Toronto Film Festival 2011

Published: September 19, 2011

TIFF: That's A Wrap

After an exciting 11-days of star sightings, reviewing films and filing to deadlines - the hustle and bustle of the 36th Toronto International Film Festival has come to an end. 

Covering TIFF this year has been a whirlwind for many of us who took part in the festival, whether we attended for the love of film or to cover the festival as members of the media. There were films to watch every day, gala presentations to attend, press conferences to cover, interviews with the stars and the numerous TIFF parties that went on until the wee hours of the night.

Unforgettable moments will definitely include the rush of getting a spot on the red carpet, waiting with camera in hand all to grab that perfect shot of the many celebrities who came through Toronto for the film festival.

Toronto was booming with music, festivities and celebrations - all for the love of cinema.

This year, TIFF brought 268 features and 68 shorts to the big screen, an eclectic mix of well-versed, well-created and well-executed cinema. 

Cameron Bailey, Co-Director of the Festival says TIFF is all about transforming the way people view the world of cinema.

“So we had the big ones that people were expecting to be good like Moneyball, The Descendants, Drive, Ides of March and The Artist, but we also had all kinds that were just discovered by our audience,” says Bailey. “What I like, is that we have a big enough range that there’s always going to be something for every movie goer.”

Some of this year’s highlights include one of my personal favourites Moneyball, a baseball film starring Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill, about the challenges of a team trying to make it with not a lot of money to help them obtain the key players they need to be successful. George Clooney’s the Ides of March, which stars Canadian actor Ryan Gosling, was another fan fav this year and one many critics also gave a thumbs up. This film toys with the possibilities of what may really be happening behind the closed doors in politics.

Joel Schumacher’s Trespass is a gripping film about a home invasion that unravels revealing a complicated thriller, starring Nicolas Cage and Nicole Kidman. Madonna’s W.E. was another film this year that audiences will either love or hate. Fascinated with the story of King Edward VIII and his romance with the Duchess of Windsor, Wallis Simpson, the Material Girl wanted to tell this story in her own version by giving it a modern-day feel. 

Other big name films to catch once they are released on the big screen nationwide are Ralph Fiennes’ thrilling Coriolanus, 50/50 starring Seth Rogen, and Drive starring Gosling (The Ides of March), already playing in theaters. 

Luc Besson’s The Lady is also a highly recommended film. It’s an inspiring story about a real woman, Aung San Suu Kyi (or Daw Suu), who’s love and passion for her country has helped determine that anyone, man or woman, with faith, strength and willpower can eventually change the way the world works.

Also worthy of taking a look at include: Hysteria with actress Maggie Gyllenhaal, Steve McQueen’s Shame, Axel Petersen’s for Avalon (Sweden) who received the International Critics Prize, Discovery Programme, and of course Nadine Labaki’s Where Do We Go Now? which picked up the Cadillac People’s Choice Award.

And that’s a wrap - that is, until next year’s festival gets underway.

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Published: September 19, 2011

TIFF Brings in Over $170 Million to City of Toronto

The 36th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) has already come to end - another year of watching exceptional films, shooting the red carpets and participating in press conferences has been wrapped up and put back into it’s box.

Cameron Bailey, Co-Director of the Festival says this year’s film fest has brought in over $170 million to the city of Toronto in hotel stays, restaurants and taxis that have all been busy throughout the festival. 

“TIFF, it’s also a sense of pride that Torontonians feel because it is an event that the world looks at and Torontonians, I think, can all feel some ownership of that,” says Bailey. 

“It (also) allows the city to strengthen it’s film culture, so we’re able to show the best in world cinema every year for our audiences in Toronto,” he continues. “As a result they have become known as the most sophisticated and enthusiastic film audience in the world, they just get to see more good movies then anybody else.”

This year’s festival, which showcased 268 features and 68 shorts, was a hub of excitement and activity as critics, film-goers and filmmakers alike all gathered in Toronto to help change the way people see the world through cinema.

TIFF came to a close yesterday afternoon at the Four Seasons Hotel in Yorkville, with a brunch and short awards reception honouring this year’s most popular films with a statuette or prize. 

The three big winners of the Cadillac People’s Choice Awards this year were: Nadine Labaki’s Where Do We Go Now? who picked up the win for Cadillac People’s Choice Award, Jon Shenk for The Island President won the Cadillac People’s Choice Documentary Award, and the Cadillac People’s Choice Midnight Madness Award went to Gareth Evans for The Raid.

