The 93rd annual Academy Awards took place tonight at Union Station in Los Angeles, as Hollywood continues to navigate the Pandemic. The ceremony was preceded by a reduced Red Carpet and attendance was limited and socially-distanced within the venue, a departure from the usual Kodak Theatre, which still was used this year, but for a segment leading to the Humanitarian Award, which was awarded to the Motion Picture and Television Fund.

Without a formal host this year, the broadcast also adopted a number of new changes including no interruption of winner’s speeches under Musical Director Questlove. Presenters and winners drew their attention to anti-racism, including Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award recipient Tyler Perry, stating in his speech, “It is my hope that all of us will teach our kids: refuse hate. Don’t hate anybody.”.

The evening’s big winner was NOMADLAND, taking Best Picture. The Film directed by Chloé Zhao, made history as she became the first ever Asian woman to win in the Directing category, following Korean Director Bong Joon-Ho‘s win for Parasite last year. Just last September, the Film had won the People’s Choice Award here in Toronto at TIFF. Frances McDormand went on to win her fourth Oscar, taking Best Actress for her work in the Film.

An absent Sir Anthony Hopkins took home his second Oscar for Best Actor for his work in THE FATHER, which also took Adapted Screenplay earlier in the ceremony. He won previous for 1992’s Silence of the Lambs. Chadwick Boseman who posthumously was sweeping much of Awards Season was seen as the favourite to win, for his performance in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.

History also was made as MINARI star Youn Yuh-Jung became the first ever South Korean Actress ever to be nominated and win an Oscar. The veteran accepted her Award from MINARI Producer Brad Pitt, starstruck and asking him where he was during production for the Film. Jokingly, she also forgave everyone for mispronouncing her name, questioning whether the Award was simply “American hospitality”.

Some of the evening’s most memorable looks:

Complete list of winners here.

Short-listed for an Academy Award, Elevation Pictures x Mr. Will want to give Readers a chance to win a Digital Download of Documentary NOTTURNO.

Synopsis:

Gianfranco Rosi’s new documentary is an immersive portrait of those trying to survive in the war-torn Middle East.

See the Trailer:

To enter to win, click “like” on this Post at MR. WILL ON FACEBOOK. Re-Tweet this Contest Tweet below for an extra chance. You must be following.

Rules and regulations here.

Elevation Pictures release NOTTURNO, available now on Digital and On-Demand.

(Photo/video credit: Elevation Pictures)

Hollywood Suite‘s got you covered this Summer with several BAFTA, Independent Spirit and Oscar-winning Films to keep you entertained June through August. See their line-up!

JUNE
June 1–7 Oscar Best Picture
Patton (1970), Moonlight (2016), Kramer vs. Kramer (1979), All About Eve (1950), The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), The Hurt Locker (2008) and Out of Africa (1985).

June 8–14 BAFTA Best Film
The Full Monty (1997), The Commitments (1991), Bicycle Thieves (1948), Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969), The Killing Fields (1984), Boyhood (2014) and Goodfellas (1990).

June 15–21 Oscar Best Actress
Boys Don’t Cry (1999), The Lion in Winter (1968), Children Of A Lesser God (1986), A Streetcar Named Desire (1951), Coal Miner’s Daughter (1980), Monster’s Ball (2001) and Black Swan (2010).

June 22–28 Oscar Best Supporting Actress
Shampoo (1975), Melvin and Howard (1980), Cactus Flower (1969), The Last Picture Show (1971), The Fighter (2010), California Suite (1978) and My Cousin Vinny (1992).

JULY
June 2–-July 5 Oscar Best Director
The Deer Hunter (1978), Born on the Fourth of July (1989), A Beautiful Mind (2001), The Graduate (1967), Traffic (2000), Saving Private Ryan (1998) and Cabaret (1972).

July 6–12 Oscar Best Picture
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014), Chariots of Fire (1981), The Artist (2011), Casablanca (1942), Silence of the Lambs (1991), The King’s Speech (2010) and Annie Hall (1977).

July 12–19 Film Independent Spirit Awards Best Film
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), Sideways (2004), The Wrestler (2008), Juno (2007), Lost in Translation (2003), The Player (1992) and Pulp Fiction (1994).

July 20–26 Oscar Best Supporting Actor
Django Unchained (2012), Good Will Hunting (1997), Inglourious Basterds (2009), Little Miss Sunshine (2006), Julia (1977), Jerry Maguire (1996) and Whiplash (2014).

