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 June 26, 2008 iW NEWS | Desplechin, Egoyan, and 25 Others Set For Toronto
The Toronto International Film Festival has announced 27 international selections that will screen at the 33rd edition of the festival this September. Among them are the North American premieres of Kim Jee-woon's "The Good, The Bad, The Weird," which will screen as a Gala Presentation, Atom Egoyan's "Adoration," Arnaud Desplechin's "Un conte de Noel," Matteo Garrone's "Gomorrah," Jia Zhang-ke's "24 City," Terence Davies' "Of Time and the City," Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne's "Le Silence de Lorna," Nuri Bilge Ceylan's "Three Monkeys," Ari Folman's "Waltz with Bashir," Steve McQueen's "Hunger" and Bent Hamer's "O'Horten." The festival runs September 4-13, 2008. [Peter Knegt]  [permalink] [ filed under Festivals, Toronto ] June 17, 2008 TORONTO '08 | "Passchendaele" To Open 2008 Toronto International Film Festival
Canadian filmmaker Paul Gross' "Passchendaele" will open the 33rd Toronto International Film Festival with its world premiere on September 4, 2008. Set during World War I, the film follows a wounded Canadian solider who falls in love on the homefront and then returns to the battlefield for the third battle of Ypres, also knows as "Passchendaele." Co-produced by Niv Fichman, Frank Siracusa and Francis Damberger, the film stars filmmaker Gross, Caroline Dhavernas, Gil Bellows and Joe Dinicol. [ read more in On The Scene ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Festival News, Lead Story, Toronto ] May 1, 2008INDUSTRY MOVES | Phathanavirangoon Joins Toronto Fest
Raymond Phathanavirangoon has been named the Southest Asian progammer for this year's Toronto International Film Festival. He joins TIFF from Fortissimo Films where he served as director of marketing and special projects. Phathanavirangoon has served as an international programmer for the Toronto Reel Asian Film Festival, worked for the Hong Kong International Film Festival and served on the Teddy Jury at last year's Berlin International Film Festival. [permalink] [ filed under Industry Moves, Toronto ] September 18, 2007iW NEWS | Myriad Planning North American Release of Argento Film; Weinsteins Make DVD/TV Deal
Following a recent Toronto International Film Festival debut, Myriad Pictures has announced that it will release Dario Argento's "The Mother of Tears" theatrically in North America, while the company also said Tuesday that The Weinstein Company has acquired U.S. DVD and TV rights (as well as Canadian TV rights) to the film. [Eugene Hernandez] [permalink] [ filed under Acquisitions, Toronto ] HR | SPC commits to 'Married'
Sony Pictures Classics has acquired North American rights to Ira Sachs' "Married Life," according to The Hollywood Reporter. The film, which screened at the recent Toronto International Film Festival, is set for the upcoming New York Film Festival. [permalink] [ filed under Acquisitions, Toronto ] September 17, 2007E: Toronto Makes Promises, If Not Buzz
When the 32nd Toronto International Film Festival began, big buzz surrounded films looking at Serious Topics like war and corruption, but when the 10-day festival closed on Saturday it was old-fashioned thrillers and feel-good movies that caught the attention of moviegoers and buyers. Barry Brown reports. [permalink] [ filed under Festivals, Toronto ]   TORONTO '07 | Bacall & Schrader
At a ThinkFilm dinner late in the festival, the company's head of U.S. distribution Mark Urman (left) poses for iPOP with actress Lauren Bacall and director Paul Schrader. Bacall stars in Schrader's "The Walker," which debuted earlier this year at the Berlinale and will be released by Think. At the Sotto Sotto gathering, ThinkFilm toasted "The Walker" and also celebrated the Toronto International Film Festival debut of Sidney Lumet's "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead," which will screen soon at the New York Film Festival. Actors Ethan Hawke and Marisa Tomei joined the initimate gathering and as the meal continued, word emerged that the company had acquired Stuart Townsend's "Battle in Seattle" in Toronto. Earlier in the week they nabbed Helen Hunt's "Then She Found Me." [ read more in iPOP ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Toronto, Toronto: On The Scene ] September 16, 2007 TORONTO '07 | Catching Up: indieWIRE at the Toronto International Film Festival
The 2007 Toronto International Film Festival came to a close on Saturday night in Canada and indieWIRE is wrapping up its coverage early this week. Our reports from Toronto include a mix of news, buzz, reviews, interviews, iPOP photos and feature articles. We invite you to check out indieWIRE's coverage from the festival. [ read more in On The Scene ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Festival Dispatches, Lead Story, Toronto ] September 15, 2007 TORONTO '07 | "Control" director Anton Corbijn Talks Filmmaking
"Joy Division was sort of magic in Holland," said director Anton Corbijn to iW early on in TIFF, and pictured here at the premiere party for his film, "Control" about the band's ill-fated lead singer, Ian Curtis (played marvelously by Sam Riley). "Music had a great influence on me and I moved to England because of it..." The director went on to direct videos for Joy Division as well as U2, David Bowie and Depeche Mode. "Control" is his first feature. "As an inexperienced filmmaker, I needed an emotional connection," said Corbijn about why he wanted to tell the story of Curtis. "He's a mythical figure and there aren't any interview tapes [to draw from]." Looking forward post-"Control," Corbijn comment about his future filmmaking, "I learned a lot from this film and I don't need an emotional connection next time." [ read more in iPOP ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Toronto, Toronto: On The Scene ]  TORONTO '07 | One of Six Bob Dylans at the "I'm Not There..." Bash
The Weinstein Company hosted a nice afternoon soiree downtown Toronto for Todd Haynes' TIFF acclaimed film, "I'm Not There..." The film, directed by Todd Haynes, recalls the life and events (and subsequently American history) of Bob Dylan through seven 'Bob Dylans' by six different actors? Sound a bit confusing? Well, it's damn good, so figure it out yourself. The first "Bob Dylan", Marcus Carl Franklin (who does an amazing job by the way) and fellow co-star, Kim Roberts who was also terrific in her small role. [ read more in iPOP ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Toronto, Toronto: On The Scene ]  TORONTO '07 | Cronenberg and Maddin Win Top TIFF Prizes; Mexican Films Also Honored