Labaki's film, set in war-torn Lebanon about a group of women and their unwavering friendship, is Lebanon’s entry for the best foreign language film category for the 2012 Oscars.

Since the Lebanese-Canadian writer/director was travelling in Europe when she heard the news and was unable to accept her award in person, she sent a statement which was read by festival programmer Rasha Salti.

“I’m thrilled, I’m happy, I’m ecstatic, I’m excited - my day that had just started on the wrong foot because of a flight cancellation has just been turned upside down,” read Salti. “I’m running around jumping up and down at the Frankfurt airport. Tomorrow we’ll be screening Where do we Go Now? for the first time in Lebanon and I will be proud and happy to announce the news in front of my crew, my family and the Lebanese audience.”

Other winners included Nathan Morlando’s Edwin Boyd with The SKYY Vodka Award for Best Canadian First Feature Film.

“The SKYY Vodka Award for Best Feature Film goes to a film that sets a tone, stays with it and shows you what it is to be a soldier returning from war only to find that the world has no place for you. This is a film that puts a human face on a Canadian myth,” remarked the jury.

The City of Toronto Award for Best Canadian Feature Film went to Philippe Falardeau for Monsieur Lazhar; while the award for Best Canadian Short Film was given to Ian Harnarine for Doubles With Slight Pepper. 

The Prize of the International Critics (FIPRESCI Prizes) for the Discovery Programme was awarded to Axel Petersen for Avalon (Sweden), while the Prize of the International Critics (FIPRESCI Prizes) for Special Presentations was given to Gianni Amelio for The First Man (Le Premier Homme) (France, Algeria, Italy).

Visit www.tiff.net for more.

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Published: September 15, 2011

'Coriolanus' Not Your Typical Shakespeare

Director and star Ralph Fiennes translates the historical story of Coriolanus to the big screen with an impressive level of craftsmanship. It’s definitely not your typical Shakespearean play. 

For the first time on the big screen, Coriolanus has made it’s premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival and has received a lot of good feedback from critics thus far. It’s a drama for the ages, a story about the precarious draw of war. 

It also marks Fiennes’ debut as a director, a new role in which he brings the same passion, dedication and enthusiasm he gives when he’s working in front of the camera. Fiennes is no stranger to the film industry, with an incredible list of films under his belt like Schindler’s List, The Reader, Harry Potter series of films, The Hurt Locker and Clash of the Titans, to name a few. 

“I think that for some actors directing can become a natural progression,” says Fiennes during a press conference to a room full of media. “(After) doing a number of films - I’ve found I’ve become increasingly curious and more than curious about choices directors were making - (and) for many actors, there’s a point where you want to be the person making the decisions.”

This Shakespearean tale is one of rivalries, civil unrest and betrayal. A banished hero of Rome allies with a sworn enemy to take his revenge on the city that rejected him. Coriolanus also stars a stellar cast that includes Vanessa Redgrave, Brian Cox, Gerard Butler and Jessica Chastain.

Fiennes chose this particular William Shakespeare play because as he says, it’s a story that unquestionably always has resonance with the times we’re in. 

“Particularly now with so much uncertainty in the world, social upheaval, political upheaval, war, combat and the constant tension between the nature of leadership and the voice of the people,” he says. “I played it on stage about 10 years ago and it made a very deep impression on me - for me, it really seemed to combine a continually resonant political thriller with a Greek tragedy at the centre of it.” 

Doing Shakespeare was unchartered ground for Butler, however he seemed to have no trouble getting into the shoes of his character Tullus Aufidius. His experience playing similar roles like King Leonidas in 300 and/or Beowulf in Beowulf & Grendel definitely helped him dominate this new role.

“I’ve played these kind of roles before ... it was interesting to climb into somebody who was more cerebral, ambiguous, a lot more thoughtful and kind of sly in his thoughts, and make that work - and coming onto set with Ralph was just a dream,” says Butler.  

Butler has dabbled in action, comedy, fantasy, drama, historic films and even thrillers. So what kinds of roles is Butler most comfortable working in? 

“I don’t know ... I was surprised with how comfortable I was in Shakespeare,” says Butler. “But to be honest, this has been a year for me trying to step into areas that I don’t necessarily feel comfortable in, going into more edgy, more dramatic, grittier roles - I’m actually asking the opposite question of where can I go that I don’t feel so comfortable (where) I’m going to learn something.”

Coriolanus made its premiere at TIFF last night and will hit theaters in the new year. For more visit www.tiff.net. 