AUGUST
July 27–August 2 BAFTAs Best Actress
Secrets and Lies (1996), Charade (1963), The French Lieutenant’s Woman (1981), A Taste of Honey (1961), Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974), On Golden Pond (1981) and Still Alice (2014).

August 3–9 Oscar Best Picture
Slumdog Millionaire (2008), 12 Years A Slave (2013), Rain Man (1988), Dances With Wolves (1990), Forrest Gump (1994), Gandhi (1982) and Around The World In 80 Days (1956).

August 10–16 Oscar Best Original Screenplay
Breaking Away (1979), The Crying Game (1992), Ghost (1990), Sunset Boulevard (1950), Almost Famous (2000), Gosford Park (2001) and Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind (2004).

August 17–23 Oscar Best Actor
Wall Street (1987), The Last King of Scotland, (2006), Milk (2008), Save The Tiger (1973), There Will Be Blood (2007), Philadelphia (1993) and Shine (1996).

August 24–30 Oscar Best Actress
Norma Rae (1979), Monster (2003), The Iron Lady (2011), Sophie’s Choice (1982), Funny Girl (1968), Erin Brockovich (2000) and Misery (1990)

August 31 Most Oscars Won By a Film
Summer wraps with the “King of the World,” record-holding 11-time Oscar winner, Titanic (1997).

Visit hollywoodsuite.ca for more.

(Photo credit: Hollywood Suite)

Awards Season concludes with a huge bang! Bong Joon Ho‘s PARASITE becomes the first non-English Film ever to win Best Picture at the Oscars. Above this, it also becomes the first Korean Film ever to win Best International Feature Film, the inaugural edition of the Award which has been re-branded from Best Foreign Language Film with The Academy‘s focus on inclusion. Parasite also scored for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay, tallying-in at four wins. Bong joked with the audience “I’m ready to drink tonight till tomorrow morning”, also thanking his idol and fellow nominee Martin Scorsese, whose Films he studied.  

Parasite’s scores come as a mild surprise as 1917 which had gained a lot of momentum since its Holiday release, was seen as the favourite to win Best Picture.

Continuing with a pattern seen much of this Awards Season, the acting categories were taken by Joaquin Phoenix (Best Actor for Joker), Renée Zellweger (Best Actress for Judy), Brad Pitt (Best Supporting Actor for Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood) and Laura Dern (Best Supporting Actress for Marriage Story).

Phoenix drew much reaction with an impassioned speech touching upon concern for the environment and animal consumption, while stressing the importance of humanity and giving people “second chances”, just as he had been given after having made regrettable decisions in the past.

Fashion as always was front and center on the Red Carpet, with black and/or muted pink very commonly seen on stars like Gal Gadot, Margot Robbie, Penélope Cruz, Charlize Theron and Laura Dern. Natalie Portman made a statement wearing an outfit which listed the names of female Filmmakers who didn’t get recognized at the Oscars this year.

While there was no host for the Oscars this year, various Presenters took to the stage at points throughout the night including Janelle Monáe, Billy Porter, Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Brie Larson, Sigourney Weaver, Gal Gadot and more.

Complete list of winners here.

(Photo credit: Getty Images)

Now in their 34th year, the FILM INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARDS took place in Santa Monica this past weekend, celebrating the achievement in Independent Film over the past year. Taking top honours was Barry Jenkins’ IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK, winning Best Feature. The Adaptation of the Novel by James Baldwin also was awarded Best Director and Supporting Actress, Regina King who the next day, would win an Oscar for the same performance.

As is consistent with most of this Awards Season, we’ve seen a split in the recognition of Films and the Spirit Awards were on-trend. CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME? and SUSPIRIA received two awards each, the former winning for Best Supporting Actor, Richard E. Grant and Best Screenplay, Jeff Whitty and Nicole Holofcener. Grant shared some inspiring words about his experience playing Jack Hock, himself having seen several of his friends die victims of HIV. He dedicated his award in memory of those who passed away as a result of the disease.

The Cast of SUSPIRIA received the prestigious Robert Altman Award, honouring its Female Ensemble including Chloë Grace-Moretz, Tilda Swinton, Mia Goth, Dakota Johnson and more. Its Cinematographer Sayombhu Mukdeeprom also was awarded for her work.

