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TORONTO 2020

Toronto announces 50 presentations for hybrid festival, with a consistent European presence

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- Co-head Cameron Bailey says the selection “reflects the tumult” of putting a festival on during coronavirus pandemic. Francis Lee, Thomas Vinterberg and François Ozon lead 20-film European presence

Toronto announces 50 presentations for hybrid festival, with a consistent European presence
Limbo by Ben Sharrock

TIFF Co-Heads Cameron Bailey and Joana Vicente today announced the line-up of titles selected for the 45th Toronto International Film Festival (scheduled to run from 10 to 19 September). There is a consistent presence of European productions in the 50-title (47 films and 3 series) list, particularly those films with production involvement from the United Kingdom.

The strong representation of women, Black people, Indigenous people and people of colour among TIFF’s selection reflect the organization’s continuing commitment to normalizing gender parity and racial equality for future generations.

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Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, TIFF will only screen 50 presentations, with no individual sections announced. Bailey said, “This year’s line-up reflects that tumult. The names you already know are doing brand new things this year, and there’s a whole crop of exciting new names to discover. We’re thankful to every filmmaker and company that joined us on this adventure, and we can’t wait to share these brilliant films with our audiences.”

Anticipated European productions include Ammonite [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
by Francis Lee, which stars Saoirse Ronan and Oscar winner Kate Winslet, who will receive the 2020 TIFF Tribute Actor Award at the Toronto Film Festival. Ammonite [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
is inspired by the life of British palaeontologist Mary Anning played by Winslet.

As expected, Thomas Vinterberg’s Another Round [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
will play in Toronto, before heading to San Sebastian. The film was one of several titles that will land in Toronto carrying the Cannes 2020 Label. Falling [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
, Viggo Mortensen’s Canadian / UK co-production that launched to acclaim at Sundance has also landed a berth. There is also a spot for François Ozon’s much-anticipated Summer of 85 [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
.

German director Werner Herzog and Cambridge University professor Clive Oppenheimer bring new documentary Fireball: Visitors from Darker Word, which looks at how meteorites have impacted Earth.

Several titles will come to TIFF fresh from Venice, or at the same time, including Quo Vadis, Aïda? [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jasmila Žbanić
film profile
]
by Berlin Golden Bear winner Jasmila Žbanić and Gianfranco Rosi’s documentary Notturno [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Gianfranco Rosi
film profile
]
. Other new films to look out for include Spring Blossom [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Suzanne Lindon
film profile
]
by Suzanne Lindon, which Bailey has described “as a real discovery”, I Care a Lot [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
by J Blakeson, Limbo [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ben Sharrock
film profile
]
by Ben Sharrock and Wildfire [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Cathy Brady
film profile
]
by Cathy Brady.

The list of films announced:

Gala Presentations

David Byrne’s American Utopia – ​Spike Lee (USA) (opening film)
Ammonite [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
Francis Lee (UK)
Bruised​ – Halle Berry (USA)
Concrete CowboyRicky Staub (USA)
Good Joe BellReinaldo Marcus Green (USA)
I Care A Lot [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
J Blakeson (UK)
NomadlandC​hloé Zhao​ (USA)
One Night in MiamiR​egina King (USA)
Pieces of a Woman [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Kornél Mundruczó and Kata W…
film profile
]
Kornél Mundruczó (USA/Canada/Hungary)

Special Presentations

Another Round [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
 – Thomas Vinterberg (Denmark)
Falling [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
 Viggo Mortensen (Canada/UK)
Penguin Bloom​ – Glendyn Ivin (Australia/USA)
Summer of 85 [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
 – François Ozon (France)
The DiscipleChaitanya Tamhane (India)
The Father [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Florian Zeller
film profile
]
– Florian Zeller (UK/France)
True MothersNaomi Kawase (Japan)

Contemporary World Cinema

Bandar Band [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
M​anijeh Hekmat ​(Iran/Germany)
New OrderMichel Franco​ (Mexico)
Night of the Kings [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Philippe Lacôte
film profile
]
 – Philippe Lacôte (France/Ivory Coast/Canada/Senegal)
Preparations to Be Together For an Unknown Period of Time [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Lili Horvat
interview: Natasa Stork
film profile
]
 - Lili Horvát (Hungary)
Quo Vadis, Aïda? [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jasmila Žbanić
film profile
]
Jasmila Žbanić (Bosnia and Herzegovina/Norway/Netherlands/Austria/Romania/France/Germany/Poland/Turkey)
Under the Open SkyMiwa Nishikawa​ (Japan)

Discovery

180 Degree Rule – ​Farnoosh Samadi (Iran)
Beans​ – ​Tracey Deer (Canada)
Beginning [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Dea Kulumbegashvili
film profile
]
 –
 Dea Kulumbegashvili (Georgia/France)
Gaza mon amour [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
Tarzan Nasser, Arab Nasser (France/Germany/Portugal/Palestine/Qatar)
Limbo [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ben Sharrock
film profile
]
Ben Sharrock (UK)
Memory House [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
​ – João Paulo Miranda Maria​ (Brazil/France)
Shiva BabyEmma Seligman​ (USA/Canada)
Spring Blossom [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Suzanne Lindon
film profile
]
Suzanne Lindon (France)
The Best is Yet to Come – ​Wang Jing (China)
Wildfire [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Cathy Brady
film profile
]
Cathy Brady (UK/Ireland)

TIFF Docs

76 DaysH​ao Wu​, Anonymous, ​Weixi Chen​ (USA)
City HallFrederick Wiseman (USA)
Enemies of the State – ​S​onia Kennebeck​​ (USA)
Fireball: Visitors from Darker WorldsWerner Herzog, Clive Oppenheimer (UK/USA)
Inconvenient IndianM​ichelle Latimer (Canada)
Lift Like a Girl [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
 – Mayye Zayed (Egypt/Germany/Denmark)
MLK/FBI​ – Sam Pollard (USA)
No Ordinary ManA​isling Chin-Yee, Chase Joynt​ (Canada)
The New Corporation: An Unfortunately Necessary Sequel​ ​– Joel Bakan, Jennifer Abbott (Canada)

Masters

Notturno [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Gianfranco Rosi
film profile
]
Gianfranco Rosi (Italy/France/Germany)

Midnight Madness

Get the Hell Out ​– I​-Fan Wang (Taiwan)
Shadow In The Cloud​ – R​oseanne Liang​ (USA/New Zealand)
Violation​ – M​adeleine Sims-Fewer, Dusty Mancinelli (Canada)

Wavelengths

Fauna​ – N​icolás Pereda​ (Mexico/Canada)
The InheritanceEphraim Asili (USA)

Primetime

A Suitable BoyMira Nair (UK/India) (closing film) (series)
The Third DayFelix Barrett, Dennis Kelly (UK) (series)
TricksterMichelle Latimer (Canada) (series)

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