Review by Amanda Gilmore for Mr. Will Wong
Non-Fiction follows Parisian publisher Alain (Guillaume Canet), who is looking into changing his current publishing ways for a new media landscape, and his successful actor-wife Serena (Juliette Binoche). It is coming to TIFF in the Special Presentations Programme for its Canadian Premiere after playing the Venice Film Festival to rave reviews.
Writer-Director Olivier Assayas has crafted a powerful Script about the ever-changing media and how it ultimately changes the interactions and personalities of us in the process. Canet and Binoche are cast perfectly as husband and wife who have slowly changed their feelings towards each other just as media slowly has changed us.
Non-Fiction screens Tuesday, September 11 at 4:30 PM at Elgin Theatre and Wednesday, September 12 at 9:30 AM at TIFF Bell Lightbox 1.
One of our favourite TIFF bashes annually is the UniFrance Party, held at The Fifth Social Club. While the Red Carpets during the Festival are very Hollywood-centric, this one event stretches the scope of the Festival to include French-language Film. Several high-profile names graced the Carpet at the Party this year including iconic actress Isabelle Huppert and auteur Filmmakers like Paul Verhoeven, François Ozon and Olivier Assayas. Legendary French actress Agnès Varda who was a dear friend of the late Jim Morrison, also attended in a rare appearance.
The Cocktail Party is brought to us by the Centre National du Cinéma et de l’Image Animée (CNC), Ministère des Affaires Etrangères et du Développement International (MAEDI), Ministère de la Culture et de la Communication, Institut Français, Procirep, Mairie de Paris, Air France, Lacoste, m0851 and Renault Nissan.
See some Snaps from the glamorous bash!
François Ozon
Karolina Gruszka
Amanda Brugel
Paul Verhoeven + Isabelle Huppert
Agnès Varda
Olivier Assayas
Andréa Grau (Touchwood PR) + Kristian Bruun
Olivier Assayas + Isabelle Huppert
Isabelle Huppert + Bavo Defurne
Jean-Paul Salomé (UniFrance President), Isabelle Huppert + Piers Handling (Director + CEO, TIFF)
(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)
Auteur and Festival favourite Olivier Assayas returns with his latest, Personal Shopper, an eclectic mixture of the supernatural, a Thriller and heartfelt Drama. Reuniting with numerous members of the cast from Clouds of Sils Maria, this is truly unlike anything we’ve ever seen.
Front and center in a phenomenal performance is Kristen Stewart as Maureen, whose fraternal twin dies suddenly in Paris. Her brother we learn like she, was a medium and she becomes obsessed with any confirmation from him that there is an afterlife. She finds herself in Paris seeking answers, but takes a job with a demanding celebrity (Nora von Waldstätten) as her personal assistant, which keeps diverting her from her mission.
Mysteriously, she begins receiving text messages which could lead her to danger. The question is, we never are certain if these are the doing of a ghost, someone with malicious intent or within her own mind.
Stewart captures perfectly a complex range of emotions in Maureen as she at once grieves, hungers for answers, grappling with frustration and also fearing for her own life.
Personal Shopper screens at TIFF:
Saturday, September 10, 2016 9:00 PM at Scotiabank Theatre 1
Sunday, September 18, 2016 6:30 PM at Scotiabank Theatre 1
It absolutely is our favourite time of the year again and announced this morning is the official list of Talent coming to Toronto for TIFF ’14! We look forward to seeing plenty of returning names – some just here last year like the likes of Jennifer Aniston and Kate Winslet – and also plenty of Stars from years past making their way back here once more!