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Published: September 15, 2011

Nicolas Cage Experiences Real 'Trespass'

Being a victim to something as terrifying as a home invasion is intense to watch in a movie, but when it really happens to you, all bets are off.

“Gone in 60 Secconds” star Nicolas Cage revealed to journalists that he and his family had been victims to a real home invasion some time ago, while living in Orange County with his wife and then 2-year-old son.

“I have lived through the nightmare,” says Cage during a TIFF press conference for his film Trespass, with director Joel Schumacher by his side.

“It was two in the morning - I opened my eyes and there was a naked man wearing my leather jacket eating a fudgesicle in front of my bed,” he continues. “I know it sounds funny ... but it was horrifying.”

Cage was able to scare the man off, and didn’t press charges because he realized “he wasn’t all there.” Police told Cage that if this man had chosen to break into anybody else’s home in that particular neighbourhood, he would have been shot.

“I don’t have a gun in my house. I’m always going to try and talk you out of violence if i can,” he says. “But it was horrible, horrible for my wife, it was a terrifying night and I couldn’t really stay in that house after that.”

Trespass is a seemingly straightforward home invasion that unravels into a rather complicated thriller with moments of betrayal, surprising plot twists, unthinkable violence and intriguing performances by Cage who plays Kyle, and co-star Nicole Kidman (not at this year’s film festival) as his wife Sarah.

The film also stars young Liana Liberato as the couple’s daughter, and Cam Gigandet and Ben Mendelsohn, as the terrifying home invaders who will stop at nothing to get what they are after - all the money and diamonds Kyle has in his safe.

It all starts off as a standard home invasion, but when Kyle refuses to give into his assailants’ demands things start to change rather quickly and the situation goes from bad to worse. Instead of opening his safe, he instead tries to strike up a business deal with the intruders. Meanwhile, something more is happening between Sarah and one of the masked invaders raising a whole lot of questions as to what’s really going on.

As we’ve seen with some of Schumacher’s past films like Phone Booth starring Colin Farrell, the legendary director is attracted to putting people in closed quarters.

“I like to put flawed people in a pressure cooker,” says Schumacher. “One of the great American playwrights, Maxwell Anderson, said the secret is (to) take a character that people can identify with and put them through a series of circumstances and consequences that have altered their life forever.”

“I think audiences like that kind of story, whether it’s comedy or drama or tragedy, and I like to do those stories,” adds Schumacher.

Before Cage became the Hollywood star we know today, he found it challenging to work in the film industry due to the burden of the name that remains on his passport today - Nicolas Coppola. As nephew to famous director Francis Ford Coppola, it was difficult to be taken seriously.

“I had to reinvent myself to be able to have the guts to sit in front of you today,” says Cage. So he changed his name. “It was immediately like a giant weight had come off my body ... that’s not to say I’m not proud of my family, I am ... (but) Nicolas Cage is who I really am.”

And with all the films Cage has made, if one comes on while he’s channel surfing with his son, the TV immediately goes off.

“I don’t want my movies playing in the house, I don’t watch my movies and as long as I can keep that going I will. I’d rather (my son) still call me dad and not Nicolas Cage,” he says.

For more info visit www.tiff.net.  

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Published: September 13, 2011

'W.E.' A Film About Making Our Own Destiny

With rumours spreading around town of Madonna’s arrival in Toronto, fans and media alike were pumped and anxious to see the Material Girl in person.

During the press conference of her film W.E., media were given a a list of house rules along with a stern warning to follow them or deal with the consequences of being thrown out. 

Ninety seconds was all the time allotted for photographers to feverishly snap photos of the infamous Madonna, before being escorted out of the Malaparte room at the TIFF Bell Lightbox. 

After all the clicks, flashes of light and shouts “Madonna look to your right”, “Madonna up here”, “Madonna a big smile please” - no photographers were permitted to stay in the room during the press conference. Even journalists who stayed for the press conference were not permitted to take photos with their camera phones. 

After moderator Richard Crouse introduced the panel of guests, second-time director Madonna explained in great detail exactly why she was fascinated with the story of Wallis Simpson and her love affair with King Edward VIII, so much that she made a film about it. 

“I was always fascinated with the story of Wallis Simpson and King Edward the VIII’s decision to abjugate the thrown for the woman he loved,” says Madonna. “I wanted to investigate that story and his reasons and try to understand what it was about this woman that would lead this man to make such a big sacrifice.” 

The Material Girl was never interested in making a straightforward biopic, so she created the modern day story and character of Wally Winthrop to offer a point of view in which to tell this story.

