From September 5 to 15, the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) will roll out its red carpet on King Street, which has been pedestrianized for the occasion. This year, many big names are expected to walk it. Indeed, after a 2023 vintage devoid of stars due to strikes by the Actors Guild and the Writers Guild in Hollywood, the glamour is back. From Nicole Kidman to Daniel Craig, Pamela Anderson to Angelina Jolie, autograph hunters will have plenty to keep them busy. For us journalists, however, the question of access to said stars, big and small, is a real concern.
Indeed, in an open letter published during the recent Mostra, some fifty specialist reporters denounced the fact that it is now almost impossible to obtain interviews with leading actresses, actors and filmmakers at prestigious festivals such as Venice and Cannes. In fact, these two events are rich in premieres, but not very conducive to interviews, unless you belong to a major media outlet.
And this is where TIFF traditionally stands out. There are plenty of opportunities for interviews not only with famous filmmakers, but also with hugely renowned actors. As long as there are no strikes or pandemics, TIFF is, among the A-list film festivals, the go-to for anyone looking to bank interviews for future film releases.
This year, however, confirmations are trickling in, and later than in the past. Is TIFF beginning to suffer from the same malady as its illustrious competitors in terms of accessibility to “talent,” to use the term used by public relations firms? We’ll have to see.
In any case, and this is the most important, the quality of the programming is once again there. As usual, many Cannes titles will have their North American premiere at TIFF, including Emilia Perezby Jacques Audiard, The Substanceby Coralie Fargeat, Megalopolisby Francis Ford Coppola, or even Grand Tourby Miguel Gomes. Since I’ve already covered these titles for you since Cannes, I’ll focus on the new releases.
A horror vein
Among the most anticipated world premieres, we would like to point out Nightbitchby Marielle Heller, with Amy Adams, a black comedy with, it is said, satirical and horrific overtones in which a woman gives up her career for a time in order to take care of her family.
We are also looking forward to discovering The Life of Chuckstarring Tom Hiddleston, based on a short story by Stephen King. Mike Flanagan, who has already adapted two novels by the master of horror, Gerald’s Game (Jessie) And Doctor Sleepis also the creator of successful horror series such as Midnight Mass (Midnight Sermons) And The Fall of the House of Usher (The Fall of the House of Usher).
There is the animated feature film The Wild Robot (Wild Robot), by Chris Sanders, in which a robot stranded on a desert island bonds with the local flora and fauna in what is said to be, among other things, a tribute to the cinema of Hayao Miyazaki.
We are also very intrigued by Heretic (Heresy), by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, another world premiere, in which Hugh Grant plays a sinister character at whose door two Mormon missionaries have the misfortune to knock. There’s a kind of horror and science fiction vein, mind you…
On a different note, we are impatiently waiting The Last Showgirlby Gia Coppola, in which Pamela Anderson plays a dancer forced to reinvent herself after thirty years in the same show; also starring Jamie Lee Curtis.
Quebec presence
Without forgetting the Quebec works Shepherdsby Sophie Deraspe, with Félix-Antoine Duval, and You are not aloneby Marie-Hélène Viens and Philippe Lupien, with Pier-Luc Funk. The first relates the existential tribulations of a Montreal advertising executive who reinvented himself as a shepherd in Provence, while the second tells the sentimental — and supernatural — adventures of a solitary pizza delivery man (having collaborated on the latter production, I will leave it to my colleagues to talk about it).
For her part, Montreal-born director Durga Chew-Bose took on the cult novel Hello sadnessby Françoise Sagan, for her first feature film, a co-production starring Lily McInerny, Chloë Sevigny, Claes Bang and Aliocha Schneider.
In short films from our country, we are particularly invited Gender Reveal, by filmmaker Mo Matton, and Who Loves the Sunby director Arshia Shakiba. In documentary, Cohabitby Halima Elkhatabi, should resonate with the housing crisis. Ah, and the unclassifiable A universal languageby Matthew Rankin, awarded at Cannes, is here as it should be.
To remain in chauvinistic territory: Denis Villeneuve will engage in a discussion on stage at the end of the double-bill presentation of Dune — Part One (Dune. Part One) And Dune — Part Two (Dune. Part Two).
In short, there will be plenty to tickle the cinephile’s fancy over the next ten days, regardless of people’s availability. glamorous.
François Lévesque is in Toronto thanks in part to the support of Telefilm Canada