Hosted by Aubrey Plaza, the audience were treated to her expletive-filled dead-pan humour where several including Netflix nor even THE FAVOURITE Director Yorgos Lanthimos (equating the sound of his name to a Harry Potter spell, “You just shout Yorgos Lanthimos and someone gets fingered in a corset!”) were safe from her jokes. Kidding aside, she points out that 60% of Director nominees at the Spirit Awards this year were women, stating “Don’t get too excited, in this case 60% just means three women, but calling it 60% makes it sound way scarier to your uncles.”.  On the growing phenomenon of Films getting digital releases over theatrical, she says, “I truly believe people should see movies how they’re meant to seen in the theatres.”.

Plaza‘s amazing Opening Monologue

Not only did Best Actress winner Glenn Close rule at the Awards, she and her adorable Havanese dog Pip charmed on the Blue Carpet, she dressed in a shimmery pink lamé suit, before getting her own private dinner hosted by Chanel at STK. Pip also attended.

The Cast of Suspiria also ruled the Blue Carpet with Mother Suspiriorum herself, Dakota Johnson, leading the charge and giving her time generously to fans who queued on the sand for a chance to see the stars.

See some of our Snaps:

Glenn Close x Pip

Aubrey Plaza

Barry Jenkins and “If Beale Street Could Talk” Team

Joaquin Phoenix

Josh Hamilton, Elsie Fisher x Bo Burnham

Jon Hamm

Dakota Johnson, Tilda Swinton, Mia Goth and the ladies of Suspiria

Chloë Grace Moretz x Riley Keough

John Waters

Ray Romano x Mark Duplass

Yalitza Aparicio x Javier Bardem

Taraji P. Henson x Shangela

You also cannot miss Shangela’s daring performance

Finn Wolfhard

Carey Mulligan x Zoe Kazan

Kiki Layne

Jeff Witty x Nicole Holofcener

Debra Granik

Toni Collette

Regina Hall

Regina King

Morgan Neville

Boots Riley

Richard E. Grant

Viggo Mortensen

Alfonso Cuarón

Alfonso Cuarón with Thomasin McKenzie

Complete list of winners here.

We attended together with our friends at Hollywood Suite, the exclusive broadcaster of the Spirit Awards and will never forget this amazing journey. Their Cam Maitland did an awesome job interviewing talent on the Blue Carpet which will air at later points. You can subscribe via your television provider at $6 per month, plus basic cable. Hollywoodsuite.com.

(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)

Photos taken on the Nikon D3400.

The 91st annual Academy Awards took place tonight at Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. Taking top honours was GREEN BOOK winning Best Picture, a total three Oscars. The TIFF ’18 People’s Choice Award winner directed by Peter Farrelly, also received Best Original Screenplay.

Bohemian Rhapsody took home the most Oscars this evening, victorious in Sound Mixing, Sound Editing and Film Editing. Rami Malek won Best Actor for his portrayal of Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody bringing the Biopic’s win tally to four. Olivia Colman took home Best Actress for her work in The Favourite, springing a mild upset. Supporting Actor went to Mahershala Ali who nabbed his second award in the category for Green Book. Regina King won Supporting Actress for If Beale Street Could Talk. Directing went to ROMA Helmer Alfonso Cuarón, whose lifetime total at the Awards now is at ten.

Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper stole the show with a touching performance of Shallow from A Star is Born before the audience. The song later went on to win Original Song, accepted by Gaga, Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando and Andrew Wyatt.

Despite being host-less this year, the show got an introduction from a trio of funnywomen in Tina Fey, Amy Poehler and Maya Rudolph, preceded by a medley of hits from Queen, fronted by Adam Lambert.

Toronto’s Domee Shi won Animated Short for Pixar‘s BAO which played before INCREDIBLES 2 in its theatrical run.

Some winning looks a this evening included: Gemma Chan in Valentino
Lady Gaga in Alexander McQueen
Michelle Yeoh in Elie Saab
Regina King in Oscar de la Renta
Bradley Cooper in Tom Ford
Glenn Close in Carolina Herrera
Melissa McCarthy in Brandon Maxwell

Click here for a complete list of winners.

(Photo credit: Getty Images/ABC)

Nominations for the 91st annual Academy Awards were announced this morning and the race still very much is wide-open without a clean-cut choice for Best Picture… and no host set for ceremony itself.