Canadian filmmaker David Cronenberg's "Eastern Promises" won the People's Choice Award today (Saturday) at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival. Marking the end of an event that screened some 349 films over 10 days this year, Toronto festival co-directors Piers Handling and Noah Cowan presented prizes on the final day of the event. Cronenberg's latest, a crime thriller which opened theatrically this weekend, stars Viggo Mortensen, Naomi Watts, Vincent Cassel, and Armin Mueller-Stahl. [ read more in On The Scene ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Festival News, Lead Story, Toronto ]  TORONTO '07 CRITICS NOTEBOOK | "Private," "Lars," and "Young Girls" Offer Troubled Youth; "Besieged Fortress" Doc Shows War in Nature
Frustrated youth form the centerpieces of several smaller films at the Toronto International Film Festival this year, and a few bigger ones, too--although even those entries come from filmmakers currently in nascent stages of their careers. "Nothing is Private," a late festival feature purchased by Warner Independent and focused on the discomfiting sexual awakening of a Persian-American teenager, marks the directorial debut of Alan Ball, whose was the creator of the HBO television series "Six Feet Under" and wrote the screenplay for "American Beauty." Ball's screenplay for "Private" frequently confuses depravity for dark humor, and it's hard to tell what the film is trying to say and at what points it intends to be taken seriously. Still, it's easy to see audiences take a liking to the story--which involves young Jasira (Summer Bishil) and her taboo-soaked sexual encounters (including a few with a next door neighbor played by Aaron Eckhart)--since its main provocations suggest an unholy marriage of "American Beauty" and "American Pie." [ read more in Movies ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Festivals, Lead Story, Toronto ]  TORONTO '07 DISCOVERY INTERVIEW: Peter Carstairs: "Cinema is ultimately becoming more international."
Throughout the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival, indieWIRE will be publishing interviews with filmmakers in the Discovery section of the festival, which TIFF describes as a showcase for new and emerging filmmakers from contemporary international cinema. Fourteen filmmakers were given the opportunity to participate in an e-mail interview, and each was sent the same questions. Director Peter Carstairs is at Toronto with his feature film, "September," which TIFF describes as revealing "the tumultuous human emotions beneath a sinister inequity in Australia's past." [ read more in People ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Interviews, Toronto ] September 14, 2007iW NEWS | IFC Gets Guy Maddin Film in Toronto
As the Toronto International Film Festival winds down, acclaimed Canadian filmmaker Guy Maddin's "My Winnipeg" has been acquired for U.S. distribution by IFC Entertainment. In the words of a festival description, Maddin's playful, docu-style rumination on his hometown, "continues in the freewheeling, genre-bending tradition that has made him one of Canada's most consistently intriguing and internationally respected artists." The filmmaker performed a live narration for the film at its Toronto festival premiere last week. Canadian rights to "My Winnipeg" are set with Maximum Films, while London-based Soda Pictures has nabbed rights for the film in the UK. Additional festival dates have yet to be announced. [Eugene Hernandez] [permalink] [ filed under Acquisitions, Toronto ] HR | 'Bill' sees dollar signs in Toronto
Melisa Wallack and Bernie Goldmann's "Bill" has been acquired by First Look Studios, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The film, from GreeneStreet Films, stars Aaron Eckhart and Jessica Alba, among others. It was produced by John Penotti, Fisher Stevens, and Matthew Rowland. [permalink] [ filed under Acquisitions, Toronto ]  TORONTO '07 CRITICS NOTEBOOK | Dylan, Who, Lou Reed Music Fims Rock, "Margot" Is Bittersweet, Lumet Thrills
Rock flicks, crime thrillers, domestic melodramas, political statements and cult auteurs--the panoply of genres and styles at Toronto is an evergreen achievement befitting one of the very best international festivals. But this year's edition delivered an especially heady cross-pollination that made certain themes and ideas reverberate more than they would by themselves. Take music: a trio of films with completely different approaches to Bob Dylan, The Who and Lou Reed were rhapsodic viewing in tandem. Todd Haynes' "I'm Not There," easily one of the best and most ambitious films of the year, fragments the many chapters of the folk-rock troubadour's life and reshuffles the cards to form a fascinating meditation on identity and personal responsibility, transforming the pop prophet's intimidating, cryptic life into a deeply empathetic and surprisingly accessible journey. [ read more in Movies ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Festivals, Toronto ] September 13, 2007 TORONTO '07 | Two Docs, "Jihad For Love" and "Surfwise" Stir Up Traditions in Both East and West
Defying tradition both openly and while hiding are at the root of two films screening here this week in Toronto. Parvez Sharma's "A Jihad for Love" takes a look at a segment of the planet's gays who are often left voiceless (along with those in other religious traditions). Exploring homosexual Muslims, the director said making the film was surprisingly abetted by the customs of Islam itself. And on the polar opposite spectrum, Doug Pray's "Surfwise" chronicles the rejection of the material world and the pursuit of great surf by one couple and their nine children who grew up living in a camper traveling from beach to beach in search of the perfect wave and perfect health. [ read more in On The Scene ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Festival Dispatches, Lead Story, Toronto ]  TORONTO '07 | "The Band's Visit" to Toronto
Israeli director Eran Kolirin's (right) debut feature "The Band's Visit" revolves around an Egyptian band who finds themselves temporarily homeless after their hosts from an Israeli cultural center are nowhere to be found after they arrive at the airport. Stranded in a tiny Israeli desert town, the band reluctantly decides to stay the night until a bus can pick them up the next morning. While there, however, they encounter a self assured and witty cafe owner who challenges their ideas about womanhood and cultural assumptions on the part of both the band and village are shaken. Producer Ehud Bleiberg (left) and star Ronit Elkabetz (who plays the self-assured woman) and producer Eilon Ratzkovsky joined Kolirin earlier in the fest in Toronto for Sony Classics' annual dinner in honor of their TIFF slate. [ read more in iPOP ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Toronto, Toronto: On The Scene ]  iW INTERVIEW | Todd Haynes & Christine Vachon on "I'm Not There"
