September is only weeks away, and that means A-listers will soon be lining the streets for the 50th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival.The red carpet glam and major celeb sightings will take place from September 4-14 this year. Organizers already unveiled the first five films set to premiere this fall, and they just announced a slate of other flicks for the Gala and Special Presentation programmes.
While the festival hasn’t confirmed which global icons will descend upon the city this year, we can certainly speculate.
Look out for a possible appearance by Keanu Reeves. The actor, who was born in Beirut and grew up in Toronto, stars as a celestial figure alongside Aziz Ansari in Good Fortune, which marks Ansari’s feature directorial debut and is set for its world premiere at the festival.
Scarlett Johansson directs Eleanor the Great, which will make its North American premiere this fall. The flick is about a 90-year-old woman who befriends a 19-year-old student, and stars June Squibb, Erin Kellyman and Chiwetel Ejiofor.
Other Gala projects are helmed or headlined by other familiar faces that you might see across town! Look out for Brian Cox (Glenrothan), James McAvoy (California Schemin’) and Bobby Farrelly (Driver’s Ed).
Fans of whodunit flicks could expect Oscar-winning director Rian Johnson, who’ll return to TIFF for Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, premiering as a Special Presentation. The franchise is known for its all-star ensembles, so Torontonians might spot the likes of Daniel Craig, Jeremy Renner, Mila Kunis or even Kerry Washington on the red carpet.
The Smashing Machine, directed by Benny Safdie and starring Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt, Frankenstein by Guillermo del Toro, starring Oscar Isaac and Christoph Waltz, and Couture by Alice Winocour, starring Angelina Jolie, are all slated as North American or world premieres, so perhaps, more A-list appearances?
There’ll also be a few Canadian premiers to look out for, including a documentary starring Drake (Degrassi: Whatever It Takes). Anne Émond’s Peak Everything, starring Toronto-born actor Connor Jessup, will be this year’s Closing Night Gala flick.
Look out for more Special Presentations from globally acclaimed filmmakers like Paul Greengrass, Chloé Zhao, Peter Ho-Sun Chan, and Derek Cianfrance, each bringing flicks that could draw huge names to the city.
TIFF tickets go on sale to members starting Aug 15, with the full schedule dropping Aug 12.
Keep an eye out here for more updates or visit tiff.net!
