For me, September is synonymous not with ‘back to school’ but ‘back to TIFF.’
I’ve attended the Toronto film festival in a number of shapes and forms over the past 13 years — not a decades-long veteran, but not a newbie, either. I vividly recall my first TIFF — I was covering it for another media outlet’s website back in 2000. Online coverage wasn’t as prevalent then, and I was denied a media pass, so I hounded the poor press relations people every day of the festival for vouchers to screenings. I remember how thrilled/nervous I was to be at a roundtable interview with Best in Show stars Catherine O’Hara and Eugene Levy (Canadian comedy icons I’d grown up watching on SCTV). I’m sure the nerves got to me and I asked terrible questions, but it was a cool moment, nonetheless.
For a few years, I covered TIFF more substantially as a CityNews.ca writer, and I can’t deny I enjoyed the opportunity to watch media previews of festival films for a good part of August in preparation for 11 straight days of interviews in September. I recall sitting down with Carey Mulligan to talk about her star-making turn in An Education, being wowed by how jaw-droppingly gorgeous Penelope Cruz is in person, and (my proudest moment) making Ricky Gervais laugh during an interview to promote The Invention of Lying. There was also the time I nearly walked into a pillar at Hotel InterContinental while chatting with Colin Firth ahead of an interview for the film Genova, and the time I asked Brad Pitt a question during the Canadian press conference for Burn After Reading (can’t recall my question or his answer). Ah, the memories.
These days, I’m there as a film fan, which is still fun. I loved watching Jean Dujardin do a little soft-shoe on stage following the gala premiere of The Artist, which garnered a raucous standing ovation. Seeing Joseph Gordon-Levitt at last year’s Looper screening was a highlight. Who knows what this year will bring?
For the 38th annual fest, I’m splitting a package of tickets with a girlfriend and seeing a modest number of films (7, as opposed to the 30-40 I’ve seen in previous years). While it’s not quite the same as covering the fest, there’s something novel about the randomness of it all. Whether I’ll be lucky enough to get a ticket-buying window on the first available day, how many of the films on my wish list I’ll get. This year, I didn’t do too badly. Despite my lousy ticket-buying timeslot, I nabbed a few of the films I was most curious about, and a few others I might not otherwise have seen. Which is what TIFF’s all about, really.
Here are my TIFF picks for 2013 – are you seeing any of them? Or are you seeing something else? I’d love to hear what you’re most excited about at the festival this year – leave a comment below!
Prisoners: This is probably the ‘biggest’ film of the ones I’m seeing in terms of star power and buzz. And while I’m a fan of Hugh Jackman, Terrence Howard, and many of the other actors involved (Maria Bello, Viola Davis, Paul Dano, Jake Gyllenhaal), what intrigues me about this film is its director: Denis Villeneuve (Incendies, Polytechnique). This is the Quebec filmmaker’s most Hollywood movie to date, so I’m curious to see what he does with it.
Half of a Yellow Sun: Since I didn’t get my top pick, 12 Years a Slave, I figured I’d choose Chiwetel Ejiofor’s other film at the festival. He’s one of those actors I’d watch in any part, big or small – that said, I love that he’s got not one but two leading roles in this year’s festival. About time! In Half of a Yellow Sun, directed by playwright Biyi Bandele, Ejiofor plays a Nigerian revolutionary at a key point in that country’s struggle for independence.
Beyond The Edge: I’m only seeing one documentary at this year’s TIFF, and it’s Canadian-born director Leanne Pooley’s Beyond The Edge, which recreates the historic Mt. Everest climb of Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay in 1953. Pooley uses 3D technology and archival footage to create what’s sure to be an awe-inspiring cinematic experience.
Le Grand Cahier: I’m looking to the cinematography of Christian Berger (The White Ribbon) in this Brothers Grimm-esque story about two boys forced to endure cruel punishment and abuse at the hands of their estranged grandmother in Hungary during the Second World War.
Around the Block: First time Aussie director Sarah Spillane helms this film about an American teacher (Christina Ricci) who connects with a troubled student (Hunter Page-Lochard) living in a tough suburb of Sydney. The film’s screenplay was also written by Spillane, who won the Australian Directors Guild Award for it before the film itself went into production. It’s always interesting to experience the work of a first-time director at the festival, so I’m keen to see Spillane’s creation.
Unforgiven: In the tradition of Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai, director Lee Sang-il turns a classic western on its head with Unforgiven. Setting the Clint Eastwood Oscar winner in Meiji-period Japan is no small feat, and requires an actor with serious chops to fill Eastwood’s aging gunslinger role. Luckily, Ken Watanabe (Inception, The Last Samurai) was free. Unforgiven with samurai swords? I’m in.
Le Week-End: While it doesn’t always work out, I like the idea of ending TIFF on a lighter note. I’m hoping Le Week-End fits the bill. Jim Broadbent and Lindsay Duncan star as a long-married couple revisiting Paris for the first time since their honeymoon. While there, they take stock of their relationship and the ups and downs they’ve had over the years. Directed by Roger Michell (Notting Hill) and written by Hanif Kureishi (My Beautiful Laundrette), Le Week-End looks to be cleverly written and wonderfully acted. In other words, the perfect finish to the festival.
Still from Prisoners