National Post (National Edition)
Heroes and villains featured
TIFF announces the highlights of 2019 slate
The Toronto International Film Festival will welcome heroes and villains to the screen when it opens its 44th year on Sept. 5. Children’s TV host Mr. Rogers, abolitionist Harriet Tubman, Aussie outlaw Ned Kelly and The Joker are among the subjects of the galas and special presentations announced Tuesday by the festival group. They’ll join films about singers Judy Garland and Helen Reddy, Popes Benedict XVI and Francis I, Marie and Pierre Curie, and the story of Ford v Ferrari.
The 53 films announced will ultimately comprise only about one sixth of TIFF’s expected 300 features. A slate of Canadian films will be announced on July 31, although the current announcement includes news of new works from Atom Egoyan (Guest of Honour) and François Girard (The Song of Names).
It also continued TIFF’s tradition of bringing many Cannes premieres to Canada. They include some of the best titles from this year’s festival in France — the Palme d’Or winner Parasite from Bong Joon-ho; Robert Eggers’ The Lighthouse; Céline Sciamma’s Portrait of a Lady on Fire; and Pedro Almodóvar’s very personal Pain and Glory — as well as some lesser titles such as Ira Sachs’ flawed family drama Frankie.
New films from big names can be found on the list. There are premieres from Michael Winterbottom (Greed), Taika Watiti (Jojo Rabbit), Rian Johnson (Knives Out), Noah Baumbach (Marriage Story) and Steven Soderbergh (The Laundromat). There’s also Motherless Brooklyn, just the second directing effort by actor Edward Norton.
Almost a quarter of the films are from female directors, including Marjane Satrapi, whose Radioactive, about the lives of scientists Marie and Pierre Curie, has been chosen as the closing-night film. Marielle Heller directs Tom Hanks as Fred Rogers in A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. Kasi Lemmons co-wrote and directed Harriet, about the slave-turned-abolitionist Harriet Tubman. And Unjoo Moon is behind the camera for I Am Woman, a biopic of Australian singer and activist Helen Reddy.
True History of the Kelly Gang is directed by Justin Kurzel. Joker, starring Joaquin Phoenix, is from Todd Phillips. Judy, with Renée Zellweger as singer Judy Garland, is directed by Rupert Goold. Christian Bale and Matt Damon star in Ford v Ferrari, directed by James Mangold. And Brazil’s Fernando Meirelles delivers The Two Popes, with Anthony Hopkins as Pope Benedict, and Jonathan Pryce as Pope Francis.
The Toronto International Film Festival runs 11 days and will wrap on Sept. 15 this year. As previously announced, it will open with the documentary Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and the Band.