More Fall Festival Happenings!
Thursday, August 2, 2018 at 8:30AM 
Chris here with more news for the fall festivals! We're counting down the days until Nathaniel and I are in Toronto, and TIFF just announced all of their Canadian titles to be seen at the festival. Most notorious among them is the delayed Xavier Dolan film The Death and Life of John F. Donovan, which will be a world premiere. Producers had previously noted that the film would be likely for the fall fests, but it's post-production woes made those comments a bit in flux. Regardless, we are very curious to see Dolan's first English language effort and his bursting cast that includes Jacob Tremblay, Natalie Portman, and Kit Harrington (but not Jessica Chastain, left to the cutting room floor).
Another noteworthy announcement is that the New York Film Festival has chosen its closing film: Julian Schnabel's Venice-bound Van Gogh biopic starring Willem Dafoe At Eternity's Gate. The film joins that fest's opening night The Favourite and centerpiece Roma, which will each play other festivals. It had been unclear in the past few months if the film would be released in time for the 20189 Oscar season but CBS films looks to open the film in November. Can we bank on Dafoe as one of our Best Actor sure things this year? And could Schnabel return after The Diving Bell and the Butterfly got so close to Oscar?
Reader Comments (5)
Looks like NYFF learned from their world premieres last year - last flag flying and wonder wheel - which no one cared about. This year it looks like thay are going for quality for the 3 main slots even if the films are premiering elsewhere first.
Dafoe could go either way but he was much more deserving than the eventual victor last year plus he has only ever said nice things about Madonna and that's hard to come by lately.
Another question about At Eternity's Gate - Will this finally bring Oscar Isaac his long-due first Oscar nomination? I'd have nominated him for Inside Llewyn Davis, A Most Violent Year, and Ex Machina. Anyway, I am very eager to see both this and Dolan's film.
Has Sarandon soured her chances of securing another nod from the Academy? I hope there's something nominate-able in Bates' work for Dolan because she's not happening for that cheap biopic about Ruth.
Whoever cast Dafoe as Van Gogh has quite the artistic eye. I so wish he had won last year.