Two hours before the debut of the "I'm Not There" at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival on Wednesday night (September 12th), director Todd Haynes and producer Christine Vachon duck outside of the film's pre-screening premiere party with indieWIRE to talk about the challenges of making the film and the theme of "identity" that touches many of the movies the two have made together over the years. The new film, inspired by Bob Dylan, stars Cate Blanchett, Richard Gere, Christian Bale, Heath Ledger and others each portraying a Dylan-esque character at a different point in his life. [ filed under Interviews, Toronto ]  TORONTO '07 | Breillat Back in Toronto with "Last Mistress"
French director Catherine Breillat kept the conversation going with IFC Entertainment president Jonathan Sehring at a downtown Toronto restaurant earlier this week. Her film, "Une vieille maitresse" (The Last Mistress) took eight months to shoot and cost as much as all of her other films combined according to the TIFF catalog. Based on the novel of the same name by Jules Barbey, the film centers on Vellini (Asia Argento) who tries to intervene in her lover's attempts to marry a pillar of the French aristocracy. The film screened in TIFF's Contemporary World Cinema section. [ read more in iPOP ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Toronto, Toronto: On The Scene ]  TORONTO '07 | Danny Glover's Surprise for President Carter
Actor Danny Glover seemed to surprise former President Jimmy Carter on the red carpet inside Toronto's Elgin Theater where he was attending the premiere of Jonathan Demme's "Man from Plains," which follows his tumultuous book tour following the release of his controversial book, "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid." The two greeted each other like old friends and later posed for pics, but we liked this animated one after Glover surprised the prez. Glover is attending the Toronto International Film Festival with John Sayles' "Honeydripper," screening as a Special Presentation at the fest. [ read more in iPOP ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Toronto, Toronto: On The Scene ]  TORONTO '07 | Ken Loach on Exploiting Migrant Labor
Director Ken Loach's "It's a Free World..." takes on the subject of immigrants who are used as cheap labor--this time in the European Union. The film revolves around Angie (Kierston Wareing) who is layed off from a recruiting company and persuades her flatmate to begin their own business luring migrants from Eastern Europe. Her company flourishes and they operate on the 'margins of legality.' "I hope people come away with a sense of what's happening and the way we're allowing the world economy to develop," said Loach in Toronto to iW. "Abuse is built into the system. They're used as cheap labor and it's complete hypocrisy." [ read more in iPOP ] [ 2 comments ] [ filed under Toronto, Toronto: On The Scene ]  TORONTO '07 DISCOVERY INTERVIEW: Mark Heller: "I hope people are entertained and I want to find the movie a great home."
Throughout the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival, indieWIRE will be publishing interviews with filmmakers in the Discovery section of the festival, which TIFF describes as a showcase for new and emerging filmmakers from contemporary international cinema. Fourteen filmmakers were given the opportunity to participate in an e-mail interview, and each was sent the same questions. Director Mark Heller is at Toronto with his feature film, "The Passage," which TIFF describes as a "provocative first feature not for the faint of heart" that channels Alfred Hitchcock's Morocco-set "The Man Who Knew Too Much." [ read more in People ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Interviews, Toronto ] NYT | A World Where an Antonioni Might Not Get a Distribution Deal
"Because the Toronto [festival] is so large and functions both as a preview for the fall studio season and as an international bazaar, with goods from Germany, Kazakhstan, Russia and Mongolia (the multinational provenance for the period epic "Mongol"), it affords an instructive view of the state of the American art and industry. More than any other major festival, Toronto makes clear the divide between those movies that matter aesthetically and intellectually." Manohla Dargis surveys the festival in The New York Times. [permalink] [ filed under Festivals, Toronto ] September 12, 2007 TORONTO '07 | Gael x 3; Gillespie x 2
"I wanted to do it eventually and this came up," Gael Garcia Bernal told indieWIRE about his first foray into directing, "Deficit," which is having its North American debut here in Toronto. "You need to find a unified reason why the film needs to exist and find the frontier of what you want to tell." Bernal, also in Toronto as the star of Hector Babenco's "The Past" and as executive producer of Israel Cardenas and Laura Amelia Guzman's "Cochochi," sat down alongside "Deficit" screenwriter Kyzza Terrazas to discuss their experience. "Gael had this anecdote about this rich kid that had a party at his country house with some of his friends," said Terrazas. "His girlfriend was supposed to come, but he meets another girl that he likes. He starts giving his girlfriend wrong directions as to how to get to the house. That was the skeleton that Gael had in mind, and he invited me to collaborate in the screenplay. What I tried to do was bring that world life." [ read more in On The Scene ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Festival Dispatches, Lead Story, Toronto ] AFP: Woody Allen unveils "Cassandras Dream" at Toronto Film Festival
Despite more than three dozen films to his credit, legendary movie director Woody Allen insists that he really doesn't work all that hard, is lazy and just got into movies to meet women. "You'll think I'm being facetious, but I'm not a dedicated filmmaker," he told reporters at the North American premiere of his latest film "Cassandra's Dream." "I'm lazy. Making films is not the be-all and end-all of my life," he said Wednesday at the Toronto Film Festival. Michel Comte reports. [permalink] [ filed under People, Toronto ]  TORONTO '07 | IFC's Fab Toronto Dinner
Monday night in Toronto, IFC Films hosted a dinner for their TIFF '07 films, which brought out quite a cadre of "celebretage" including "Paranoid Park" director Gus Van Sant, and "Into the Wild" star Jena Malone who also came along to show her support (and her cool little hairdo). As an aside, apparently Van Sant will direct Sean Penn who helmed "Into the Wild" in a new pic about slain '70s San Francisco politician Harvey Milk... And, also joining the mix was Gael Garcia Bernal, who is in town with three films, "El Pasado" by Hector Babenco (which he stars in), "Deficit," which he directed, and "Cochochi," which he executive produced with pal Diego Luna. Whew... He's been busy. [ read more in iPOP ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Toronto, Toronto: On The Scene ]  TORONTO '07 | Julian Schnabel and Company Strike A Pose
