Our top choices for TIFF 2010:
Loading ... | indieWIRE - 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.”… [Full Story] |
Archive for 2007
IFC Gets Guy Maddin Film in Toronto – indieWIRE
Friday, September 14th, 2007
indieWIRE - 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… [Full Story]
Colin Farrell’s shopping spree — for a homeless man – Reuters Blogs
Friday, September 14th, 2007
Reuters Blogs - Celebrities at the Toronto International Film Festival are known to hit the shops in the city’s upscale Yorkville neighborhood — but Colin Farrell’s shopping spree to help a homeless man had photographers and TV crews scrambling after an unconventional target and newspapers raving about the Irish actor’s generosity.
Farrell, who’s film ”Cassandra’s Dream” premiered at the festival this week, took a man who goes by the name “Stress” on a shopping spree worth about $2000 at a store that sells outdoor gear, according to local media.
The store owner said Farrell told him to help Stress get anything he wanted and only the best. Purchases included a sleeping bag, a backpack, waterproof jackets, pants, boots and socks.
The pair later went to a bank machine where Farrell took out about $800 which would cover the first and last month’s rent of a room… [Full Story]
Christopher Plummer not a fan of 'the piranha fish' at film festivals – The Canadian Press
Friday, September 14th, 2007
CTV.caThe Canadian Press, TORONTO - Veteran Canadian actor Christopher Plummer has arrived at the Toronto International Film Festival at the ideal time.
His two movies, “Closing the Ring” and “Emotional Arithmetic,” were slotted with galas at the tail end of the 10-day event when most of the industry types are gone, allowing the actor to skirt much of the festival fanfare that he despises.
“This is not good for publicity (but) I’m going to say it anyway – the crowd that surrounds a film festival are kind of the piranha fish that follow the shark and you never see them for the rest of the year, thank God,” Plummer, 77, said Friday in an interview.
“They’re the entourage, the hangers-on, the people that suddenly a festival attracts, and they’re a whole other group. I’m not talking about the deal makers (or fans), I’m talking about the crowd that surrounds them, and that’s depressing because it can ruin places like the South of France (where the Cannes Festival is held).”… [Full Story]
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• Susan Sarandon and Max von Sydow Oscar-worthy in 'Emotional … - CTV.ca
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Finely tuned publicity machine tries to bring order to film … – The Canadian Press
Friday, September 14th, 2007
Jam! ShowbizThe Canadian Press, TORONTO - Launching a movie is all about buzz – and this week the Toronto International Film Festival has been buzz central.
Hundreds of publicists and journalists flooded into the city as nearly 350 titles chased the media spotlight.
Junkets, roundtables, one-on-ones, tight deadlines – it’s enough to send even the most experienced professionals into a tizzy.
Films with a planned North American release are at the festival “mostly to junket and be on the launch pad for the various awards and their upcoming release,” said Giulia Filippelli, director of the festival’s sales and industry office… [Full Story]
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• It's a wrap, eh? Check out our run down of what was tops and tails … - CTV.ca
• 'Reservation Road' spotlights sombre mood in America - CTV.ca
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TIFF Interview: ‘King of California’ Star Michael Douglas – Cinematical
Friday, September 14th, 2007
Cinematical - He’s glorified greed, fended off a psycho ex-girlfriend and even served as president of the United States — but at heart, Michael Douglas has always been plain ol’ crazy. In King of California, a festival crowd-pleaser from first-time director Mike Cahill, Douglas is Charlie, who’s just been released from a mental institution and is convinced that there’s Spanish treasure buried under the local Costco; Evan Rachel Wood, as his teenaged daughter, plays Dulcinea to his Don Quixote. Though Douglas has always excelled at playing characters who are slightly unhinged (as Kim Voynar notes in her review), Charlie is what you’d call certifiable, and in a way this role brings Douglas back full circle — he did, after all, launch his movie career by producing an indie about nutjobs called One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. After endearing himself forever to this interviewer by chatting at length about the finer points of Cal football (go Bears!), Douglas spoke easily about his attitudes on directing, his lovely co-star and his recent return to madness… [Full Story]
‘Orphanage’ leads Spanish Oscar race – Variety
Friday, September 14th, 2007
indieWIRE - Juan Antonio Bayona’s “The Orphanage,” Emilio Martinez Lazaro’s “13 Roses” and Jose Luis Garci’s “Luz de domingo” have made the Spanish Academy’s three-film shortlist for its foreign-language Oscar entry. Spain’s candidate will be announced Sept. 27.
If the vote runs true to form, it could see Guillermo del Toro once more involved with a foreign language Oscar contender. Del Toro godfathered “Orphanage,” which is the front-runner to be the Spanish flag holder.
Unlike the other two titles, the Rodar y Rodar/Telecinco Cinema-produced child ghoul thriller boasts a distinguished international career. It was picked up at Berlin by Picturehouse for U.S. distribution, and has been sold near on worldwide by France’s Wild Bunch. It also played Cannes Critics’ Week. New Line is in advanced negotiations for an English-language remake… [Full Story]
Midnight movies draw crowds to hoot and holler – Canada.com
Friday, September 14th, 2007
Canada.comCanada.com, Canada - Blood and gore, rock and roll, naked men wrestling, killer sheep, “general freakdom,” and an audience that hoots and hollers its way through a movie are par for the course at midnight screenings here.
The Midnight Madness program of the Toronto International Film Festival, now in its 20th year, has proved that only one thing is certain: anything goes at the witching hour shows.
