TIFF, now in its 40th year, will take over the centre of the city, with street car service re-routed to accommodate the red carpets and festivities.
It begins this evening with the inaugural benefit gala by AMBI supporting Prince Albert of Monaco’s Foundation and Cinema. The Four Season’s Hotel in Toronto will be the setting for some very high-profile mingling with people such as Angelica Houston, Heidi Klum and James Franco attending, and a performance by Diana Ross,
This year’s TIFF will welcome the stars and the stargazers for some North American premieres, such as ‘The Dressmaker’, starring Kate Winslet and Liam Hemsworth, and ‘The Martian’, a Ridley Scott extravaganza with a star-studded cast, including Matt Damon, Kristin Wigg, and Jessica Chastain.
Some of the Canadian films to debut are Patricia Rozema’s ‘Into the Forest’ starring Ellen Page and Evan Rachel Wood, ‘Ninth Floor’ directed by Mina Shum, which is about the riots at Sir George Williams University in Montreal in 1969, and the documentary version of the best-selling book, ‘This Changes Everything’ written by Naomi Klein and produced by partner Avi Lewis. There’s also political satire from Philippe Falardeau with ‘My Internship in Canada’, and Paul Gross’s new film ‘Hyena Road’. And long-time film writer, Brian D, Johnson, returns to TIFF with his documentary, ‘Al Purdy Was Here’ about the much-loved Canadian poet.
Jean Marc Vallee’s latest film, ‘Demolition’ has its world premier as the opening film of the festival tomorrow evening.
There was some disappointment with the withdrawal of the documentary, ‘Amazing Grace’. The footage, shot by film maker Sydney Pollack in 1972 during the recording of Aretha Franklin’s album, also called ‘Amazing Grace’, one of the best-selling gospel records of all time. The film was withdrawn at Ms. Franklin’s request.
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