Though far from a complete slate, the 17 galas and 48 special presentations announced run the expected gamut from Oscar hopefuls to blockbuster world premieres, leaving TIFF once again poised for a crackerjack year.
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The Magnificent Seven is presented by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and Columbia Pictures in association with LStar Capital and Village Roadshow Pictures.
In a morning press conference at the TIFF Bell Lightbox, festival co-directors Piers Handling and Cameron Bailey read out the titles of 68 features that will be screening in Toronto this year, mixing world premieres with well-received Cannes and Sundance titles.
In ‘Queen of Katwe, ‘ directed by Mira Nair, David Oyelowo and Lupita Nyong’o star in the real-life story of Ugandan chess prodigy Phiona Mutesi.
The 10-day festival, now in its 41st year, has become a launching pad for Hollywood’s award season, with films such as “12 Years a Slave”, “The King’s Speech” and “Slumdog Millionaire” all gaining critical momentum in Toronto before going on to win the Academy Awards for best picture.
Also revealed Tuesday, this year’s Toronto film festival will open with Antoine Fuqua’s “The Magnificent Seven”, a star-studded remake of the 1960s ensemble western that puts Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt and Ethan Hawke into the saddle.
“Whiplash” director Damien Chazelle is back at the festival with “La La Land”, a musical starring Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling. Past year distributors behind what would be two of the bigger seasonal breakouts, “Room” and eventual best pic victor “Spotlight”, opted to screen at Telluride and take a post-weekend slot.
– Rob Reiner directs “LBJ“, starring Harrelson as president Lyndon B. Johnson and Jennifer Jason Leigh as his wife Lady Bird Johnson.
Along with “Birth”, Oscar talk is already in the air about Jeff Nichol’s civil rights drama, “Loving”, a film centered around an interracial romance starring Joel Edgerton and Ruth Negga.
“Ryan Gosling singing and dancing – does it get any better?” said Handling. Ole?!: “A Trip Across Latin America” from director Paul Dugdale.
Toronto is also giving red carpet treatment to Weinstein Co.’s Lion, from director Garth Davis and starring Rooney Mara, Nicole Kidman and Dev Patel; A Monster Calls, starring Felicity Jones and directed by J.A. Bayona; Katherine Dieckmann’s US deep south drama Strange Weather, starring Holly Hunter; and Jim Sheridan’s The Secret Scripture, headlined by Rooney Mara, Theo James and Jack Reynor.
Christopher Guest’s comedy Mascots, set in the supercompetitive world of sports mascots, reuniting the mockumentarian with his laugh troupers Fred Willard, Jane Lynch, Parker Posey, Jennifer Coolidge, Bob Balaban, Harry Shearer and Ed Begley Jr.
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The event will close with the world premiere of The Edge of Seventeen, a film about a young girl’s coming of age in which Harrelson also appears alongside True Grit’s Hailee Steinfeld.
