TIFF highlights for Sept. 8
- Welcome to Day 5 of the Toronto International Film Festival. The festival Monday features Scarlett Johansson’s directorial debut Eleanor the Great, the North American premiere of The Smashing Machine starring Dwayne Johnson and Guillermo del Toro’s long-awaited adaption of Frankenstein.
- The frantic, star-studded and chaotic opening weekend of the festival’s 50th edition included long lines along Festival Street, the question of just which TIFF title will take home the coveted People’s Choice Award (Perhaps Rental Family?) and a buzzy Saturday night. The audience was thrilled to see the likes of Daniel Craig, Glenn Close, Andrew Scott, Kerry Washington, and Josh O’Connor onstage for the new Knives Out whodunnit Wake Up Dead Man, while the Channing Tatum dramedy Roofman played the cavernous Roy Thomson Hall across the street.
- For two days in a row, pro-Palestinian protests sprang up on Festival Street in response to TIFF’s back-and-forth decision-making regarding Canadian director Barry Avrich’s Oct. 7 documentary, The Road Between Us. Aside from a brief protest on opening night inside the Princess of Wales, none of the demonstrations penetrated the theatres themselves, perhaps due to some of the strictest security measures in festival history.
The TIFF film premieres happening today
Eleanor the Great
A scene from Scarlett Johansson’s “Eleanor the Great” starring June Squibb.HO/The Canadian Press
Eleanor the Great, Scarlett Johansson’s first feature as a director, will have its North American debut today (Sept. 8, 5:30 p.m., Roy Thomson Hall). The actress goes behind the camera to tell a tender and unpredictable story about a grandmother who passes herself off as a Holocaust survivor after the death of her best friend and roommate. In an exclusive interview with The Globe’s Barry Hertz, Johansson speaks about leaving Marvel behind to direct the deeply personal drama: “I look at other actors who also direct, like Bradley Cooper and Robert Redford, and I have so much more respect for that choice. Just the stamina of it. I don’t think I can be inside and outside like that at the same time.”
Eleanor the Great screens at TIFF on Sept. 8, 9, 12 and 14.
The Smashing Machine
Emily Blunt, left, and Dwayne Johnson in a scene from “The Smashing Machine.”Ken Hirama/The Associated Press
Dwayne Johnson takes a serious turn as mixed martial arts fighter Mark Kerr in The Smashing Machine, which will make its North American premiere today (Sept. 8, 9:45 p.m., VISA Screening Room at the Princess of Wales Theatre). Indie icon Benny Safdie and Johnson team up to share the story of the pioneering fighter who helped grow the sport’s popularity in its early days, but also struggled with addiction to painkillers and opioids, overdosing twice. Johnson, best known for big-budget action movies and comedies, is already sparking Oscar buzz for his transformation in the film.
The Smashing Machine screens at TIFF on Sept. 8 and 9.
Uiksaringitara (Wrong Husband)
Haiden Angutimarik as Sapa (left) and Theresia Kappianaq as Kaujak (left) star in Uiksaringitara (Wrong Husband), directed by Zacharias Kunuk.Kingulliit Productions/TIFF
The bonds of family and the inextricable commitments of community are themes that loom large in Uiksaringitara (Wrong Husband), the latest epic from Inuk filmmaker Zacharias Kunuk, which will have its North American premiere at the festival today (Sept. 8, 5 p.m., Royal Alexandra Theatre). Starting with the arranged marriage between “future husband” (Haiden Angutimarik) and “future wife” (Theresia Kappianaq) 4,000 years ago, Kunuk’s new film blends hard-eyed drama with beguiling fantasy, the story laced with the promises that one generation makes to the next.
Uiksaringitara (Wrong Husband) screens at TIFF on Sept. 8, 9 and 14.
Frankenstein
A scene from Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein” starring Oscar Isaac and Jacob Elordi.HO/The Canadian Press
Guillermo del Toro’s adaption of Frankenstein pairs Oscar Isaac as the brilliant scientist who is driven to the brink of madness and Jacob Elordi as his ingeniously conjured monster (Sept. 8, 6 p.m., VISA Screening Room at the Princess of Wales Theatre). The film was shot in Toronto and Scotland. TIFF calls Frankenstein del Toro’s “magnum opus” and a piece of art that blurs the boundaries between life, death and madness.