Tying at ten nods apiece are Alfonso Cuarón‘s ROMA and Yorgos Lanthimos’ THE FAVOURITE. Best Picture nominees include:

Best Picture
Black Panther
BlacKkKlansman
Bohemian Rhapsody
The Favourite
Green Book
Roma
A Star Is Born
Vice

Continuing on its Golden Globes success, we see Bohemian Rhapsody continue to be a major force into the Oscars with Rami Malek up for the highly-competitive Best Actor alongside Bradley Cooper, Viggo Mortensen, Willem Dafoe and Christian Bale.

The Best Actress category also is hotly-contested with screen veteran Glenn Close up against Lady Gaga, Melissa McCarthy, Olivia Colman and aboriginal Mexican Actress Yalitza Aparicio, who stars in ROMA.

Marina de Tavira who also stars in ROMA, pops-up as a bit of a surprise candidate for Best Supporting Actress. The category also includes favourite Regina King, Amy Adams, plus The Favourite Co-Stars and previous Oscar winners, Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz.

Best Supporting Actor sees Mahershala Ali in contention with Adam Driver, Richard E. Grant, Sam Rockwell after a snub at the Golden Globes, Sam Elliott for A STAR IS BORN.

Many are shocked that after a presence in the Directing category most of Awards Season, that Bradley Cooper was omitted in the Oscars race for his directorial debut in A STAR IS BORN. Up for Best Directing are Spike Lee, Adam McKay, Pawel Pawlikowski, Yorgos Lanthimos and favourite Alfonso Cuarón.

Another noticeable omission is Morgan Neville’s Mr. Rogers Documentary WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR? which has been present through much of the season. Nominated for Best Documentary are Free Solo, Hale County, This Morning, This Evening, Minding the Gap, Of Fathers and Sons and RBG.

The Animated Feature category sees Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse pitted against Incredibles 2, Isle of Dogs, Mirai and Ralph Breaks the Internet.

Toronto’s Domee Shi is up for Animated Short with Disney•Pixar’s BAO.

Complete list of Nominees are here.

The 91st annual Academy Awards air February 24, 2019, 8:00 PM EST on ABC.

(Photo credit: Fox Searchlight)

By Amanda Gilmore, David Baldwin + Mr. Will Wong

Running Thursday, September 6, 2018 through Sunday, September 16, 2018, the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival is just around the corner. Bringing together Film lovers from all around the world, TIFF is once again set to draw some major talent to our City and Films and their connections get a leg-up on the Awards Season trail. Year after year, the Festival has been a powerful predictor of power-players at the Oscars and this year is no different. In light of recent tragic events in Toronto, a Press Conference was decided against this year with a press release announcing this year’s first round of Films. And just like us, we know you’ll be thrilled at some of the Films to grace the screens this September in the City!

17 Galas and 30 Special Presentations were announced including 21 World Premieres and TIFF always delivers! We’re thrilled that among the hotly-buzzed Films we’ve been longing to see, A STAR IS BORN (Lady Gaga, Bradley Cooper), BEAUTIFUL BOY (Timothée Chalamet, Steve Carell), LIFE ITSELF (Olivia Wilde, Oscar Isaac), FIRST MAN (Ryan Gosling, Claire Foy), WILDLIFE (Jake Gyllenhaal, Carey Mulligan) and THE HATE U GIVE (Amandla Stenberg).

See some Trailers:

Fans can expect this to be a big year with acclaimed Filmmakers like Alfonso Cuarón (Gravity), Steve McQueen (12 Years a Slave), Barry Jenkins (Moonlight) and Damien Chazelle (La La Land) all returning with eagerly-awaited followups. Jake Gyllenhaal also will have a high profile at the Festival with two eagerly-awaited Films in WILDLIFE and THE SISTERS BROTHERS. The same  applies to Dev Patel who should be here for HOTEL MUMBAI and THE WEDDING GUEST.

Diversity, inclusion and gender equity continue to be a focus for the Festival. TIFF‘s mission to “share her journey” by giving a voice to females who are underrepresented as a whole in the filmmaking community in-front and behind the camera is more pronounced than ever. 13 of this year’s Features in fact are made by women. Learn more about TIFF’s five-year initiative here.

