The Toronto International Film Festival is fast approaching, and, as seems to be tradition with TIFF, the titles making their appearances on the schedule continue to be a spoil of riches.
The AU Review will be on the ground this year covering the festival for another year, and today we’re continuing our look at spotlight titles we have added to our viewing wish list.
Making its Canadian Premiere as part of the festival’s Centerpiece program is Aneil Karia‘s Hamlet, starring Riz Ahmed, Art Malik, Sheeba Chadha, Joe Alwyn, Mordfydd Clark and Timothy Spall.
A contemporary adaptation of Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet’ set in a wealthy British Indian family. Hamlet returns home for his father’s funeral and is shocked to learn that his uncle Claudius will now marry his widowed mother. When his father’s ghost reveals that Claudius murdered him, Hamlet becomes consumed by revenge, questioning the corruption at the heart of the family’s business, and his own sanity.
A World Premiere in the Gala Presentations line-up, Nuremberg, which comes courtesy of writer/director James Vanderbilt (who has penned the screenplays to such films as Zodiac, The Amazing Spider-Man, and the fifth and sixth Scream films), brings together an all-star cast, including Academy Award winners Russell Crowe and Rami Malek, as well as Michael Shannon, Leo Woodall, Richard E. Grant, John Slattery, Mark O’Brien, Colin Hanks, Lydia Peckham and Wrenn Schmidt.
The Allies, led by the unyielding chief prosecutor, Robert H. Jackson (Shannon), have the task of ensuring the Nazi regime answers for the unveiled horrors of the Holocaust while a US Army psychiatrist (Malek) is locked in a dramatic psychological duel with former Reichsmarschall Herman Göring (Crowe).
Another World Premiere is the gripping, genre-bending debut thriller from filmmaker Ted Evans, Retreat, which will leave audiences guessing — and feeling unsettled — until the final frame.
The people of Chilmark have chosen to live separately from the hearing world. They are deaf but they don’t use that term – that is a label, created by hearing society. When Eva arrives at Chilmark, she is looking to escape her old life and reframe her identity. Upon arriving, Eva befriends Matt who has lived at Chilmark since he was a child and as she starts to shed the damage caused by the outside world, she triggers a need in Matt to experience life on the outside. As Eva finds a new home and community, Matt pleads with Mia, Chilmark’s leader, to be allowed to travel. When he is denied, Matt begins his own journey of discovery and the secrets behind Chilmark lead him to question everything about himself and his community.
A humble Toronto run of the hippie musical Godspell and how it became an historic incubator for modern comedy serves as the focus for You Had to Be There: How the Toronto Godspell Ignited the Comedy Revolution…, Nick Davis‘s high-spirited documentary, which features such participants as Valda Aviks, Avril Chown, Jayne Eastwood, Victor Garber, Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin, Don Scardino, Paul Shaffer, Martin Short, Stephen Schwartz, Dave Thomas and Rudy Webb.
And joining You Had to Be There in the World Premiere program is another Canadian-specific narrative, Youngblood, starring Ashton James, Blair Underwood, Shawn Doyle, Alexandra McDonald, Henri Picard, Donald MacLean Jr., Olunike Adeliyi, Emidio Lopes and Tamara Podemski.
When hockey prodigy Dean Youngblood joins the Hamilton Mustangs, he must face off against toxic behavior on the ice, and within himself, to fulfill his promise and seize a shot at being drafted into the National Hockey League.
Following its acclaimed premiere at this year’s Sundance, and most recently MIFF, Mary Bronstein‘s confronting If I Had Legs I’d Kick You will have its Canadian Premiere as part of the Special Presentations program.
With her life crashing down around her, Linda (an Oscar-worthy Rose Byrne) attempts to navigate her child’s mysterious illness, her absent husband, a missing person, and an increasingly hostile relationship with her therapist.
Another World Premiere, as well as screening as part of the Midnight Madness program, is the macabre Dust Bunny, which serves as the feature debut from acclaimed television showrunner Bryan Fuller (Dead Like Me, Heroes, Hannibal), and tells of a 10-year-old girl who procures the services of a hit man (Mads Mikkelsen) to kill the monster under her bed.
Producer Dan Levy (Schitt’s Creek) and director Ally Pankiw (I Used To Be Funny) unite for the documentary Lilith Fair: Building A Mystery, a galvanizing documentary that ventures behind the scenes of Sarah McLachlan’s legendary all-women music festival and features interviews with performers including Bonnie Raitt, Erykah Badu, Olivia Rodrigo, and Emmylou Harris.
And one of the biggest titles premiering this year is Roofman, screening as part of the Gala Presentations program. Starring Channing Tatum, Kirsten Dunst, Peter Dinklage, Uzo Aduba, Ben Mendelsohn, LaKeith Stanfield, Juno Temple, Melonie Diaz, Molly Price, Lily Collias, Emory Cohen, Tony Revolori, and Punkie Johnson, this wildly entertaining true-crime drama from Oscar-nominated director Derek Cianfrance (TIFF ’10’s Blue Valentine) tells the story of Jeffrey Manchester, the “Rooftop Robber,” and his efforts to evade capture.
Running between September 4th and 14th this year, the Toronto International Film Festival will celebrate its 50th edition alongside the best of Canadian and Global cinema. We’re so excited here that we’re on the birthday guest list! For more information on TIFF titles and ticket information, head to the official TIFF site here, and keep an eye out on The AU Review for the latest reviews as the festival rolls out.
