More Galas and Special Presentations at TIFF 2018

Outlaw King

Unlike the Cannes Film Festival which made Netflix persona non grata, Toronto International Film Festival has decided open the 43rd edition with the streaming service production of Outlaw King; the epic period drama is directed by David Mackenzie and stars Chris Pine as 14th century Scottish hero Robert de Bruce who rebels against the English crown.  “The Festival is the perfect launch pad for our realistic epic, and we are delighted to be the first Scottish film ever to open Toronto,” stated Mackenzie in a press release.  “I cannot imagine a better place to have our World Premiere. Scotland and Canada’s histories are bound together, forged in the crucible of the struggles of history, bringing this day an affinity and sensibility that I hope will translate to a profound, visceral, and riotously entertaining experience.”

What You Gonna Do When the World’s on Fire?

The Outlaw King is among the four Galas and 22 Special Presentations that have been added to the festival lineup with World Premieres from Sebastián Lelio, Maryam Keshavarz, Louis Garrel, Sam Taylor-Johnson, Peter Farrelly, Thomas Vinterberg, Chanya Button, Veena Sud, and Jonah Hill.  Highlights include Norwegian massacre aftermath 22 July by Paul Greengrass, sexual reorientation Boy Erased by Joel Edgerton, comedy romance A Faithful Man by Louis Garrel, 1950s drama Tell It to the Bees by Annabel Jankel, meditative Vision by Naomi Kawase, and separated sister thriller The Quietude by Pablo Trapero.

22 July

48 films from 30 different countries with a strong representation from Latin America and Eastern Europe are part of the Contemporary World Cinema programme.   Returning filmmakers include Belmonte by Federico Veiroj, The Other Story by Avi Nesher, Stupid Young Heart by Selma Vilhunen, Quién te Cantará by Carlos Vermut, and Look at Me by Nejib Belkadhi.  Other titles of interest are Before the Frost by Michael Noer, Border by Ali Abbasi, Ext. Night by Ahmad Abdalla, Let Me Fall by Baldvin Zophoníasson, and Sew the Winter to My Skin by Jahmil X.T. Qubeka.

Border

Experimental cinema is celebrated with contributions from Jodie Mack, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Wang Bing, Laida Lertxundi, Richard Billingham, Ulrich Köhler, Ben Rivers, Helena Wittmann, Mariano Llinás, Elena López Riera, Sergei Loznitsa, Lawrence Abu Hamdan, and Roberto Minervini. “Films range from one minute to 14 hours in formats that include 16mm, 35mm, 70mm, and digital, offering sensual dives into fiction, structural abstraction, and uncompromising documentaries,” remarked TIFF Wavelengths Programmer Andréa Picard. “While the term ‘avant-garde’ may hold less meaning today or ring suspicious, it is nevertheless clear that filmmakers and artists continue to expand cinema’s aesthetic and expressive possibilities and are willing to take great risks, ensuring vibrancy in the artform.”

The Grand Bizarre

Closing the festivities will be Jeremiah Terminator LeRoy by Justin Kelly and featuring the acting talents of Laura Dern and Kristen Stewart; the adaptation of the memoir by  Savannah Knoop chronicles a literary hoax which involves a nom de plume and an impersonation.  “With Jeremiah Terminator LeRoy, Justin Kelly brings to the screen a truly unbelievable story that captivated a nation,” stated TIFF Artistic Director Cameron Bailey.  “The storytelling is powerful and the characters are vivid, really evoking the idea that you have to see it to believe it.”

Jeremiah Terminator LeRoy

For more information visit the official website for TIFF.  The 43rd Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 6 to 16, 2018.

Trevor Hogg is a freelance video editor and writer who currently resides in Canada; he can be found at LinkedIn.

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