Among the names attending TIFF ’14 this year include:
Jon Stewart, Martin Scorcese, Richard Gere, Andrew Garfield, Viggo Mortensen, Gael Garcia Bernal, James Franco, Jane Fonda, Chloë Moretz, Brit Marling, Laura Dern, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Vanessa Redgrave, Vera Farmiga, Al Pacino, Tina Fey, Haley Joel Osment, Robert Pattinson, Ansel Elgort, Alice Eve, Sam Rockwell, Amanda Seyfried, Michael Shannon, Dax Sheppard, Robert Duvall, Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr., Hailee Steinfield, Justin Chatwin, Method Man, Jennifer Connelly, Bobby Cannavale, Kuoth Wiel, Cassie Williams, Danny Webb, Dominic West, Jung Woo-Sung, John Boylan, Sam Worthington, Tye Sheridan, Andrew Scott, Timothy Spall, Alan Rickman, Connie Britton, Reese Witherspoon, Evan Bird, Zhao Wei, Han Ye-Ri, Melissa Benoist, Haley Bennett, Sonja Bennett, John Travolta, Julianne Moore, Isaach De Bankolé, Dan Stevens, Jason Bateman, Corey Stoll, Xavier Dolan, Peter Stormare, Ben Schnetzer, Abigail Spencer, Ellen Barkin, Bill Pullman, Charlotte Aubin, Kate Winslet, Ryan Reynolds, Rene Russo, Roger Waters, Simon Pegg, Rosamund Pike, Loreto Aravena, Tobey Maguire, Aubrey Plaza, Tobey Maguire, Gemma Arterton,  Juliette Binoche, Zhang Yimou, Rosemarie DeWitt, Kristen Wiig, Adam Sandler, Rose Byrne, Channing Tatum, Chris Evans, Jake Gyllenhaal, Dustin Hoffman, Mark Ruffalo, Bill Murray, Daniel Barber, Liam Aiken, Mike Leigh, Olivier Assayas, Richard LaGravenese, Diane Keaton, Kevin Kline, Anna Kendrick, Morgan Freeman, Benicio del Toro, Michael Douglas, Rosario Dawson, Chris Rock, John Cusack, Benedict Cumberbatch, Octavia Spencer, Keira Knightley, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Kevin Costner, Anthony Mackie, Patricia Clarkson, J.K. Simmons, Miles Teller, Priyanka Chopra, Daniel Bruhl, Michael Winterbottom, Justin Chon, Steve Carell, Gong Li, Hayden Christensen, Tory Kittles, Jordana Brewster, Holliday Grainger, Max Irons, Lone Scherfig, Sam Claflin, Douglas Booth, Paul Bettany, Daniel Barnz, Noah Baumbach, Barry Avrich, Jennifer Aniston, Akon, Nick Kroll, Holly Hunter, Catherine Keener, Greta Gerwig, Omar Sy Jennifer Garner, Salma Hayek, Kevin Smith, Eddie Redmayne,  Felicity Jones, Faye Marsay, Bill Nighy, Justin Long, Christopher Plummer, Marton Csokas, David Cronenberg, Sarah Gadon, Tom Schilling, Tom Hardy and more!
TIFF also will be hosting a series of In-Conversations-With as part of their Mavericks Programme. Joining-in are the likes of Reese Witherspoon, Robert Duvall, Denzel Washington, Richard Gere, Juliette Binoche, Jon Stewart, Dan Savage, Julie Taymor and several more!
As is the case always, it’s sometimes not just who’s coming – it’s who they’re bringing. Â Don’t be surprised if Jennifer Garner brings Husband Ben Affleck along and be warned if Andrew Garfield brings Emma Stone along!
Who’s on our list of Must-Meets? Â Plenty! Â We hope finally to get a positive moment with Reese Witherspoon and Kate Winslet! Â Excited about Martin Scorcese, J.K. Simmons, Bobby Cannavale, Miles Teller, Corey Stoll, Tobey Maguire, Rose Byrne, Michael Douglas and newer names like Max Irons and Douglas Booth, that’s for sure. Â And did we read TINA FEY!?!? Â Finally! Â AND WHERE IS TOM HARDY?!?!
The list is always subject to surprise and no-shows as we know all too well!
Visit the official TIFF Website for more.
TIFF ’14 runs September 3 – 14, 2014.
(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)
For advertising opportunites please contact mrwill@mrwillwong.com