Attention all moviegoers, film critics, festival lovers, etc.: the 38th annual Toronto International Film Festival is less than two months away! The festival is considered one of the most prestigious events of its kind. Variety magazine has said, “the Festival is second only to Cannes in terms of high-profile pics, stars and market activity.” It is considered to be an extremely influential festival, partly because of its reputation in generating “Oscar buzz.”
Notable films that have premiered at TIFF in the past include, American Beauty, Ray, The Wrestler, Antichrist, 127 Hours, Black Swan, Slumdog Millionaire, Precious, The King’s Speech, Silver Linings Playbook, Argo, and more. This year’s festival is sure to be no different. Festival director, Piers Handling, said they have a “powerhouse lineup” featuring films, which “capture the mood of times.”
Although the entire line-up of films spanning the 11-day festival has not been released, TIFF has begun announcing some of the films they will be presenting. The festival will open with the WikiLeaks drama, The Fifth Estate. It will also show the anticipated adaptation of Tracy Letts’ Pulitzer Prize-winning play, August: Osage County. 1980’s AIDS drama, Dallas Buyers Club, starring Mathew McConaughey, will be premiering. Other premiers include Steve McQueens slavery story, 12 Years a Slave, and Ron Howard’s Formula 1 drama, Rush. Mad Men creator, Matthew Weiner’s first feature film, You Are Here, will also be premiering.
The festival dates are set for September 5th-15th. Last year’s attendance was estimated at over 400,000 people, 4,000 of which were industry professionals. You can visit tiff.net in order to get more information on the line-ups and ticket pricing/packages. Let the Oscar buzz begin!