Some highlights from today’s TIFF ’18 announcements:

GALAS
Hotly-anticipated Galas at TIFF ’18 are highlighted by BEAUTIFUL BOY starring Steve Carell and Timothée Chalamet; and WIDOWS, Oscar-winner Steve McQueen’s follow-up to 12 Years A Slave starring Viola Davis, Daniel Kaluuya, Liam Neeson, Jacki Weaver, Colin Farrell and Michelle Rodriguez. The Film is written by Gone Girl’s Gillian Flynn and is sure to be one of the biggest Films of the Festival.

Other World Premieres announced today are HIGH LIFE, the Sci-Fi Drama and English-language debut of legendary French Director Claire Denis starring Robert Pattinson, Juliette Binoche and Mia Goth; HUSBAND MATERIAL from prolific Indian Director Anurag Kashyap; the latest from Nicole Holofcener, THE LAND OF STEADY HABITS, starring Ben Mendelsohn and Edie Falco; the multi-generational Drama LIFE ITSELF, from This is Us Creator Dan Fogelman, starring Oscar Isaac, Olivia Wilde, Annette Bening and Antonio Banderas; THE PUBLIC, from Emilio Estevez, starring Alec Baldwin, Jeffrey Wright, Gabrielle Union and Michael K. Williams; the Period Drama RED JOAN, starring Judi Dench; as well as Director George Tillman Jr.’s highly-anticipated Adaptation of THE HATE U GIVE starring Amandla Stenberg.

But that’s not all. Other hotly-anticipated Films announced today that have already or will be premiering at other festivals include Oscar-winner and TIFF darling Damien Chazelle’s FIRST MAN starring Ryan Gosling and Claire Foy; Bradley Cooper’s directorial debut A STAR IS BORN starring Lady Gaga; Sundance hits THE KINDERGARTEN TEACHER starring Maggie Gyllenhaal and Elizabeth Chomko’s WHAT THEY HAD starring Hilary Swank, Blythe Danner and Michael Shannon; Zhang Yimou’s Chinese epic SHADOW; and GALVESTON, the English feature directorial debut of Actress Mélanie Laurent, starring Ben Foster and Elle Fanning.

We are waiting with baited breath on news of this year’s Opening and Closing Night Galas.

SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS

Some of the Films in the Special Presentations Programme with the most buzz this year include IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK by Director Barry Jenkins and ROMA by Director Alfonso Cuarón.

TIFF ’18 will be showing a lot of due love for Canadian Filmmakers. The opening night Special Presentation goes to MOUTHPIECE Directed by Patricia Rozema, who was here a three years ago with her Film Into The Forest. Jason Reitman will be back again with THE FRONT RUNNER, starring Hugh Jackman. We will also be getting the latest work from Canadian Directors Kim Nguyen, with THE HUMMINGBIRD PROJECT, and Don McKellar, with the Adaptation to the beloved Canadian Novel Through Black Spruce.

Female empowerment is front and center at TIFF ’18. One of the biggest Films to showcase this at the Festival is Colette staring Keira Knightley. The Film is about a woman who agreed to become a Ghostwriter for her husband. After the Novel received much success, she fights for creative ownership while overcoming the societal constraints of early 20th century. There are also many Films directed by females within the Special Presentations Programme.

CANADIAN PROGRAMME (Updated: 8/1/18 4:00 PM)

Canadian World Premieres announced today include environmental conservation documentary ANTHROPOCENE from Directors Jennifer Baichwal, Nicholas de Pencier and Edward Burtynsky; Miranda de Pencier’s THE GRIZZLIES, a true story about Inuit youth; Barry Avrich’s Documentary PROSECUTING EVIL: THE EXTRAORDINARY WORLD OF BEN FERENCZ, chronicling the life of the last surviving Nuremberg Trial prosecutor; Akash Sherman’s Sci-Fi Drama CLARA starring Suits’ Patrick J. Adams; Jasmin Mozaffari’s FIRECRACKERS, about two young women and their attempt to leave the misogyny in their small town behind; Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein’s psychological Sci-Fi thriller FREAKS starring Emile Hirsch; Gwaai Edenshaw and Helen Haig-Brown’s EDGE OF THE KNIFE, the first feature-length film made in the endangered Haida language; Darlene Naponse’s FALLS AROUND HER, starring Tantoo Cardinal as a world-famous Anishinaabe musician; Maxime Giroux’s absurdist allegory THE GREAT DARKENED DAYS; and Renée Beaulieu’s Drama LES SALOPES OR THE NATURALLY WANTON PLEASURE OF SKIN, about a wife and mother facing the consequences of her secret life.