Artist and filmmaker Julian Schnabel demonstrated his talents as we snapped this photo last night at the Toronto International Film Festival. While iPOP captured (left to right) Marie-Josee Croze, Olatz Lopez Garmendia, and Emmanuelle Seigner -- the women from from his new film "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" -- Schnabel playfully took charge to direct the shoot, insisting on more and more shots until he himself popped in for some of the action. The impromptu, private photo call played out on Tuesday night at Miramax's cozy, friendly dinner at Toronto's uberhip Drake Hotel celebrating Schnabel's Cannes award-winner. Based on Jean Dominique Bauby's 1997 book "Le Scaphandre et la Papillon," Schnabel's French-language film of the same name -- translated as "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" -- looks at Bauby's life. A noted journalist from France, Bauby was the editor-in-chief of the French magazine, Elle before suffering a severe stroke which left him mute and paralysed. Unable to speak or write, he composed his autobiography entirely by dictation through a series of blinks and some grunts, dying in France three days after the book was published. Schnabel is also here in Toronto with a documentary, "Lou Reed's Berlin" about the recent tour for Reed's much maligned 1973 album which is now regarded as a classic. [ read more in iPOP ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Toronto, Toronto: On The Scene ] AFP: Tears gush at Rwanda genocide film premiere
Audiences at the Toronto International Film Festival wept for Rwanda genocide victims at the premiere this week of "Shake Hands with the Devil," a movie about the failure of UN peacekeepers in 1994 to stop the slaughter around them. Although critics panned the movie, there was not a dry eye in the cinema. AFP reports. [permalink] [ filed under Festivals, Toronto ]  TORONTO '07 CRITICS NOTEBOOK | Discovery Section A Mixed Bag; "King of the Hill" and "Cocochi" Shine
Containing fourteen films from a dozen countries, the Discovery section of the Toronto International Film Festival is like a miniature festival on its own. Yet the ambiguous definition of the section's title, rather than the cultural range of the program, suggests the nature of its content. Technically, Discovery is programmed as a means of showcasing emerging talent and searching for future success stories--but, based on this year's line up, it could also refer to the categorical experiments conducted by beginning filmmakers. Several of the films rely on specific technical or narrative-based techniques, as though the creators are exploring (and hence "discovering") the potential of their medium. Predictably enough, the result is a mixed bag, but not without a few gems. [ read more in Movies ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Festivals, Lead Story, Toronto ]  TORONTO '07 DISCOVERY INTERVIEW: Paprika Steen: "I believe all desperate actions come from the loneliness inside you. "
Throughout the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival, indieWIRE will be publishing interviews with filmmakers in the Discovery section of the festival, which TIFF describes as a showcase for new and emerging filmmakers from contemporary international cinema. Fourteen filmmakers were given the opportunity to participate in an e-mail interview, and each was sent the same questions. Director Paprika Steen is at Toronto with her feature film, "With Your Permission," which is about a is about a opera-obsessed hero who works as a cafeteria manager on a Copenhagen ferry. TIFF describes the film as pushing "every button it gets near" and "propelled by its characters' complete inability to face obvious truths and by our extreme discomfort." [ read more in People ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Interviews, Toronto ] September 11, 2007 TORONTO '07 | In Two New Films, Ball & McCarthy Examine America; Both Titles Acquired Today at TIFF
Among the new American narrative films stirring talk at the Toronto International Film Festival on 9/11 are two high-profile, provocative independent titles -- backed by powerhouse producers -- that have secured U.S. distribution today here at the festival: Alan Ball's "Nothing is Private" and Tom McCarthy's "The Visitor." Ball's "Six Feet Under" fame stirred anticipation for his feature directing debut and McCarthy's success with 2003's "The Station Agent" created substantial interest in his new movie. Tonight (Tuesday) in Canada, Warner Independent Pictures closed a deal for Ball's "Private" (adding that they are in final negotiations to partner with Netflix's Red Envelope Entertainment on a deal that includes North American rights and multiple other territories). Meanwhile, early this morning, McCarthy's film scored a North American pact with new distribution outfit, Overture Films. [ read more in On The Scene ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Festival Dispatches, Lead Story, Toronto ]  TORONTO '07 | Herzog at Discovery party in Toronto
Director Werner Herzog (right) and Toronto International Film Festival doc programmer Thom Powers survey the crowd (and photographers) at the Discovery soiree over the weekend. Herzog's "Encounters at the End of the World," playing in TIFF's Real to Reel section, is a South Pole exploration of both nature and human. The party itself was a hit, augmented by the good food. One guest though joked, "well there are dead animals being served here, but I guess none coming from temperatures below 32 degrees" (Fahrenheit that is... or zero degrees Centigrade). [ read more in iPOP ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Toronto, Toronto: On The Scene ]  TORONTO '07 | James McAvoy and Steven Woolly Celebrate "Atonement"
Joe Wright's much-anticipated "Atonement" premiered in Toronto last night at downtown's Elgin Theatre. Walking backward onto the stage dressed in all white, Wright joked to the crowd: "I am actually a little bit sweaty tonight." Wright acknowledged that there is no better place to see the world film community's best work than in Toronto, and gave a shout out to the people of the city to uproarious cheers from the audience. Introducing actors Keira Knightley and James McAvoy, he exclaimed, "you know I love them, I know you love them," before giving a particular compliment to the "head of [his] acting department," Knightley, who he deemed "a great friend and collaborator." The screening was followed by a lavish party at Toronto's Rosewater Supper Club, where members of the cast (including McAvoy, pictured right) were joined by the likes of Jessica Alba, Harvey Weinstein and U.K. producer Steven Woolly (left), here promoting Anand Tucker's "And When Did You Last See Your Father," premiering later this week. [ read more in iPOP ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Toronto, Toronto: On The Scene ]  TORONTO '07 | "Ping Pong Playa" Party in Toronto
