by Nathaniel R
TIFF is around the corner y'all. Excited we are since it means the prestige film season and another round of Oscar madness is about to begin. For the first time TIFF has allowed The Film Experience two press passes so Chris Feil and Nathaniel R (that's me) will both be covering in real time for the whole fest from September 6th through the 16th. Today TIFF has announced the 47 films that will be featured in their Galas and Special Presentations sections. These are the two sections wherein you'll usually find the mainstream awards hopefuls shoulder-to-shoulder with more traditional festival fare and world cinema premieres. TIFF usually has hundreds of films so this is just the first announcement.
The full list containing masterpieces and duds and everything inbetween (though we won't know which-is-which-is-which until we see them) is after the jump!
GALAS
Beautiful Boy | Felix van Groeningen, USA
World Premiere
We've already discussed the trailer. Broken Circle Breakdown, Groeningen's biggest hit to date, was so emotionally raw that we're expecting wrenching performances at the very least.
Everybody Knows | Asghar Farhadi, Spain/France/Italy
North American Premiere
Asgar Farhadi's latest opened Cannes but the response was somewhat muted. Still Cannes is not always the end run for awards hopefuls. Cannes is such a particular frame of mind that many films have a different response when they're seen elsewhere. And Oscar loves Farhadi's work. He's already won the foreign language film Oscar twice.
First Man | Damien Chazelle, USA
Canadian Premiere
Chazelle has to be considered a major Oscar threat (again) this year for the true story of the moon landing. We've recently discussed the trailer. It's not a world premiere because First Man is opening the Venice Film Festival.
Galveston | Mélanie Laurent, USA
Canadian Premiere
The Hate U Give | George Tillman, Jr., USA
World Premiere
Hidden Man | Jiang Wen, China
International Premiere
High Life | Claire Denis, Germany/France/Poland/United Kingdom
World Premiere
Robert Pattinson and Juliette Binoche reteam (remember their scene in Cosmopolis?) for this sci-fi film from genius Denis. It's her first English language film.
Husband Material | Anurag Kashyap, India
World Premiere
The Kindergarten Teacher | Sara Colangelo, USA
Canadian Premiere
This drama, an English language remake of an Israeli picture, played Sundance and won attention for Maggie Gyllenhaal's reportedly tremendous star turn.
The Land of Steady Habits | Nicole Holofcener, USA
World Premiere
Nicole Holofcener returns. YAAAAAAS. Love love love all of her movies thus far. This one stars Ben Mendelhson (her first male protagonist!) with Edie Falco and Connie Britton. Mysteriously Holofcener's typical muse Catherine Keener is missing.
Life Itself | Dan Fogelman, USA
World Premiere
The Public | Emilio Estevez, USA
World Premiere
Red Joan | Sir Trevor Nunn, United Kingdom
World Premiere
This is the one where Dame Judi Dench is playing a real life figure who was the KGB's longest serving spy in London. Sophie Cookson plays Joan as a younger woman.
Shadow | Zhang Yimou , China
North American Premiere
Yimou has made masterpieces (Raise the Red Lantern), terrific action films (House of Flying Daggers, Hero) and duds (The Great Wall) so who knows? but lately the films have not had the same affect (The Great Wall?) This one is about a multi-character violent drama set during the Three Kingdoms era in China. Jun Hu, Chao Deng, Ryan Zheng, and Li Sun lead the cast.
A Star is Born | Bradley Cooper, USA
North American Premiere
I've become totally fascinated with early reactions to this film (and especially amused by people who think they already know its Oscar fate) and loved the trailer. I know that this is a case where regular audiences reaction is going to mean more than usual. If it's a big hit (which it could very well be) I'd expect major Oscar play. If it's not a big hit, only a nod here or there. The critics decide this one; it's too mainstream a cultural artifact, trotted out every few generations with new stars, for audience favor/obsession/rejection to not matter.
What They Had | Elizabeth Chomko, USA
International Premiere
Hilary Swank and Michael Shannon star as the adult children of Robert Forster and Blythe Danner (her character is suffering from Alzheimers). I always hope Gwyneth Paltrow watches these movies and thinks she could play Blythe's daughter better.
Widows | Steve McQueen, United Kingdom/USA
World Premiere
Another film, like A Star is Born, that could become huge with audiences. We previously discussed the trailer. Steve McQueen has only made three feature films before this but all of them (Hunger, Shame, 12 Years a Slave) were tremendous. A note of curiousity: This is McQueen's first film without his previous muse Michael Fassbender. Is it too much to hope that they've just been hiding an uncredited Fassbender cameo?
SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS
Ben is Back | Peter Hedges, USA
World Premiere
Julia Roberts stars with Lucas Hedges as her titular son who is in big trouble of some kind. This strikes me as an inspired actor pairing but I worry since I disliked Pieces of April (Hedges directorial debut).
Burning | Lee Chang-dong, South Korea
North American Premiere
Can You Ever Forgive Me? | Marielle Heller, USA
International Premiere
We've been seeing the trailer to this film starring Melissa McCarthy and Richard E Grant for ages. Heller's debut was really something but this one looks curiously muted in both color palette and comedy. We'll see it and hope for the best!
Capernaum | Nadine Labaki, Lebanon
North American Premiere
Cold War | Paweł Pawlikowski, Poland/United Kingdom/France
Canadian Premiere
These two films, Capernaum and Cold War, debuted at Cannes and are both considered major threats to this year's Foreign Language Film Oscar should they make it to the nominations (the process is complicated and allows for many surprises as you all know).
Colette | Wash Westmoreland, United Kingdom
Canadian Premiere
Keira Knightley stars as the iconoclast author
Dogman | Matteo Garrone, Italy/France
Canadian Premiere
A hit at Cannes from the director of Gomorrah.
The Front Runner | Jason Reitman, USA
International Premiere
Hugh Jackman plays disgraced politician Gary Hart.
Giant Little Ones | Keith Behrman, Canada
World Premiere
Maria Bello and Kyle Machlachlan star as the parents of Josh Wiggins in this drama
Girls of the Sun | Eva Husson, France
International Premiere
Another hit from Cannes
Hotel Mumbai | Anthony Maras, Australia
World Premiere
About a terrorist attack in Mumbai with Dev Patel (who might have a great fest since this isn't his only picture) and Armie Hammer
The Hummingbird Project | Kim Nguyen, Canada
World Premiere
If Beale Street Could Talk | Barry Jenkins, USA
World Premiere
Barry Jenkins struck gold with Moonlight but that's going to be a tough act to follow! Will this James Baldwin adaptation do it?
Manto | Nandita Das, India
North American Premiere
Maya | Mia Hansen-Løve, France
World Premiere
Monsters and Men | Reinaldo Marcus Green, USA
Canadian Premiere
MOUTHPIECE | Patricia Rozema, Canada
World Premiere - Special Presentations Opening Film
Non-Fiction | Olivier Assayas, France
Canadian Premiere
Old Man & the Gun | David Lowery, USA
International Premiere
Robert Redford reteams with his Pete's Dragon director.
Papi Chulo | John Butler, Ireland
World Premiere
Roma | Alfonso Cuarón, Mexico/USA
Canadian Premiere
Netflix's potential awards giant this year.
Shoplifters | Hirokazu Kore-eda, Japan
Canadian Premiere - Special Presentations Closing Film
Critics loved this film at Cannes.
The Sisters Brothers | Jacques Audiard, USA/France/Romania/Spain
North American Premiere
Jacques Audiard makes his first English language film and it's a western comedy? This looks so strange but we're excited for it. The absence of actresses makes us twitchy, though.
Sunset | László Nemes, Hungary/France
North American Premiere
Nemes sophomore film after his Oscar winning concentration-camp drama Son of Saul. Female lead this time in a film about a miliner searching for answers about her past (or some such). The synopsis is vague.
Through Black Spruce | Don McKellar, Canada
World Premiere
The Wedding Guest | Michael Winterbottom, United Kingdom
World Premiere
Dev Patel stars as a "a mysterious young British muslim man". Hmmm. Dev Patel doesn't read very mysterious to me but hopefully the work in Lion recently signals surprising performances to come.
The Weekend | Stella Meghie, USA
World Premiere
Where Hands Touch | Amma Asante, United Kingdom
World Premiere
Asante always chooses such provocative topics. I keep hoping the filmmaking will be provocative, too. But so far nope. But I will try to see this one about a black German teenager who falls in love with a member of the Hitler Youth.
White Boy Rick | Yann Demange, USA
International Premiere
I personally loved Demange's first feature, '71, so I don't know why I'm not more excited for this. Is it the stills of with the overexposed Matthew McConaughey with greasy hair? Or the fact that it's yet another FBI drug/crime drama.
Wildlife | Paul Dano, USA
Canadian Premiere
This Sundance drama is expected to put Carey Mulligan in contention for Best Actress. We previously discussed the trailer.
WHICH OF THESE 47 FILMS ARE YOU MOST EXCITED TO HEAR ABOUT?