The Toronto International Film Festival – which I’ve been attending since 2007 and which I just returned from – has been an important starting point for Oscar contenders since 1981 chariot of fire to 1999 American Beauty to 2008 slumdog millionaire By 2018 green paper. But that status came under fire a few years ago when the festival took umbrage at the fact that many of the films it promoted as “world premieres” or “North American premieres” were actually having their first sneak shots at the Telluride Film Festival. threatened.
Although few TIFF attendees would refuse to see a film that had previously screened for a handful of people in a remote Rocky Mountain town, TIFF decided to take a hard line: It told filmmakers and backers that if they screened in North America before TIFF Their film is shown elsewhere, but the film will not be allowed to screen at any of TIFF’s larger venues during the festival’s opening weekend (the Friday, Saturday and Sunday following Thursday’s opening night screenings). Some time on the ground covering the feast.
In the years since this policy was adopted, we haven’t really been able to feel its impact, in part because the pandemic and strikes have made TIFF feel very different in those years. But this year, we found that neither the epidemic nor the strike were problems. As one top awards strategist told me, “Opening weekend felt dead.” Indeed, the venues were packed. There was little noise in the streets and restaurants. And there are few world premieres for films with real award potential.
Amazon/MGM unstoppable and fire inside It proved to be a solid entertainment, but the path to winning was very limited. A24 we live in time is an effective tearjerker, but it’s more important What’s wrong with our planet Compare a star is born. searchlight night bitch great star amy adamssome people like it more than others, but it’s not going anywhere with the Academy. I could go on. The only award hopeful that had a world premiere weekend that seemed very important was wild robotis an animated feature film produced by DreamWorks Animation (which has been in theaters for 30 years) and will be distributed by Universal Pictures.
However, it was not until Monday that the festival began to introduce heavyweight titles such as Netflix emilia perez and neon lights Anora (via Cannes and Telluride), Focus secret meeting (through telluride) and vertical orderA24’s baby girl and Queer and sony classics I’m still here and next door room (All direct from Lido). By then, a lot of the press — and therefore a lot of the potential awards buzz — was gone.
TIFF did have some bad moments this year. For one thing, it’s not a particularly deep awards season, which means the options for awards shows are limited. In addition, although there are some big names appearing, among them, Elton John (Representing Disney+ Documentary Features Elton John: It’s never too late), Robbie Williams (Paramount’s better person), plus a host of Netflix talent including Angelina Jolie (Maria), Denzel Washington (piano lessons), Will Ferrell (will and harper) and selena gomez and Zooey Saldana (emilia perez)—many others did not. Nicole Kidman (A24’s baby girl) had to quit after his mother passed away. No “Focus” star secret meeting — ralph fiennes, Stanley Tucci and John Lithgow – Ability to escape work obligations in Europe. emilia perez Helmer Jacques Audiard A back injury left him unable to leave home. The list goes on.
But for the most part, the lackluster nature of this year’s festival feels like the result of a self-inflicted wound — and not just a silly festival exclusivity policy.
My understanding is that TIFF flatly refused September 5which was the best-selling film at the Venice and Telluride Film Festivals – and, THR It was reported this morning that the film has landed at Paramount — ostensibly because of the controversy it could stir up in relation to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. So, fearing a backlash, the festival didn’t screen a film that would have been nominated for a Best Picture Oscar and maybe even won – it would have screened on opening night, which was September 5 – but did screen russians at warA documentary that offers a sympathetic portrait of Russians involved in the conflict in Ukraine did This resulted in such massive protests that the film festival eventually pulled the film.
The rest of the TIFF sales market is essentially in a coma. The only notable deal was A24’s acquisition of the U.S. distribution rights to “A24.” fauvismA nearly four-hour VistaVision movie with an intermission after a huge buzz in Venice; Hulu makes surprise eight-figure purchase of opening-night movie nutcrackerwhich star Ben Stillerbut enthusiasm for it is decidedly low.
Many other films, many with big-name actors, came to the festival hoping to find buyers but found none, including the last showgirl (Pamela Anderson and Jamie Lee Curtis), riding a fast horse (Jacob Elordi and Daisy Edgar Jones), friend (Naomi Watts and bill murray) and Let’s not go looking for dogs tonight (Feature directorial debut Albers Davids).
Which brings us to the TIFF Audience Award, which has long been a harbinger of Oscar success—each of the past 13 winners has received at least one Best Picture Oscar nomination, including three in 2013 Twelve years a slave2018 green paper and 2020 nomadic landtook home the award – but, we learned this morning, this year’s award went to Mike Flanaganof Chuck’s life.
Chuck’s life A cute film, perhaps, but it had almost no material going into film festivals, generated almost no discussion at festivals, and still doesn’t even have a US distributor. because it was ignored emilia perez (won second place), Anora (Winning 3rd place) and wild robot (This feast is clearly trying to push a little by giving it twelve show).
In other words, if TIFF’s relevance to this awards season was in question before the Audience Awards were announced, then the announcement of the Audience Awards certainly did nothing to help its standing.
