Rounding out the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival program are the In Conversation With… series, the Special Events lineup and Industry Selects, a curated selection of 22 global films beyond the Official Selection menu that are available for sale.
Additionally the festival has set its Platform Prize Jury. Led by Academy Award–nominated actor Riz Ahmed (Sound of Metal), the jurors include: Clio Barnard, Valerie Complex, Kazik Radwanski, and Anthony Chen.
Here’s a rundown of the Special Events, In Conversation With…, and Industry Selects lineups at the festival which takes place September 9–18.
Special Events – Part 2
Triumph: Rock & Roll Machine
Before Drake and The Weeknd, there was a different set of Toronto musicians who ruled the roost. Known simply as Triumph, this rock trio dominated North American radio and mainstream charts in the late ’70s and early ’80s, and were the envy of the touring business — with even The Jacksons taking a page out of their live-show book. But despite being one of the world’s biggest rock bands, the trio split at the height of their fame and seemingly disappeared without explanation to their fans or media. Directed by Sam Dunn and Marc Ricciardelli, produced by the Emmy-winning Banger Films in association with Revolver Films and set to a mesmerizing visual backdrop of spandex, ’80s hair, and explosive pyro, Triumph: Rock & Roll Machine reveals a deeper story about fame and the human condition as the band reunites for what might be the very last time they play music together.
Reflecting on 9/11: A day of recollection, 20 years later.
The horrific news from New York City on that bright, late-summer morning 20 years ago tore open the bubble of the Toronto International Film Festival. Everyone was shaken, but, for the hundreds of Americans and New Yorkers in Toronto for the Festival that day, the shock went deeper. TIFF staff, led by then CEO Piers Handling and executive director Michèle Maheux, decided immediately to pause screenings, to shut down red carpets altogether, and to help people get home to their families.
Two decades on, memory becomes more important. This year, we remember the filmmakers who have sought to tell the stories of 9/11 with insight and empathy. We remember the still-present threat of Islamophobia, including in film and television. This year, we mark the 20th anniversary of 9/11 with a day of recollection for our Festival community, including a special screening from Yard 44 and NBC News Studios, the new documentary Memory Box: Echoes of 9/11, by Bjørn Johnson and David Belton. This film explores the months following the worst terrorist attacks on the US, via recordings made in a simple video booth that captured the thoughts, feelings, and fears of more than five hundred Americans. Now, 20 years later, as the country and the world faces renewed uncertainty, Memory Box brings to the screen a collective, untold, and relevant story, presented by NBC News Studios, MSNBC Films and Peacock.
In Conversation With…
This year’s In Conversation With… series connects audiences and film lovers around the world with some of the most talented artists working in film and television. The 2021 lineup includes award-winning actors and creators who have helped shape the discourse in the entertainment industry and who are presenting their highly-anticipated new films at the Festival. All In Conversation With… events are taking place digitally and will be accessible worldwide on the TIFF Bell Digital Talks platform.
Kenneth Branagh
The Academy Award–nominated writer, director, and actor joins us to discuss his wide-ranging career in film, television, and theatre; the challenges and joys of adapting Shakespeare’s plays for the big screen; and the journey of making Belfast (2021), a Gala Presentation at this year’s Festival and his most personal film to date.
Monday, September 13, 12pm EDT
Benedict Cumberbatch
The TIFF Tribute Actor Award recipient and Academy Award nominee joins us to discuss his career in film, theatre, and television, and his two films at this year’s Festival: Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog and Will Sharpe’s The Electrical Life of Louis Wain.
Sunday, September 12, 3:30pm EDT
Kristen Stewart
To celebrate the fifth anniversary of TIFF’s ongoing Share Her Journey initiative in support of women in the film industry, we proudly present a conversation with the award-winning actor about her collaborations with the likes of Olivier Assayas and Kelly Reichardt, and her portrayal of Princess Diana in Pablo Larraín’s Spencer, a Special Event at this year’s Festival. Note: This live digital event is accessible to audiences worldwide on TIFF Bell Digital Talks for free as part of TIFF’s Share Her Journey initiative, empowering and celebrating women behind and in front of the camera. Audiences can pre-register for this exclusive event here.
Wednesday, September 15, 12:30pm EDT
Steven Yeun
The Academy Award–nominated actor joins us to retrace his extraordinary journey from collaborations with Bong Joon-ho, Lee Chang-dong, and Lee Isaac Chung to his upcoming film, Stephen Karam’s The Humans, a Special Presentation at this year’s Festival.