“I think in the end, truth is subjective and we can all read the same history book and have a different point of view and get something different from it,” she continues. “So it was important for me to not present the story and say ‘this is the one and only story,’ but rather to say ‘this is the story that moved me and inspired me.’ That’s how the two love stories were created.” 

Featuring Abbie Cornish (Suker Punch) as Wally Winthrop, a woman in 1998 who is infatuated with the 1930s marriage of King Edward VIII (James D’Arcy) and American divorcée, the Duchess of Windsor, Wallis Simpson (Andrea Riseborough). Spanning six decades, W.E. gracefully weaves the past and present into two parallel love stories.

The underlying message behind the film W.E., is one of love and of having the courage to make the difficult choices we all have to make. 

“I think the message of the film is to realize that in the end, happiness lies in your own hand, and that we are in fact in charge of our own destiny,” says Madonna. “And even though we are dealt a hand of cards from the day we are born, we can change our destiny.”

“Is our fate in the stars or does it lie within ourselves, I think that it is a big question in the film. i mean obviously there are many things explored, the idea of love, the idea of motherhood, but also this idea of fate ... ” Abbie

“Is our fate in the stars or does it lie within ourselves, I think that it is a big question in the film. i mean obviously there are many things explored - the idea of love, the idea of motherhood, but also this idea of fate,” adds Cornish.

As for whether or not Madonna cares what critics think about her film: 

“Well, I do when I think it’s a fair criticism. I can tell when people are reviewing my film and when they are reviewing me personally,” says Madonna. “I welcome criticisms of my film when it’s viewed as an artistic form and not when people are mentioning things about my personal life or my achievements in any other field. They are irrelevant to the film. So when they stick to the film, I do care. I pay attention to it.”

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Published: September 13, 2011

'Ides of March' A Fun Moral Tale

Jack of all trades George Clooney has tackled a new project - one that has allowed him to wear the hat of actor, co-writer and director.

In Toronto to debut his new political drama The Ides of March, Clooney has hit another one out of the ballpark with a stellar cast and phenomenal film.

Starring Ryan Gosling, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti, Marisa Tomei and Evan Rachel Wood - The Ides of March takes place days before a fictional presidential primary. This edgy drama toys with the possibilities of what may really be happening behind the closed doors of politics. 

“I didn’t think of this as a really political film - I thought this was a film about moral choices, I don’t think that it has necessarily any political stripe,” says Clooney in a press conference during the 2011 Toronto International Film festival. “I just thought it was a fun moral tale and once you put it in politics, it sort of amps up all the problems.”

Clooney portrays a Democratic candidate who schools his idealistic campaign press secretary (Ryan Gosling) in the skeptical conspiracies of modern politics. The Ides of March, based on the play Farragut North by Beau Willimon, is a thrilling film that will keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. 

After watching this political drama, you may stop and ponder why bother to vote at all if this is what politics in today’s day and age is really like. As one journalist pointed out during the press conference, the film carries a very direct, cynical message - one that suggests to crush the idealists. 

“People sometimes think that films somehow, are trying to lead society,” says Clooney. “In general, it takes about two years at the very least to get a film made. So mostly we’re reflecting the moods and thoughts that are going on in our country or around the world.”

“It’s not a bad thing to hold a mirror up and look at some of the things that we’re doing, it’s not a bad thing to look at how we elect our officials at times like that,” he continues. 

When the Democratic primaries begin in The Ides of March, Stephen Myers (Gosling) is the press secretary for Governor Mike Morris (Clooney). He’s idealistic, approaching his work with a sense of purpose backed by his political convictions. 

But Morris’ true colours start to show and Myers who sees more than he’d like to of dirty backroom politics, is gradually forced to adopt a more cynical view of the way American electioneering works.

The ending of the movie was perfect. Producer Grant Heslov says this part of the film was drawn out in one of their initial drafts.

“We actually wrote the ending first and sort of worked backwards, so we gave it away to ourselves very early and we wrote to that,” says Heslov.

Working on The Ides of March with Clooney was “a no brainer” for Gosling, who says when Clooney asks you to be in his movie you simply say “yes.”

“It was real to work with a director who is as clear as George is, and knows exactly what he wants,” says Gosling. “Sometimes, it felt like someone trying to explain a song that was in their head. He knew this film inside and out and I was surprised by his level of enthusiasm for filmmaking.”

The Ides of March is set to be released in theaters nationwide on October 7. For more info visit www.tiff.net. 

