Heads up moviegoers and star spotters: the Toronto International Film Festival is going to look a lot different this year.
Any other September, I’d be clearing my calendar to catch as many red carpets, screenings and events as possible. Instead, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically altered the fest landscape, with many going fully virtual. TIFF is adopting a hybrid model for its upcoming festival, running Sept. 10-19, with 50 films screening digitally and in select theatres and drive-ins. There will also be plenty of socially-distanced virtual events, including press conferences and industry talks, to complement TIFF’s signature programming.
Whether this is your first TIFF or you’re a seasoned festival veteran, it will be a new experience for everyone. Here’s your look at what’s playing, which stars are joining in the fest action, and other recommendations to help you make the most of your pandemic-friendly TIFF!
Movies
TIFF has made one thing clear this year — they aren’t losing the magic of moviegoing! With 50 films selected to screen from incredible local and global talent in multiple accessible formats, there truly is something for everyone. Above all, viewers are sure to appreciate several highly-relevant themes among this year’s selections, including advocacy, inclusion and change. Artistic Director and Co-Head of TIFF, Cameron Bailey, said, “This year’s lineup reflects that tumult (of rethinking just about everything surrounding the festival). The names you already know are doing brand new things this year, and there’s a whole new crop of exciting new names to discover.”
What’s playing? Here are some highlights!
The iconic Spike Lee is bringing his latest work, David Byrne’s American Utopia, to TIFF as the 2020 opening presentation. Lee documents the former Talking Heads frontman’s brilliant, timely 2019 Broadway show, which was met with great critical acclaim and is based on his recent album and tour of the same name. In TIFF’s announcement, festival co-head Joana Vicente highlights this film’s relevance to our global situation, as it “takes audiences on a musical journey about openness, optimism, and faith in humanity” and reveals how we can come together during challenging times through the power of entertainment. Fun fact: Toronto’s own Jacquelene Acevedo is one of the 11 talented global artists who shared the stage with Byrne during his Broadway run — look out for her in the film! If you miss this at TIFF, the film will be available to stream on Crave in Canada at the same time as the American HBO premiere this fall.
In remarkable fest news, 45% of TIFF 2020 titles are directed, co-directed or created by women. There are many great women and works of art to spotlight, but I’m super excited for one in particular. In her directorial debut, actress Regina King presents One Night in Miami…. Already picked up by Amazon Studios, this gala presentation, based on Kemp Powers’ play, is a fictionalized account of a 1964 meeting between the triumphant minister Malcolm X, boxer Muhammad Ali, pop star Sam Cooke, and football star Jim Brown, as they face timely questions like: Should successful Black entertainers speak out against racism? How best can Black celebrities serve the Black community? Are money and fame reward enough for humiliation?
I know a lot of my readers love Idris Elba, so here’s a treat for all of you: Concrete Cowboy, which also features rising stars Caleb McLaughlin (Stranger Things) and Jharrel Jerome (Moonlight, When They See Us), is screening at TIFF 2020. While spending the summer in North Philadelphia, a troubled teen is caught between a life of crime and his estranged father’s vibrant urban-cowboy subculture. This is the perfect option if you’re looking for a story about finding yourself, your purpose and reconnecting with family.
Also screening at the fest is Swedish filmmaker Nathan Grossman’s Hulu special I Am Greta, which will document young activist Greta Thunberg’s viral calls for government action on the climate crisis and her role in inspiring student strikes and protests around the world. A global icon!
Where, and how, can you watch this year’s TIFF selections? It’s easy!
All 50 films, including the exciting titles I teased above, will play at one or more of TIFF’s in-person venues, or digitally via Chromecast and a new Bell-sponsored Digital Cinema platform (both geolocked to Canadian viewers). See below for this year’s official scaled-down list of theatres:
- TIFF Bell Lightbox
- RBC Lakeside Drive-In at Ontario Place
- Visa Skyline Drive-In at CityView (my favourite!)
- West Island Open Air Cinema at Ontario Place
If you’re heading downtown for a screening, don’t forget your mask! In accordance with local Stage 3 reopening guidelines, theatre capacity is limited with strict physical distancing measures in place. Safety first, movie watching second!
Additionally, here is this year’s pricing breakdown:
TIFF Bell Lightbox & Isabel Bader Theatre
Regular film screenings: $19 including taxes & fees
Premium film screenings (i.e. major premieres & bigger ticket films): $26 including taxes & fees
Bell Digital Cinema
Regular film screenings: $19 including taxes & fees
Premium film screenings: $26 including taxes & fees
Drive-in screenings – RBC Lakeside Drive-In at Ontario Place and Visa Skyline Drive-In at CityView
Car with 1-2 people: $49 including taxes & fees
Car with 3+ people: $69 including taxes & fees
Open-air cinema screenings – West Island Open Air Cinema at Ontario Place
Lawn Pod for 2 people (pedestrian): $38 including taxes & fees
Tickets are on sale now, so hurry and make your picks!
