Headquarters, TIFF Bell Lightbox, for its Special Presentations and Gala Programmes and we can expect once again very star-studded precursor to what and who will be the key players this Awards Season.

333 Films will screen at the Festival, 245 of which are Features, 82 which are Shorts and six which are Series. Of these, 133 are World Premieres, 25 are International Premieres and 71 are North American Premieres. 35% of Titles are directed, co-directed or created by women and 21 are LGBTQ+ stories! 280,000 visitors are expected to visit Festival Street!

Previously announced, Daniel Roher‘s Documentary ONCE WERE BROTHERS: ROBBIE ROBERTSON AND THE BAND follows the Canadian Music icon Robertson’s earlier days on a reserve and in Toronto to the rise of his Roots-Rock group, The Band. Martin Scorcese, Ron Howard and Brian Grazer produce the Film.

Highlighting TIFF ’19’s lineup are highly-buzzed Films like JUDY, FORD V FERRARI, A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD, JOKER, CLEMENCY, THE LIGHTHOUSE, THE REPORT, PAIN AND GLORY, THE GOLDFINCH, BAD EDUCATION, KNIVES OUT, JOJO RABBIT, HUSTLERS, ABONIMABLE, AMERICAN WOMAN and more.

We can expect to see big stars like Matt Damon, Christian Bale, Jennifer Lopez, Tom Hanks, Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman, Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver in town, the latter two whom each have two Films at the Festival!

GALAS
The Galas at this years Toronto International Film Festival are shooting for the stars. To start we are getting A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD starring the one and only Tom Hanks. The Film follows Fred Rodgers, played by Hanks, and the importance he had on generations. Hopefully, Hanks travels North and we can all catch a glimpse of “Hollywood’s Nicest Star”.

On the roll with the star-power is FORD V FERRARI starring Matt Damon and Christian Bale. It depicts the 1966 “24 Hours of Le Mans” endurance race between the American automotive engineers and Ferrari. Both are regulars at TIFF and we expect to see them once again this year.

We are also getting HUSTLERS starring Jennifer Lopez, Cardi B, Constance Wu and Julia Stiles. The film follows the four women who are former strippers and come together to turn the tables on Wall Street. This is going to be one carpet everyone will be having their eyes on.

If the star-power isn’t enough for TIFF they are also bringing some Films who are looking like early awards contenders since the drop of their trailers. THE GOLDFINCH starring Nicole Kidman and Ansel Elgort, tells the story of a boys life is changed forever after a terrorist attack at an art museum. There is HARRIET, starring Cynthia Erivo, who plays Harriet Tubman. The Trailer was released earlier today and it’s safe to say that all eyes should be on Erivo this TIFF. CLEMENCY was also announced today as a Gala Film which won the top prize at Sundance earlier this year. It follows a death-row prison warden (Alfre Woodard) who is coming to terms with the psychological effects of her job. As someone who has seen it, I can confirm that it should be at the top of everyone’s Must-See list for the Festival.

There were two Films announced today that stuck out because they aren’t genres typically picked for the Gala Programme. The one that stands out the most is JOKER starring Joaquin Phoenix. I could not be happier to hear that a comic book film is getting its premiere at TIFF, one of the biggest platforms for Film in North America. The other pick in the Programme is ABONIMABLE. Usually, an animated Film would be chosen in the Kids Programme, but not this year. Since these two films have made it into one of the more prestigious Programmes at the Festival, we need to keep our eyes on them.

Some Trailers from the Gala Porgramme:

Abominable (dir. Jill Culton, Todd Wilderman)

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (dir. Marielle Heller)

Harriet (dir. Kasi Lemmons)

The Goldfinch (dir. John Crowley)

Hustlers (dir. Lorene Scafaria)

Joker (dir. Todd Phillips)

SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS

If those first Gala films were not exciting enough, than the list of Special Presentations are practically swoon-worthy!

The Special Presenations Programme will kick off with the World Premiere of Unjoo Moon’s I AM WOMAN, a Biopic about Australian singer Helen Reddy. Among other World Premieres, we’re excited for the fact-based Dramedy BAD EDUCATION starring Hugh Jackman, Ray Romano and Oscar-winner Allison Janney; Rudy Ray Moore Biopic Dolemite Is My Name starring Eddie Murphy, Wesley Snipes, Chris Rock, Craig Robinson and Keegan-Michael Key; Drake Doremus’ love-triangle romance ENDINGS, BEGINNINGS with Shailene Woodley, Sebastian Stan and Jamie Dornan; Taika Waititi’s Nazi satire JOJO RABBIT starring Sam Rockwell, Scarlett Johansson and Rebel Wilson; the coming-of-age HOW TO BUILD A GIRL starring Beanie Feldstein, Chris O’Dowd and Emma Thompson; Armando Iannucci’s THE PERSONAL HISTORY OF DAVID COPPERFIELD starring Dev Patel, Tilda Swinton, High Laurie and Ben Whishaw; as well as Rian Johnson’s absolutely star-studded whodunit caper KNIVES OUT featuring Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Jamie Lee Curtis and Michael Shannon.

