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TIFF Galas & Special Presentations Lineup Includes World Premieres From Angelina Jolie, Mike Leigh, Gia Coppola; Starry Pics With Jennifer Lopez, Lily James, Dave Bautista; Int’l Premieres ‘Conclave’ & ‘Piece By Piece’, More
By Anthony D'Alessandro,
1 day ago
The 49th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival announced its full lineup of Galas and Special Presentations today in what is a complete embarrassment of riches as the event blasts off after last year’s actors strike with 29 titles having rights for sale.
Among those movies making their world premieres is the Angelina Jolie-directed war drama Without Blood, starring Salma Hayek and Demián Bichir, based on the Alessandro Baricco novel. There’s also Mike Leigh’s first movie in six years, Hard Truths, with Marianne Jean-Baptiste, which is billed as an “ongoing exploration of the contemporary world with a tragicomic study of human strengths and weaknesses.”
Gia Coppola has the Dave Bautista-Jamie Lee Curtis-Kiernan Shipka-Billie Lourd drama The Last Showgirl, which follows a seasoned stage dancer who must plan for her future when her show abruptly closes after a 30-year run.
Among the feature directorial debuts at the fest, there’s Argo editor William Goldenberg’s Amazon sports biopic Unstoppable, starring Jennifer Lopez, as well as Black Panther DP Oscar nominee Rachel Morrison’s The Fire Inside.
A24 has the previously announced Florence Pugh-Andrew Garfield romantic drama We Live in Time, and new today is the Hugh Grant horror thriller Heretic from A Quiet Place scribes Scott Beck and Bryan Woods.
David Mackenzie, who previously was at TIFF with the world premiere of his Outlaw King, has the thriller Relay, starring Lily James, Sam Worthington and Willa Fitzgerald, which centers on a broker of lucrative payoffs who breaks his own rules when a new client seeks his protection to stay alive.
More star-studded fare: There’s the world premiere of the Alicia Vikander-Elizabeth Olsen sci-fi movie The Assessment from Fleur Fortune, which follows a couple who faces scrutiny by an evaluator over seven days to determine their fitness for childbearing in an utopian society.
Interesting to note and in a complete spoiler to what’s likely Telluride: Focus Features’ Edward Berger papal movie Conclave, starring Ralph Fiennes, is making its international premiere here at TIFF. The movie which also stars Stanley Tucci, Isabella Rossellini and John Lithgow, hits U.S. theaters November 1. Fiennes is doing double duty at TIFF this year, also starring in the Juliette Binoche reteam The Return, which Bleecker Street is releasing in December.
Also there’s the international premiere of Piece by Piece, Morgan Neville’s Lego documentary about Pharrell Williams, which Focus opens October 11.
Of course, there’s a lot of this past Cannes’ greatest hits including Neon’s Palme d’Or winner Anora from Sean Baker; the award-winning Spanish musical noir Emilia Perez, which Netflix acquired; David Cronenberg’s The Shrouds ; and Andrea Arnold’s Bird, among several other titles.
Let’s also not forget the world premiere of Hulu documentary Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band. It wouldn’t be shocking if the 20-time Grammy winner makes a big appearance at the fest.
In total, the Galas and Special Presentations section counts 63 movies from 25 countries.
Per TIFF, “The Gala and Special Presentations programs are recognized for celebrating the very best of contemporary cinema across all genres and styles, from all corners of the world.”
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