Frankenstein screens at TIFF on Sept. 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14.
No Other Choice
A scene from Korean director Park Chan-wook’s new film “No Other Choice.”TIFF/Supplied
Korean director Park Chan-wook’s new film No Other Choice follows a newly unemployed man who, desperate to land a coveted position, hatches a ruthless plan to dispatch his competition. Featuring Lee Byung-hun, the movie transplants a crime novel by Donald E. Westlake to present-day South Korea (Sept. 8, 9:30 p.m., Roy Thomson Hall).
No Other Choice screens at TIFF on Sept. 8, 9 and 11.
Eternal Return
A scene from Yaniv Raz’s fantasy drama “Eternal Return,” starring Naomi Scott, Kit Harington, and Simon Callow.TIFF/Supplied
Yaniv Raz’s fantasy drama Eternal Return stars Naomi Scott, Kit Harington, and Simon Callow as an adventurous trio journeying back through time in search of the power to love again (Sept. 8, 11:30 a.m., VISA Screening Room at the Princess of Wales Theatre).
Eternal Return screens at TIFF on Sept. 8, 9, 11 and 13.
Midnight Madness: Dust Bunny
A scene from the film “Dust Bunny.”HO/The Canadian Press
Making its world premiere at TIFF, Dust Bunny by director Bryan Fuller is about a 10-year-old girl who hires the services of a hit man to kill the monster under her bed. The horror thriller film stars Mads Mikkelsen, Sophie Sloan and Sigourney Weaver, and is a nod to the films of French filmmaker Jean-Pierre Jeunet (Sept. 8, 11:59 p.m., Royal Alexandra Theatre).
Dust Bunny screens at TIFF on Sept. 8, 9 and 12.
Star watch
Emily Blunt and Dwayne Johnson attend the red carpet of the movie “The Smashing Machine” at the 82nd International Venice Film Festival on Sept. 1.STEFANO RELLANDINI/AFP/Getty Images
- Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson will likely appear on the red carpet on Monday to celebrate the North American premiere of The Smashing Machine. He is also set to participate in an “In Conversation With…” session about his journey from the ring to Hollywood and his work on the highly anticipated drama (Sept. 8, 2:30 p.m., Royal Alexandra Theatre).
- Tessa Thompson and director-screenwriter Nia DaCosta are also set to participate in an “In Conversation With…” session to discuss their creative partnership with the film Hedda, and their respective careers.
- Other celebrities that you can likely catch in and around the festival today are Scarlett Johansson, Emily Blunt, Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi and Lee Byung-hun.
The big parties and other events
People walk along King Street as TIFF returns for its 50th edition.Carlos Osorio/Reuters
- There will be a TIFF Black Excellence Brunch on Sept. 8 at RBC House inside Petros82 restaurant.
- The celebrations will continue in Toronto’s David Pecaut Square from Sept. 4 to 13 for open-air movie screenings and other activities. Christopher Guest’s 2000 comedy Best in Show — starring Eugene Levy, who appears in this year’s You Had to Be There: How the Toronto Godspell Ignited the Comedy Revolution... — has a free screening Monday evening on Festival Street, starting at 10 p.m.
How to get TIFF tickets, and other common questions
People wait in a rush line for tickets on King Street as the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) returns for its 50th edition.Carlos Osorio/Reuters
How do you buy TIFF tickets?
You can buy curated ticket packages, member bundles or individual tickets to film screenings. Tickets went on sale to the general public Aug. 25, but you are still able to purchase individual tickets to screenings throughout the festival. Prices for regular screenings start at $29 and prices for premium screenings start at $43. Browse films and purchase tickets on TIFF’s website.
Where can I see this year’s festival schedule?
The TIFF schedule is available on the festival’s website and can be sorted by venue, type of screening and date.
What are “rush” tickets, and how do they work?
Festival-goers who are unable to secure a ticket online are able to wait in rush lines for screenings. About 15 minutes prior to a screening’s start time, staff will count the amount of empty seats in the cinema and sell rush tickets to those in line on a first-come, first-served basis. The TIFF website recommends arriving no earlier than 60 minutes before the screening to wait in the rush line.
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