And among the North American and International Premieres, we have Renee Zellweger’s turn as Judy Garland in JUDY; the Safdie Brothers’ highly anticipated UNCUT GEMS starring Adam Sandler in a rare dramatic role; Steven Soderbergh’s latest THE LAUNDROMAT starring Meryl Streep and Gary Oldman; Scott Z. Burns’ searing political thriller THE REPORT starring Adam Driver; the semi-autobiographical HONEY BOY starring Shia LaBeouf; Noah Baumbach’s divorce Drama MARRIAGE STORY starring Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson; Edward Norton’s long-gestating thriller MOTHERLESS BROOKLYN; as well as critically acclaimed Festival hits like Pedro Almodóvar’s PAIN AND GLORY starring Antonio Banderas; Robert Eggers’ THE LIGHTHOUSE starring Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson and Bong Joon-ho’s Palme d’Or-winning PARASITE.

Some Trailers from the Special Presenations Programme:

Lucy in the Sky (dir. Noah Hawley)

The Lighthouse (dir. Robert Eggers)

Jojo Rabbit (dir. Taika Waititi)

Pain and Glory (dir. Pedro Almodóvar)

Judy (dir. Rupert Goold)

Knives Out (dir. Rian Johnson)

UPDATE – 7/31/19 CANADIAN FILMS ADDED

Today TIFF released the Films joining the festival line-up made by Canadian Filmmakers. This year they don’t fall short in representing their homegrown talent with placing 26 Canadian Features in various Programmes.

Previously announced Canadian Features The Song of Names, American Woman and Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band were placed in the Gala Programme, Guest of Honour in Special Presentations Directed by Atom Egoyan and David Foster: Off the Record was announced yesterday as a Special Event. But after today’s announcement, there is a prominent Canadian presence in nearly all programmes.

The opening Midnight Madness Programme film is the Canadian Blood Quantum directed by Jeff Barnaby about zombies who have taken over the world but an isolated Mi’gmaq community is immune to the plague. In Special Presentations there is Clifton Hill which stars iconic Filmmaker David Cronenberg and Hannah Gross about a girl who returns to Niagara Falls and remembers a kidnapping from her childhood. In Contemporary World Cinema there is Castle in the Ground starring Alex Wolff, Imogen Poots, Neve Campbell and Tom Cullen about opioid addiction. In the TIFF Docs Programme, there are three Canadian Features: Coppers directed by Alan Zweig, This Is Not A Movie directed by Yung Change and There’s Something in the Water directed by Ellen Page and Ian Daniel.

Not only were the movies announced but also the four TIFF Canadian Rising Stars. Kacey Rohl will star in White Lies in the CWC Programme about a girl who becomes a celebrity after receiving a cancer diagnosis. Mikhail Ahooja will be in the Midnight Madness selection The Twentieth Century which is a gonzo history film about William Lyon Mackenzie King’s abject humiliations. Nahéma Ricci will be in Sophie Deraspe’s Antigone which is a reigning of the Greek tragedy. And Shamier Anderson who will be in the Shailene Woodley, Jamie Dornan and Sebastian Stan starring Endings, Beginnings.

UPDATE: 8/7/19 – PLATFORM PROGRAMME
A new week brings a new round of TIFF ’19 announcements! Today, we found out what the Platform Programme will bring us this September. Now in its fifth year at the Festival, the competitive Programme will bring together World Premiere films from across the world – each one competing for a $20,000 Canadian prize. This year’s jury includes Berlinale Artistic Director Carlo Chatrian, Film Critic Jessica Kiang, and Filmmaker Athina Rachel Tsangari. 40% of this year’s slate is directed by women.

The Programme will open with ROCKS, directed by acclaimed British Filmmaker Sarah Gavron and revolves around a teenage girl struggling to care for herself and her younger brother. Other films included in the Programme are Julie Delpy’s suspenseful drama MY ZOE starring Delpy, Daniel Brühl, Gemma Arterton and Richard Armitage; Darius Marder’s debut SOUND OF METAL starring Riz Ahmed and Olivia Cooke; the Astronaut Drama PROXIMA starring Eva Green and Matt Dillon; Anthony Chen’s highly-anticipated second feature WET SEASON regarding the special bond between a teacher and a student at the Singapore high school; the Spanish Thriller THE MONEYCHANGER set in the world of currency buying and selling; Family Drama THE SLEEPWALKERS from Argentina/Uruguay; Mexico’s class-conscious Drama WORKFORCE and the Canadian made ANNE AT 13,000 FEET about the everyday challenges faced by a young woman. The Programme will conclude with Pietro Marcello’s MARTIN EDEN concerning a sailor trying to remake himself as a Writer.

UPDATE 8/8/19 – DOCUMENTARIES
There were big announcements for the TIFF ’19 today, including the Docs Programme. There were 25 Documentaries announced including 18 World Premieres with representation from 18 countries.Pr The Films in this year’s programme have themes of artistic achievement, the power of journalism, immigration, global politics, and resistance against corrupt leaders.