Of the 19 feature-length titles announced today, nearly 50% are directed by women.

TIFF will additionally host the Toronto premiere of THE FALL OF THE AMERICAN EMPIRE, directed by Oscar-winning Canadian Director Denys Arcand, and the Special Event World Premiere of SHARKWATER EXTINCTION, the final Documentary made by Rob Stewart. The late intrepid Filmmaker and Documentarian passed away early last year during filming.

See the Trailer for Sharkwater Extinction:

TIFF also announced their Rising Stars for 2018 today. Those selected stars are Devery Jacobs (Kahnawà:ke Mohawk born Actor and Filmmaker), Lamar Johnson (Gala World Premiere THE HATE U GIVE), Michaela Kurimsky (World Premiere FIRECRACKERS) and Jess Salgueiro (World Premiere and Special Presentations’ Opening Night Film MOUTHPIECE).

And in a surprise announcement at this afternoon’s Press Conference, Writer/Director Xavier Dolan‘s (currently in Toronto filming IT: CHAPTER TWO) highly-anticipated THE DEATH AND LIFE OF JOHN F. DONOVAN was announced as a World Premiere in the Special Presentations Programme. The long awaited Film stars Kit Harington, Natalie Portman, Jacob Tremblay, Thandie Newton, Sarah Gadon and Bella Thorne and is destined to be one of the hottest tickets at this year’s Festival.

Still no word on the Opening or Closing Night films, but some over-eager film fans may have gotten a taste of what’s to come later this month. And if the rumours are to be believed, we are in for some very exciting announcements over the next few weeks!

PLATFORM PROGRAMME (Updated: 8/8/18 11:45 AM)

The Platform Programme quite literally its namesake, a platform for Directors who are unique, bold and unafraid to tackle any subject matter. In previous years, films such as Moonlight and Sweet Country were a part of the Programme and even won the coveted Platform prize, which is worth $25,000 CAD. This year’s Programme shows no signs of slowing down and is gifting us with some risk-taking films..

Out of the 12 Films that were announce, four are directed or co-directed by women, while seven feature powerful female leading roles. Two Films featuring strong female leads that already have people talking are Destroyer and Her Smell. Destroyer is directed by Karyn Kusama and stars Nicole Kidman as a Los Angeles police detective who is forced to face her personal demons. Her Smell is the newest Film from Director Alex Ross Perry (Listen Up Philip) and stars Elisabeth Moss as a talented but self-destructive musician.

Out of the 12 Films there are 10 having their World Premiere at this year’s Festival, which includes the opening and closing night Platform films. The Opening Night Platform selection is Donnybrook which is the fourth-feature Film for Writer-Director Tim Sutton (Dark Night). It stars Jamie Bell and Frank Grillo as two men who are determined to compete in a bare-knuckle brawl with a cash prize. The Closing Night selection is Jessica Forever which is the Feature debut for Co-Directors Caroline Poggi and Jonathan Vinel. The Film takes place in a dystopian world where violent misfits reign supreme, but one woman and her family are fighting for peace.

DOCUMENTARIES (Updated: 8/9/18 1:30 PM)

This year TIFF is bringing 27 feature Documentaries from 19 different countries to Toronto audiences. Out of all those films, one-third of them are directed or co-directed by women. There are a few documentaries that examine the topic of women creators and the #MeToo movement. Some of the Documentaries on those topics are: the World Premiere of Alexis Bloom’s Divide and Conquer: The Story of Roger Ailes, which documents the Fox News Creator who was ousted for allegations of sexual harassment; the World Premiere of Tom Donahue’s This Changes Everything which is an examination of gender dynamics in Hollywood and is executive produced by Geena Davis; and Mark Cousins’ Women Make Film: A New Road Movie Through Cinema which explores international cinema through the lens of women directors.

Politics is another topic getting a lot of attention in the TIFF Docs Programme. To name a few there is Vitaly Mansky’s Putin’s Witnesses, which focuses on the Russian President, and Errol Morris’ American Dharma, which looks at Trump’s previous strategist Steve Bannon. However, TIFF has decided to start the TIFF Docs Programme off with a bang with the World Premiere of Michael Moore’s newest Doc Fahrenheit 11/9, which is a radical and humorous look at the United States under the Trump administration.