Director Jessica Yu's (third from right) "Ping Pong Playa" is the story of a son who reluctantly finds himself working for the family's ping pong business. While passing time unenthusiastically in the job, he falls in love with a girl and decides to try his hand at winning a ping pong championship to win her over... The film is currently playing in TIFF's Vanguard section, and the group threw themselves an afternoon party in Toronto to celebrate... Left to right: actors Scott Lowell and Smith Cho, producer Anne Clements and Yu, as well as producer Joan Huang and the film's main star (and co-writer), Jimmy Tsai. [ read more in iPOP ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Toronto, Toronto: On The Scene ] NYT: A Voice From the Blacklist: Documentary Lets Dalton Trumbo Speak (Through Surrogates)
Sixty years after a Congressional panel grilled 10 uncooperative writers, directors and producers about their supposed Communist connections, Hollywood still quarrels over the heroes and villains of its Red Scare. But on Monday night in Toronto, one of the era's acknowledged heroes, the jailed and blacklisted Dalton Trumbo, was expected to deliver some posthumous words that might finally put to rest the hunt for good guys and bad. Michael Cieply reports. [permalink] [ filed under Festivals, Toronto ]  TORONTO '07 CRITICS NOTEBOOK | Canadian Filmmakers Cronenberg and Maddin Shine, Greenaway Makes A Comeback with "Nightwatching"
It's impossible to be everything to everyone, right? Not if you're the Toronto International Film Festival, which has heartily served the insatiable cinematic needs of North American studios, stars, press, programmers and movie-mad civilians for more than 30 years. Safely vaccinated with the cream of the crop from Berlin, Cannes and Venice, the festival of festivals is perennially immune to having a disastrous year. The trick, of course, is to make the world premieres as memorable as all those other international festival faves. And at the halfway point, this year's edition has a trio of Canadian native sons holding that maple leaf high. [ read more in Movies ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Festivals, Lead Story, Toronto ] Reuters: Toronto film festival turns gaze from war to love
A quirky teen-pregnancy yarn and a love story involving a life-sized sex doll have won over critics at the Toronto International Film Festival, stealing the spotlight from darker films on war and politics. While films with themes wrought from the war in Iraq and global terrorism have drawn a generally positive response, lighter fare such as "Juno" and "Lars and the Real Girl" have also emerged from the pack. Cameron French reports. [permalink] [ filed under Festivals, Toronto ]  TORONTO '07 DISCOVERY INTERVIEW: Teona Strigar Mitevska: "We filmmakers must be braver and bolder in the films we make."
Throughout the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival, indieWIRE will be publishing interviews with filmmakers in the Discovery section of the festival, which TIFF describes as a showcase for new and emerging filmmakers from contemporary international cinema. Fourteen filmmakers were given the opportunity to participate in an e-mail interview, and each was sent the same questions. Director Teona Strugar Mitevska is at Toronto with her feature film, "I Am From Titov Veles," which TIFF describes as offering "rare insights into the experiences of Balkan women who want something better than the lives they've been given." [ read more in People ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Interviews, Toronto ] Globe and Mail: De Palma's Comeback
The veteran director--67 today--has been in the film business for at least 40 years and made almost as many pictures in that time. Now the New Jersey native appears to be back on the winning side of the ledger with a searing film about the losing American war effort in Iraq called "Redacted. James Adams reports. [permalink] [ filed under Festivals, Toronto ] HR | Overture Films buys McCarthy's 'Visitor'
Tom McCarthy's "The Visitor" has been acquired by Overture Films, according to The Hollywood Reporter. In the trade paper, Greg Goldstein writes that the pact is valued at, "more than $1 million plus boxoffice bonuses for the filmmakers." [permalink] [ filed under Acquisitions, Toronto ] September 10, 2007 TORONTO '07 | President Carter Talks Peace Ahead of "Plains" Premiere; Dong Brings "Hollywood" Expose
Amidst the frivolity of parties, red carpets, dinners and flashing cameras, the Toronto International Film Festival displayed its serious side today (Monday), ahead of the sixth anniversary of 9/11, with a visit from the 39th President of the United States, Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter. The Carters were on hand to talk about Jonathan Demme's new doc, " Jimmy Carter Man from Plains" -- a triple award-winner at the recent Venice Film Festival this weekend -- that follows Carter during the period after last year's publishing of one of his most controversial books, "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid." [ read more in On The Scene ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Festival Dispatches, Lead Story, Toronto ]  TORONTO '07 | Jimmy and Maria at Sony Classics Soiree
Actors Jimmy Smits and Maria Bello strike a pose at the Sony Pictures Classics dinner Saturday night in Toronto. The two star in Robin Swicord's "The Jane Austen Book Club," which is screening at TIFF as a gala. The annual SPC dinner brings together almost all the directors and a good amount of cast of the distributor's films at the festival and is quite a spectacle for onlookers. [ read more in iPOP ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Toronto, Toronto: On The Scene ]  TORONTO '07 | Cowan and Berney at Picturehouse dinner
Toronto International Film Festival co-director Noah Cowan (left) stopped by Prego restaurant for a dinner hosted by Picturehouse for their film, "Mongol," directed by Sergei Bodrov. The film follows the early years of Genghis Khan to just prior to his infamous conquests. Picturehouse chief Bob Berney (right) chatted with Cowan who was making his evenig round of events. [ read more in iPOP ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Toronto, Toronto: On The Scene ] AFP: Moore takes parting shot at Bush in rockstar flick