The opening Doc will be THE CAVE from Oscar-nominated Director Feras Fayyad. It follows a female doctor in war-torn Syria and the underground hospital she leads. For fans of the brilliant True Crime Author Truman Capote, you can catch THE CAPOTE TAPES created by first-time Director Ebs Burnough who previously worked under the Obama Administration. And for political fans, prominent Documentarian Alex Gibney is coming to TIFF with CITIZEN K profiling Mikail Khodorkovsky, who turned against Vladimir Putin.

If you are looking to catch some stars during TIFF this year, look no further than the TIFF Docs Programme. Leonardo DiCaprio is a Producer on AND WE GO GREEN, about racers in the Formula E competition for electric cars. Bryce Dallas Howard will be making her first Documentary with DADS, which explores fatherhood with leading comedians and her own father, Ron Howard. And Rap Superstars Drake and Future are Executive Producers on READY FOR WAR, which tells the important and heartbreaking story of immigrants who served in the US military only to be deported.

UPDATE 8/8/18 – MIDNIGHT MADNESS PROGRAMME

The midnight hour is close at hand TIFFgoers! After giving us a taste of things to come at last week’s Canadian film announcement, TIFF has released their full Midnight Madness lineup – and it looks like we are in for ten days of wild insanity.

Among those announced today are Richard Stanley’s COLOR OUT OF SPACE starring Midnight Madness royalty and spirit animal to many, Nicolas Cage. The Film is an adaptation of an H.P. Lovecraft Horror Short about what happens to a New England family after a meteor lands on their property. Maestro Takashi Miike also returns with FIRST LOVE, about a boxer and a drug addict caught in the middle of two gangs at war. Also among today’s announcements are dystopian nightmare THE PLATFORM about prisoners in a high-tech prison, Psychological Thriller SAINT MAUD about a nurse obsessed with saving her dying patient, Indonesian superhero epic GUNDALA; spooky overnight watch Thriller THE VIGIL and the Sci-Fi Thriller THE VAST OF NIGHT, which won the Best Narrative Feature prize at this year’s Slamdance Film Festival. The Programme will conclude with the Ugandan action thriller CRAZY WORLD about child-snatching mobsters who kidnap pint-sized Kung Fu masters. Every single film sounds absolutely bonkers, and we cannot wait to see them all!

UPDATE 8/13/19 ADDITIONAL GALAS AND SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS:
We are still a week out from the final schedule, but TIFF has added a handful of exciting titles to their already incredible slate of films coming this September.

Two films were added to the Gala Programme: the North American Premiere of THE BURNT ORANGE HERESY about a greedy art dealer and his crumbling plan around stealing a rare painting, starring Elizabeth Debicki, Donald Sutherland and Mick Jagger; and the Canadian Premiere of the hot air balloon epic THE AERONAUTS, reuniting The Theory of Everything’s Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones. Hopefully we will get the opportunity to see it in its native IMAX format!

And some of the highlights of the 16 films added to the Special Presentations Programme include the World Premieres of Astronaut Thriller LUCY IN THE SKY, starring Natalie Portman, Dan Stevens and Jon Hamm; the film adaptation of AMERICAN SON, starring Kerry Washington in the role she originated on Broadway; Sci-Fi Video Game Thriller GUNS AKIMBO starring Daniel Radcliffe; Australian Romance DIRT MUSIC starring Kelly MacDonald and Garrett Hedlund; Family Drama HUMAN CAPITAL, starring Liev Schreiber, Marisa Tomei, Peter Sarsgaard and Stranger Things breakout Maya Hawke; as well as Boxing Drama JUNGLELAND, starring Charlie Hunnam and Jack O’Connell; and Benson and Moorhead’s genre-bending SYNCHRONIC, starring Anthony Mackie and Jamie Dornan. Other highlights include Jean Seberg Biopic SEBERG starring Kristen Stewart; Young Athlete Drama WAVES, starring Sterling K. Brown and Lucas Hedges; acclaimed Director Olivier Assayas’ latest WASP NETWORK starring Edgar Ramirez, Penelope Cruz and Gael Garcia Bernal; and Cult Director Quentin Dupieux’s DEERSKIN, starring Oscar-winner Jean Dujardin, about a man’s strange relationship with a deerskin jacket.

UPDATE 8/20/19 SCHEDULE RELEASED AND IN-CONVERSATIONS ANNOUNCED:

Great news, the official TIFF ’19 schedule has been release.  Visit here to start planning your Festival: https://tiff.net/films.

Also confirmed are some great In-Conversations with Michael B. Jordan & Jamie Foxx, Antonio Banderas, Allison Janney and Kerry Washington.

Public single tickets go on sale Monday, September 2, 2019, while several packages are on-sale now here.

Complete list of Films announced here.

(Photo/video credit: Pathe Films/Sony Pictures/Warner Bros./Universal Pictures)