Sunday, September 12, 6pm EDT
Additional Visionaries speaker added to the 2021 TIFF Industry Conference lineup:
VISIONARIES Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Generously supported by Anne-Marie Canning
Born in Bangkok, director Apichatpong Weerasethakul is one of the most influential and revered visual artists of this time. His incisive, visceral relationship with the moving image often draws on the ancestral myths of his country to reflect on his surroundings, from global social issues to the political concerns of modern Thailand. Join us for a conversation with the filmmaker, whose latest feature, Memoria, was one of two Jury Prize winners at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival; moderated by TIFF artistic director and co-head Cameron Bailey.
TIFF 2021 Industry Selects
“These titles, hand-selected by TIFF’s Festival Programming team presented on our TIFF Digital Cinema Pro platform, are sure to garner interest from buyers,’” said Diana Sanchez, sr. director, film. “They reflect the Festival’s global spirit and showcase a host of new voices and international talent.”
“We’re delighted to present these director-driven and audience-engaging sales titles from around the world to international buyers who rely on our festival to help discover the best cinema from across the globe,” added Geoff Macnaughton, sr. director, industry and theatrical. “TIFF is thrilled to support buyers, sales agents, producers, and of course filmmakers this year with the TIFF Industry Selects distinction.”
- 107 Mothers Peter Kerekes | Slovakia
- America Latina Damiano D’Innocenzo & Fabio D’Innocenzo | Italy, France
- Cadejo Blanco Justin Lerner | Guatemala, USA, Mexico
- Carmen Valerie Buhagiar | Malta, Canada
- Cool Abdoul Jonas Backeland | Belgium
- Domingo Raúl López Echeverría | Mexico, Austria, France
- The Hole in the Fence Joaquín del Paso | Mexico, Poland
- The King of All the World Carlos Saura | Mexico, Spain
- La Civil Teodora Ana Mihai | Belgium, Romania, Mexico
- The Last Mark Reem Morsi | Canada
- My Night Antoinette Boulat | France
- Night Blooms Stephanie Joline | Canada
- Nightride Stephen Fingleton | UK
- Nr. 10 Alex van Warmerdam | Netherlands, Belgium
- Old Henry Potsy Ponciroli | USA
- Onoda – 10,000 Nights in the Jungle Arthur Harari | France, Japan, Germany, Belgium, Italy
- The Pink Cloud luli Gerbase | Brazil
- Quake Tinna Hrafnsdóttir | Iceland
- Reflection Valentyn Vasyanovych | Ukraine
- The Score Malachi Smyth | UK
- Shankar’s Fairies Irfana Majumdar | India
- A Tale of Love and Desire Leyla Bouzid | France
Review: Malcolm Washington Makes His Feature Directing Debut With “The Piano Lesson”
An heirloom piano takes on immense significance for one family in 1936 Pittsburgh in August Wilson's "The Piano Lesson." Generational ties also permeate the film adaptation, in which Malcolm Washington follows in his father Denzel Washington's footsteps in helping to bring the entirety of The Pittsburgh Cycle — a series of 10 plays — to the screen.
Malcolm Washington did not start from scratch in his accomplished feature filmmaking debut. He enlisted much of the cast from the recent Broadway revival with Samuel L. Jackson (Doaker Charles), his brother, John David Washington (Boy Willie), Ray Fisher (Lymon) and Michael Potts (Whining Boy). Berniece, played by Danielle Brooks in the play, is now beautifully portrayed by Danielle Deadwyler. With such rich material and a cast for whom it's second nature, it would be hard, one imagines, to go wrong. Jackson's own history with the play goes back to its original run in 1987 when he was Boy Willie.
It's not the simplest thing to make a play feel cinematic, but Malcolm Washington was up to the task. His film opens up the world of the Charles family beyond the living room. In fact, this adaptation, which Washington co-wrote with "Mudbound" screenwriter Virgil Williams, goes beyond Wilson's text and shows us the past and the origins of the intricately engraved piano that's central to all the fuss. It even opens on a big, action-filled set piece in 1911, during which the piano is stolen from a white family's home. Another fleshes out Doaker's monologue in which he explains to the uninitiated, Fisher's Lymon, and the audience, the tortured history of the thing. While it might have been nice to keep the camera on Jackson, such a great, grounding presence throughout, the good news is that he really makes... Read More