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Published: September 13, 2011

'Moneyball' Is Very Much About Baseball

Unlike most sports movies, Moneyball isn’t a story about a romance. It also isn’t a sports film about some huge developing storyline leading up to the big important game. 

No, that’s not what Moneyball, directed by Bennett Miller, the brilliant mind behind 2005’s Capote, is really about baseball.

Miller tells journalists, during the first press conference that kicked off the 36th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), that Moneyball is very much a film about the sport. However, it’s also a film about a guy who thinks he’s trying to win baseball games, when the truth of the matter is that something much deeper is really happening. 

“This is a guy who’s life did not turn out the way it was supposed to, the way it had been described to him - that he had a destiny, that he was going to be great, that he was going to be a superstar,” says Miller. “It took him more than a decade toiling in failure before he accepted that things were not going to happen.” 

“Once you begin to pull on that string and really challenge everything that you know about yourself, about your past, about decisions you’ve made - it ends up being a story much bigger than a sports story, much bigger than a baseball story,” continues Miller. “So it is a sports movie very much, we took great pains to be truthful, but to me, it’s what’s beneath it that’s interesting.”

Based on Lewis’ bestselling novel, Moneyball follows the story of Oakland A’s general manager Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) and Peter Brand (Jonah Hill), a chubby young statistics nerd and how together they take on the world of baseball by putting into play their own system.

This radical new system, whereby players aren’t evaluated in the traditional way - scouted for their hard-hitting talents - is something Beane quickly and eagerly embraces, a system they call “moneyball.” It’s an unorthodox way of putting a team together, which left a huge imprint on how the game is played.

“It’s complicated material, it’s not your conventional story or storyline ... I couldn’t let go of this story of these guys who were trapped in an unfair game, an unfair situation, that by necessity they had to think differently, they had to reinvent themselves,” says Pitt. “At the end of the day it’s a story about our values, about how we value other people, what we value as success, what we value as failure.”

Moneyball, which also stars Chris Pratt as first baseman Scott Hatteberg and Philip Seymour Hoffman as Oakland A’s manager Art Howe, is a cleverly inspiring and relatable film. It’s about new opportunities and demonstrates how even the most unlikely underdog can climb his way to the top - on and off the big screen. 

“When I was making the movie, I never really related to Billy (Beane) or my character, I really related to the character Chad Bradford, (in) the scene where he says no one ever really gave me a chance or an opportunity,” says Hill. “Superbad is the reason I know any of you here. Amy (Pascal) and Doug (Belgrad) and Judd Apatow (from Sony) gave me that opportunity, where I was a very unlikely choice at that time to be the star of a big motion picture and again with this movie ... so I do feel like I continually get that underdog opportunity.”

Moneyball opens in theaters nationwide September 23rd. For screening times during TIFF visit www.tiff.net. 

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Published: September 13, 2011

TIFF: Experiencing Cinema At Its Best

The Toronto International Film Festival is an experience like no other. This 10-day long festival offers film lovers an array of opportunities to take in a variety of films, shorts and documentaries.

It also gives those trying to break into the film world a chance to own their craft by meeting talent, filmmakers and industry bigwigs. For those who haven’t experienced TIFF, there’s a whole new world awaiting your arrival.

TIFF was born in 1976 (renamed the Toronto International Film Festival 19 years later), back when it was called the “Festival of Festivals”, where the best films from other film festivals around the globe would be shown to eager audiences in Toronto. In the first year alone, an estimated 35,000 enthusiasts watched 127 films from 30 countries. By 2009, those numbers grew to a whopping 500,000 people enjoying 336 films from 64 countries.

This festival is celebrated by many around the globe and is recognized as one of the most important film festivals after Cannes. TIFF has become an important launching pad for top International, Hollywood and Canadian cinema. The Toronto International Film Festival is attempting to change the way people see the world through the creative visuals and cultural discovery film has to offer one person at a time.

TIFF is not only a time for media and journalists to come together to celebrate cinema, but it’s also about regular people coming together to enjoy quality filmmaking at its best and the messages they are trying to deliver.

This year’s film festival has brought in some of the biggest stars including Madonna, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, George Clooney, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Antonio Banderas, Jennifer Garner, Seth Rogen, Nicolas Cage, Ralph Fiennes, Sarah Polley and many more.

Toronto has been buzzing with whispers of star sightings in some of the hottest spots in the city, and will continue until the festival closes on Sunday. So whether you’re interested in catching a glimpse of some of the biggest A-Listers or taking in one of the many interesting films film, clear your schedule and enjoy the film festival before it’s tucked away until next year. 

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