Filmmaker Michael Moore on Saturday predicted a landslide victory for the Democrats in the 2008 presidential election, but is taking no chances, rallying US liberals in his latest documentary. "The potential for a (Democratic) landslide is enormous. People do not want to vote for the Republicans," he told reporters at the Toronto film festival premiere of his "Captain Mike Across America." Michel Comte reports. [permalink] [ filed under Festivals, Toronto ]  TORONTO '07 CRITICS NOTEBOOK | Midnight Madness Mixed, With Duds "Sukiyaki," "Frontier(s)," Standouts "Dainipponjin" and "Inside"
With The Toronto International Film Festival, being as large and prestigious as it is, its no surprise that their Midnight Madness lineup would be one of the more varied and sophisticated programs out there. In a program containing new works for classic cult directors like Dario Argento, George Romero and Takashi Miike, there's bound to be some high points and some duds along the way. Cops, cowboys, Nazis, zombies and drug-hungry nurses all come out to play, and some of it is not pretty. [ read more in Movies ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Festivals, Lead Story, Toronto ] iW NEWS | IFP Set's Sayles' "Honeydripper" for '07 Event
The 2007 Independent Film Week, IFP Market, and Filmmaker Conference will open on Monday, September 17th with a screening of John Sayles film, "Honeydripper," uptown at the AMC Loews Lincoln Square. The film, debuting at the Toronto International Film Festival, will be released next year by Emerging Pictures. After the New York City showing, the organization will celebrate with a party toasting the 15th Anniversary of its publication, Filmmaker Magazine. For more information, please visit the IFP website. [Eugene Hernandez] [permalink] [ filed under Events, Toronto ] September 9, 2007 TORONTO '07 | The Kiss!
"A Jihad For Love" producer Sandi Dubowski (in the middle getting some straight smooches) sprinkled a bit of his magic dust on the happy couple giving the kissy-poos in the busy Sutton Place hotel lobby where all the wheelin' and dealin' goes down. Finance this? Buy what? Meet who? Who cares everybody! Just Kiss damnit! OK, anyway... "My Kid Could Paint That" director Amir Bar-Lev and his fiancee Jennifer Bleyer give a little thanks to Dubowski for introducing the couple who will be getting married. (Gays are always good for a set-up y'all). And, what a year for Bar-Lev... a film that Sony Classics will be opening and a new wife! What's next? "A Jihad for Love" and "My Kid Could Paint That" are screening at the Toronto International Film Festival. [ read more in iPOP ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Toronto, Toronto: On The Scene ]  TORONTO '07 | Blast Off: Fest Serves As Launch Pad, Igniting Buzz For New Films Hoping to Catch Fire
In the TV business, networks launch new fall shows at an annual "press tour" for critics and journalists. Upcoming shows are previewed while TV marketers wine and dine media & industry at lavish parties. Similarly, the first weekend of the Toronto International Film Festival had the look and feel of a press tour for the film business. Studios, specialty divisions and smaller companies launched fall films this weekend in Canada, while some independent producers shopped new titles that are hoping to secure distribution. And amidst it all, the industry began whispering more intensely about Oscar season. One seasoned industry executive, from a studio-backed distribution unit, praised Toronto on Sunday succinctly as, "Still the ultimate launching pad for a film in North America." [ read more in On The Scene ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Festival Dispatches, Lead Story, Toronto ] iW NEWS | Strand Picks Up "Before I Forget" for North America
All North American rights to Jacques Nolot's "Before I Forget" (Avant Que J'Oublie) have been acquired by Strand Releasing, the company announced late Saturday night. The film is currently screening in the Contemporary World Cinema section of the Toronto International Film Festival and was also in the Director's Fortnight in Cannes in May. The deal was negotiated between Strand bo-president, Jon Gerrans and Claude Nouchi, a consultant for Colifilms Diffusion. The film deals with Pierre (played by Nolot) as an aging writer facing writers block, dealing with hustlers, anti-depressants, while keenly facing his fears and addressing them in an edgy filmic format similar to his last venture. "We're thrilled to be working with both Mr. Nolot and Mr. Nouchi" said Gerrans, in a statement. "This is a a daring, edgy film that is reminscent of French new wave films that push the envelope in terms of content and form." [Brian Brooks] [permalink] [ filed under Acquisitions, Toronto ]  TORONTO '07 | Michael Cera at Fox Searchlight Party
Actor Michael Cera added some star-wattage at the Fox Searchlight party in downtown Toronto Saturday night. 20 year-old Cera (the drinking age is 19 in Ontario) is in town for Jason Reitman's "Juno," which is screening as a Special Presentation at TIFF. For this photo, perhaps Cera was going for 'The Thinker.' Or maybe even contemplating the fact that his other '07 gig, "Superbad" topped $100 million over the weekend. [ read more in iPOP ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Toronto, Toronto: On The Scene ]  TORONTO '07 | Tic Tac Guys Celebrate "Juno"
These sporty gentlemen, wearing brightly colored track shorts and retro head bands, passed out Tic Tacs (you have to see the movie to get it) to build up hype for the first press and industry screening of Jason Reitman's much buzzed about "Juno" here at the Toronto International Film Festival. The screening generated a hearty applause for Fox Searchlight's December release, hinting at perhaps a redux of the success of Reitman's last film, "Thank You for Smoking." Starring Ellen Page and Michael Cera, the film offers super witty dialogue and an indiepop packed score to tell the story of a sixteen-year old girl who finds herself unexpectedly pregnant. [James Israel] [ read more in iPOP ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Toronto, Toronto: On The Scene ]  TORONTO '07 DISCOVERY INTERVIEW: David Ross: "I think what really piqued my interest was the idea of people trying to separate intimacy from sex. "
Throughout the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival, indieWIRE will be publishing interviews with filmmakers in the Discovery section of the festival, which TIFF describes as a showcase for new and emerging filmmakers from contemporary international cinema. Fourteen filmmakers were given the opportunity to participate in an e-mail interview, and each was sent the same questions. Director David Ross is at Toronto with his feature film, "The Babysitters," which TIFF describes as "a lurid romance between a suburban dad and a neighbor's sixteen-year old daughter" that "ends up being a delicious dark comedy about a prostitution ring of neighborhood babysitters." [ read more in People ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Interviews, Toronto ] September 8, 2007iW NEWS | Miramax Makes Meirelles Deal, Pre-Buys "Blindness"
