#TIFF23: TIFF CELEBRATE 40th ANNIVERSARY OF JONATHAN DEMME’S “STOP MAKING SENSE”

The Toronto International Film FestivalⓇ announced today it will celebrate the 40th anniversary of Jonathan Demme’s Stop Making Sense with a special event screening on Monday, September 11, at Cineplex’s Scotiabank IMAX Theatre in Toronto. The special IMAX Live 40th anniversary event will include a screening of the film followed by a Q&A, which will be live-streamed from TIFF to select IMAX theatres around the world, and moderated by filmmaker Spike Lee with all four original band members in attendance: David Byrne, Tina Weymouth, Chris Frantz, and Jerry Harrison.

Stop Making Sense, A24’s recently acquired, groundbreaking Talking Heads concert film, for which A24 has done a complete 4K restoration, will have its World Premiere at TIFF in a globally connected IMAX Live event. The film will have a full theatrical run following the special premiere event, releasing exclusively in IMAX on September 22 and in theatres everywhere on September 29.

“Some people say you’ll never find a better concert documentary than Stop Making Sense,” said TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey. “I’m one of those people. Talking Heads is at the top of their form. Working with Jonathan Demme, they build their performance scene by scene, song by song into a work of pure, cathartic power. Maybe you’ve seen it before. But you’ve never seen it in IMAX.”

This highly anticipated special event promises to transport audiences into the heart of music history, immersing them in the electrifying performance of the Talking Heads’ legendary 1984 concert film. Directed by the visionary Jonathan Demme and produced by Gary Goetzman (The Silence of the Lambs, Mamma Mia!, Band of Brothers), Stop Making Sense has left an indelible mark on the world of music and cinema, and its timeless allure continues to captivate new generations.

Tickets for the globally connected IMAX Live events around the world are available at tickets.stopmakingsense.movie and imax.com/stopmakingsense.

#TIFF23: PEDRO ALMODÓVAR AND SPIKE LEE TO BE HONOURED AT TRIBUTE AWARDS

Cameron Bailey, CEO, TIFF, is delighted to announce the first honourees of this year’s Tribute Awards: Academy Award®–winning directors and legends Pedro Almodóvar and Spike Lee. One of the world’s foremost filmmakers and provocative storytellers, Almodóvar will receive the Jeff Skoll Award in Impact Media presented by Participant, and Lee, a cultural icon who has influenced generations of filmmakers, will receive the TIFF Ebert Director Award. The 2023 Tribute Awards presented by Bulgari will take place on Sunday, September 10, 2023 during the 48th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival at Fairmont Royal York Hotel. Now in its fifth year, the TIFF Tribute Awards have served as an awards-season bellwether, with past honourees Michelle Yeoh, Brendan Fraser, Jessica Chastain, Roger Deakins, Sir Anthony Hopkins, Joaquin Phoenix, Taika Waititi, and Chloé Zhao going on to win awards on the international stage.

“It’s a true thrill to acknowledge Pedro Almodóvar as the distinguished recipient of the Jeff Skoll Impact Media Award for 2023,” stated Bailey. “Pedro has been coming to TIFF for years, and each time is better than the time before. His artistic vision, bold storytelling, and unwavering commitment to pushing the boundaries of cinema have had a profound impact. He challenges societal norms, champions diversity, and illuminates the human experience with sensitivity and grace. We applaud his contributions to cinema and celebrate his ability to inspire and provoke audiences worldwide.”

The Jeff Skoll Award in Impact Media presented by Participant recognizes leadership in creating a union between social impact and cinema. Past recipients honoured in the prestigious category include Buffy Sainte-Marie in 2022, Alanis Obomsawin in 2021, and Mira Nair in 2020.

“The TIFF Ebert Director Award recognizes filmmakers who have exemplified greatness in their career,” continued Bailey. “A foremost storyteller of our era, Spike’s body of work from She’s Gotta Have It, to Do the Right Thing, to Mo’ Better Blues, to his most recent film at TIFF 2020, American Utopia, Spike has inspired audiences and made a lasting impact on the art of filmmaking.”