Originally conceived as a way to win a younger audience, the program is now the last stop for many festival goers after a full day of more “conventional” cinema. It’s also a first stop for aficionados of off-beat, politically incorrect, or out-and-out gross movies.
“This is where you become a cool kid because you can see a film that in two months to a year everyone is going to be talking about,” said series programmer Colin Geddes, who must narrow down choices from around the world to just 10 films… [Full Story]
Weinsteins find ‘Joy’ with docu buy – The Hollywood Reporter
Friday, September 14th, 2007
The Hollywood Reporter - The Weinstein Co. acquired North American rights late Thursday to director Grant Gee’s music documentary “Joy Division” for a price in the low- to mid-six figures.
The chronological account of the influential late 1970s English rock band screened late last week at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Endeavor Independent, which had three of the biggest sales at last year’s Toronto fest — “Rescue Dawn,” “El Cantante,” which it co-repped with William Morris Independent, and “You Kill Me,” which it co-repped with ICM — repped the sale for the “Joy” filmmakers… [Full Story]
A Film that Explores how History Affects our Present – The Epoch Times Ireland
Friday, September 14th, 2007
The Epoch Times IrelandThe Epoch Times Ireland, Ireland - Robert Thalheim is a young and talented German director, most famous for his film “Netto” (2005), that won numerous European awards. “And Along Come Tourists” is his new film which garnered distinction at this past year’s Cannes Film Festival and just recently premiered in North America on September 12, at the Toronto International Film Festival.
And Along Come Tourists follows a young German named Sven (Alexander Fehling), who chooses to perform civil service in Auschwitz, Poland, where a museum commemorates one of the most infamous WW II concentration camps. He faces old misunderstandings and new experiences rooted in the history of the Holocaust. In more ways than one the film is about learning from history, preserving it, and moving on to live at present with respect for the lessons learned… [Full Story]
IFC Gets Guy Maddin Film in Toronto – indieWIRE
Friday, September 14th, 2007 | indieWIRE - 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… [Full Story] |
Colin Farrell’s shopping spree — for a homeless man – Reuters Blogs
Friday, September 14th, 2007 | Reuters Blogs - Celebrities at the Toronto International Film Festival are known to hit the shops in the city’s upscale Yorkville neighborhood — but Colin Farrell’s shopping spree to help a homeless man had photographers and TV crews scrambling after an unconventional target and newspapers raving about the Irish actor’s generosity. |
Christopher Plummer not a fan of 'the piranha fish' at film festivals – The Canadian Press
Friday, September 14th, 2007CTV.ca | The Canadian Press, TORONTO - Veteran Canadian actor Christopher Plummer has arrived at the Toronto International Film Festival at the ideal time. Related Articles |
Finely tuned publicity machine tries to bring order to film … – The Canadian Press
Friday, September 14th, 2007Jam! Showbiz | The Canadian Press, TORONTO - Launching a movie is all about buzz – and this week the Toronto International Film Festival has been buzz central. Related Articles |
TIFF Interview: ‘King of California’ Star Michael Douglas – Cinematical
Friday, September 14th, 2007 | Cinematical - He’s glorified greed, fended off a psycho ex-girlfriend and even served as president of the United States — but at heart, Michael Douglas has always been plain ol’ crazy. In King of California, a festival crowd-pleaser from first-time director Mike Cahill, Douglas is Charlie, who’s just been released from a mental institution and is convinced that there’s Spanish treasure buried under the local Costco; Evan Rachel Wood, as his teenaged daughter, plays Dulcinea to his Don Quixote. Though Douglas has always excelled at playing characters who are slightly unhinged (as Kim Voynar notes in her review), Charlie is what you’d call certifiable, and in a way this role brings Douglas back full circle — he did, after all, launch his movie career by producing an indie about nutjobs called One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. After endearing himself forever to this interviewer by chatting at length about the finer points of Cal football (go Bears!), Douglas spoke easily about his attitudes on directing, his lovely co-star and his recent return to madness… [Full Story] |
‘Orphanage’ leads Spanish Oscar race – Variety
Friday, September 14th, 2007 | indieWIRE - Juan Antonio Bayona’s “The Orphanage,” Emilio Martinez Lazaro’s “13 Roses” and Jose Luis Garci’s “Luz de domingo” have made the Spanish Academy’s three-film shortlist for its foreign-language Oscar entry. Spain’s candidate will be announced Sept. 27. |
Midnight movies draw crowds to hoot and holler – Canada.com
Friday, September 14th, 2007Canada.com | Canada.com, Canada - Blood and gore, rock and roll, naked men wrestling, killer sheep, “general freakdom,” and an audience that hoots and hollers its way through a movie are par for the course at midnight screenings here. |
Weinsteins find ‘Joy’ with docu buy – The Hollywood Reporter
Friday, September 14th, 2007 | The Hollywood Reporter - The Weinstein Co. acquired North American rights late Thursday to director Grant Gee’s music documentary “Joy Division” for a price in the low- to mid-six figures. |
A Film that Explores how History Affects our Present – The Epoch Times Ireland
Friday, September 14th, 2007The Epoch Times Ireland | The Epoch Times Ireland, Ireland - Robert Thalheim is a young and talented German director, most famous for his film “Netto” (2005), that won numerous European awards. “And Along Come Tourists” is his new film which garnered distinction at this past year’s Cannes Film Festival and just recently premiered in North America on September 12, at the Toronto International Film Festival. |