And for those who enjoy a doc about artists you love there are some for you to check-out. The first is the World Premiere of Quincy which is co-directed by Quincy Jones’s daughter Rashida Jones and Allan Hicks. It follows the labours and legacies of the legendary Music Producer. Then there is the TIFF Docs Closing Night Film, Searching for Ingmar Bergman which is Directed by Margareth von Trotta and follows the groundbreaking Director and his impact on filmmaking.

MIDNIGHT MADNESS (Updated: 8/9/18 1:30 PM)

TIFF unleashed their Midnight Madness line-up today and it looks to be one of their strongest in years. THE PREDATOR, Writer/Director Shane Black’s star-studded reinvention of the legendary Series, will act as the Programme’s World Premiere Opening Night Film. The highly-anticipated HALLOWEEN Sequel, starring ‘Scream Queen’ Jamie Lee Curtis and written by Danny McBride, David Gordon Green and Jeff Fradley, will also see its World Premiere at TIFF ’18. Other World Premieres include Peter Strickland’s IN FABRIC, telling the tale of a cursed dress and the poor souls who come into contact with it; Kiah Roache-Turner’s Social Media-infused Horror film NEKROTRONIC starring Monica Bellucci; Henry Dunham’s all too relevant thriller THE STANDOFF AT SPARROW CREEK, regarding a neighbourhood militia’s involvement in a mass shooting; Emma Tammi’s horror on the American frontier THE WIND and Vasan Bala’s Bollywood Action-Thriller THE MAN WHO FEELS NO PAIN (the first Indian film at Midnight Madness!). Sundance hits ASSASSINATION NATION and CLIMAX, as well as Cannes favourite and Closing Night selection DIAMANTINO, will also be screening during the Programme.

GALAS, SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS + MASTERS PROGRAMME (Updated 8/14/18 3:00 PM)
Within one week, TIFF added a whopping 115 films to its slate today, including the announcements of the Opening and Closing Night Films.

David Mackenzie’s OUTLAW KING will open the Festival on Thursday, September 6. The Period Drama about the rise of 14th century Scottish hero Robert the Bruce stars Chris Pine, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Lady MacBeth’s Florence Pugh. The Film hails from Netflix, which alongside numerous other titles appearing at the Festival, suggests a very sharp divide between this Festival and the illustrious Cannes Film Festival, which banned such titles from competition this past May. TIFF’s Closing Night Film is JEREMIAH TERMINATOR LEROY, a true story about the enigmatic literary artist. It stars Laura Dern and Kristen Stewart. Plan your red carpet campouts accordingly.

Additional World Premiere Galas announced today include Peter Farrelly’s first Drama, GREEN BOOK, starring Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali; as well as Thriller THE LIE, from Toronto-born Writer/Director Veena Sud, starring Peter Sarsgaard, Mireille Enos and Joey King. Some of the World Premieres announced as Special Presentations include Jonah Hill’s directorial debut MID90S; Sam Taylor-Johnson’s adaptation of A MILLION LITTLE PIECES starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Billy Bob Thornton and Charlie Hunnam; Jeremy Saulnier’s Thriller HOLD THE DARK starring Alexander Skarsgård, Riley Keough and Jeffrey Wright; Max Minghella’s directorial debut TEEN SPIRIT starring Elle Fanning and Rebecca Hall; Annabel Jankel’s postwar-Drama TELL IT TO THE BEES starring Anna Paquin and Holliday Grainger; and Chanya Button’s VITA & VIRGINIA starring Gemma Arterton and Elizabeth Debicki as Vita Sackville-West and Virginia Woolf. Other highlights include Paul Greengrass’ 22 JULY, the true story about the aftermath of Norway’s deadliest terrorist attack; Nick Hamm’s DRIVEN, the star-studded true life tale about the rise and fall of John Delorean; and the International Premiere of Joel Edgerton’s highly-anticipated BOY ERASED starring Nicole Kidman, Russell Crowe and Lucas Hedges.

And in the Masters section, TIFF announced 11 films including Jafar Panahi’s 3 FACES; Hong Sang-soo’s HOTEL BY THE RIVER, Paolo Sorrentino’s LORO; Mike Leigh’s PETERLOO; Jean-Luc Godard’s THE IMAGE BOOK and the North American Premiere of Jia Zhang-ke’s Thriller ASH IS PUREST WHITE.