In Toronto tonight, Miramax Films may be celebrating this evening's TIFF debut of The Coen Brothers' "No Country For Old Men," but company president Daniel Battsek can also toast his pre-buy of U.S. rights to filmmaker Fernando Meirelles' "Blindess." The film has been shooting locally ahead of the production moving to Meirelles' native Brazil and was adapted from Jose Saramago's acclaimed novel. The in-production project was described by Miramax tonight as follows: "When a sudden plague of blindness devastates a city, a small group of the afflicted band together to triumphantly overcome the horrific conditions of their imposed quarantine." Written by celebrated Canadian writer, actor and director Don McKellar (a recent Tony Award winner for "The Drowsy Chaperone), "Blindness" stars Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Alice Braga, Danny Glover and Gael Garcia Bernal. The movie is produced by Niv Fichman, Andrea Barata Ribeiro, and Sonoko Sakai and executive produced by Gail Egan and Simon Channing-Williams. Miramax's EVP Michael Luisi negotiated the deal with Fichman and Sakai, as well as Steve Saltzman of Loeb and Loeb representing the film. [Eugene Hernandez] [permalink] [ filed under Acquisitions, Toronto ] iW NEWS | In Toronto, ThinkFilm Makes Deal for Helen Hunt Film
ThinkFilm has acquired U.S. rights to Helen Hunt's "Then She Found Me," which debuted on Friday evening at the Toronto International Film Festival, with TVA Films taking Canadian rights after overnight negotiating. The actress' directorial debut -- produced by Killer Films -- stars Bette Midler, Colin Firth, and Matthew Broderick and was adapted by Hunt, Vic Levin and Alice Arlen from a novel by Elinor Lipman. International sales on the film are being shopped in Toronto by Odyssey Entertainment. Think's Mark Urman and Randy Manis closed the deal with CAA and Yves Dion negotiated for Equinoxe, according to an announcement today. The Hollywood Reporter offers additional background on the deal, in a story that pegs the pact at $2 - 3 million, combining U.S. rights to ThinkFilm and the Canadian rights deal. (Reps corrected a previous report that mistakenly indicated Canadian rights were nabbed by Equinoxe). [Eugene Hernandez] [permalink] [ filed under Acquisitions, Toronto ] September 7, 2007 TORONTO '07 | The "Fugitive" Kids Steal the Show
Waiting so patiently in the front row of the press conference room for the others from their film, TIFF opening night gala "Fugitive Pieces" by Jeremy Podeswa, Robbie Kay and Nina Dobrev were spotted by the determined throng of photographers who turned to flash away... [ read more in iPOP ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Toronto, Toronto: On The Scene ]  TORONTO '07 | Fest Programmers, and Friends Eat, Drink and be Merry a la Pastis
TIFF has a splendid party right off Lake Ontario for opening night, but some non-Toronto fest programmers (and such) decided to sit this one out and go French at Pastis in Toronto's Midtown. One of iW's favorite cuties in the middle (you guess which one) organized the dinner, and the restaurant kept the wine flowing (non-gratis mind you!) Left to right: A&E Indie's Molly Thompson, Submarine's Harry Geller and the company's head, Josh Braun, iW co-founder Mark Rabinowitz (at TIFF for AOL U.K.), A&E Indie's Ryan Harrington, Silverdoc's Skye Sitney, director Amir Bar-Lev (at TIFF with "My Kid Could Paint That"), the Sarasota Film Festival's Holly Herrick and Jen Weiss and programming guru Tom Hall, True/False Film Festival co-founder David Wilson, NewFest's head bitch Basil Tsiokos, Variety's newbee Mike Jones (and oh he's missed here at iW), and Toronto producer Kathleen Maitland-Carter... whew! what an I.D. job! Anyway, we hope this is a new pre-festival tradition, but for those of us without expense accounts maybe we can just bring it down a notch? Whatever, good times! [ read more in iPOP ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Toronto, Toronto: On The Scene ]  TORONTO '07 | IFC "Jar City" Pact as TIFF Opens; Podeswa, Lantos Have Toronto Homecoming with "Pieces"
The Toronto International Film Festival is so big -- with a roster of nearly 350 movies -- that multiple films are in the spotlight on opening night. While the fest officially opened with a gala screening and a pair of parties for Jeremy Podeswa's "Fugitive Pieces," across town Martin Gero's "Young People Fucking" was one of the many films also showcased on the first day of TIFF. It was subsequently celebrated with a fitting late-night bash at a new Toronto swingers club. And, fresh from considerable buzz in Telluride over the weekend, Baltasar Kormakur's "Jar City" debuted in Toronto hours before IFC Entertainment confirmed a North American acquisition deal for the popular Icelandic film. [ read more in On The Scene ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Festival Dispatches, Lead Story, Toronto ] iW NEWS | Niv Fichman Receives CFPTA Producers Award
Industry Initatives at the Toronto International Film Festival and the Canadian Film and Television Production Association announced that Niv Fichman is the recipient of the second annual CFTPA Producer's Award with a $10,000 CAD cash prize. Fichman has produced over 200 documenataries, television series and films, including Francois Girard's Silk, which is screening at the Festival. [Peter Knegt] [permalink] [ filed under Honors, Toronto ] September 6, 2007 Cuban and Wagner Change Course at HDNet Films as "Redacted" Stirs Venice, Telluride and Now, Toronto
Formed four years ago, HDNet Films has either reached the end of the road or hit a major intersection. Producers Jason Kliot and Joana Vicente will be leaving the digital production company that was formed by Mark Cuban as the unit marks four years of digital filmmaking. The move is stirring buzz just as the company's latest production, Brian DePalma's "Redacted," makes waves internationally this week after screenings in Venice, Telluride and now at the Toronto International Film Festival. Countering industry speculation that he has "pulled the plug" on the HDNet Films brand, Mark Cuban acknowledged the shift on Thursday saying that production and development at HDNet Films will be moved to 2929 Productions, his company with Todd Wagner. 2929's Marc Butan will run operations for the label, Cuban said. [ read more in Biz ] [ 1 comments ] [ filed under Companies, Lead Story, Toronto ]  TORONTO '07 DISCOVERY INTERVIEW: Shamim Sarif: "I think movie making is a bit like childbirth - when you see the end result, you begin to forget the pain."
