TIFF Day 6 – Professor Marston, Loving Pablo, Mudbound

We are more than halfway through the Toronto International Film Festival now and thankfully the screening days (for some of us) are getting a little shorter!  Tuesday there were only two “premium” screenings to be had.  In TIFF language, premium screenings are often given to galas at Roy Thomson Hall, or to film premieres with significant star power.  However, that didn’t mean there weren’t a few aces up their sleeve.

The film Professor Marston & The Wonder Women premiered at the Princess of Wales Theatre Tuesday evening.  The film, directed by Angela Robinson, follows the unconventional love story surrounding the creation of Wonder Woman.  The cast has amazing chemistry and includes Luke Evans, Bella Heathcote, and Rebecca Hall.  Hall was understandably absent.  Her father, Sir Peter Hall, founder of the Royal Shakespeare Company, passed away Monday at the age of 86.  Director Robinson sent her best wishes to the family prior to the screening.

After this film, Loving Pablo had its premiere with fans hopeful for a glimpse of stars Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem (who was also in town for the premiere of mother!).  Cruz was, unfortunately, a no show, however Bardem seemed to do double time with fans to make up for it (including one photo op beside a ‘Penelope’ sign).  The film follows the story of the woman who falls for the infamous Pablo Escobar.

There were also two gala presentations Tuesday evening.  The first was Mudbound, starring Carey Mulligan, Jason Clarke, Mary J. Blige and Jason Mitchell.  Directed by Dee Rees, Mudbound is an adaptation of a novel by Hillary Jordan about racial tensions in the south during the 1940s.  After this gala, Hollywood royalty in the form of Annette Bening and Warren Beatty walked the red carpet for the premiere of Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool.  Also starring Jamie Bell (who had wife Kate Mara with him on the red carpet), the movie accounts a romance between Peter Turner and Gloria Grahame in the last years of her life.

Other premiers on Tuesday included In the Fade with Diane Kruger and The Escape with Gemma Arterton and Dominic Cooper.  As part of the Prime Time programme this year, which focuses on television, producer Sarah Polley, actress Sarah Gadon and acclaimed author Margaret Atwood, who wrote the novel on which the show is based, were on hand at a press conference to support their work. They premiere the first two episodes on Thursday.

The Toronto International Film Festival continues until September 17th.  Information on the films as well as tickets can be found on tiff.net

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