ADDITIONAL SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS (Updated 8/21/18 10:00 AM)

A couple high-profile additions to the TIFF ’18 line-up have been announced including VOX LUX from Director Brady Corbett and starring Natalie Portman as a woman overcoming a tragic childhood to a life of fame and fortune. GRETA from Director Neil Jordan is about a young woman Frances (Chloë Grace Moretz) and her unlikely friendship with Greta (Isabelle Huppert).

TIFF’ 18 hot on the heels of CRAZY RICH ASIANS’ success, will pay tribute to the 25th anniversary of THE JOY LUCK CLUB with some of the original Cast in attendance including Kieu Chinh and Tamlyn Tomita, plus a chat moderated by Lainey Lui.

THE OFFICIAL TIFF ’18 SCHEDULE NOW IS UP HERE!

_____________________________

We’re thrilled also to announce that David Baldwin (@davemabaldwin), Amanda Gilmore (@gilmoreamanda) and Mr. Will for the first time ever, are doing TIFF as accredited journalists. Our Team members Siobhán Rich (@typo_eh), George Kozera (@partyg) and Justin Waldman (@dubsreviews) also will be contributing as we screen some titles in advance of the Festival as in previous years. We look forward to teaming-up together to bring you a fresh, balanced perspective highlighting the massive starpower and quality of Cinema the Festival has to offer.

 More Film announcements to come soon.

Guest announcements usually come late August, so let’s start speculating, shall we?

Will we see Julia Roberts here for  BEN IS BACK? Robert Redford for THE OLD MAN & THE GUN? Or how about Matthew McConaughey for WHITE BOY RICK?

TIFF ’18 Packages are on-sale now till August 13, 2018. The Schedule goes live August 21, 2018 and single public tickets are on-sale on September 3, 2018 for non-package buyers.

More info here.

(Photo credit: TIFF)

The Archive x Mr. Will want to give Readers a chance to win Run-of-Engagement Passes to see Oscar-nominated THE INSULT which is up for Best Foreign Language Film.

Synopsis:

In Beirut, a Lebanese Christian named Tony Hanna (Adel Karam) has a water pipe that spews water onto the street from his balcony when he waters his plants. The water inadvertently splashes onto construction foreman Yasser Salameh (Kamel El Basha), a Palestinian Muslim who, with his crew, is making improvements to the of apartment building where Tony lives.

Tony becomes hostile when he’s politely asked to fix the pipe to conform with zoning laws, prompting Yasser to get his crew to fix it themselves. In response, Tony smashes the new pipe. Yassar sees this and yells a curse at Tony. When things escalate to violence, the men end up in court, which attracts the attention of the media and pits Christians and Palestinians against each other.

Trailer:

Artwork:

To enter to win, click “like” on this Post at MR. WILL ON FACEBOOK. Please indicate your City and ensure that this Film is playing in your City before entering.

The Archive release THE INSULT January 26, 2018 in Toronto, February 2, 2018 in Calgary, February 23, 2018 in Vancouver.

(Photo/video credit: The Archive)

Hot off its four Oscar nominations today including Best Picture, Luca Guadagnino‘s Call Me By Your Name continues to be a fan favourite for many including ours, and we were fortunate to have it Premiere here at TIFF ’17. Right in time for that important announcement Author and Professor André Aciman who wrote the Novel on which the Film is based, is in Toronto.

Appearing last night at a Book signing preceded by an In-Conversation-With at TIFF Bell Lightbox, Aciman did the rounds earlier today.including The Morning Show (National Edition).

Aciman had several interesting things about his acclaimed Novel and revealed he didn’t have enough courage to submit the “dirty story with a peach” to his agent. What makes Call Me By Your Name unlike other Films centering on same-sex love is that the two central characters are not oppressed. He tells the Audience, “I’m usually ahistorical. I hate realism. I wanted the love of two men to exist as it should: outside of disease, outside of prejudice, outside of bullying, outside of danger.”.

We were lucky to get a Snap with Aciman on his way out:

Hot off its four #AcademyAwards nominations today, #AndreAciman, Professor and Author of #CallMeByYourName in #Toronto for a timely visit.

A post shared by Mr. Will Wong 🏮 (@mrwillwong) on Jan 23, 2018 at 8:13am PST

Mongrel Media release CALL ME BY YOUR NAME, now playing.

(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong/Mongrel Media)