Pro Tip: If a film you want to see is currently sold out or off sale, keep checking back, especially on the day of the screening(s). Alternatively, search social media tags to see if anyone is selling or trading tickets!
Star Sightings
Gone (for now) are the days of standing outside hotels and press lounges to spot and hopefully score a selfie with some A-list talent. This will definitely make for a much more relaxed, easygoing festival experience, but it was also my favourite part of the rush! Fortunately, TIFF Ambassadors are here to save the day, with many familiar famous faces signing on for industry talks, live streams, TIFF’s famous In Conversation With… events and other special engagements. Preview some of the exciting names tapped for these exclusive TIFF events below!
The music industry can’t get enough of the TIFF action. Each year, I look forward to seeing which musicians will come to TIFF, whether it’s for promoting a project they starred in or that features one of their songs, or for DJing an after party. In fact, Pharrell played a free show for lucky TIFF Members on Festival Street (King Street W.) in 2016 to promote his work on the movie Hidden Figures. This year, Canadian DJ and producer REZZ will play a socially-distanced, drive-in concert at the screening of Underplayed. This documentary from Canadian director Stacey Lee follows REZZ and other radical female artists who are breaking the rhythm of inequality in EDM. Featured as one of TIFF’s Special Events, Underplayed will draw music and film fans alike to the OLG Play Stage at Ontario Place Sept. 19.
If you’re a fan of J Balvin, make time in your TIFF schedule on Sept. 11 to check out The Boy from Medellín, directed by American documentary filmmaker Matthew Heineman. With unprecedented access, this deeply immersive and character-driven film will give viewers a front-row seat to one of the world’s most famous Colombian musicians, as he is forced to define his voice as an artist amidst the largest protests his country has seen in decades. There will also be a free talk with J Balvin, with both the screening and talk available through the Bell Digital Cinema platform.
TIFF’s In Conversation With… events are always a draw for people who want to hear more about their favourite films from the perspective of the stars and directors themselves. This year’s lineup of guests, who will all be appearing virtually, is top tier for any year’s standards. Highlights include:
- In Conversation With… Halle Berry (Sept. 11)
This conversation delves into all aspects of Berry’s experience directing Bruised, in which she also stars, and will also provide a first-person discussion about her groundbreaking film and television career that spans 30 years. One of the first to be announced, this event is part of TIFF’s Share Her Journey initiative in support of women behind and in front of the camera.
From TIFF:
The overall number of speakers at this year’s Industry Conference represents a 50/50 gender split, as do TIFF Talent Development initiatives such as TIFF Studio and Filmmaker Lab. And, for the first time, all of the TIFF Rising Stars are women.
- In Conversation With… Ava DuVernay (Sept. 14)
Oscar-nominated powerhouse Ava DuVernay discusses art, activism, and Black Lives Matter in this intimate conversation. - In Conversation With… Claire Denis & Barry Jenkins (Sept. 18)
Prolific French auteur Claire Denis and Oscar-winning writer-director Barry Jenkins come together for a conversation that’s been years in the making.
We all love a good reunion special. Marking the festival’s 45th anniversary, TIFF is journeying down memory lane and reuniting creators, collaborators and celebs from popular films that screened in years’ past. Kicking off a series of Best of TIFF Reunions, TIFF will host a Twitter watch party of Greta Gerwig’s coming-of-age story Lady Bird on Sept. 8 at 7:30pm EDT, promising special appearances from surprise guests. This cast was phenomenal — Saoirse Ronan (who is also doing an In Conversation With… during TIFF 2020, so wink wink nudge nudge), Laurie Metcalf, Beanie Feldstein, Timothée Chalamet and many more. Definitely not a stream to be missed! (…and this is Angela coming to you from the future: Hi Beanie Feldstein! Check out her video message below.)
Surprise! @beaniefeldstein blesses tonight’s #TIFF20 Twitter watch party with a special message, along with her favourite memory from filming LADY BIRD. ✨ pic.twitter.com/WRLQC4FIXn
— TIFF (@TIFF_NET) September 8, 2020
Once the fest kicks off, expect more reunion specials, including a 20th-anniversary commemoration of Darren Aronofsky’s Requiem for a Dream, featuring Aronofsky and star Ellen Murstyn, on Sept. 13 at 3:30pm EDT. All of these reunions will be free to international audiences on the Bell Digital Cinema platform, and simulcast on TIFF’s Twitter and YouTube.
As always, keep your eyes open at every screening you attend — you never know which local stars could make an appearance to support TIFF and their industry peers!
Which films and stars are you most excited to see at TIFF?
Let me know in the comments below, or tweet me @angelamcleanx!
For further reading, check out my last two TIFF blogs with my favourite star selfies (Priyanka Chopra-Jonas? Eddie Redmayne? Success with both!) and more.
Happy TIFFing! #TIFF20 xx