Named after legendary film critic Roger Ebert, the Award has gone to celebrated visionaries such as Martin Scorsese, Claire Denis, Ava DuVernay, Wim Wenders, and the late Agnès Varda. Past recipients who received the Award since the TIFF Tribute Awards were introduced include Sam Mendes (2022), Denis Villeneuve (2021), Chloé Zhao (2020), and Taika Waititi (2019).

Bulgari returns as a major sponsor and official jewellery partner of this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, also presenting the Share Her Journey Groundbreaker Award at the 2023 Tribute Awards. The partnership between TIFF and Bulgari highlights a shared commitment to arts and culture.

The Awards night serves as TIFF’s largest annual fundraiser, having raised $1.3 million in 2022. This year, the Tribute Awards gala will support the Viola Desmond Cinema campaign, which was launched through the Every Story Fund in 2022. For more information visit tiff.net/tribute.

Pedro Almodóvar Biography
Pedro Almodóvar was born in Calzada de Calatrava, Spain and left for Madrid at 17 to study cinema and direct film, but it became impossible when the National School of Cinema (in Madrid) was closed by the Franco government. As a result, Almdóvar was [mostly] self-taught, making a number of short films from 1974–1978. His first feature film, Pepi, Luci, Bom and Other Girls on the Heap, debuted in 1980. He launched his production company El Deseo with his brother Agustín in 1986, and has since produced, written, and directed his own and other directors’ films. Some of his films have been adapted into plays (All About My Mother) and even into musicals (Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown). The Oscar-winning filmmaker has received numerous accolades over his five-decade career, including one of Spain’s top prizes for outstanding achievement, the Prince of Asturias Award (2006), and honourary degrees from Harvard University (2009) and Oxford University (2016).

Spike Lee Biography
Spike Lee is a graduate of Morehouse College, Class of 1979, with a B.A. in Mass Communications. He also is a Graduate of the Numero Uno, NYU Graduate Film School, and a classmate of Ernest Dickerson and Ang Lee 1982. He is also a tenured Film Professor and Artistic Director at NYU Graduate Film School.

#TIFF20: SPIKE LEE’S “AMERICAN UTOPIA” NAMED OPENING NIGHT GALA

TIFF have announced their Opening Night Gala this year and it will be Spike Lee-directed AMERICAN UTOPIA, which centers on Talking Heads frontman David Byrne and his 2019 Broadway show. Talking Heads are known best for their smash hit Burning Down the House. The Festival kicks-off September 10, 2020.

The Theatrical Concert which had a run at New York City’s Hudson Theatre and concluding this past February, originally was set for a Fall return prior to the pandemic. It is based on his recent seventh studio album and tour of the same name and ponders the millions of neuroconnections in our brains, challenging us to to rewire our brains, rendering them more elastic and capable of change. Timely!

American Utopia received raves from several top critics including Billboard, Variety, NME, The Washington Post, The New York Times and The Hollywood Reporter.

AMERICAN UTOPIA will debut on HBO this Fall. Screening times and formats still have yet to be confirmed, but you can visit here for more.

(Photo credit: Matthew Murphy)

#FIRSTLOOK: NEW TRAILER FOR SPIKE LEE’S “DA 5 BLOODS”

Spike Lee is back with DA 5 BLOODS, coming soon to Netflix! See the new Trailer!

Synopsis:
From Academy Award® Winner Spike Lee comes a New Joint: the story of four African American Vets — Paul (Delroy Lindo), Otis (Clarke Peters), Eddie (Norm Lewis), and Melvin (Isiah Whitlock, Jr.) — who return to Vietnam. Searching for the remains of their fallen Squad Leader (Chadwick Boseman) and the promise of buried treasure, our heroes, joined by Paul‘s concerned son (Jonathan Majors), battle forces of Man and Nature — while confronted by the lasting ravages of The Immorality of The Vietnam War.

 

See the Trailer:

 

DA 5 BLOODS streams on Netflix Friday, June 12, 2020.

 

(Photo/video credit: Netflix)