49th Toronto Film Festival showcases star power, adds Alicia Vikander, Lupita Nyong’o, Steve Coogan, Ralph Fiennes, Jennifer Lopez , the latest movies from Salma Hayek, Lily James and Riz Ahmed.
Roy Thomson Hall’s gala segment will bow to the world with two music specials: Andrea Bocelli biopic Andrea Bocelli: Because I believea documentary about the Italian Tenor from director Cosima Spender; and Bruce Springsteen, produced by Thom Zimny for Disney+ and Hulu document, Road Diaries: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. Zimny filmed Sylvester Stallone documentary in Toronto last year cunning For Netflix.
TIFF will also premiere Umberto Pasolini’s historical epic returnRalph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche later reunited british patient. Peter Cattaneo’s work to have world premiere Penguin’s Lessonstarring Steve Coogan and Jonathan Pryce; Jennifer Lopez’s unstoppablea sports drama directed by William Goldberg and backed by Artists Equity and Amazon MGM Studios; and Chris Sanders’ wild robotAn animated film produced by DreamWorks, starring the voices of Lupita Nyong’o, Pedro Pascal and Kit Connor.
Toronto will screen a slew of films this year that premiered in Cannes and Venice, as well as high-profile films playing in front of mainstream audiences including the Roy Thomson Concert Hall, TIFF Bell Lightbox, Royal Alexandra Theater and Scotiabank Theater ’s world premiere.
Roy Thomson Hall’s Gala sidebar also books international premiere of Julie Delpy’s refugee comedy Meet the savageswhich premiered at the French film event earlier this year; friendWritten/directed by Scott McGee and David Siegel, starring Naomi Watts and Costance Wu; and Josh Greenbaum’s will and harperis a road trip documentary starring Will Ferrell and Harper Steele.
Paul Schrader’s work will have its North American premiere in Cannes and Toronto oh canada (Starring Uma Thurman, Richard Gere, Jacob Elordi); David Cronenberg’s shroud; and Sean Baker’s latest film Anora, which won the top prize in Cannes and stars Mickey Madison. Jacques Audiard’s crime musical emilia perezstarring Zooey Saldana, Selena Gomez, Cara Sofia Gasco; Michael Gracie’s better person; and actor-turned-director Embeth Davidtz Let’s not go looking for dogs tonight will receive its Canadian premiere.
Toronto earlier announced world premiere of Ron Howard’s film Garden of Eden; Rebel Wilson Deb; Elton John: It’s never too latedirected by RJ Cutler and David Furnish; Oh Min-ho’s Harbin; and Rema Kagati’s Malegaon’s Superboy.
Elsewhere, Toronto’s special showcase sidebar reveals Angelina Jolie’s world premiere no bloodstarring Salma Hayek and Demian Bichir; Mike Leigh’s cruel truththe British director reunites with his Secrets and Lies star Marianne Jean-Baptiste; Edward Burns Miller in marriage, Starring Julianna Margulies, Gretchen Mol, Minnie Driver and Morena Baccarin; Thriller starring Riz Ahmed and Lily James relay Director David Mackenzie; crime thriller by Christopher Andrews knock them down At Mubi, Barry Keoghan replaces Paul Mescal; Netflix’s Native American basketball feature Rezbauer Directed by veteran television director Sydney Freeland and produced by LeBron James; and Anne-Marie Fleming’s sci-fi thriller Can I get witnesses?starring the director’s early Horse outside the window Collaborator Sandra Oh.
A labor dispute in Los Angeles has left the 2023 Toronto Film Festival red carpet starved of celebrity talent, and TIFF organizers are banking on a slew of Hollywood stars returning this year, although big-name filmmakers are still making the trip. Without the old-world glamor and glitz of Cannes or Venice, Toronto allows major studios and independents to put their star films in front of casual moviegoers and watch them after their world premieres at Telluride or major European film festivals or redemption.
Toronto special showcase gives world bow to Gia Coppola’s work Pamela Anderson picture The last showgirl, Also starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Dave Bautista; Dito Montiel’s crime comedy Improvisation, Sci-fi thriller starring Jennifer Coolidge and Ed Harris; starring Alicia Vikander and Elizabeth Olsen Evaluate, From director Fleur Fortune; Jason Buxton sharp cornersLed by Cobie Smulders and Ben Foster; William Bridges’ all of you; RT Thorne’s post-apocalyptic thriller 40 acresstarring Danielle Deadweiler; A24 thriller pagandirected by quiet place Written by Scott Baker and Brian Woods, starring Hugh Grant; and queer drama from Korean director E.oni Love in the big city.
Other Special Features World Premiere: Seth Worley’s directorial debut sketch; Fernando Coimbra The carnival is over, Mafia comedy set in Rio de Janeiro; boxing drama that incision Directed by Sean Ellis Starring Orlando Bloom; Rachel Morrison fire insidethe storyline is composed of moonlight Helmer Barry Jenkins on boxer Claressa Shields; and Jose Lourenco young werther Adaptation of Goethe, starring Alison Pill, Patrick J. Adams, Douglas Booth.
Most of the high-profile American films booked in Toronto this year have already been released in the United States, making the festival a testing ground for how to position and market these films for theatrical release later this year and next. About two dozen more films have made their way to Toronto for distribution in the United States, many of which were first picked up by buyers at the Cannes Film Festival.
For international films, TIFF has historically been the gateway into the North American market, especially for crowd-pleasing titles like Oscar winners slumdog millionaire and the final film by Japanese animation legend Hayao Miyazaki, boy and heronkicking off the 2023 Toronto Film Festival.
TIFF also reveals the international premiere of Edward Berger secret meetinga Vatican conspiracy film starring Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci and John Lithgow; an animated biopic of Morgan Neville little by little, About Pharrell Williams; and Malcolm Washington’s feature directorial debut piano Lesson Netflix show starring Samuel L. Jackson, John David Washington and Ray Fisher.
North America also pays tribute to director Walter Salles’ return I’m still hereearlier picked up by Sony Pictures Classics Cannes; Athina Rachel Tsangari’s neo-western harveststarring Caleb Landry Jones; and rumor, Guy Martin, Alvin Johnson and Galen Johnson’s latest film debuts at the Cannes Film Festival.
Toronto earlier announced that the 2024 edition will open with Ben Stiller’s comedy nutcracker, directed by David Gordon Green. And Rebel Wilson’s DebA musical comedy set in rural Australia is set to close TIFF. These selections of films follow Toronto’s tradition of tending to round out September’s events in a way that will please mainstream audiences.
The Toronto Film Festival will be held from September 5th to 15th.