Throughout the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival, indieWIRE will be publishing interviews with filmmakers in the Discovery section of the festival, which TIFF describes as a showcase for new and emerging filmmakers from contemporary international cinema. Fourteen filmmakers were given the opportunity to participate in an e-mail interview, and each was sent the same questions. Director Shamim Sarif is at Toronto with her feature film, "The World Unseen," which is about a rebellious young woman who lives in "a tightly knit community of South Asians in South Africa. Living in limbo between the stark racial poles of apartheid, they have carved out a delicate peace." [ read more in People ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Interviews, Toronto ] September 5, 2007 TORONTO '07 | Eating, Drinking, and Shopping in Toronto: An indieWIRE Insiders Guide
Tens of thousands of people will converge upon Canada's largest city over the next ten days or so for one of the world's largest film events, socializing and networking all over town. indieWIRE surveyed a group of Toronto locals and insiders about their favorites places to eat, drink, shop and chill, including some of our own tips from indieWIRE staffer (and former Torontonian) Peter Knegt. The results of our informal, subjective survey follow. We invite readers and TIFF attendees alike to discuss, dispute and react to the suggestions offered. Comments and corrections are invited at the end of this article, so go for it. We'll take another look at it next year. But until then, here's to a lively, productive and fun 10 days in Toronto. Insider tips and suggestions were provided by actress Tracy Wright, filmmaker and actor Jacob Tierney, film and theatre producer Brad Horvath, TIFF staffers Jennifer MacFarlane and Kelly Thompson, Lisa Clapperton of Banger Productions, local blogger Christopher Needles, graduate student Brian Fauteux, and Michael Gorman of Toronto-based Last Gang Records. [ read more in On The Scene ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Festival Dispatches, Lead Story, Toronto ] iW NEWS | THINKFilm Adopts "My Brother is an Only Child" for North America
North American rights to Daniele Luchetti's "My Brother is an Only Child" (Mio Fratello e Figlio Unico) have been acquired by THINKFilm with a planned March, 2008 theatrical release, Mark Urman, the company's theatrical division head announced Wednesday. The film, which will screen at the upcoming Toronto International Film Festival, was represented by THINKFilm International for worldwide sales in Cannes where it screened in the official selection. THINKFilm International Head of Sales, Eve Schoukroun, along with THINK executives Urman, Randy Manis and Ben Stambler sealed the arrangement with Marco Chimenz, who produced the film with Riccardo Tozzi and Giovanni Stabilini, his partners at Cattleya, their Rome-based film and TV production company. The film has earned $8.5 million at home in Italy. Set in a small Italian town in the '60s and '70s, the film tells the story of two brothers who want to change the world--but in completely different ways. The two polar opposite siblings find conflict against the backdrop of the turbulent era. [Brian Brooks] [permalink] [ filed under Acquisitions, Toronto ] August 27, 2007iW NEWS | Toronto Fest Names Bell Lightbox
In announcing the new name for its home and headquarters as Bell Lightbox, the Toronto International Film Festival Group (TIFFG) said Monday that it has raised a total of $137 million towards the $196 million campaign to fund the new building, an endowment and ongoing operating money. TIFFG said Monday that the new facility in downtown Toronto is expected to open in late '09 or early 2010. [Eugene Hernandez] [permalink] [ filed under Festivals, Toronto ] August 23, 2007NYT: Cue the Film Awards Season and Strike a Somber Note
Given the signals preceding next month's bellwether Toronto International Film Festival, party planners might want pick to up some black crepe to go with those red carpets in the movie awards season to come. A list of 20 gala presentations--announced Wednesday at a Toronto news conference introducing this year's lineup of 349 films--showed a skew toward markedly somber topics among Hollywood's offerings at the festival, which begins on Sept. 6. Michael Cieply reports. [permalink] [ filed under Festivals, Toronto ] Reuters: Vedder to perform at movie premiere in Toronto
Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder will perform at the world premiere of the documentary "Body of War" at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 11. "Body of War," directed by talk show legend Phil Donahue and Ellen Spiro, chronicles the travails of Tomas Young, who was paralyzed by a bullet during his first week of military service in Iraq. Jonathan Cohen reported for Billboard appearing in Reuters. [permalink] [ filed under Festivals, Toronto ] August 22, 2007 TORONTO '07 | Fest Set With 349 Film Slate; Cowan Unveils Serious, Political 32nd TIFF
349 films from 55 countries are set for the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival, organizers are revealing this morning in Canada. "There is a lot of soul-searching and a lot of extremely gifted, overwhelmingly passionate cinema in the festival this year, TIFF co-director Noah Cowan told indieWIRE in a conversation yesterday. "These are filmmakers who are out to transform the way we see the world, they are out to make a difference." As previously announced, the event will kick-off with Canadian Jeremy Podeswa's "Fugitive Pieces" on September 6th and close with Paolo Barzman's "Emotional Arithmetic" on September 15th. [ rea |